Mobiles......

[hrh_dave]

Evening all.....

Looks like I'm due an upgrade from Vodafone..... Having a look around there's a few new customer deals around that are tempting.... is it worth cancelling my contract and starting a new one... Im not really fussed about my number or do I just threaten to leave and get the phone I want....

Anyone any experience or thoughts.....

Dave

[littlepow]

do I just threaten to leave and get the phone I want....

I did that with my mobile provider, got a lower monthly bill and a phone that should have cost £50 on new contract (£150 for upgrading!). It's amazing what you can get when you try to leave them. Pity the shops offer such rubbish deals for current customers.

Worse thing that can happen is you end up getting a new phone number and contract.

[Gordo]

Just because you're due an upgrade it doesn't mean you have to have it. If your phone works and does what you want, just keep it. Your network might be able to reduce your monthly fee instead.

see www.moneysavingexpert.com for some tips :)

[Drift]

I had the first orbit on 02 and my contract was due last week, I wanted the orbit2 as an upgrade but it cost £98 one off payment and my £35 a month contract with 600 minutes and 500 texts, I said I would leave and buy on on ebay, they put me through to retentions the guy there said he could do the phone for £48 on off payment if I uped my monthly contract to £45 a month with 1200 minutes and 1000 text, I told him I didnt use all my allowance as it was, he then said as I was on retention the monthly bill could be knocked down to just under £27 per month for 18 months with the 1200 mins and 1000 text and a free bolt on, I chose unlimited web browsing.
So now Ive got my phone tons of airtime and free sat nav on the phone and just loaded Memory Map onto it.

Happy Chappy :D

It pays to haggle

[hrh_dave]

Yeh I was looking at some of the contract offers on Dialaphone.co.uk...... free phone... free xbox..... unlimited internet..... 8gig card for the phone..... and £95 back spread over the contract life..... I doubt I will be able to get that lot on upgrade... it was N85 I was looking for or either a BB Storm...... ahhh decisions..... decisions......

[Yoshi]

Well you should get the BB Storm, we are due to upgrade one of ours at the end of the month and thats what we want to go for! lol

[hrh_dave]

The storm looks good but is not wifi...... thats really the only down fall of the phone.... Kirsty has taken a liking to the Pear flip...

[Yoshi]

I thought the storm was WiFi???

It was one of the reasons why we went for it?

[Yoshi]

Just checked and it doesnt have WiFi!!

Will be avoiding that one! lol

[Bush Tucker Man]

'Techno-Luddite' butting in here


Why all these fancy gadgets?, surely the most important thing is that it works 'Hands-Free', be it by a cradle/speaker/microphone, or one of those funny 'Star Trek' style lumps in the ear (BlueTooth?)*


Mine does exactly what I want it to do; I
It rings, I answer it.
I want to make a call, it has a decent battery life.
It cost me about £20, off a 'Mud-Club' member (with the car-kit!)

However, I ought to change it, as it's incompatible with the (forthcoming) hands-free kit for the XKR (SWMBO's Nokia has a different base)



*Why do people (usually men in suits, or shell-suits) walk around everywhere with it in their ear?

You see them in supermarkets, with people looking at them as though they're talking to themselves [-X
You've got a phone use it!!

[thermidorthelobster]

*Why do people (usually men in suits, or shell-suits) walk around everywhere with it in their ear?

You see them in supermarkets, with people looking at them as though they're talking to themselves [-X
You've got a phone use it!!

Partly because you don't have to hold the phone up to your ear, leaving your hand free for selecting cucumbers, opening the freezer cabinet, etc.

Partly maybe because instead of having a hefty dose of GSM microwaves firing straight into the side of your head, you have a less hefty dose of Bluetooth microwaves firing into your head from the headset, and the hefty dose of GSM microwaves can be kept safely in your pocket firing into your testicles instead.

[waveydavey]

BTM - If you do change I may just be interested if you want to sell it on at cost?

[beast5680]

'Techno-Luddite' butting in here


Why all these fancy gadgets?, surely the most important thing is that it works 'Hands-Free', be it by a cradle/speaker/microphone, or one of those funny 'Star Trek' style lumps in the ear (BlueTooth?)*


Mine does exactly what I want it to do; I
It rings, I answer it.
I want to make a call, it has a decent battery life.
It cost me about £20, off a 'Mud-Club' member (with the car-kit!)

