Ordering SPV Accessories – An (almost) Gripping Tale...

[Guest akarno]

... of Betrayal, Denial and Ultimately Salvation

I needed an additional docking station for my SPV with an RS232 interface. As buying stuff online can sometimes be a little “hit & miss” I decided to order through The Orange Shop, mistake number one, apparently.

They offer 2 versions. There is the RS232 Cable – “Ideal for synchronising your SPV and computer terminal whilst on the move” – at £29.99. Also Sync Station + RS232 Cable – “This desktop sync station enables the SPV to synchronise with your computer terminal whilst simultaneously charging” at £39.99.

Maybe I was just being stupid, but to me that meant that for £39.99 I would get a connection cable that also charged the phone, apparently not, but more of that later.

I ordered the Sync Station + RS232 Cable from the Orange Shop on the 3rd of September and received and email almost immediately acknowledging my order and telling me that “You can expect to receive your order in 2-5 working days.”

A week later, I phoned them to ask where my order was. I was told that the item had been out of stock, (the 2-5 days is a standard reply and does not reflect an actual anticipated date, nice one Orange). They also told me that it was now in stock so I should receive it in 2-5 working days.

Another week passes and no sync station. Then a letter arrived: “Unfortunately we have been unable to process your order due to a query with your credit card details”. I phoned them up and discovered that although their web site accepts American Express details, they cannot actually take American Express. So I supplied them with details of another credit card over the phone.

Another week passes, and still no sync station. When I called them back they admitted they had made an error and would dispatch my goods immediately. They told me they would be unable to get it to me the next day being a Saturday, this despite them admitted they had made an error. I then asked how they would deliver it, as I would not be in on Monday. They told me it should fit through the letterbox. This is when the discussion moved on to how they could post a power supply through a letterbox and I discovered that despite the wording “This desktop sync station enables the SPV to synchronise with your computer terminal whilst simultaneously charging”, what I was ordering did not include the power supply. They did admit the wording could be misinterpreted, but they did not offer me anything, other than the fact I could order a power supply for an additional £24.99.

At this point I had had enough and cancelled the whole order. I quick search on the Internet found me a Glasgow based company Freedom Mobiles (www.freedom-mobiles.co.uk). They had the sync station (no hint of including charger) at £29.99, £10 cheaper and the charger at £14.99 again £10 cheaper. I ordered both items from them yesterday (Friday) and this morning, both arrived, original Orange items with Orange packaging, no problems.

The moral of this story, if you want any accessories for you SPV, don’t go to Orange, but I can recommend Freedom Mobiles.

[Guest kyrkesmith]

Yeah, I've ordered from them before, and they've done a good job.

I can also usually find what I want on eBay though.