Topic: Mobile Phone Problem

[Garden Manager]

Not really a 'Computer/Internet' problem but i cant get any sense elsewhere so i thought i'd ask here.

I had a text message on my phone this morning telling me that my phone and its sim card were about to 'expire' on the 1st of July. Now the phone is quite old so fair enough really , but I am not really sure what to do now. The message tells me to go to my nearest O2 (my network provider) store to find out more and (probably) get a new phone. Thing is I only use the phone for emergencies and a few texts when other members of the family go on holiday, so i dont really want a new hi tech phone with all the 'bells and whistles' (internet, camera etc) on it. Looking at the O2 website though it looks like if i go to them i might be talked into getting one like this.

Of course i doubt whether i could do a straight swap old for new, it would probably be a case of buying new and finding a (green) way of disposing of the old handset.

Would an option be to get a newer second hand/reconditioned phone? How easy would it be to hook up to the O2 net work and could i transfer my credit from the old phone some how (along with the phone book)?

What would be my best bet of solving this problem?

Thanks

[Diesel]

sounds like a bit of a scam to me, I would be wary about that I can't see how a phone or SIM can expire.

[Garden Manager]

Yes but what do i do if the phone suddenly stops working on 1st July? If they decide to 'turn me off' I cant get around  that can i? I either have to go to an O2 store and be sold a new phone or i say to myself, forget it and get another phone somewhere else. either way it will cost me money. I cant be without one, not these days.

I was wondering about getting a cheap phone off Ebay. Just been to have a look and there are sone that would suit at good prices (if not outbid for them). Dont know if its worth the trouble though?

Just to give you some idea of the phone I have it is a phillips savvy type. had it for about 6 years. Just seen one like it on Ebay marked up as a 'Collectors Item'!!! ;D ::) :o

[Marianne]

Hi Garden Cadet,

This was in yesterday's news.
O2 are cutting off all the older Pay as you go mobile phones and will offer I believe £25 off a new handset.

You will be able to insert your current sim card into the new phone.
Apparently, these older phones cannot keep up with modern technology and O2 cannot keep tag on how much Pay as you go people spend.

That is what it comes down to.
Hope the above makes sense.

 ;D :D

[Yellow Petals]

Marianne beat me to it, LOL  I was going to say given the age of the phone I would imagine that the networks could no longer support it given how technology moves along so quickly. 

I am of the same mind as you Richard, I just want a phone that I can ring and text people with.  I don't need any of the carlos fandango stuff that's around these days! 

Needless to say, watch your step with buying a phone from ebay, read all the little ditties very carefully (and feedback of course)

My phone battery is on its last legs and I don't know whether to try and get a replacement battery (phone is over two years old) or get a new phone when my renewal date comes up in July.  I really like the phone I have now (Samsung N620) and there aren't any around like it these days.  I may try for a new battery methinks...!

[Marianne]

Hi Yellow Petals - you could get a quote for a new battery and weigh out if it is cheaper than a new phone, maybe from the CarPhone Warehouse, et al.  Good luck with your search ! 

I still have an old Nokia 6610, basic Pay as You Go mobile.  It is perfect for my needs.
 ;D

[Roy Bham UK]

Go see what they are going to offer you if you are not happy tell them you just want a cheapo phone to do the basics, if they don't come down in price tell them you are going to Argos to get one for under £20 ;D see the link ;)
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5471562.htm

[Garden Manager]

Hi Garden Cadet,

This was in yesterday's news.
O2 are cutting off all the older Pay as you go mobile phones and will offer I believe £25 off a new handset.

You will be able to insert your current sim card into the new phone.
Apparently, these older phones cannot keep up with modern technology and O2 cannot keep tag on how much Pay as you go people spend.

That is what it comes down to.
Hope the above makes sense.

 ;D :D

Thanks Marianne. Looks like i will be having to pay the nearest O2 store a visit and see what they have to offer (not in my town though, yet there are plenty of other mobile phone shops - typical!).

Should've guesed it was all a ploy to get me to buy a new phone although if  can find a nice cheap one in the shop then with the £25 offer it shouldnt cost that much at all!!

