View Full Version : Contract Mobile phones!
Well once again im looking into getting a mobile phone on contract. Some may remember my post a few months back (possibly on .com ) about getting a vodaphone mobile but that was thwarted when I found out they wouldnt take solo.
So for a few more months now I have made do with my Stone Aged mobile phone (Nokia 7110) on Pay as you go. until a few days ago when I was talking to one of my friends about my problems getting contract and she said she had a contract mobile phone on a solo account.
After some further research it seems that most places accept solo but you have to go into the store to get your phone, with the possible exception of o2 who seem to take solo online.
So my question is this, wich mobile tarif/contract should I go for??
So far o2 seems to have the best offer - Sony Erricson t610 free and £25 per month for 500 free text (125 Picture messages) and 500mins off-peak any network, though Ive been told this is only a web offer and since we have an o2 store less than 5 mins walk away I would rather buy in store if I can.
so can anybody tell me what prices im likley to be paying and where I would be best buying from?
Local to me we have a carphone warehouse, Vodaphone, Virgin, o2 & the Link so any offers or recomendations from any of these would be best (Remember o2 are the only ones who will let me buy online so I would prefer a local store ;) )
I would also rather not be paying more than £25 per month, I would prefer to get a free handset (Someting like the Sony Erricson t610 or a clamshell), and text is more important than Voice calls.
Also any bad/good experiences you are willing to share would be appreciated.
Thanks again people, I always trust the opinions of people on here :D
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If you go for the online tarriff the phone should be delivered quickly, get the same phone from the shop and the contract cost could be double. I'm looking to change to an online contract with O2 soon as it will save me over £25 per month. Shop around and see if anyone matches the O2 online contract and use that as a basis??
If you go for the online tarriff the phone should be delivered quickly, get the same phone from the shop and the contract cost could be double. I'm looking to change to an online contract with O2 soon as it will save me over £25 per month. Shop around and see if anyone matches the O2 online contract and use that as a basis??
Thanks for the quick reply, Im not too bothered about the delivery times, its more so I can get as much info out of the staff as possible before I buy, and also the fact that o2 are the only people I seem to be able to buy online from, and even then Im not 100% sure because I couldnt find a part of thier site wich states wether they take solo.
Even if I still buy online from o2 I might aswel go into the store anyway to get more info out of them, Im just wondering really If it would be that much more expensive to buy offline, and can you get online account management if you buy offline?
Oh and when do you have to pay your first bill? is it as soon as the contract starts or 1 month after?
MY EXPERIENCE OF O2 ONLINE
PREMIUM RATE CUSTOMER SERVICES - 50 P A MINUTE :mad: :afire: :upyours:
THE SERVICE AND RATES ARE GOOD IF U TEXT A LOT OR PHONE O2 MOBILES A LOT.
IT IS A NIGHTMARE TO CANCEL YOUR ACCOUNT. YOU PROBABLY WILL HAVE 2 SPEAK 2 OFCOM! I HAD TO WHEN I CANCELLED MY ACCOUNT.
WHEN U RING O2 TO CANCEL THEY REFER YOU TO A SALES TEAM WHO PRESSURISE YOU INTO NOT CANCELLING.
THE SALES TEAM DONT ACCEPT NO FOR AN ANSWER. THEY WILL GO TO ANY LENGTH EVEN BEING PRESUMPTIOUS, RUDE AND INSULTING.
MY EXPERIENCE OF O2 ONLINE
PREMIUM RATE CUSTOMER SERVICES - 50 P A MINUTE :mad: :afire: :upyours:
THE SERVICE AND RATES ARE GOOD IF U TEXT A LOT OR PHONE O2 MOBILES A LOT.
IT IS A NIGHTMARE TO CANCEL YOUR ACCOUNT. YOU PROBABLY WILL HAVE 2 SPEAK 2 OFCOM! I HAD TO WHEN I CANCELLED MY ACCOUNT.
WHEN U RING O2 TO CANCEL THEY REFER YOU TO A SALES TEAM WHO PRESSURISE YOU INTO NOT CANCELLING.
THE SALES TEAM DONT ACCEPT NO FOR AN ANSWER. THEY WILL GO TO ANY LENGTH EVEN BEING PRESUMPTIOUS, RUDE AND INSULTING.
