Articles - Free laptops with broadband deals: a false economy?

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We take a look at the glut of 'free laptop' offers on the market and tell you if any are worth it.

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Read more.

Theres one thing you missing - a lot of people want (and need) a laptop / computer at home but can't stump up the £300 - £500 all in one go. They will also need the internet anyway - as far as their concerned it's like a loan, but instead of paying interest on top, you are actually getting something extra.

I agree, to a point.

You can buy a perfectly acceptable netbook for under £200 and a reasonable mid-sized laptop for £275.

(R)etailers are falling over themselves to sell them to you, and most people can grab interest-free credit on something which is a little more expensive.

If you want the laptop that’s on offer this might make sense if you can exit the contract promptly.

Its really for the people who don't use computers much, a bit like the people who get broadband with low usage limits, its suitable for their needs.

I work at PC World (who do these offers) - a lot of people just want to use a laptop to go on the web, and that's it - they get something like an Advent K1501 (£330), and then they need an internet connection - they can pay BT £15.99 a month, or they can pay £20 for 18 months and get their laptop just about free which DOES work out cheaper...

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Originally Posted by Jakg

I work at PC World (who do these offers) - a lot of people just want to use a laptop to go on the web, and that's it - they get something like an Advent K1501 (£330), and then they need an internet connection - they can pay BT £15.99 a month, or they can pay £20 for 18 months and get their laptop just about free which DOES work out cheaper...

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Yeah but.. no

True if you are going to pay £15.99 a month on broadband then sure.. spend £4 extra and get the laptop (assuming you want an 18 month contract and are tied in no longer than that).

But you can get broadband for around £10 a month if you really want it.

Only the first 3 months but 4.49 there and then £13.
http://www.tiscali.co.uk/products/br...-0282&srccode=

I'm not saying tiscali are good, just an example.

Sky offer it dirt cheap if you qualify for it :)

Loads of offers there
http://allyours.virginmedia.com/webs...ervice.do?id=2

I personally wouldn't go for a free laptop deal. I can see why people do it, but it's not as if you are really getting it free in the end.

I know that for most people it's not such a good deal (and at the end of the day the idea of a "free" laptop with a monthly contract IS just a marketing gimmick), for some people it's a great deal (or at least while they pay slightly more they get the laptops NOW rather than in 6-months - 12-months time).

EDIT - I used BT as an example because tbh I don't know many people who shop in the sort of places that do "free laptops" (i.e. PC World, Carphone Warehouse etc) who will be willing to move to the less... well-known ISP's. The sort of customers I see often have trouble with basic things (i.e. is the files that Vista make work with XP, my mate told me that only Toshiba's worked with BT etc etc) and will associate big brands with good support and companies they've never heard of with being dodgy.

Case in point - Customer today wanted a Toshiba laptop (most people always say they NEED x brand of laptop because their "knowledgeable mate" told them they were t3h shizz), but after showing them an Advent and Asus laptop, they said that they were both cheap crappy companies they'd never heard of - one is in fact probably true, and the other is probably the largest mobo manufacturer, and the most stylish notebook manufacturer in the world... (Asus make the MacBook for Apple btw)

It's certainly worth shopping around for mobile broadband - I managed to get a deal with '3' for £7.50 per month for up to 5GB, on an 18 month contract; no extra charge for the USB dongle.

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Originally Posted by Jakg

I work at PC World

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my deepest condolences :(

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Originally Posted by greenalien

It's certainly worth shopping around for mobile broadband - I managed to get a deal with '3' for £7.50 per month for up to 5GB, on an 18 month contract; no extra charge for the USB dongle.

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Got any details for that, have a friend after a cheap deal

Good article - keep the exposés coming!

For most, it's a crap deal. However, there are some who definitely benefit from it. For example, my dad's been with AOL for 10 years. He wasn't going anywhere, as he "trusts" AOL (no amount of me saying otherwise will convince him to move). So, as he wasn't going to dump AOL, I rang up on his behalf and got a free laptop out of them by threatening to move supplier. Yes, he's tied to AOL for another 2 years, but considering he wasn't really moving anywhere and the cost of his broadband hasn't increased, it's not going to cost him any extra money in the long run. Oh, and I got his broadband changed from fixed 2meg to ADSLMax...so now he's faster (the download limit isn't too important, as he doesn't download much anyway). The alternative they offered was £10 off the cost of his broadband per month if he stayed (works out to £240 over two years). The laptop he got was worth more than that at the time (a hewlett packard).

I'd say home broadband has the definite edge over mobile broadband, as the speeds on mobile sometimes crawl to the point where selling them as "broadband" is misleading. However, it should be noted that with the ever-changing world of broadband, there are much cheaper options out there for your home broadband provision if you look around. Personally, I'm happy paying UKFSN (Entanet) my £19.99 per month without a free laptop as I want a higher data limit (30GB peak/300GB off-peak) and better overall service and reliability. I'm on 8meg ADSLMax right now, hitting almost top speed (as I really am that close to the exchange). With the roll out of 21CN, I think people shouldn't be tying themselves down. I like my monthly rolling contract. ;)


Incidentally, you can bring down the cost of the 3 Mobile broadband contract (both the 24 month and 18 month deals) by £100 if you sign up through Quidco. That's £100 cashback. (Don't know if you can mention Quidco on here...if not, please remove and accept my apologies). Also, the cost of dongle only 3 mobile broadband on an 18 month contract is down to half price at the mo (£7.50 per month).

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£100 for 7GB Mobile Broadband Max, and 15GB Data Laptop Package (18/24 month)

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great article.........well done all,keep up the good work, :bowdown:

Good for you.

For most people changing broadband suppliers is too much hassle and as the saying goes -"there's no such thing as a free lunch".