Orange upgrade options advice please

Hi,

I have a Motorolla Timeport phone from circa 1999 which is on an Orange
tariff. It is knackered, fell into a bowl of water a few months ago and is
very crackly now. I had been hoping to upgrade to a Windows Smartphone but I
have not been impressed by either Orange's tarrifs or the Windows'
Smartphones currently available in the UK.

I am seriously thinking about leaving Orange sometime this year as and when
I see the right Smartphone with a UK mobile vendor plus the 'right'
Smartphone that suits my needs. Anyhow, in the meantime I need to replace my
current phone.

A friend tells me that I should be able to get a 'free' upgrade phone from
Orange which, no matter how basic, will be much better than my Motorolla. He
advises that I should go with the upgrade for now and then ditch Orange
later in the year. Alternaitvely, he advises buying a basic unlocked phone
from Expanys and using that with my Orange SIM.

I have a few questions:

1. Is there such a thing as a 'free' phone upgrade from Orange? I have never
had one.

2. If I do get this 'free' upgrade does it lock me into being with Orange
for another 12 or 18 months? I do not wish to be with them longer than the
next 6 months as I can see the data only tariffs from the likes of T-Mobile
being something that I would want.

3. Any other useuful advice please.

Thanks,


John.

"John Smith" <*@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:CWEwh.4220$lV5.227@newsfe7-win.ntli.net...

> 1. Is there such a thing as a 'free' phone upgrade from Orange?

Yep

> I have never had one.

Why not???? ;-)

> 2. If I do get this 'free' upgrade does it lock me into being with Orange
> for another 12 or 18 months?

Almost certainly

> 3. Any other useuful advice please.

Don't know what a Timeport or a Smartphone are, so useful advice is sadly
lacking in my department, sorry!


--

J B

"J B" <jb@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:52glesF1ocvunU1@mid.individual.net...
> "John Smith" <*@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:CWEwh.4220$lV5.227@newsfe7-win.ntli.net...
>
>> 1. Is there such a thing as a 'free' phone upgrade from Orange?
>
> Yep
>
>> I have never had one.
>
> Why not???? ;-)

Maybe he's on PAYG or a Virgin OVP tariff?

Tim

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Tim Downie <timdownie2003@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

> "J B" <jb@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:52glesF1ocvunU1@mid.individual.net...
>> "John Smith" <*@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:CWEwh.4220$lV5.227@newsfe7-win.ntli.net...
>>
>>> 1. Is there such a thing as a 'free' phone upgrade from Orange?
>>
>> Yep
>>
>>> I have never had one.
>>
>> Why not???? ;-)
>
> Maybe he's on PAYG or a Virgin OVP tariff?
>
> Tim


The latter doesn't stop you getting free upgrades - I've had *two*!
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

"Roger Mills" <watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote in message
news:52gt3qF1o51kmU1@mid.individual.net...
> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
> Tim Downie <timdownie2003@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>
>> "J B" <jb@privacy.net> wrote in message
>> news:52glesF1ocvunU1@mid.individual.net...
>>> "John Smith" <*@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>> news:CWEwh.4220$lV5.227@newsfe7-win.ntli.net...
>>>
>>>> 1. Is there such a thing as a 'free' phone upgrade from Orange?
>>>
>>> Yep
>>>
>>>> I have never had one.
>>>
>>> Why not???? ;-)
>>
>> Maybe he's on PAYG or a Virgin OVP tariff?
>>
>> Tim
>
>
> The latter doesn't stop you getting free upgrades - I've had *two*!
> --
> Cheers,
> Roger
> ______
> Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
> monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
> PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!
>
As others say you will be locked into Orange for another 12 or 18 months if
you take their upgrade. So, I would take yourself off to Carphonewarehouse
and have a look at what they have on Orange, O2 or T-Mobile Pay as you go.
Most of these will be standard GSM stock rather than the locked versions
that other shops sell. You can generally tell this if you ask them to show
you a phone and it comes in a box without a network's logo and some
assitance will freely tell you if its locked or not anyway.

I have had 2 Motorolas and an SE on O2, Orange and T-Mobile and all were
unlocked for any network. This is MUCH cheaper than getting a SIM free
phone, especially from Expansys who are good but EXPENSIVE.

"John Mason" <jgsfsd@jsjkhsat.com> wrote in message
news:45c39077$0$8755$ed2619ec@ptn-nntp-reader02.plus.net...
>
> "Roger Mills" <watt.tyler@googlemail.com> wrote in message
> news:52gt3qF1o51kmU1@mid.individual.net...
>> In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
>> Tim Downie <timdownie2003@obvious.yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> "J B" <jb@privacy.net> wrote in message
>>> news:52glesF1ocvunU1@mid.individual.net...
>>>> "John Smith" <*@hotmail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:CWEwh.4220$lV5.227@newsfe7-win.ntli.net...
>>>>
>>>>> 1. Is there such a thing as a 'free' phone upgrade from Orange?
>>>>
>>>> Yep
>>>>
>>>>> I have never had one.
>>>>
>>>> Why not???? ;-)
>>>
>>> Maybe he's on PAYG or a Virgin OVP tariff?
>>>
>>> Tim
>>
>>
>> The latter doesn't stop you getting free upgrades - I've had *two*!
>> --
>> Cheers,
>> Roger
>> ______
>> Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
>> monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
>> PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!
>>
> As others say you will be locked into Orange for another 12 or 18 months
> if you take their upgrade. So, I would take yourself off to
> Carphonewarehouse and have a look at what they have on Orange, O2 or
> T-Mobile Pay as you go. Most of these will be standard GSM stock rather
> than the locked versions that other shops sell. You can generally tell
> this if you ask them to show you a phone and it comes in a box without a
> network's logo and some assitance will freely tell you if its locked or
> not anyway.
>
> I have had 2 Motorolas and an SE on O2, Orange and T-Mobile and all were
> unlocked for any network. This is MUCH cheaper than getting a SIM free
> phone, especially from Expansys who are good but EXPENSIVE.
>

Thanks all for the advice. I am on a monthly contract. I had a feeling the
'free' upgrade would make me stay with them for another 12 or 18 months and,
apart from the fact that I am hearing bad things about Orange increasingly
on forums like this, I don't think I will be staying with them 6 or so
months from now. I have never been offered any upgrade phone at all in the,
what, 8 or 9 years I have been with them.

"John Smith" <*@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ZR_wh.7560$fy5.2887@newsfe6-win.ntli.net...

> I have never been offered any upgrade phone at all in the, what, 8 or 9
> years I have been with them.

But you say that you've been reading this group, so don't you know you
should get an upgrade (or a discount for not) each year?

:-)


--

J B

"J B" <jb@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:52je8lF1ouosvU1@mid.individual.net...

>
> But you say that you've been reading this group, so don't you know you
> should get an upgrade (or a discount for not) each year?

Recently :-)