Yeah I noticed that 50p/min thing on the tarif information, Either o2 are considerate enough to at least tell you before you buy the phone or they have had a lot of complaints about it, can you cancel your contract if you go into the store in person? Its just I hate making that type of phonecall, not like I would have any trouble if they started preassuring me (I get annoyed easily at that sort of thing.).
Though being patient can have its benefits, my friend got vodaphone to let him keep his phone (Wich he wasnt allowed to because fo the contract he was on if he flat out canceled it) they also switched him over to pay as you go for free and gave him £20 of credit, just because he kept refusing for about 30mins.
The best deal (free minutes wise) by far at the moment is 3. You can get 500 anytime to any network minutes per month for £25.00.
Be warned-their customer service sucks. :rolleyes:
Take a look at www.3hell.com for more info.
I'm really happy with my 3 phone (now) It's a Motorola A835, & I'm really pleased (I had an NEC E606 before which was $hite in comparison)
You can (currently) get an A835 for free, with free bluetooth headset, & 3 months half price line rental on 3, so it's really quite a tasty deal.
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/commerce/servlet/gben-mobilefun-Details?itemID=MAIN.UK.INTERNET.FUN.ITEMS.MOTA835
HTH.
The best deal (free minutes wise) by far at the moment is 3. You can get 500 anytime to any network minutes per month for £25.00.
Be warned-their customer service sucks. :rolleyes:
Take a look at www.3hell.com for more info.
I'm really happy with my 3 phone (now) It's a Motorola A835, & I'm really pleased (I had an NEC E606 before which was $hite in comparison)
You can (currently) get an A835 for free, with free bluetooth headset, & 3 months half price line rental on 3, so it's really quite a tasty deal.
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/commerce/servlet/gben-mobilefun-Details?itemID=MAIN.UK.INTERNET.FUN.ITEMS.MOTA835
HTH.
Thats quite impressive, I thought 3 would be the most expensive, however only 25 free texts per month isnt too appealing (Allthough still better than Vodaphone at the moment with their Huge 0 free messages on all tarifs from carphonewarehouse), another thing Is most of the carphonewarehouse offers are also online only wich means I cant get them because I cant order online from anyone except o2. Another problem is I dont know anybody with a 3 phone so that feature of the phone may be pretty redundant.
If I cant get the offer im looking at instore from o2 I will have a look in my local branch of CPWH anyway just to be sure though.
That's the downfall with 3, they don't give you any free text messages, only 'bundles', such as £5 for 75 etc. I'm currently on Talk750 which is 750 free cross-network anytime minutes which has to be the best deal on the market right now. The coverage is pretty good and when you go out of a 3G area, it automatically defaults to 2G, which is on the O2 network. As Neil says, the best phone available right now is the Motorola A835 which although is a bit bigger and heavier than most phones these days, is one faaaaaabulous peice of kit and is MUCH better for video calls than the e606, as Neil and I found out yesterday when I called him in work.....(sorry boyo :D )
The product itself is pretty good but their Customer Services IS indeed diabolical. If you need to call them for anything you get the automated response, and almost all the options take you to the callcentre in India which should be avoided at all costs. Option 6 is for if you want to leave 3 and go elsewhere and takes you through to Glasgow where the people seem to be at least above average. Always chose option 6 no matter what your enquiry is about.
I'm on O2 contract 200 minutes and 400 text messages cost £45 per month, customer services is not 50p per minute, the 50p per minute line is for PAYG customers. When youu sign the contract they give you a number to call CS. You can also look at your bill online.
I found that some of the O2 contracts more suited my phone use, but their coverage isn't that good where I need it.
So I got my phones with Orange as they will match any other network's call plan ( excluding online offers etc. ) I pay £30 for 200 x network minutes and 50 texts ( with monthly carry over ) :)
The other useful thing is that I am not charged differently for non - geographic numbers ( 0870 0845 ) which I tend to call alot. :)
Dave Stones
18-01-2004, 09:52
i use orange EQ o2 100 -- basically orange's equivanet of the o2 100 tariff. this is 100 xnet minutes and 100 txts for £25 a month. my phone is the spv E200 :D
i got it from www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk (they take solo afaik ;))
LostintheNW
18-01-2004, 11:17
Nidge the 50p per min calls are for online customers as well, you don't sign a contract when you take out their tariffs online, I sent mine back when I discovered this as there is not a chance in hell am I paying a fortune to talk to someone about any problems I have with my phone etc - my friend is stuck with his o2 online contract and has to pay 50p per min, so its not just for PAYG customers
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