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View Full Version : After a cheap new phone. Ideas and opinions please, phone geeks



Hugh_Janus
07-14-2015, 10:40 PM
Got these two on my shortlist so far, but they seem too good to be true, so I think I'm missing something :-k

Other than the fact this one is the same size as my car and I don't like big phones (4.5-5" is the biggest I'd go for normally) because they look stupid, this one is perfect. http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/pay-as-you-go/mobile-phones/quick-view/vodafone-smart-6-ultra-payg?isPlanSelected=

But this one, although a better size, it's still a bit big, it's a bit shit in comparison, but still good VFM
http://shop.vodafone.co.uk/shop/contracts-and-deals/vodafone-smart-prime-6

so what do you think?

also, gimme some ideas

other than calling and texting, the main thing I do is browse and watch videos on said websites

GO!

DemonGeminiX
07-14-2015, 11:06 PM
If you want the real skinny on devices, look at tech site reviews of the phones you're looking at. They'll more than likely be able to tell you the pros and cons of each candidate.

Muddy
07-14-2015, 11:15 PM
Samsung Galaxy or iphone.. Thats it.

redred
07-15-2015, 07:10 AM
http://www.carphonewarehouse.com/phones/samsung-galaxy-s-4-mini/ppay?colourCode=WHITE

carphone ware house are sim free so buy any network and just put in voda sim

Arkady Renko
07-15-2015, 11:22 AM
Samsung Galaxy or iphone.. Thats it.

I sort of fell out of love with my Samsung Galaxy Note II because they stopped updating Android after Version 4.4.2 even though the hardware is easily powerful enough to run Android 5. Since I bought the thing with an extended warranty plan (offered by samsung), I can't just root the OS because the waranty would be voided. That's no way to treat a customer who spent 400 € on one of your products.

Are SONY still in the US market? their recent Xperia phones are the bomb.

DemonGeminiX
07-15-2015, 11:42 AM
I sort of fell out of love with my Samsung Galaxy Note II because they stopped updating Android after Version 4.4.2 even though the hardware is easily powerful enough to run Android 5. Since I bought the thing with an extended warranty plan (offered by samsung), I can't just root the OS because the waranty would be voided. That's no way to treat a customer who spent 400 € on one of your products.

Are SONY still in the US market? their recent Xperia phones are the bomb.

Sony's still on the market and Xperias are still available, but the way you feel about Samsung is the same way I feel about Sony. I had an issue with their online electronics store. I went to buy a bookshelf stereo that was on sale but I wasn't quick enough and I got put on a wait list. I was told the sale price would be honored when the stereo was back in stock, but 5 weeks later when they had them back in stock, customer service emailed me saying they were canceling my order claiming they couldn't fill it (even though the stereo was clearly in stock on their webpage) and told me to reorder it, basically trying to force me to pay full price after lying to me about honoring the sale price. After cursing them out, I went looking online and found the exact same stereo on sale at Amazon for a price cheaper than Sony's original sale price... with full warranty and everything.

DemonGeminiX
07-15-2015, 11:44 AM
Now that I'm thinking of it, I should have taken screen shots of me completing the purchase at Amazon and emailing the pics to Sony customer service with a note telling them to kiss my ass.

:-k

Teh One Who Knocks
07-15-2015, 11:52 AM
I sort of fell out of love with my Samsung Galaxy Note II because they stopped updating Android after Version 4.4.2 even though the hardware is easily powerful enough to run Android 5. Since I bought the thing with an extended warranty plan (offered by samsung), I can't just root the OS because the waranty would be voided. That's no way to treat a customer who spent 400 € on one of your products.

Are SONY still in the US market? their recent Xperia phones are the bomb.

I can do you one better with fucking Samsung. I recently bought the new Galaxy S6 and a couple of weeks ago I dropped it. First time I dropped it and it broke the screen. Still functional, but ugly. So I decided to go ahead and get it repaired ($234!) since it's only a couple of months old and I plan on keeping it for awhile, but you send it to a Samsung facility and they replace the screen for you and send it back. Luckily I had my workhorse S4 still to use while my S6 was gone for repair. I tracked the package, it arrived at Samsung on a Friday. They didn't check it in until the following Wednesday. Their first note on the repair ticket (that you can check online) was that the phone arrived in no packaging, just the phone. That's total bullshit, I wrapped the phone in bubble wrap, put it in small box that it fit perfectly in withouth moving around. I sealed that box. Then, I put that box in a larger box all surrounded by newspaper for packaging. There was no way that phone was going to get damaged in shipping. Then, after a few hours, they updated the ticket saying the phone is beyond repair, it has water damage. Water damage?!?!?!?!?! The phone has never been wet! So they sent it back to me, same condition, telling me the phone is no good, nothing they can do. I was on the phone with a dumbass Samsung CSR last night that barely spoke English and he kept telling me nothing they can do, phone has water damage. I asked him how did the damage happen? Magic? The phone has NEVER BEEN WET! He kept going on about that he doesn't know, their policy is you can't fix water damage blah blah blah and we got disconnected which was probably a good thing because I was about to get really rude and profane.