Failing that would it be worth trying to switch networks? Or would one of the others do the same thing as O2 have done? Any thoughts on that?

Thanks

[froglets]

Might be worth asking around if you know any 20 & 30 somethings.  My friends & colleagues in that bracket seem to change handsets with wallet shocking regularity to have the slimmest trendiest accessory.  They might be able to sell you an old one for a few quid.  They reckon there are more handsets in the UK than people by some silly number ( I have 3 - mostly switched off)

[Marianne]

Hiya Garden Cadet,

I am with Orange but always used to be with O2.

O2 cut me off completely (with money left on my phone  >:() about 6 months ago because I had not used my phone for over 3 months I think.  I complained that I still had money on it but they told me I should have read the small print.  >:(

Anyway, I purchased a new SIM card (with Orange) and they offered me free calls and texts between 7pm to 12am.   8) ;D  As nearly all the people I know are on Orange, I am saving a little fortune. 

For my birthday (Sunday), I am hoping to receive a camera phone. ;D
Good luck with your search GC, but I would go for Orange.

 ;)

[Garden Manager]

Can anyone recomend: a) A good basic handset thats fairly inexpensive (say £40 or less), and where to get it and; b)The best network to go to for a tarrif/call plan thats good value for an occasional user like me? Thanks

I am now a bit put off O2 since they seem to have changed their pay as you go plans. It seems you have to top up once a month to stay connected. I currently dont have to do this. If I have to pay out every month even if i dont make any calls then i might just as well be on a contract scheme!! That said I have had a look around and have become totaly confused by all the options on diferent networks.

HELP! (please)

PS Just thought. Are there any sites around that do the work for you? ie find the best deals for mobile phones etc ( a bit like the ones for car insurance) ?

[Yellow Petals]

Historically, there have been 4 mobile phone networks operating in the UK. Vodafone and O2 (formerly BT Cellnet) are the oldest and largest, originally operating analogue (1st generation) networks, and these were later joined by Orange and T-Mobile (formerly One 2 One). All of these companies now operate digital (2nd generation) networks. In addition there are now several "virtual" networks that use the T-Mobile network - Virgin Mobile, Value Telecom and Fresh. These virtual networks have different tariffs and charges, but they use the T-Mobile technology.

The first operator to provide 3G (3rd generation) coverage is 3. 3G offers additional data services such as video calling, entertainment and location-based services (local maps, traffic services, etc).

Network coverage
All the 2G networks give reasonable coverage within the UK, but if you live or work in less densely populated areas you could well experience problems with any network. Generally speaking, Vodafone and O2 still seem to provide the best coverage, and T-Mobile lags some way behind. The Orange and T-Mobile signals are often believed to work less well in buildings, because of the higher frequency of their signals (see below). The networks publish maps showing how well they cover the country, but these are of little practical use to users. The best advice is probably to ask friends or colleagues in your local area how they find the signal strength of the various networks.
The Vodafone and O2 networks are GSM (GSM 900), whilst the Orange and T-Mobile networks are GSM 1800. This is a consideration if you wish to use your phone abroad. Different networks in different countries use either GSM 900 or GSM 1800. Generally speaking, if you plan to use your phone abroad, then you should make sure that you buy a dual-band phone (i.e. one that can operate with both GSM 900 and GSM 1800). If you want to use your phone in the US, then you will need to ensure that it is Triband (i.e. that it can operate on GSM 900, GSM 1800 and also with the system used in the US).

Also, be aware that when you buy a phone from Orange or T-Mobile, it is "locked" to the network, so that moving to another network after your one year contract expires is less than straightforward. If you buy a Vodafone or O2 phone, then you can easily move to the other GSM 900 network once your initial 12 month contract has expired.

So far, 3G coverage is limited to cities, the main towns and motorways; 3 use the O2 network as a backup when a 3G signal is unavailable.


