Negotiating a new mobile phone contract - opening gambit

[TheBoyBilly]

I currently have 4 months left of a two-year contact to go with O2. I don't like 'em, their reception, customer service or charges.
For various reasons I want to go to Orange (I know they won't be perfect, no provider is) but I currently have mobile broadband with them that has been superb so far. I would like to get an iPhone on a 2-year deal and like the offers they have, but I would also like a iPad2 as well. As I have a PC at home the iPad will do for surfing the 'net away from home (leaving the PC to do printing and other stuff) So I won't need the mobile broadband anymore (I think)
What do you think is the best way to get a dual deal on an iPhone & iPad? Should I just ask, and if the answer is that 'the deals are there in the catalogue, there is no room for negotiation', threaten to go elsewhere (thereby not renewing my mobile broadband) or do Orange have the upper hand, and I won't get a better deal whatever I say.

Your thoughts please (I realise that was a bit long-winded, I just want the best deal I can get on the 2 items), or indeed is an iPhone AND an iPad OTT?

Bill

 

[thehairycycler]

With most phones and technology there is scope for a better deal with Apple products its a different kettle of fish, I would still hit them with the threats of leaving. I'd even go so far as to walk out the shop and go to a different orange shop to avoid the embarrisment of the tail between the legs.

I've been with orange for about 3 years and when I took out my iphone I never got a sniff of a better deal as an existing customer than what was in the book

 

[Red Light]

You probably won't get any change in the phone deal - they're not set up to customise each one, just offer what's in the book but when I replaced my iPhone I got them to throw in some accessories free.

One thing to consider is the mobile broadband access. The iPhone4 has a Personal Hotspot i.e. you can use it as a wireless hotspot for other devices. This means you don't need the 3G version of the iPad as it can connect wirelessly to the iPhone's 3G connection. The plus is you only need one phone contract, the negative is it runs the iPhone battery down quite fast so you either need it on a charger or have one of the booster batteries to keep it topped up.

Otherwise if you want the 3G iPad, T-mobile has a good deal with a PAYG SIM which costs £20 for a Booster that gives you 6 months of 500MB/month mobile data. With T-mobile you can also roam on the Orange network for free.

The best deal I found though for the iPhone was 3. I was rather nervous about switching to them but they have been excellent and the support line has been very good when I needed to use it a couple of times. No queueing on hold and competent staff that don't treat you like idiots. The two big advantages are truly unlimited data so no worry about how much you've used and their network is 3G only so no sluggish 2G network that makes up a lot of the networks of the other providers. With even just one bar of signal strength on the iPhone I have happily streamed TV onto my iPad via the iPhone Personal Hotspot.

 

[Theseus]

The problem with 3 is that they are a pain to switch away from. I suppose this could be true for most providers as well. Getting the PAC code took multiple calls liberally littered with attempts to get me to stay and sign up to some deal that I was entitled to that had nothing in writing.

 

[Saluki]

You might get a better deal dealing with the providers by phone. When I wanted to renew and upgrade my phone, I got nowhere in the shop. They offered me some crappy phone for the same price as I was already paying. I told them I wanted a smartphone but they were having none of it. I rang customer services and told them I was leaving and told them why. I ended up getting a HTC Desire (which was the phone I wanted) on an 18 month contract for £17.50 a month with 600 talk minutes 2000 texts and unlimited interweb.

It pays to threaten to leave, but you have to mean it.
3 is a pretty good company but it depends where you live. We could never get a signal in Cornwall but its not too bad here in the Highlands. Certainly no worse than Orange anyway. Sometimes the 3 phone will get a signal where the Orange phone wont. Its all swings and roundabouts.
I couldn't get any sort of deal on an iPhone though. None of the providers would budge.

 

[Red Light]

3 is a pretty good company but it depends where you live. We could never get a signal in Cornwall but its not too bad here in the Highlands. Certainly no worse than Orange anyway. Sometimes the 3 phone will get a signal where the Orange phone wont. Its all swings and roundabouts.

3 are piggybacked on the Orange and T-Mobile masts so the coverage should be the same. The only difference is the 3G signal is a bit more variable than 2G and 3 doesn't have a 2G license so can't drop back onto it if there is a local signal drop. Against that they haven't got large legacy chunks of 2G making up their network.

 

[BearPear]

I can't see the benefit of an iPhone and an iPad unless (1) you have terrible eyesight and the iPhone screen is too small or (2) there's more than one of you at home to use multiple devices. I have an iPhone 4 and use it on the wi-fi at home most of the time. For surfing for longer periods I use my laptop.

I negotiated with Vodafone earlier this year as my daughter was moving off that network and my son was looking to get his own fancy phone as he had started work. I rang to get the PAC code to transfer daughter to another network and then got a call from the cancellations team basically offering me the moon on a stick. Long story short I ended up with 2 HTC Desire HD phones with 900 mins, unlimited texts and 1g of browsing all for £20 each a month. The deal was so good that I got the extra handset for Mr BP!

If you threaten to move away from your provider, you'll be amazed what deals they can offer, but I think with 4 months to go you cannot "negotiate" with your current provider, or if you do you will incur early release charges. The guy at Vodafone told me that as long as they were making something from the deal, I could have practically what I wanted.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

Thanks for the helpful replies. I thought that going down the iPhone route would mean not getting a better deal than advertised - they are much in demand. As for having both an iPhone and an iPad it would mean being able to watch films, TV etc on the move (e.g. commuting) It's just an idea I am mulling over. The PC at home is for more substantial duties as you would expect.
I will give this serious thought over the next few months.



Thank you all,

Bill

 

[Oxo]

Thanks for the helpful replies. I thought that going down the iPhone route would mean not getting a better deal than advertised - they are much in demand.

There are lots of rumours that the next iPhone is due to be launched in September/October, which could mean lots of deals on the current model.