Ordered a Bold by phone from Carphone Warehouse last Tuesday (SIM free not listed online) at £349 for same day despatch. Not arrived by Thursday, called CS, was told there was a "technical problem", please call back Monday.

Suggested they cancel the order, CS said it might take a month to process a refund cheque (I'd paid by CC). When they listed several local branches with stock, I asked that they credit my account for in-store pickup which they promptly did.

Went into local branch, was shown stock at £399 (was this the "technical problem"?). Swallowed hard, paid the extra £50, noticed that box seal was broken. Apparently all units the same. Hardware looked OK so completed purchase.

Returned to work, discovered that leaflet had been inserted in box promoting CPW Navigator, their subscription based GPS service. Fired up Bold, discovered that this software had been pre-installed.

Checked OS (v4.6.0.92), upgraded to v4.6.0.126, rejected option to re-install Navigator module, so device now clean.

Morals of story? (1) Prices may vary, (2) SIM free does not necessarily mean bloat free, and (3), as always, but particularly in my past experience with CPW, caveat emptor.