Mobile Phone Chat

[Cube]

Thanks. I think I may go for the T-Mobile one as it's the only internet signal everywhere I want it.

 

Edit: Scratch that. I'm not paying a £100 deposit.

 

Edit: After listening to some advice, I've decided to try for a Nokia 5800 on a £20 monthly contract (unlimited internet/texts + 200 minutes).

Edited September 26, 2009 by Cube

[Ashley]

Well Orange are getting the iPhone later in the year. You can register your interest now.

 

Hopefully it'll stop being so arrogant. My mother tried to upgrade her phone on O2 recently and rang them up and said that she can get a better deal with another network on the same phone, but would like to stick with O2. They simply said "we make enough money on the iPhone, we don't need to bargain. If you want the other phone you can leave."

 

Hopefully Orange will offer a decent deal too, unlike O2's rather ludicrous tariffs.

[Sooj]

Yeah this is a good thing to be honest, o2 has becaome very lazy and are actually becoming very un-competitive. Its as if they don't want to make any money. We use to offer a £7.50 bolt on for unlt text messages, we no longer do that its £7.50 for 500 texts which is utter balls.

 

Also apart from the iphone and palm pre o2 are offering very outdated and poor quality phones. I get a very good deal with o2 because I work with them and they use to offer good quality for money but now, seems they need a shake up.

[McPhee]

I'm sticking with Voda, they've been fantastic in the 10 months or so that i've been with them. Only another 6 til I can upgrade, hopefully they have some good handsets available at the time (HTC Leo would be awesome!).

[Cube]

To those people rich enough to be interested in the iPhone:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/6241786/Vodafone-will-sell-the-iPhone-in-the-UK.html

 

Vodafone also have it.

[fex]

Im quite intrigued by the palm pre. The tariffs are pretty much the same as the iPhones. £35 a month on a phone is too much.

[Ashley]

To those people rich enough to be interested in the iPhone:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/apple/6241786/Vodafone-will-sell-the-iPhone-in-the-UK.html

 

Vodafone also have it.

 

Well as the article says, hopefully it will start a price war and it will finally become a not-so-ludicrous price.

[Cube]

Now I've had my phone (Nokia 5800) for a few days, I really like it.

 

Yesterday I thought the battery life was awful (it ran out before I got home from work). However, I thought that it may be something to do with my connecting to my work's WiFi. So now I've disabled WiFi the battery life seems really good.

 

Initially, things are a pain to use. Useless "setup" and "welcome" things that don't worry are the main things on the App screen and some useful things are hidden (I randomly discovered the App Store an hour ago), but once you've found what you need and organised it it's great to use.

 

I also really like the level of vibration for pressing buttons on the touch screen, and it feels very precise. I also like how you can use a stylus when you want to. Customising things can be a pain at times, but it seems that most things I want can be done.

 

At the moment, some things are lacking as I'm limited to how much I can install, I have no music and flash doesn't work amazing well (it seems to use the phone's memory or SD card to hold temporary data) but an 8GB memory card is on it's way and will solve all that.

[Strider]

Now I've had my phone (Nokia 5800) for a few days, I really like it.

 

Yesterday I thought the battery life was awful (it ran out before I got home from work). However, I thought that it may be something to do with my connecting to my work's WiFi. So now I've disabled WiFi the battery life seems really good.

 

Initially, things are a pain to use. Useless "setup" and "welcome" things that don't worry are the main things on the App screen and some useful things are hidden (I randomly discovered the App Store an hour ago), but once you've found what you need and organised it it's great to use.

 

I also really like the level of vibration for pressing buttons on the touch screen, and it feels very precise. I also like how you can use a stylus when you want to. Customising things can be a pain at times, but it seems that most things I want can be done.

 

At the moment, some things are lacking as I'm limited to how much I can install, I have no music and flash doesn't work amazing well (it seems to use the phone's memory or SD card to hold temporary data) but an 8GB memory card is on it's way and will solve all that.

 

I have this phone as well and find it great for everything i need it for. The only problem i have found would be the stylus has started to become really loose in it's holder and slips out too easily.

[Noodleman]

Bit of advice please chaps, the screen on my current phone is broken so I need a new one. I'm currently on the O2 simplicty sim only tarrif thingy. Anyway as i'm upgrading I want something relatively decent as im going to be stuck with it for 18 months or 2 years. O2 only really offer the iPhone which im not too keen on. Would much rather the N97, which you can get on Vodafone for £35 a month, I have to give O2 a months notice that I want to cancel my contract. So I assume I have to wait a month to get my pac code as well?