However, I ought to change it, as it's incompatible with the (forthcoming) hands-free kit for the XKR (SWMBO's Nokia has a different base)



*Why do people (usually men in suits, or shell-suits) walk around everywhere with it in their ear?

You see them in supermarkets, with people looking at them as though they're talking to themselves [-X
You've got a phone use it!!

i still have a 6310i which uses the same  cradle as yours btm, its the most reliable phone i,ve had, swmbo has gone through 4 in the same time that have either lost the speaker or the screen or died completly

[Bush Tucker Man]

BTM - If you do change I may just be interested if you want to sell it on at cost?

I'll bear you in mind

Joannes 3100 might be being renewed, or the requested car-kit should be forthcoming - hopefully

I'll get a compatible Nokia (to 'common-ise' the cradles)

At the moment, it seems to work okay via some kind of in-built 'hand-free' function.
Ie; the speaker cranks up & the microphone sensitivity is increased
(but seemingly with noise cancellation, as it's not too bad even when resting on the centre-console of the XKR at motorway speeds)

[Yoshi]

Dave, just checked online and a new phone has arisen!

Its touch screen and got wifi!  The nokia 5800, coming out in a couple of weeks!!

[Blue72]

Just checked and it doesnt have WiFi!!

Will be avoiding that one! lol

ah but the Bold does :) and its bloomin fast when using a wi fi network too!
great for somenody with big hands like me!!! adn the maps are pretty cool too!

[boogieman]

Handsfree car kits are all well & good if you have a quietish car. I just spent £160 having a Parrot handsfree kit fitted to my Berlingo van & it's totally useless unless I'm travelling at very low speeds. I've had to revert to a bluetooth earpiece to be able to communicate anything like clearly when moving. I tend to just slip it on my ear when I need to use the phone - hate wearing it all the time.
 They ought to come up with an external aerial option for cars again I reckon - these built-in aerials are convenient, but the signal seems to suffer. Technology's gone backwards I reckon - I never used to have all this bother with my fixed Cellnet phone in my Transit with an exterior aerial !

 Ahhh ............. glad to have got that off my chest !! Lol !   

[Yoshi]

Handsfree car kits are all well & good if you have a quietish car. I just spent £160 having a Parrot handsfree kit fitted to my Berlingo van & it's totally useless unless I'm travelling at very low speeds. I've had to revert to a bluetooth earpiece to be able to communicate anything like clearly when moving. I tend to just slip it on my ear when I need to use the phone - hate wearing it all the time.
 They ought to come up with an external aerial option for cars again I reckon - these built-in aerials are convenient, but the signal seems to suffer. Technology's gone backwards I reckon - I never used to have all this bother with my fixed Cellnet phone in my Transit with an exterior aerial !

 Ahhh ............. glad to have got that off my chest !! Lol !   

I would think there is something wrong with the parrot unit then, as i am pretty sure they go through the stereo and the stereo speakers?  Thats how the one i was getting connected anyhoo.

[boogieman]

The Parrot's been back in & checked as ok. It does come through the stereo speakers, but the trouble I think, is more with the signal to the phone, which is very patchy & keeps breaking up. The phone's brand new too ! A handsfree kits fine as long as you have a quietish car - but you still need a good signal  ! 

[Yoshi]

I've run handsfree kits in all cars.  The parrot ones are brilliant, it doesnt matter how noisy the car as it comes through the speakers so therefore is alot better.

Your signal on the other hand....................

If your less than 14 days into your contract i think you have the right to cancel if its not giving you the signal you require!

[Bush Tucker Man]

Handsfree car kits are all well & good if you have a quietish car. I just spent £160 having a Parrot handsfree kit fitted to my Berlingo van & it's totally useless unless I'm travelling at very low speeds.

Blimey!!
It must be a noisy little booger then!?
If you open my previously linked photo, you can see my microphone on top of the instrument pod, & no-one's complained about me being too quiet (I only talk normally too)
Now, if the window's open, it's a different story - obviously :lol:

They ought to come up with an external aerial option for cars again I reckon - these built-in aerials are convenient, but the signal seems to suffer. Technology's gone backwards I reckon - I never used to have all this bother with my fixed Cellnet phone in my Transit with an exterior aerial !

The 110 has one of those 'tax-disc' type aeriels, & it's not a probem at all (signal-wise)