Consumers think mobile broadband laptop deals are too expensive

Tue 27 Oct 2009 1 Comment

In our latest poll, more than 60% of those taking part said they felt so-called 'free' laptop deals don't offer enough for money. Just 15% of those who answered the poll thought they were good value.

Commenting on the result, Broadband Genie editor Chris Marling said: “Mobile broadband has been getting a pretty rough ride in the press recently, and a lack of consumer confidence in the product could be a key contributor to this result.

“Laptops and netbooks are hugely popular right now, and are very competitively priced. There are some great leading brand models on offer from the likes of O2, 3 Mobile Broadband, Orange Mobile Broadband and Vodafone, so I'm not convinced the laptops are the problem.”

Mobile broadband ISPs are continuing to market their products with 'up to' speeds of anywhere from 3Mb to more than 7Mb, but the reality for most is speeds far below that. In addition, the term 'free laptop' itself could also be a key factor.

Marling continued: “Many people have worked out that 'free' laptop really means hire purchase scheme, while talk of mobile broadband being an adequate replacement for fixed-line is a story very much on the back burner. With sales of smartphones still on the rise, and the technology improving all the time, the mobile broadband ISPs are going to need to pull out all the stops to make laptop deals more desirable.”

“At the same time, people who don't realise they're not actually getting a laptop for free are looking at the bundles and thinking, 'why would I pay £25 or more per month for mobile broadband'?

“Providers need to stop giving mixed messages, be honest in their approach to deals and speeds, and get consumers back on their side.”

Check our blog page for the full results.

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Comments

  • neutral

    by Ken Baker at 11:47 on 28 Oct 2009 | registered | 1 postReport abuse

    As there is no broadband cable at my end of the street I purchased a "3" mobile broadband dongle which gave me the free start up allowance and then refused to work inspite of me topping it up. The technical support line is very expensive so I took it back to Maplins and received a refund. Unfortunately I lost the £15 top up.
    Next I purchased a T-Mobile broadband dongle which a friend succeeded in getting to work on my computer which uses Linux Ubuntu 9.10. Unfortunately I cannot send or receive e-mails or texts. Also the 1Gb download is soon used up and £15 for 1Gb is too expensive.
    The only alternative is to purchase a BT phone line and use someone like BE broadband or Zen. Unfortunately BT has the monopoly on Phone lines in this Country and this is unlikely to ever change. Oh to be in South Korea where everyone has 100 Mhz broadband speed!

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