 

Yet the vodafone site says you need to enter your pac code when you buy the phone to keep your number. Can I order the phone from vodafone, cancel my contract with O2 then ring vodafone up with my pac code in a months time? Or do O2 just give you your pac code straight away but you still have to wait a month to cancel the contract.

 

I'm so confused

[McPhee]

You should be able to cancel your O2 contract straight away and get your PAC code, all you'll need to do is cough up what you would have paid for the final month's line rental.

[Noodleman]

aha that makes sense thanks.

[Sooj]

Bit of advice please chaps, the screen on my current phone is broken so I need a new one. I'm currently on the O2 simplicty sim only tarrif thingy. Anyway as i'm upgrading I want something relatively decent as im going to be stuck with it for 18 months or 2 years. O2 only really offer the iPhone which im not too keen on. Would much rather the N97, which you can get on Vodafone for £35 a month, I have to give O2 a months notice that I want to cancel my contract. So I assume I have to wait a month to get my pac code as well?

 

Yet the vodafone site says you need to enter your pac code when you buy the phone to keep your number. Can I order the phone from vodafone, cancel my contract with O2 then ring vodafone up with my pac code in a months time? Or do O2 just give you your pac code straight away but you still have to wait a month to cancel the contract.

 

I'm so confused

 

On simplicity you can call whenever you want to give your 30 days notice, it won't happen straight away. Again, f you ask for a PAC code, you won't get it straight away - you will get it by text a couple of days/week(s) down the line but ask, double check when you are on the phone.

 

Your o2 contract will automatically end as soon as you use the PAC code or should I say, as soon as vodaphone switches the number. Be sure to use the PAC asap as it does expire eventually. Once your o2 contract has cancelled, roughly 2 weeks later a final bill will be generated and be sent to you. The final bill is pro-rata'd essentially, usually, it is money that O2 owes you (as we charge customers one month in advance) so be sure to phone them as soon as you recieve your final bill or your money will remain in limbo.

 

Also companies might say "you have 14 days to port over a number" or "need to do it at the same time", those a very old rules which were true back then for some reason but now you are able to port over a number onto a contract whenever you want. Though this is true with o2, I'm sure it should be the same with vodaphone.

Edited October 3, 2009 by Sooj

[flameboy]

awesome news about O2 losing exclusivity on iphone! I desperatly want to change networks as the T-Mobile coverage where I work is shocking! To the point where I will have no service all day and not recieve texts sent till late evening when I'm at home! Its shocking and I've rung them to say its rubbish and they've said its in an area where I should be getting coverage but I don;t and other T-Mobile users have the same problem...

 

My contract doesn't run out till Jan though and really want an iphone so these other networks muscleing in will hopefully make it cheaper!

[Raining_again]

If the prices drop considerably i might consider a jump mid next year. About time to be honest. O2 iPhone prices are ridiculous!

[flameboy]

If the prices drop considerably i might consider a jump mid next year. About time to be honest. O2 iPhone prices are ridiculous!

 

I'm defintely going to jump in January! I'm getting sick of shitty T-Mobile and having no network coverage at work...its not even like I work in the middle of nowhere...

 

Which network has the best coverage in the UK?

[Sooj]

O2 or orange flame

[McPhee]

O2? I know you work for them Sooj, but to say their coverage is good is a bit of a joke. They've been in trouble with Ofcom for years over dragging their heels with the roll out of a 3G service, the latest report putting them far and beyond the worst network for data.

 

I would stay put Flame, Orange and T-Mobile are set to merge, making them the biggest mobile phone operator in the country. Nobody will be able to compete with their level of coverage in a year's time. If you are desperate to move then try looking at the coverage maps for your area;

 

http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=template11&pageID=BS_0174&wt_oss=coverage

http://web.orange.co.uk/coverage/?channel=direct/

http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/

http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/broadband-check/

http://www.three.co.uk/Help_Support/Coverage

 

Coverage varies between them all. I wasn't completely satisfied with my coverage with T-Mobile (bad signal in work) so I jumped ship to Vodafone last year. They cover everywhere in my local area well including good coverage surrounding the rail network (i don't encounter many dead spots moving up and down the west coast main line). To compare this to the others Orange had bad coverage in my home and O2 didn't have ANY 3G coverage in my local area. Three had just as good coverage as Vodafone, but Vodafone's handset selection was better and their network has a higher max speed (7.2Mbps, going up to 14.4Mbps soon).

