Mobile Phones

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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by plaques »

Something odd happened on Saturday night with Vodafone's PAYG debit charging. As a last check before completely switching off and closing down we checked the remaining balance. The next morning (Sunday) the balance had dropped by £9. A rapid 'Chat Line' restored it to its correct value without any quibble but on being pressed as to why this had happened they came up with "we did a technical upgrade last night and something may have gone wrong" . Conspiracy theories spring to mind. Very odd!!
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by Stanley »

You've got to watch them. Must check mine.......
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Re: COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

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I delayed buying a smartphone while I carried out a test period with Mrs Tiz's phone available to see how much I'd use it. Basically, the answer is `not much'. I did some texts but didn't find a need for anything else. However, my old Nokia dumb phone died and I needed to get something to carry around for emergencies, like if the car were to break down. So I've bought a Nokia 216 from Tesco (£30) and put in a SIM from Delight Mobile, the one Pluggy uses (2p text, 3p call, 1p data). It's better than my old phone, has long battery charge life and does all I need. I'm pleased with it that solution and it'll live in my coat pocket like the old one did! :smile:
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Re: COMPUTERS, THE AGONY AND THE ECSTASY

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Tizer wrote: 21 Oct 2017, 11:31 So I've bought a Nokia 216 from Tesco (£30)
Good choice I'd say - I've got one similar - a Nokia 215 also from Tesco. I think it was £15, but In fact after cashing in my Clubcard vouchers it cost me nothing in real money.

Here's a snap of my stable of standby phones -
P1000648.JPG
Left to right
Binatone Brick - Pluggy liked his for a while.
Cheap Chinese 'smart' phone' - memory full of undeletable rubbish - useless.
Nokia 215. Current spare.
Olive Bigg - Indian phone - good battery life for Indian charging conditions.
Bluechip VX1 - Smaller than a credit card. Party phone that you don't mind losing

It's all a bit overkill really Only Five people have my mobile number. :smile:

PS don't take the back of the Nokia too often - mine has split and had to be repaired.
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by PanBiker »

Last couple of posts moved from Computers thread.
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Re: Mobile Phones

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Thanks for moving the posts, Ian.

I toyed with the idea of getting the Nokia 3310 retro but it was more expensive and the reviews were divided between positive ones by people who liked the nostalgia, colours and old games and negative ones who didn't and said it's not worth it, buy the 216 and save your money. As it's going to spend it's time in my coat pocket I'm not too fussed about the colour, old games or nostalgia!
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by Pluggy »

I liked the Binatone brick while it lasted, only about 4 months unfortunately . I bought a Cubot smartphone - Just before I sold my old Samsung to Stanley. Been going strong for around 15 months now. As Tiz says its still on Delight (and Three, its dual Sim) Can't complain.
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by Stanley »

The Pluggy Memorial phone is still working and never shifts from the kitchen as its only job is to enable Whatsapp so I can talk to the family. I pay £1 a week to someone for my pay as you go SIM and get many texts from them telling me how much I can use.......
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by Bodger »

Mine is an Aldi builders phone, makes & receives calls & texts there are also radio and camera, but in 5 years i haven't used them, when i lose my power of speech i will get an all singing dancing one and sit in the pub with the rest of the morons playing games and watching porn, at present i chat and enjoy cryptic cross words along with an occasional pint of Guinness
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by Big Kev »

Some of the bigger phone companies were in the news yesterday about their contracts. Some people are still paying for their phones, as part of their contract, months after the cost has been covered. Mine has the cost of the phone, as a seperate item on the monthly bill, with a breakdown of how much I've paid and how many payments are left. Once it's paid for the bill will just cover calls, texts and data.
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Re: Mobile Phones

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I put £5 on my new phone SIM and it's down to £4.98 already - last of the big spenders! The 2p was to send a message to Mrs Tiz so she has the number on her phone.
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Re: Mobile Phones

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Pluggy thanks for the tips. The Cubot phone looks interesting, and another indication that China intends to take over the whole world. :smile: You seem happy with Delight, but googling the review data - it has to be the worst I've ever seen.

I've gone for a PAYG Sim from " iD ", which is EE network, run by Carphone Warehouse. Same rates of 3p/for voice calls etc as Delight, but the credit does not drop off after 90 days. I'll use it as reserve then if it's OK I'll promote it to main number, and drop the monthly £5 bundle from Plusnet Mobile. Why do I get so exercised about all this ? - I've only made / received about 10 calls this year. :smile:
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Re: Mobile Phones

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Tripps wrote: 22 Oct 2017, 12:06 You seem happy with Delight, but googling the review data - it has to be the worst I've ever seen.
Perhaps I'll be adding to those negative reviews. I switched the phone on yesterday and the first thing to come on the screen was `Can't register SIM' and now the texts I send disappear into space and I can't check my balance. Also the phone beeps loudly every 30 seconds. I couldn't get a response from Delight on the phone so I've emailed the support line. I've tried taking out and replacing the SIM card but it makes no difference. Perhaps I should have gone to 1pMobile after all - they get better reviews.
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Re: Mobile Phones

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It's a game isn't it? I got my iD PAYG card, but it doesn't register in any of my older phones, and only works in the Wileyfox when it sits in the pilot's seat. It won't play at all if it's the co-pilot.