That one incident has now turned me off Samsung phones for the foreseeable future. So now I need to figure out if I want to just go back and stick with my S4 and keep paying for the S6 that is "no good" (it turned right on when I got it back from Samsung, water damage my ass) or use the S6 with the screen cracked as is, or pay off the S6 and get a totally new NOT Samsung phone.

/rant

DemonGeminiX
07-15-2015, 11:55 AM
Wow. :shock:

You really got screwed.

Pony
07-15-2015, 12:05 PM
I hear you can get a Nokia with the windows OS for cheap....

Teh One Who Knocks
07-15-2015, 12:39 PM
Wow. :shock:

You really got screwed.

The only saving grace for Samsung is that the CSR assured me that they refunded the $234 because the phone was 'unrepairable' but I have yet to check my credit card to make sure that it was refunded.


I hear you can get a Nokia with the windows OS for cheap....

:slap:

Hal-9000
07-16-2015, 05:32 PM
I can do you one better with fucking Samsung. I recently bought the new Galaxy S6 and a couple of weeks ago I dropped it. First time I dropped it and it broke the screen. Still functional, but ugly. So I decided to go ahead and get it repaired ($234!) since it's only a couple of months old and I plan on keeping it for awhile, but you send it to a Samsung facility and they replace the screen for you and send it back. Luckily I had my workhorse S4 still to use while my S6 was gone for repair. I tracked the package, it arrived at Samsung on a Friday. They didn't check it in until the following Wednesday. Their first note on the repair ticket (that you can check online) was that the phone arrived in no packaging, just the phone. That's total bullshit, I wrapped the phone in bubble wrap, put it in small box that it fit perfectly in withouth moving around. I sealed that box. Then, I put that box in a larger box all surrounded by newspaper for packaging. There was no way that phone was going to get damaged in shipping. Then, after a few hours, they updated the ticket saying the phone is beyond repair, it has water damage. Water damage?!?!?!?!?! The phone has never been wet! So they sent it back to me, same condition, telling me the phone is no good, nothing they can do. I was on the phone with a dumbass Samsung CSR last night that barely spoke English and he kept telling me nothing they can do, phone has water damage. I asked him how did the damage happen? Magic? The phone has NEVER BEEN WET! He kept going on about that he doesn't know, their policy is you can't fix water damage blah blah blah and we got disconnected which was probably a good thing because I was about to get really rude and profane.

That one incident has now turned me off Samsung phones for the foreseeable future. So now I need to figure out if I want to just go back and stick with my S4 and keep paying for the S6 that is "no good" (it turned right on when I got it back from Samsung, water damage my ass) or use the S6 with the screen cracked as is, or pay off the S6 and get a totally new NOT Samsung phone.

/rant

I had a similar problem with a Samsung monitor years ago. Reported my problem, they said they would send a courier with the appropriate weighbills/documentation and replace it with a new one, as the one I bought was less than a week old.

Long one short - nightmare with the courier, he didn't have any info or the necessary materials to affect the return, the monitor they sent as the replacement was in worse shape than the one I exchanged and then a month long bitch session by phone and email ensued. Same thing as you, half of the customer service people couldn't speak a sentence of English.

Finally got to speak to a manager (in Malaysia?) who could actually communicate in my language and he explained the shadowy Samsung return policy and the various levels of bullshit most people have to go through to exercise that right when one of their products is screwed up.

Example - the replacement monitor came in a box with a huge gash (about 7 inches) across one side/corner and I could see the styrofoam inside was gashed too from the impact. I took a picture, sent it to them and the first response verbatim and I shit you not - We can not be certain that you the customer, did not drop the package and incur the damage you claim exists on the carton.

I phoned after that statement by email, because my text response kept starting with - fuck you fuck you fuck you and your shitty fucking company you fuckers.

Teh One Who Knocks
07-17-2015, 05:48 PM
I sent Samsung a nasty e-mail yesterday, without being profane or insulting. I basically accused them of being the ones that fucked up my phone. I mean seriously, the phone has never been wet, they sign for the phone on a Friday, but it isn't officially 'received' until the following Wednesday and the notation says the phone wasn't packaged properly. Fuck that, I know how to package stuff, there was no way that phone was getting damaged, by water or anything else, the way I boxed it up.

Hal-9000
07-17-2015, 06:15 PM
I sent Samsung a nasty e-mail yesterday, without being profane or insulting. I basically accused them of being the ones that fucked up my phone. I mean seriously, the phone has never been wet, they sign for the phone on a Friday, but it isn't officially 'received' until the following Wednesday and the notation says the phone wasn't packaged properly. Fuck that, I know how to package stuff, there was no way that phone was getting damaged, by water or anything else, the way I boxed it up.

