My suggestion would be to inspect the terms and conditions of your contract and note that in the same way as your obligated to to pay for the service orange are obligated to supply that service to you otherwise theyre in breach of the contract known as frustrated contract and fundamental term in the t&c as for the shop who said they cant exchange a brand new phone as its second hand or theres nothing they can do thats not enfrce`able under law and in both cases its advisable to threaten them with making a complaint to ofcom and the office of fair trading if they cant give you what youve paid for in my experience with mobile phone contracts they wont make it easy for you but take legal advice on consumer/

civil common law and stick to your guns hope this helps you

I had the same problem with an Orange mobile I got for emergencies while away from home .

The shop supposidly checked all the networks for coverage at home and sold me the orange as it had "excellent coverage". However there was zero reception within a five mile radius of home and I could not return the phone as it was second hand by then.

Orange were not helpfull as Id purchased the phone in a shop rather than online so I purchased a signal boosting device which marginally helped. (on the hill in the back garden)

The cooling off period seems only to be aplicable to distance selling. In the shop its down to the disgression of the provider (orange), so I always buy my mobile phone via the internet now.

Id suggest contacting Orange in writing but not to be surprised if they are unhelpfull. If thats the case contact Ofcom as this was sold to you under the false impression that coverage would be excellent. (a problem that seems more widespread than the shops would like you to believe)

Good Luck!

trini444:

So, I am lumbered with a two year contract for a phone that is unusable at home, and Orange do not see this as a problem. I will be going back to O2 as I do need a working phone, but will write to Orange explaining why I am unhappy. Any advice?

The significant part of your problem is that Orange misled you by saying that the signal in your area was excellent. Your letter should state clearly that you would happily continue with the contract if this claim were true, otherwise you wish to cancel. You should send the letter with either a certificate of posting or using recorded delivery. Orange are likely to get awkward if you decide to stop paying so it is important to get your situation clearly stated in writing at an early stage.

Yesterday I bought an Orange phone on contract. The Orange coverage checker said the coverage in my area was excellent, but the signal has been very poor, calls are often going straight to answer phone, and the internet is virtually unusable.

Initially I thought the problem was my fault as I was unaccustomed to using smart phones but a friend living locally had the same problem with Orange and ended up having to buy a new handset with a signal booster.

I took the phone back to the store this morning and asked to exchange for another handset, but was told that this was not possible as phones bought in store were not eligible for exchange. I tried calling the Orange help line but spent a long time talking to a series of people all of whom gave me another number to ring, but nobody could help. In my lunchbreak I went to an Orange store in town where I was told that nothing could be done, but they did phone the support team who said the poor signal might be due to mast problems. However there are posts on the web from other people in Oadby who have not been able to get an Orange signal at home for quite some time.

So, I am lumbered with a two year contract for a phone that is unusable at home, and Orange do not see this as a problem. I will be going back to O2 as I do need a working phone, but will write to Orange explaining why I am unhappy. Any advice?