[Raining_again]

It really depends where you live, definitely a big postcode lottery regarding coverage.

 

Vodafone is a bloody dead loss where I live, there is no coverage in my house WHATSOEVER. Emergency calls only! That's pretty useless.

 

I find o2 on average to be the best where I am, and 3/orange being somewhere in the middle.

[danny]

Im due an upgrade tomorrow any advice on what i should get. Im thinking tocco ultra but only if they have it any colour but red as it looks pink.

And im on orange by the way. Im not fussed about waiting around for the I phone either really. I have an Ipod (2 infact) thats enough for me.

[McPhee]

HTC Hero? Toshiba TG01? They're probably the other two worth considering that Orange have at the moment. The Hero is supposedly really good, especially after the recent firmware updates. The TG01 not so good, it's only really worth considering if you're prepared to do a bit of work to sort the software out.

[flameboy]

O2? I know you work for them Sooj, but to say their coverage is good is a bit of a joke. They've been in trouble with Ofcom for years over dragging their heels with the roll out of a 3G service, the latest report putting them far and beyond the worst network for data.

 

I would stay put Flame, Orange and T-Mobile are set to merge, making them the biggest mobile phone operator in the country. Nobody will be able to compete with their level of coverage in a year's time. If you are desperate to move then try looking at the coverage maps for your area;

 

http://online.vodafone.co.uk/dispatch/Portal/appmanager/vodafone/wrp?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=template11&pageID=BS_0174&wt_oss=coverage

http://web.orange.co.uk/coverage/?channel=direct/

http://www.webmap.o2.co.uk/

http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/services/uk/broadband-check/

http://www.three.co.uk/Help_Support/Coverage

 

Coverage varies between them all. I wasn't completely satisfied with my coverage with T-Mobile (bad signal in work) so I jumped ship to Vodafone last year. They cover everywhere in my local area well including good coverage surrounding the rail network (i don't encounter many dead spots moving up and down the west coast main line). To compare this to the others Orange had bad coverage in my home and O2 didn't have ANY 3G coverage in my local area. Three had just as good coverage as Vodafone, but Vodafone's handset selection was better and their network has a higher max speed (7.2Mbps, going up to 14.4Mbps soon).

 

See I check my coverage and it says very good...all I can say is bollocks...I'm sick of it, so crappy..I don't know how phone companies get away with it. If any other type of company didn't provide the service they claimed they would something would happen about it. I don't like tmobile anyway because they diddled me over phone insurance when my lg viewty broke.

[McPhee]

They used to do this thing where they'd guarantee mobile signal at three post codes per contract. If the coverage wasn't as advertised in these zones or it dropped considerably during the course of the contract they'd let you walk with no further charges. That was back in the day when T-Mob were good though. I'd agree that they're a pile of crap these days, had trouble with them myself over the past year. Their call-centre staff are incompetent, rude and for the most part only speak Indglish. I've had 9 months of dealing with staff who are rude, hang up on you as soon as you ask their name and (on the rare occasion that i find someone willing to do their job) staff who never call back despite promising to. All this to sort out their inability to process a contract cancellation. I can't even leave their damn network!

 

I'm currently taking legal advice on this case, with the number of call logs, recordings and copies of emails/letters I've got I'm considering taking them to court. I've even got a log of one woman admitting there's something on my account saying it's been cancelled but for some reason the account is still active (she then gave me a phone number that... does not exist).

 

Anyhow, rambling a bit there. Basically you'll find no love for T-Mobile from me. I'm happy with Vodafone at the moment, good signal, good tariff and good customer service from the eforum team

[Sooj]

From a consumer view O2 aren't THAT bad, they have a lot to work on though. They need better tariffs, better deals but overall reception is pretty good for most people but my favourite network provider has to be Orange. I was with them for years on pay as you go and I had no problems with them at all.

[flameboy]

Never wanting to miss a chance to get out of my T-Mobile contract, would the recent admission that T-Mobile have broken Section 55 of the Data Protection Act by allowing my details to have possibly been sold...could I argue they have breaked the terms of my deal with them....

 

I just can't wait to get my iphone thats all!!!