What's the Catch?

[China Doll]

Hi All,

I've been thinking about getting a laptop recently and saw the advert for the �14.99 orange broadband with free laptop on telly last night.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/martprd/editorial/fre elaptop/?int=home_nav

My question is what's the catch? Is orange a bad broadband to have? Is there something wrong with the laptop? Or is this just an astonishingly good deal?

I know little to nothing about technology, (I can make my computer work and that's about it) and don't really want to buy a computer that is going to cause me more hassle than it's worth but this does seem like a good deal....

Cheers!
China

[furrycheeky]

The laptop specs are in the darkage. It will surf the net and run word thats about it. Forget games and anything complex.

[Ethel]

Rubbish laptop nobody would buy and tied in to a rubbish ISP for two years.

No thanks.

[China Doll]

What's an ISP?

I only really need a laptop for word, excel and mucking around on the internet really. Would it be so bad for doing that or should I just forget it?

[OBonio]

ISP = Internet Service Provider

In this case Orange.

I would give it a wide birth myself. The laptop isn't up to much, and the broadband connection isn't either (2Mb bandwidth, 2Gb capped).

Eclipse offer 8Mb bandwidth with no cap for 14.99. You can get a good laptop for about �350.

[China Doll]

Thanks all!

[kempie]

The laptop spec is from the darkage (ha ha! - that would be the beginning of the 21st Century and with a more reliable/supported version of Windows than the current version). Possibly adequate for the usage you propose or you could select one of the upgrades.

Orange Broadband certainly has quite a bad name for service and reliability. Speed and capacity? - possibly adequate for the usage you propose.

Thus the options are:

Orange � �337.26 (+BT line rental) over 2 years for a possibly iffy internet connection + low-end laptop; or

Orange + (�20 to �200) for 'better' laptop; or

OBonio's alternative � �180 per year + �350 for blistering fast internet (if line quality allows and there is a cap of 2GB) + "good" laptop; or

Shop around for the laptop and connection that most meets your needs...

http://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/orange-offer s-free-laptops-23072007.html

[China Doll]

Cheers Kempie, you're a star.

[camioneur]

I'd be interested to know why people who aren't on Orange knock it when they have no experience to base their judgement on.

I live so far from an exchange that BT would only give me half a meg which dissapeared to dial up speed after 6 at night when the neighbours came home.

Orange gave me 2 Mg and it is 2Mg or very nearly for the same price. i also got a free wireless router and get free phone calls to just about everyone except non Orange mobiles and 08 numbers. I even use it for business calls all over Europe several times a day all for free.

I know that watchdog slated them for response times when you call them but I've never had to call them so what's that matter I wonder?

To answer your question, if you're not into hi tech etc. then this will probably be adequate for your needs and a god deal to boot. Even if the laptop is poor spec, it's going to perform the basics and therefore must be worth 2-300 so 18 month or so of your 2 year contract is going to be free more or less! Of course they're counting on you staying with them when the 2 years is up and apathy, espeially with non techs usually works for them but you'll be able to do whatever you like after the 2 year contract.

If you feel this offer works for you then take it but don't listen to people who knock for the sake of knocking!

[WoWo]

camioneur - Fair comment, but I was an Orange broadband customer and it was rubbish :)

Do you not think that half the reason that they are offering a �300 laptop is because their reputation is so bad they have no other way of attracting customers?

[WoWo]

And for the record, mine is not a lone voice....

http://www.orangeproblems.co.uk/phpBB2/

A whole, and very active, website dedicate to people with problems with their Orange Broadband.

[Mattk]

I was with orange and could not believe how appalling their customer service was.Obviously in another country and maybe it would help if they learnt english first.

As for orange offering better speeds than bt, i would be surprised seeing as the signal is still coming down you bt phoneline !

[camioneur]

well Mattk. whether you believe it or not the facts are that BT would only give me 512 and Orange gave me 2M, but the thing is, I don't care whether you believe me or not. I was telling things as I find them and not as some else's mate of a mate said they were last time they were on it 3 years ago or whatever!. Anyway, your speed depends on what your ISP want to put down your phone line with their equipment, if you change from BT to Orange then Orange have to install equipment on your line at the exchange so why should the speed not be better. I only paid BT for 512 so they were never going to give me 2 mg now were they. Agan, people chipping in when they're clearly ignorant of the facts. I don't doubt there are sites out there full of people who don't like Orange but you're missing the point. You just don't get sites full of people's comments about things that are ok now do you? Like I said in the first place, I've been on Orange for over a year and I've never had to contact them. the very fact that I'm posting this on here shows that it still works I think!

[Mattk]

Your speed is dictated by what your line will allow NOT by your ISP although they can offer what they like under the 'upto' umbrella.
When I was with orange(Wanadoo) they gave me a faster speed than BT but I had no end of problems with it because my line couldnt cope with the speed they had given me and my connection was dropping literally every few minutes as it was being pushed to the limit and beyond.Orange(Wanadoo) seem to offer products that they really shouldnt to generate trade

Remember that speed isnt everything and sometimes its best to just settle for a solid connection.

camioneur, dont get so tetchy.Im glad you have a good connection and I hope that you dont start to experience the problems i had.are you sure your connection is 2meg and not an 'upto' service ie no faster than what bt were offering?

[camioneur]

Mattk, I think you missunderstand me, BT only gave me 512, they said that's all my line would support so I paid them for 512 only. Orange when contacted said my line would support 2 mb after they'd done their bit at the exchange. The day I changed over my internet went from snails pace to electric. Also on BT broadband, my speed went to less than that of dial-up after 6 at night, (presumeably when neighbours came home). We only have one neighbour as we live middle of nowhere and miles from the exchange which apparently is the deciding factor. We protested loads of times to BT who said there wasn't a problem so paying for half a meg and getting 56k was usual. Now, always the same (electric by my standards) regardless of time of day..I was born tetchy Matt, and getting worse as getting older!!

[camioneur]

By the way, sorry China Doll, seem to have hijacked your thread...I apologise unreservedly

[China Doll]

No problems... carry on! :-)

[Mattk]

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/t ech_and_web/the_web/article2186675.ece

Backs up what I was saying regarding speeds and also interestingly Orange are featured in the worst providers.