Orange mobile phone contract invalid?

[stuck_1989]

Hi, I'm just looking for some advice as to whether Orange are holding up their end of a contract. 5 months ago I signed up for a 24 month plan at £25 a month which I'm very happy with. Within the last month, there has become a need for me to use a pin number and passwords on various features of the phone (long story crazy ex partner deleting phone numbers etc.) As i didn't need this feature in the first place, I never tried to set it up. Now that I have tried to set it up, its become obvious that someone has actually had the phone before me as none of the standard Orange or Samsung passwords work at all, and it requires a password for a factory reset.

 

I got the phone from carphone warehouse, who sent me to orange, who sent me to samsung, who wanted £50 plus secure postage each way to fix the problem, without even offering me a replacement phone. I refuse to pay this when I was given a second hand phone in the first place.

 

My question is, if i signed a contract to receive a brand new phone for 24 months with unlim texts unlim internet and 600mins for £25, are Orange in breach of the contract by giving me a second hand phone? I'm happy with the contract itself and have no problem staying with them if they will sort out the phone, but no-one seems to want to help me with this and I'm tired of going round in circles with them now. I have 19 months left on my contract and refuse to spend them with a second hand phone.

 

Any advice much appreciated. Thanks

[jacktheband]

You signed up for a 24 month contract for 600 mins, £25/month etc and it sounds like you are getting what you paid for in that respect so no probs with the contract itself.

 

As for the equipment supplied with the contract as the inducement to sign up (which is not a part of the contract, nor supplied to you by Orange or Samsung) your beef is with Carphone Warehouse on this. Sounds like they've given you the run-around by sending you elsewhere to get the pin issue resolved rather than dealing with your complaint that it was a pre-used phone.

 

I'd say it'd be a hard one to prove that the phone was pre-used upon purchase. They may simply say that you've changed the pin and then forgotten what you've changed it to. But it is in their direction that you need to press the issue. Else, get them to perhaps treat it as a phone fault in which case they can repair it for free (i.e. get the memory and OS reflashed).

[locutus]

Have you ever taken the handset back to CPW in the past?

Lots of retailers get cheap "B Grade" stock (stuff that has been returned for non-fault reasons, for example if someone returns the stock within any "cooling off" period) and give these handsets out as replacements to people who's handset breaks.

[stuck_1989]

I don't think it's been replaced before, my memory is appaling but think I'd remember that, and I know its going to be hard to prove thats the problem I'm having but I know I haven't changed it. Thanks for advice I'll head back to carphone warehouse tomorrow. Hopefully they'll sort something out before I really lose my head with them.

[buzby]

There are a good number of pins PIN1 and PIN2 on the handset, which should not be confused with the PIN on the SIM. I'd say it is a long shot to equate not knowing the PIN to be the same as someone having the phone before you and changing it. In any circumstance, you simply do a factory reset and all PINs go to their defaut, no need for sending the handset anywhere. Only the SIM PIN isn't changed by this.

[stuck_1989]

Can't do a factory reset without the password unfortunately. On the phone there is Password, PIN code and PIN2, all of which have been changed before me getting the phone. Problem is because I've had the phone for almost 6 months before needing to use the feature, they don't believe I haven't changed it and forgotten the only PIN number I've used for the last 12 years.

[buzby]

A factory reset should not need a PIN, as it is the forced resetting and erasing of all data. What is the make/model of the handset you have? I'll see if I have the info you require.

[stuck_1989]

Its a Samsung S8300 I think, tocco ultra. It doesn't ask for pin for factory reset is asks for the password on the phone.

[buzby]

If this is the same as the Samsung Omnia, you need to hold down the power button, press the reset pin with stylus for 1 second, then with the stylus still pressed, release the power button. This forces the erase/wipe and reset of all the data.