Any downside going third-party e.g. phones4u?

[Dead1nside]

I really want the N85 but Orange don't have it yet and they mess up their handsets anyway so the unbranded and unlocked versions that Phones4U are peddaling are very appealing to me.

Are there any downsides to getting my upgrade through Phones4U compared to Orange directly?

Or should I just get the best deal and phone I can from Orange and sell it to buy an N85 from ebay?

Thanks.

[roberth]

my opinion is that you have a few options

1. if you sell it on ebay,they will be people who dont want the same prob that you have...orange messing up the software.but there may be someone who just wants the phone regardless

2. getting it from phones4u,you get a non branded handset(correct?)

3. you can get it from orange and "tinker" with it a bit to get the original software

[Bartmanekul]

Does it have to be Orange? If not, mobilephonesdirect are very good, a number of people on here are very happy with them, but I think they are vodafone only.

[Dead1nside]

Well I like Orange as a network provider as I've got a good deal with them.

I've been told by Phones4U that I can upgrade with the same contract via them and get the N85 however I don't know what negatives there are by going through a third party like Carphone Warehouse or Phones4U. In theory it's good for me as there's no difference for me I'd still be on Orange with my old contract just with an N85 from Phones4U... but there's got to be some downside.

Thanks for the replies so far.

[Moz]

Downside, could be higher monthly payment, longer contract or potentially less benefits ( Minutes, Texts & Data )

Make sure you read your contract and be sure on what your getting before signing.

[Dead1nside]

If I understand correctly, and I don't know what's in it for them.

Basically they told me I can keep my current contract which is £21.50/month for 18 months and that I can upgrade my phone with them to the N85 since they stock it and Orange don't. So to me there won't be any difference.

I was just wandering if you've had any experience with Phones4U or other third-party providers since they have to be making their money somewhere. What happens if your phone breaks? What happens if there are problems with your contract who do you talk to Orange or Phones4U etc. ?

Usually I'd just go with Orange directly, since they can give better deals. However they don't stock the phone and it's SIM Free on Phones4U so no network branding, no crippled handset etc.

[Gaz]

all of your dealings are still with Orange directly and the handset is still covered by the Nokia warranty if it should go wrong .
they get paid by Orange for upgrading which is why they do it but to you there is no change

[Moz]

The way I understand it.

Of an operator can't stock a phone to sell. They will allow third party's to do it for them at a reduced rate.

This is better than nothing for Orange. Obviously P4U etc buy the handsets for a reduced rate, and receive money from Orange etc for arranging a contract.

[Dead1nside]

I think I'll be going for this then since it gives me the benefit of having an actual physical store and more legal rights by going through a legitamate seller rather than ebay.

The only downside that I can see is that you can push for harder bargains with Orange directly, I may be able to improve on my already good deal. Do you think there's any bargaining power with Phones4U to for instance attempt to ask for unlimited internet as well, or can only Orange handle this?

Either way, it's looking very tempting for me as if I get a wobbly slider I can try and swap it.

Thanks for all your replies. If you can think of anything else to add, please do so.

[Sp00k]

A word of warning to anyone taking out a contract with a third-party seller that offers a cheap deal by means of periodic rebates...

Quite apart from the difficulty that some people have had in satisfying the requirements to obtain the rebates on their payments, some have been left paying the full contract price to the service provider when the third-party dealer went bust!

If Woolies can bite the dust, nobody is 100% safe!