Couple of helpful links:

http://www.e4s.co.uk/docs/student-mobile-phones.htm

http://www.somucheasier.co.uk/mobile-phone-shops.html

My husband and I are with Orange and have been for about six or more years.  They've
gained the top ranking spot for customer satisfaction among mobile phone contract customers for the past seven (I think) years and best network provider for the past five years.

Hope these titbits are of some help  :)

[Garden Manager]

Yellow Petals: Great info there thanks. Makes things much clearer. I think i have now found a phone handset (havent got it yet), just need to sort out a network. You might gather I have done things seperately rather than go to a network provider and get a phone from them. I cant see a problem with this (let me know If i have done wrong!). i think you get more choice this way.

The only problem I see is that I am not so keen on the two networks that seem to offer the best coverage! The other complication is that family members are on O2 and I can see problems if i go elsewhere and be one different network. Hey-ho noone ever said life was simple - I'll get there in the end.

Thanks again.

[littlegem]

garden cadet, if you look on t-mobile, they do a sim card for 50p. I have a smasung e720 that i want to sell, i've just upgraded. its really easy to use, no marks, comes exactly as i bought it, about 15 games, although you might not be bothered but it does have boggle on it. i only want £50 for it (ebay going for £60 -80) you dont need to pay to get it 'unlocked'. all you do is put hte t-mobile pay as you go sim card and away you go! let me know if your interested.
LG x

[Garden Manager]

Littlegem:

Thanks for your offer. Sadly your phone is a little out of my budget! I wasnt planning on spending that much i am afraid. I am sure you will get the price you want for it on EBAY though.

Speaking of EBAY, I have been on there quite a bit recently trying to get a suitable handset at a good price, so far with littel success. i have found the handset I want yet have up until now been beaten to them or been outbid for them. The last one was particularly frustrating. I had been outbid then became highest bidder with a few minutes to go, when someone managed to pull out. Then in the last minute of the auction some audacious person came in with a higher bid and 'gazumped' me. I know this is the nature of the beast, but as i had never sat and watched and auction end i hadn't seen it happen before in real time :o. I now plan to try and do the same and get my own back somehow! ;D.

But i digress. As for networks you mention T-mobile. I am sure they are good but personaly i am not particularly impressed by them (or their website). I have decided that when I get my new phone I will be giving tesco mobile a go. One of their packages looks about right for me and their sim cards (whilst not as cheap as T-mobile) do seem reasonably priced.

Thanks for your help.

[Garden Manager]

Just thought an update on this little saga was in order. And what a saga it is!!

First of all i decided to abandon O2 and sort myself out a new handset and network (beleiving if I went to O2 I would have to buy a brand new phone at full or near full pricer - unacceptable). I got a good secondhand Nokia 3310 off ebay and bought a tmobile sim for £2. Great, I thought all sorted then , can forget the old handset after 30th june.

Then i thought about is a little more and realised that the not insignifiant credit on the old phone would be lost and wondered how I could get it back/continue using it/get refund or whatever. Did some research and in the process found a mobile phone message board  where posters/users of C12 phones were not happy with the disconnection of the old handsets and generaly beleived it to be a marketing con by o2 and that the handsets were NOT obsolete. Anyway I explained my problem (in a rather lengthy post!) And was advised to go to my nearest O2 store and request a new sim (allegedly free) and get my number transfered along with my credit - and then try it out in the old phone.

Well this I did today, and whilst the new sim card wasnt free (cost me a fiver), I was able to get the information transfered from the old card (after a 48 hour delay).

It appears that the problem is not with the handsets but the sim cards, implying that the new sim will work with the old handset. Just shows that the 'Platform closure' and disconnection of the old phillips handsets was basicaly a marketing ploy by o2 to sell more mobile phones.

Looks like then i shall have not one but 2 phones to use - when I hardly use one as it is. I am not happy about the whole business to be frank, its cost me quite a bit of money that would have been better spent I think.

If anyone is interested  in reading more about it heres the link to the forum I mentioned, plus another article about it:

Message board topic:
http://www.reviewcentre.com/vt109541_start20_orderasc.html

Article on the problem:
http://money.guardian.co.uk/weekly/story/0,,1789156,00.html