Online vs In-Store – Buying a phone in the UK

Buying a new phone can be a daunting experience – especially if you are looking to buy one on contract – and dealing with sales people, advice from your friends and family and working out where to buy from can often take weeks of research and deliberation. Then comes the decision on whether to buy online or buy from a retail store and each has their pros and cons – here’s some things to consider when deciding whether to buy online or in-store.

1. Price

If you’re planning on buying your smartphone outright (i.e. without being attached to a pay monthly plan), the internet is almost always cheaper than buying from a retail store. With the exception of Apple devices – which usually have the same price both online and offline – buying from reputable internet operations such as Amazon, Clove Technology and MobiCity can usually save you up to hundreds of pounds on the purchase price. With online shopping, you can often find voucher codes for your retailer that could save you further money off the cost of your purchase.

The internet is not always cheaper however, especially during sale season. Often retailers such as Carphone Warehouse, Vodafone and O2 will have special sales with some handsets reduced in price but whilst it can take a while for the online price to be updated, the sale price is available in-store immediately. Furthermore, some handsets won’t be listed on a retailer’s website but will be available to buy outright in-store (Vodafone especially has almost all handsets listed with a box-only price in-store but not all are on their website).

2. Delivery

The key benefit to buying a handset in-store is that you are able to use a demo unit (most retailers will have a demo unit or a similar handset so you can get a feel of the phone you are buying) and take delivery of the handset before you leave the store. When buying in-store you also don’t normally pay for delivery, you can set the handset up in-store and you can resolve any issues before you leave the store.

When buying online, you usually have to pay for delivery (although some retailers offer free delivery), wait for the delivery to arrive and then resolve any issues over the phone with customer services. Furthermore, you will sometimes find that you can’t get support for an issue in-store and have to speak to customer services but as covered by the price point above, it can be worth the additional hassle if the price is cheaper online.

3. Returns

Handsets (and just about anything) purchased online in the UK are governed by the Consumer Contracts Regulations (which have replaced the Distance Selling Regulations) which is a law that applies to items bought online, at a distance or away from a trader’s premises (e.g. a seller coming to your home or workplace).

The above regulations cover several aspects but the most important is that they offer you the option to cancel a service contract online or return any item purchased at a distance within 14 days of entering the contract or receiving the goods (in some cases this is limited to 7 working days, starting with the day after you receive the goods). Many online retailers will prevent you from returning goods if they’ve been used but as long as the items are in fully working condition and as-new (with no marks or blemishes), you are legally entitled to return the handset and receive a full refund of the purchase price paid.

Whilst all online sales come with a returns policy (even if you’ve changed your mind and have used the handset), buying in-store usually means you can’t return the handset or exchange it for another model (sometimes you can if the handset is faulty). Some retailers still offer a returns policy (O2 offers it on all sales) but it’s rare and we recommend asking about the returns policy before signing any paperwork or paying for your purchase.

4. Availability

As each store has a limited amount of space to store handsets, you’ll find that availability of items is much larger when shopping online. Some retailers will only offer certain handsets in selected stores depending on the handset (most Apple devices are available in all stores) but with space limited, you may have to visit more than one store to find the handset and colour you are looking for. Most manufacturers and retailers will make their entire collection available to purchase online and you’ll often be able to purchase colours and handsets not available in-store.

These are four key factors to consider when buying a UK phone but they can also apply to the purchase of almost anything in the UK. From products to services and technology to most industries, the internet is one large store and you’ll often find retailers online who don’t have a retail presence with less overheads and hence cheaper prices.

Do you have other tips you think are key to buying a phone in the UK? Let us know in the comments below.