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On 14/11/12 10:37, Gordon Henderson wrote:
Both my daughters are in Giffgaff... while my daughter Louise hasn't had any issues (she's got a basic Nokia C3 phone and a £5 a month goody bag, my daughter Meg hasn't been so lucky.On Wed, 14 Nov 2012, Rob Beard wrote:Big thing for me is what offers I can get on contract too.I abandoned contracts years ago and always now buy phones unlocked, sim-free.GiggGaff is the way to go. Cheapest PAYG (and really PAYG not use it or lose it!)I'm spending half what I was a month on my calls, txts and 3g now than I was when I was with O2 (same network, half the cost!)
When I put her back on Giffgaff after having a problem with her SIM card it took about 10 attempts (literally!) to get a replacement SIM, then two arrived at once. She couldn't top up the SIM either online using a credit card or using a O2 top-up voucher.
When she did get topped up she'd used about 20p of credit and couldn't buy a goody bag.
Suffice to say it's left me a bit miffed about it all. The only reason my daughters are still on Giffgaff is because they get free calls and texts to other Giffgaff users (so they can call each other and the odd couple of friends who are on Giffgaff) and the fact they're cheap.
I appreciate that for some, getting a phone on a contract is the only way though, but do shop around - look for good, but end of line phones, etc. and do not be afraid to jump networks - most networks will deliberately create a hassle to ge a PAC, but once you have it, you then have 30 days to use it (with no obligation either - they'll not cut you off if you don't use it) Most network allow you to import a number after you've signed up with them - you start a new deal, get a new number then you can port in your existing number. I've recently done that with GiffGaff - absolutely no hassle to port in, lots of hassle to get the PAC out of O2 though, but I got one in the end - the trick is to use the online chat thingy.I shopped around when upgrading my phone last time. Three weren't prepared to offer a good deal on the Galaxy S, they stuck to their £34 a month offer which was a considerable increase from the £15 a month I was paying. I considered just dropping it down to SIM only and getting an Orange San Francisco and unlocking it but then found a T-Mobile deal for £26 a month... Three matched that, well actually did better and offered me an extra 2GB of data a month, 300 minutes, 3000 texts and phone for £24 a month :-)
I'd love to be in the situation where I could buy a phone outright but at the moment the phones I'm looking at are just a bit too pricey. Saying that I might lower my sights and get a Galaxy S2 instead, they seem to be around the £200 to £250 mark.
Do check your local network coverage - Vodafone didn't have good 3G coverage in south devon last time I looked but O2 is improving all the time and Three is probably the best for data.
Orange seemed to be reasonable where I live, generally I don't have any issue with Three although I do find some areas can be patchy (speaking to friends on other networks they seem to have the same issue sometimes too).
Rob -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq