Is it true that getting a mobile from 3rd party website has drawbacks?

Heisenberg3000

Hi all,

Advice from anybody in the know would be appreciated. Basic question: should I be wary getting a phone and contract from a third party site like mobilephonesdirect rather than through the network? Specifically, Vodafone retentions team gave me a scare story about:

- maybe it's not a new phone (but on mobilephonesdirect deal page it says it definitely is)
- 'often the download speeds are lower/capped' (sounds like bull**** scare story to me, but any knowledge of this would be much appreciated)
- maybe the contract will say 24 months but actually have some small print that will lock you in to 36 (not sure if I understood him correctly on that one)
- the phone won't have manufacturer warranty/there will be customer support problems

Is there anything to any of these worries, or is it just a concocted scare story to try to keep me on Vodafone without having to offer me a better price?

Details:

I'm due an upgrade on my phone, have been with Vodafone for a while. I've always had success in the past doing the classic "I've seen a better deal elsewhere, can I have my PAC code please?" manoeuvre. However, this time they've called my bluff, in that they won't offer me any lower than what I already got offered through their online upgrade portal. Basically, I've seen a couple of good deals on mobilephonesdirect dot co dot uk that work out about £200-250 cheaper total cost than what Vodafone are saying is the absolute lowest they can go (I've phoned and tried it twice now). MPD will also let me trade in my old phone for about £115. I mentioned these deals (not the trade-in part) to the Vodafone retention team, and asked "can't you match that, or go close?" etc. They just said stonewall no. I said ok I'm off then, and got my PAC code. They said fair enough, but you should beware of drawbacks of buying from a third party website like that rather than through the network. So that is why I wanted to see if anybody knew anything about that.

JJ_Egan

3rd party like john Lewis Amazon Tesco or one of the thousands of phone retailers .

Heisenberg3000

JJ_Egan said:

3rd party like john Lewis Amazon Tesco or one of the thousands of phone retailers .

Thanks for the reply - specifically mobilephonesdirect dot co dot uk

JJ_Egan

That company is part of AO .

Neil49

If the MPD involves cashback paid at regular intervals over the period of the contract they could decline payments because you haven't complied with their terms and conditions. If it's just a straightforward lower monthly rate then the benefits seem to favour going with them. 

Heisenberg3000

Many thanks for drawing my attention to the cashback issue. Looking at reviews online, seems to be important to check that! However, the deal I'm looking at mentions nothing about that, and I assume they couldn't just spring it on me after the fact. Thanks also for advice - I agree, the price is right... However, I'm still keen to see if anyone knows anything about what this Vodafone guy has alleged about lower download speeds or warranty issues if you get your phone through a seller other than the networks - ?

Daz2009

What he's told you is utter rubbish.

macman

Do you really expect Voda to give you an honest answer to this?
The warranty you get will be exactly the same manufacturer's warranty you get from whoever supplies the phone: basically. 2 years from Samsung and a year from everyone else. Buy from JL and you'll get a 2 year retailer warranty. No mainstream mobile provider extends that warranty for the life of the contract AFAIK.
Obviously if you buy a grey import from eBay or Alibaba then you won't get a UK warranty or support, but no-one is suggesting that.
Much better to take this a step further: buy a SIM-free phone outright and then buy a SIM only contract. Invariably cheaper.

Heisenberg3000

Daz2009 said:

What he's told you is utter rubbish.

Haha. I thought it sounded like rubbish, but at the same time I wasn't sure whether Vodafone operatives would outright lie. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't really trust them, but at the same time I assume there is some sort of regulation... if their staff are going around spreading falsehoods about competitor companies...

Do you mind saying briefly why you're so sure in your answer? I.e. how do you know? (Not saying you're wrong!)

Heisenberg3000

macman said:

Do you really expect Voda to give you an honest answer to this?
The warranty you get will be exactly the same manufacturer's warranty you get from whoever supplies the phone: basically. 2 years from Samsung and a year from everyone else. Buy from JL and you'll get a 2 year retailer warranty. No mainstream mobile provider extends that warranty for the life of the contract AFAIK.
Obviously if you buy a grey import from eBay or Alibaba then you won't get a UK warranty or support, but no-one is suggesting that.
Much better to take this a step further: buy a SIM-free phone outright and then buy a SIM only contract. Invariably cheaper.

Thanks. As I just said to Daz, of course I expect Vodafone to be misleading and play tricks, but I wouldn't necessarily expect them to outright lie, you'd think there would be fair competition rules about that... or am I hopelessly naive?

Thanks for the suggestion about sim free. At a glance it doesn't necessarily look cheaper for the phone I'm after (Samsung S21) but I'll hunt a bit harder.

KxMx

I've always bought sim free handsets from Argos or Amazon.
Zero issues. 
Used to be PAYG but now on a 30 day SIM rolling contract.