First up, the only place where it is enjoyable to buy anything is in an Apple store, regardless if it is a new release or not. If they have the stock, they will sell the phone sim free or with a contract with zero fuss. They will then help set it up.

So, what is it like on the rest of the high street. Well two words. It sucks. A new phone is available, lets use the HTC One as an example. It is offered on Phones4U, Three UK, Vodafone, EE, O2 and Carphonewarehouse as available on contract or sim free or pay as you go, dependant on the company.

So how does a typical shopping experience go outside of Apple. Well, you ask if they have a HTC One. You will next be asked if you are buying on contract or not. If you say not because you have a contract or sim only deal, and therefore you want to buy it either pay as you go, or sim free, miraculously there is no stock.

Or, when you ask if they have stock, they spend the next 30 minutes convincing you to take a contract out, when you have clearly told them you will not. At which point, exhausted and frustrated, they turn around and tell you they won’t sell one to you. What!

Their respective websites offer the phone off contract or pay as you go. What’s going on. Well if the retail stores want people to shop online and then look saddened when they have to close due to lack of trade, they are going about it the right way. As I mentioned above this would NEVER happen in an Apple store. And why should the retail experience differ from the website. It’s the same company.

If Samsung, HTC and others want their devices to receive the same happy buying experience as their competitor Apple, they need to put pressure on the respective companies to stop these tactics.

In the end, after visiting several mobile phone shops I did pick up a HTC on pay as you go via a Three store. I have a Three sim only deal, so used that sim instead. I am a long standing customer of Three but the measures I had to go through to buy one on pay as you go we’re dreadful.

As stated above, the sales assistant kept wanting to sell a contract. I said I had spoken to customer services who said I could buy it pay as you go that morning and to visit the store. That was a lie but I wanted to see what difference it made. The assistant spoke to his manager and then came back to try and still sell me a 2 year contract that I didn’t want. Is this how Three treat existing customers!

Anyway, the assistant and store manager appeared, and the manager said the retail stores at present have no way to process the phone on pay as you go. And then the Area Manager appeared, wondering what was going on. I explained again I had spoken to customer services, travelled a long way (20 miles) and the Area Manager said to the manager to process the order, and he would sign whatever was needed. The manager had a face like a slapped arse.

Question is should anybody have to go through the above lengths just to buy a phone. In my view this should never happen. It time for change.