Tried all the fixes? Exhausted your patience and still can’t get your mobile broadband dongle working with your Snow Leopard-toting Mac? Don’t despair. We’ve been speaking to the people in the know about how you can sidestep your contract and avoid forking out a monthly fee for something that simply won’t work.
As we revealed earlier this week, many mobile broadband dongles refuse to do the internet dance with Macs rocking Snow Leopard. So we’ve done some digging and spoken to Electricpig’s legal eagles about how you can bring an abrupt end to the pain.
One legal source told us, “Legislation protects consumers and says that that goods should be fit for purpose and should fit the description under which they were sold. If a dongle was specifically sold to you stating it’d work with a Mac, but doesn’t, you should contact the mobile network, and get yourself some backup from the citizen’s advice bureau.”
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That means, if you bought the dongle after Snow Leopard was released, and it was specifically advertised as working with a Mac, you’ve probably got a case.
The chaps at the Office of Fair Trading also have some sage advice if you’re dongle isn’t doing its thing with your spanking new Snow Leopard OS. “If you ask specifically if a product is compatible with a computer or an operating system and you are told it is, then that is an implied term of contract.”
T-Mobile says its dongles are Mac compatible, yet also states that some will not work with OS X Snow Leopard, which every new Mac runs straight out of the box.
The Office of Fair Trading says that if you have cause for complaint, you should contact Consumer Direct on 08454 040506, or visit the official website at consumerdirect.gov.uk.
In the meantime, make sure you try each network’s fix, workaround or new software. If you’re still having problems with your mobile broadband after that, you could have a case to end the contract early.