Even in the best seat it won't reveal it's number. Added to that - I tried to check a single email, and found it cost me 60p. That's not 'sustainable. I'm guessing it only responds to 4G not older formats - but I speak from a position of deep ignorance. I've emailed iD.

Sod's law - I missed a very rare phone call yesterday while testing the new card. Invited next door for a meal. We went back to the old fashioned method - of knocking on the door. :smile:
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by Stanley »

If it is a game it's in very poor taste David. Can you imagine as many comments being generated by the old black Post Office telephone in the hall? (they were always in the hall.....)
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Re: Mobile Phones

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I got an automated response email from Delight saying they'd be in touch `but in the meantime this web page may help' - I clicked on it and it went to their web site but only to a page saying `The page cannot be found'. Perhaps Tripps and me would be better giving our money to 1pMobile - they are ranked as excellent on the TrustPilot web site: TrustPilot (I'm doing my due diligence this time!)
Their home page is here: 1pMobile 1p a minute, 1p a text, 1p a MB "Just top-up at least once every 120 days with top-ups starting at just £10". Unfortunately, I won't use £10 pound's worth even in 120 days and that's why I got seduced by Delight, they provide £5 top-ups

Later....Delight have failed their promise of a response in 24 hours.
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Re: Mobile Phones

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I'm happy to say that at the moment I have no problems...... Gott sei dank!
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Re: Mobile Phones

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I've managed to get iD to admit their PAYG Sim card will not work on the 2G system. Several of my phones still use that one, and I didn't see it mentioned in their sales literature - so it's going back. Not that I need that reason - the distance selling rules cover it anyway. Who'd be a retailer these days? The balance of power has shifted.

1pMobile looks to be the answer - I don't think £10 every 3 months is too much to have an entire national infrastructure sitting there , installed and maintained, until I decide I need to use it - and the credit accumulates. Sounds like a plan to me. :smile:
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Re: Mobile Phones

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They claim: `We offer 99% coverage of the UK population using the EE network' and `We offer 4G at no extra cost, giving you fast mobile data, as well as 2G and 3G'. I'm going to drop into the phone shop in the big Tesco and ask them to confirm that the phone itself is OK. If so then I'll get a 1p SIM online. Still no reply from Delight - they should change their name to Dismay.com! :laugh5:
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Re: Mobile Phones

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Tripps wrote: 27 Oct 2017, 09:51 I don't think £10 every 3 months is too much
As you were - every 4 months - even better. :smile:

I've managed to get my credit back from iD after a bad 'customer service' experience. Complex menu, almost incomprehensible accented English, (from South Africa I'd guess), truly awful rap music, and security checks, three times as I was passed down the chain. I think it will happen though.
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by Stanley »

A combination of hearing loss and old age means that I struggle when I have to talk to one of these off shore call hubs. Is it just me?
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Re: Mobile Phones

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Stanley wrote: 28 Oct 2017, 03:06 I struggle when I have to talk to one of these off shore call hubs. Is it just me?
I guess that eventually I will have to accept some responsibility for the hearing problem . It's such a slow decline though - thankfully. I checked my frequency response a few months ago - oh dear - no need to worry about the expensive hi fi equipment - it wouldn't be of any benefit to me. :smile:
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Re: Mobile Phones

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My hearing aids make a major difference, especially with foreign voices and when there is interference from other noises or other people speaking. Some people, usually young ones, speak at a ridiculous speed these days and I find that difficult even with the hearing aids. But part of the problem as we grow older is due not to our ears but to our brains becoming less capable of interpreting what our ears hear. A lot of phone calls now are difficult due to fast speech and unfamiliar accents. In the past we would have trained anyone whose job involved speaking to the public on the phone but I think it's become a victim of PC - suggesting someone needs training is taken as an insult, below their dignity.
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by Stanley »

I tell them they are gabbling and ask them to slow down......
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Re: Mobile Phones

Post by Tizer »

I took my Nokia phone to the big Tesco and the kind man there tried a different SIM card. The phone worked OK, so it's the Delight.com card that's faulty. He tried to interest me in a Tesco.com card but, as they used to say in the News of the World, I made an excuse and left.
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