Mobile Phone Suggestions?

I just walked into Carphone Warehouse and said 'this is what I need:  monthly debit, international capability, camera phone, good service, inexpensive - wassa best deal?'

And, knowing I was the savvy Yank I am , I do feel they gave me a good deal.  And when I had problems with the phone, they fixed it promptly.

I dig them.

Onetiger, Elizabeth...

Thanks!  I'll definitely keep those things in mind!  I thought that a place like Carphone Warehouse or Phones4U might be good, too.  I just wanted to get info here before I walked in there.  You know: "It's some dopey Yank who doesn't know what he's talking about!  Give him the crap plan...!"   

Right, well, if you walk in confident, knowing exactly what you need, and smiling... they'll think:

'Oh sh*t, here's a confident Yank who knows what he wants... and expects customer service!'

And I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what you will get in return.

 

Exactly!  When I need to, I can b.s. with the best of 'em!   

I've bought a Virgin phone and am on their non-debit pay-as-you-go plan. (You have to have a UK bank acct to do the direct debit--they won't do it from a credit card, and we don't have an acct yet.) The tarriff is quite reasonable in terms of PAYG plans; only t-mobile seems like it may be a bit less but their tarriff is so confusing that I don't want to mess with it.

I also have to say that dealing with Virgin Mobile in the UK has been one of the best experiences I've had in terms of customer service. Get this--when trying to sort out a problem with them, they will often volunteer to *call you back.* That's absolutely unheard of in the US. There have been a few minor problems, but they have been more than willing to figure them out and usually gave me extra call credit for the trouble. I really recommend them.

And it should be noted that Virgin Mobile in the US is just a reseller marketing name for another company (I think it's Sprint, but I'm not 100% sure). The regulations and the networks and everything are totally different from the Virgin Mobile in the UK. I understand too that Virgin Mobile in the UK is a reseller of t-mobile, or may have started out that way. The PAYG minutes don't expire unless you don't make a call for 180 days (though the customer service people said it was one full year).

Quote from baylor: And it should be noted that Virgin Mobile in the US is just a reseller marketing name for another company (I think it's Sprint, but I'm not 100% sure).

Yeah, Virgin Mobile in the US is run on the Sprint network. It's a 50/50 partnership. I know too much because I work for Sprint and I'm really bummed that my phone won't work in the UK. 

I also have to say that dealing with Virgin Mobile in the UK has been one of the best experiences I've had in terms of customer service. Get this--when trying to sort out a problem with them, they will often volunteer to *call you back.* That's absolutely unheard of in the US.

I totally agree. Years ago when I was on their pay as you go plan, I had my car break down on the side of the road and of course I was almost out of calling credit to call the RAC. I called Virgin, explained the situation and that I didn't have a credit card on me (man it was a baaaad day!). The lady said, let me call you back in a minute and we will see what we can do. They called back to tell me they had put £10 of calling credit on my phone free of charge. That was the coolest thing ever. Then when I sent a thank you note explaining the situation and how great their customer service people were - they send me £10 in top up vouchers!

I could TOTALLY deal the £10 for monthly bill service!  How many minutes do you get with that?

I'd have to dig out my phone bill and see how many I used. I don't pay a monthly charge on that one,  I pay for calls and text only. Virgin is cool that way when you are on the pay monthly plan.

I hate to give them up - but my husbands company changed to O2 so I think I am going to too.

Rosie

Hmmm...Virgin seems very promising!   

I went with PAYG (Virgin) last time I was in the UK, but this time around, I definitely considering a pay monthly service.  I'm coming over as a student, so I have nill UK credit.  Can I still get a contract phone or will I have issues?  I just think it will be cheaper for me, as I was always having to top-up before and felt like I could have been spending less on a contract.

Advice?  What companies are good for giving contracts to those of us with little to no credit?  Advice for a moderate user?  I plan on going to Carphone Warehouse when I arrive for my purchase, but I just wanted to do some research ahead of time.

Can't offer advice but wanted to point out that this thread started 2 years ago and advice given previously may not be valid now. Buyer beware! 

http://www.moneysupermarket.com/MobilePhones/

It will help you compare current phones and plans, including the items you are talking about.

I got the new LG Chocolate phone (brilliant!) free with an 18 month contract on T mobile. I am on the FlexT 25 programme which at the time had a special. £25 a month for £80 of anytime/anyway use. So I can use it anyway I like..texts or talk.

There's a plan where you have a contract, but it's limited to a certain amount each month, after that you  have to top-up.  I think you'd be likely to be able to get something like that with no credit.  I know they're aimed at students. 

I'm a student, and I have Orange Pay as You Go.  Orange is not the best service, but it's good overall.  They have a promo now where if you top up at least £10 per month, you get 300 texts/mo. free.  And they have this Magic Number where you can designate another Orange # as your Magic Number, and you can call it up to 5 times per day up to 60 minutes each call and you're just charged 15p.  I usually only call my bf so it works great for me.

You can get a contract phone as a student.  I have some friends who have it.  After you set up your bank account and you get your credit card (they'll ask you if you want one when you open your student bank account), you can go to Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U, or The Link (I actually don't know if all these are UK-wide, and I'm not sure where you're going. I'm in Manchester.) and get a contract.  They usually have cashback offers where you have to pay every month then every few months, you send in your bill and get cash back.  I have some friends who have full cash back.  The phones are not the newest.  It is almost always cheaper if you can get a deal online (much better phones too), but they usually require that you're in the UK longer.  If you have a good friend or a relative here who can apply for the phone for you, it may be worth it.   Here is a link to one of the 12-months-free site. http://www.nocostmobiles.co.uk/

There's a plan where you have a contract, but it's limited to a certain amount each month, after that you  have to top-up.  I think you'd be likely to be able to get something like that with no credit.  I know they're aimed at students. 

Yep I have that, with T Mobile.  Not because  I have no credit but because my bills were getting too big.  I pay 16.99 a month for 750 free mins & 50 texts and usually top up 5-10 quid on top of that.