That used to be my world mon frere. Opening and returning millions of packages. There's too many gray areas when sending something from A to B. Your box could have went through 3 mini-hubs, then a main sorting plant, then upwards of 10 pass off stops to get to the Samsung destination. And that's a domestic location.

I once got 5 cartons (2500 sheets each) of blank check statements for an oil company...in a green garbage bag.

That's one thing most of us don't think of. Product is good and works okay, but what happens when there's a problem? Do they support their customers, perhaps take a loss just to ensure people are happy? Or do they make a simple electronics return a case before the Grand Jury?

Teh One Who Knocks
07-17-2015, 06:21 PM
That used to be my world mon frere. Opening and returning millions of packages. There's too many gray areas when sending something from A to B. Your box could have went through 3 mini-hubs, then a main sorting plant, then upwards of 10 pass off stops to get to the Samsung destination. And that's a domestic location.

I once got 5 cartons (2500 sheets each) of blank check statements for an oil company...in a green garbage bag.

That's one thing most of us don't think of. Product is good and works okay, but what happens when there's a problem? Do they support their customers, perhaps take a loss just to ensure people are happy? Or do they make a simple electronics return a case before the Grand Jury?

But here's where I am going to push the issue....they knew what they were getting, a fairly new Galaxy S^, so they know fully well what it's worth. And they are the ones that supplied the shipping label for me to send the phone to them via UPS 2nd Day Air, so it was up to them to insure the package. If the phone arrived fucked up, then it's on them for not insuring it.

Hal-9000
07-17-2015, 07:15 PM
But here's where I am going to push the issue....they knew what they were getting, a fairly new Galaxy S^, so they know fully well what it's worth. And they are the ones that supplied the shipping label for me to send the phone to them via UPS 2nd Day Air, so it was up to them to insure the package. If the phone arrived fucked up, then it's on them for not insuring it.

Yep. In that case you should have literally been allowed to hand the phone to the courier and they could of handled the packaging end of it. It's a remote pick up created by the cosignee (Samsung) so all transportation and insurance implications are on them :thumbsup:

Goofy
07-17-2015, 07:41 PM
Lance Vs Samsung: The journey begins
In theaters this august - rated R

Teh One Who Knocks
07-18-2015, 10:56 AM
Fuck Samsung...I went out and got a new HTC M9 yesterday, loving it so far. Slight learning curve compared to the Galaxy phones I had, but I'm getting used to it.

Goofy
07-18-2015, 12:05 PM
Personally i think samsung went backwards with the S6, no external storage, cant replace the battery, not water resistant/waterproof. Im due an upgrade next month, not sure what im gonna go with tbh :-k Might just keep my S4 and get a cheaper contract.....

redred
07-18-2015, 12:08 PM
htc is looking good for me again , beats sound , fm radio , sd slot

Teh One Who Knocks
07-18-2015, 12:10 PM
I thionk they are all going to those 'sealed' phones now :wha:

The M9 can't be opened to get access to the battery from what I can tell, but they do have a micro SD card slot, which is awesome. And for US customers, HTC has "Uh Oh" protection, if you break your phone in any way during the first year, they will replace it for free. And if you don't use that service within the first year, they give you $100 towards your next purchase of an HTC phone.

Teh One Who Knocks
07-18-2015, 12:10 PM
htc is looking good for me again , beats sound , fm radio , sd slot

Yup, happy with it so far. Only been less than a day tho :lol:

Arkady Renko
07-23-2015, 02:57 PM
Personally i think samsung went backwards with the S6, no external storage, cant replace the battery, not water resistant/waterproof. Im due an upgrade next month, not sure what im gonna go with tbh :-k Might just keep my S4 and get a cheaper contract.....

yeah, I was really disappointed, too. Those were the features that had me go for a Samsung over the fruity competition back then. Their excuse for doing away with the MicroSD-Card slot is that it would conflict with the extremely fast memory chips they use in the new models. Yeah, right.

Same goes for the battery, allegedly the slim case makes it impossible to accomodate a removable battery. Why did it pose no problem in the S4 or S 5 which are less than a millimetre thicker?

If you have no warranty issues with an OS root, the S 4 should be good enough for quite some time yet.

Muddy
07-23-2015, 03:17 PM
Meanwhile.. apple users.. still happy. :wha:

Goofy
07-23-2015, 03:36 PM
Meanwhile.. apple users.. still happy. :wha:

Soulless people have no emotions :nono:

Muddy
07-23-2015, 03:37 PM
Neither do those in denial.. :d

Arkady Renko
07-23-2015, 03:48 PM
Meanwhile.. apple users.. still happy. :wha:

Sure, it's a nice cage, what with the gold plated bars and all that. :nana: