NOTE: Be careful on uswitch.co.uk when looking for a mobile phone contract

Found 27th Apr 2015

Hi HUKD community,

Checked 27/04/2015

While browsing the internet for a good contract deal on the iPhone 6 Plus 128GB, I thought i'll check out uswitch.co.uk as they are a comparison site, and found a deal from mobilephonesdirect.co.uk listed on uswitch.

But the next time I went to have a look it was £6 cheaper on the handset directly from the deal website (mobilephonesdirect.co.uk) then when I clicked on the referral link from uswitch.

So in short, it seems that third party websites/affiliates like uswitch have their very own standalone website within mobilephonesdirect.co.uk but with different prices compared to buying directly.

Have a look for yourself using the links below
Using uswitch.co.uk link postimg.org/ima…ov/
deal number 5

Direct mobilephonesdirect.co.uk link postimg.org/ima…rx/
deal number 5

Also here's the uswitch affiliate link for the deal uswitch.com/mob…n=5

And mobilephonesdirect.co.uk deal link mobilephonesdirect.co.uk/bas…ry/

As you can see there is a difference of £6 in the handset on all deals, its not only the iPhone 6 Plus but the whole affiliate website is priced different which means if you purchase directly from mobilephonesdirect.co.uk you'll save some money.

Please spread this message so other people are not duped into paying more than they need to.

And please make sure to have a look around before committing to a contract.

Thank you

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9 Comments

27th Apr 2015

I don't mean to sound condescending, but this is a well known and common practice and this is how comparison websites make their money.

27th Apr 2015

the moral is always use the direct sellers site before using the comparison site.

27th Apr 2015

RossD89
I don't mean to sound condescending, but this is a well known and common … I don't mean to sound condescending, but this is a well known and common practice and this is how comparison websites make their money.

It may not be as well known as you think.

thanks for the tip

27th Apr 2015

Thanks OP. Very helpful.

27th Apr 2015

Same when I was doing my bike insurance the cheapest via compare the market was hastings, went direct to hastings and it was £20 less taking it to £90 odd in total, just short of a 20% saving then there was £15 quidco too to come off which I wouldn't have gotten -just a stuffed toy. So a total of £35 savings.

Original Poster

27th Apr 2015

Hi RossD89, it seems it isn't as common as you think, people are still willing to pay for contracts that are way overpriced then if they looked around at other networks or dealer websites.

For example, a person walked into my local 3 store while I was just browsing and asked that they needed a sim card and without hesitant said yes to 600 minutes, unlimited data, unlimited text for £22, and the customer wasn't even in a rush. If it was a good deal or not, I wouldn't sign up before I read the terms and conditions and the perks I got with it. As network companies might give an extra on a certain deal then they would on other deals that are charged at the same price.

Here's an example for people who don't know what I mean, the phone is the iPhone 6 Plus 128GB using EE network:
Line Rental--Handset Cost--Data---Duration--Total
53.49---------49.99------------20GB---24----------1333.75
53.49---------49.99------------10GB---24----------1333.75

Same deal but 14.99 more on handset, different website:
Line Rental--Handset Cost--Data---Duration--Total
53.49---------64.99------------20GB---24----------1348.75
53.49---------64.99------------10GB---24----------1348.75

Can you spot the difference in this one:
Line Rental--Handset Cost--Data---Duration--Total---------4G-------------------Tethering
56.99----------334.99----------10GB--24-----------1702.75-----Normal speed---No
43.49----------159.99----------10GB--24-----------1203.75-----Double speed---Yes

The first one is the most expensive deal that I found and the second one is the least expensive (not from the same website), please understand this excludes upgrades and retention deals.

There are so many deals out there that if you spend some time looking around, you can save some money in the long run.

Edited by: "boobgeldof" 27th Apr 2015

27th Apr 2015

RossD89
I don't mean to sound condescending, but this is a well known and common … I don't mean to sound condescending, but this is a well known and common practice and this is how comparison websites make their money.

I didn't know this, and i don't think it is allowed. It should be reported to Trading Standards.

They make their money from the referral to the website, like Quidco and HUKD.

27th Apr 2015

peodude
I didn't know this, and i don't think it is allowed. It should be … I didn't know this, and i don't think it is allowed. It should be reported to Trading Standards.They make their money from the referral to the website, like Quidco and HUKD.

I think that I misinterpreted OP's post and was referring to referral fees, but to be honest I had a few to drink yesterday so it is anybody's guess as to what I was prattling on about.

Either way, if i was wrong then fair enough.

27th Apr 2015

bargainmadness60
the moral is always use the direct sellers site before using the … the moral is always use the direct sellers site before using the comparison site.

Some sites are different.

Diamond were actually cheaper through a comparison site because they had a deal in place with them. I went to them direct but they were more expensive and advised us to go with the comparison site instead.

No idea why they operated like that.