 |
|
| UK diy (uk.d-i-y) For the discussion of all topics related to diy (do-it-yourself) in the UK. All levels of experience and proficency are welcome to join in to ask questions or offer solutions. |
| Reply |
|
|
|
LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
|
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate
mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. I digress. This group, I know, is not the right group to be asking this, but I had a glimpse at the hardcore talk in uk.telecom.mobile and they just frightened me away. So I'm asking the good, faithful uk.diy crowd what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? Thanks. Not so much of a virgin now, eh! But I'm not enjoying it. MM |
|
#2
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Mike Mitchell wrote:
I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. I digress. This group, I know, is not the right group to be asking this, but I had a glimpse at the hardcore talk in uk.telecom.mobile and they just frightened me away. So I'm asking the good, faithful uk.diy crowd what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? Thanks. Not so much of a virgin now, eh! But I'm not enjoying it. MM In that case you probably want a cheap pay as you go phone (you buy top up cards to credit the phone), argos have a Siemens A55 on orange for £39.95 at the moment, have a look at orange web site for call costs, but from recollection their are a choice of PAYG tariffs, but the one which might be suitable would either be 20ppm at all times or 25ppm for 1st 3 mins of each day reducing down to 5ppm after that. Once you've moved you can probably get 20-25 quid on ebay for it Jon |
|
#3
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
"Mike Mitchell" wrote in message
what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? http://tinyurl.com/2j49s £29.99 for a pay-as-you-go Trium Eclipse on Virgin Mobile from Carphone Warehouse. You'll will need to buy top-up cards to make calls. Standard UK calls cost 15p/min for the first 5 minutes each day then 5p/min thereafter. http://www.fwdcellular.com/en-gb/dept_27.html (Nett) £29.99 for a Nokia 3510i on a T-Mobile contract. You pay £29.99 + £163 up front. You get £163 cashback within 28 days. You get 750 free off-peak minutes per month for 12 months. Peak time calls are 40p/min. After 12 months, you cancel the contract (otherwise, it continues at £15/month) and keep the phone. 2nd hand, the Nokia is worth about £70 on ebay - more lucrative than the sledgehammer route.... HTH. |
|
#4
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote:
I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. I digress. This group, I know, is not the right group to be asking this, but I had a glimpse at the hardcore talk in uk.telecom.mobile and they just frightened me away. So I'm asking the good, faithful uk.diy crowd what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? Thanks. Not so much of a virgin now, eh! But I'm not enjoying it. MM I think that the Virgin Tariffs are good value for money for low usage. They can DD you for usage, but no monthly rental. I got a Nokia 3410 from Curry's for £50 on T-Mobile. It worked fine with the Virgin Sim (£10) even without unlocking. T-Mobile coverage is not fantastic, but generally tolerable. Virgin also have reasonable international rates for when you go abroad. I am not trying to argue that this is the only option, so much depends on how much you want to use the phone, and when (time of day). Michael Chare |
|
#5
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
"Mike Mitchell" wrote in message
... frightened me away. So I'm asking the good, faithful uk.diy crowd what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? You need to find who really has good coverage at both houses and anywhere you might be during the day. |
|
#6
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote: I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. Check out: http://skybuy.sky.com. They have a rather nice Siemens phone on PAYG for less than £40. sPoNiX |
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Michael Chare wrote:
Not so much of a virgin now, eh! But I'm not enjoying it. MM I think that the Virgin Tariffs are good value for money for low usage. They can DD you for usage, but no monthly rental. That's what we do for our two phones, both on Virgin DD so we can 'roam' and things like that but if we don't use the phones at all (quite normal in my case) it costs absolutely nothing. -- Chris Green |
|
#8
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 11:05:27 -0000, "Grant Mason"
wrote: "Mike Mitchell" wrote in message what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? http://tinyurl.com/2j49s £29.99 for a pay-as-you-go Trium Eclipse on Virgin Mobile from Carphone Warehouse. You'll will need to buy top-up cards to make calls. Standard UK calls cost 15p/min for the first 5 minutes each day then 5p/min thereafter. Extortionate! http://www.fwdcellular.com/en-gb/dept_27.html (Nett) £29.99 for a Nokia 3510i on a T-Mobile contract. You pay £29.99 + £163 up front. You get £163 cashback within 28 days. You get 750 free off-peak minutes per month for 12 months. Peak time calls are 40p/min. After 12 months, you cancel the contract (otherwise, it continues at £15/month) and keep the phone. Super double-plus high gloss extortionate!! 2nd hand, the Nokia is worth about £70 on ebay - more lucrative than the sledgehammer route.... But far less satisfying. I think I shall buy me a gold-plated sledgehammer, too. But thanks! MM |
|
#9
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 11:09:44 +0000 (UTC), Michael Chare
wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote: I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. I digress. This group, I know, is not the right group to be asking this, but I had a glimpse at the hardcore talk in uk.telecom.mobile and they just frightened me away. So I'm asking the good, faithful uk.diy crowd what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? Thanks. Not so much of a virgin now, eh! But I'm not enjoying it. MM I think that the Virgin Tariffs are good value for money for low usage. They can DD you for usage, but no monthly rental. I got a Nokia 3410 from Curry's for £50 on T-Mobile. It worked fine with the Virgin Sim (£10) even without unlocking. T-Mobile coverage is not fantastic, but generally tolerable. Virgin also have reasonable international rates for when you go abroad. I am not trying to argue that this is the only option, so much depends on how much you want to use the phone, and when (time of day). I just want to be contactable locally for when I am out shopping or on the internet (no broadband here, so when I'm connected via dialup, no one can call) in case the estate agent gets a sudden prospect who shows interest. I don't even want to make outgoing calls from the thing, but mainly receive calls. No calls from abroad, no text messages, no grooming of underage spaniels, just the absolute minimum than can enable my agent to talk to me briefly and send me back home, pronto. MM |
|
#12
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 12:12:26 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote: I just want to be contactable locally for when I am out shopping or on the internet (no broadband here, so when I'm connected via dialup, no one can call) in case the estate agent gets a sudden prospect who shows interest. I don't even want to make outgoing calls from the thing, but mainly receive calls. No calls from abroad, no text messages, no grooming of underage spaniels, just the absolute minimum than can enable my agent to talk to me briefly and send me back home, pronto. MM Then really all you need is the cheapest Pay-as-you-go and one top-up voucher to activate it. Some deals even give you the first voucher for free simply for activating the phone. Normally you don't pay anything to receive calls, but you do to retrieve text messages or voicemails - simply don't activate voicemail if you are bothered. You may also be able to find a second hand phone on Ebay etc. and you can just buy a SIM (small chipcard to activate) only. However, this is likely to be almost the same cost and more titting around as just buying one in the store. In the context of the various costs of the property sale it is not a lot...... ..andy To email, substitute .nospam with .gl |
|
#13
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
"Mike Mitchell" wrote in message ... Even that doesn't sound cheap to me. What would the phone charges be, roughly? Does one pay someone else for the usage? It's all so bloody complicated! You really are a mobile phone virgin aren't you?? £40 IS a bargain. Just to give you an example, my Nokia 6610 cost £29.99 on a £28 per month contract. The phone itself probably costs around £200 to buy, but basically what mobile phone companies do is virtually give you the phone on the expectation that you will love it, use it loads and they get there money back from the calls you make. Now if you are disciplined and only really use it for incoming calls, you basically have a very cheap mobile phone. You wont find much cheaper than £29.99 for a PAYG |
|
#14
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Mike Mitchell wrote:
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 11:05:27 -0000, "Grant Mason" wrote: "Mike Mitchell" wrote in message what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? http://tinyurl.com/2j49s £29.99 for a pay-as-you-go Trium Eclipse on Virgin Mobile from Carphone Warehouse. You'll will need to buy top-up cards to make calls. Standard UK calls cost 15p/min for the first 5 minutes each day then 5p/min thereafter. Extortionate! In that case, try a tin can with a piece of string attached. Seriously, for your purposes, you're not going to get much cheaper than that if you want a new phone. If you're not going to make any calls the call charges aren't going to bother you are they? This way you've got no contract or ongoing charges. If you don't mind a second-hand phone have a look at http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tegory=42 428 (a nokia 5110 currently standing at £5.50) and then get yourself a free O2 sim card from http://shop.o2.co.uk/cgi-bin/o2uk/js...er:O2:TALKALOT (25p a minute for the first 3 minutes, then 5p a minute. This is calculated on you *day's* useage, not individual call: i.e. when you've made more than 3 minutes of calls *per day* in total, your tariff drops to 5p per minute for the rest of the day.) Although you'll see it say you need £10/month top ups, that's only needed to maintain your free texts and wap allocation. Tim -- Remove the obvious to reply by email. Please support rheumatoid arthritis research! Visit http://www.justgiving.com/pfp/speyside or http://www.justgiving.com/speyside if you're a UK tax payer. |
|
#15
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Tim Downie wrote:
Mike Mitchell wrote: £29.99 for a pay-as-you-go Trium Eclipse on Virgin Mobile from Carphone Warehouse. You'll will need to buy top-up cards to make calls. Standard UK calls cost 15p/min for the first 5 minutes each day then 5p/min thereafter. Extortionate! In that case, try a tin can with a piece of string attached. Seriously, for your purposes, you're not going to get much cheaper than that if you want a new phone. If you're not going to make any calls the call charges aren't going to bother you are they? This way you've got no contract or ongoing charges. I got a refurbished phone from Virgin (a Sendo) which was only £20, I think they sometimes have even cheaper ones. Zero cost from then on if you make no calls. -- Chris Green |
|
#16
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Mike Mitchell wrote:
On 26 Mar 2004 11:31:52 GMT, wrote: Michael Chare wrote: Not so much of a virgin now, eh! But I'm not enjoying it. MM I think that the Virgin Tariffs are good value for money for low usage. They can DD you for usage, but no monthly rental. That's what we do for our two phones, both on Virgin DD so we can 'roam' and things like that but if we don't use the phones at all (quite normal in my case) it costs absolutely nothing. So does one buy the phone from Virgin? If you want (they also have refurbished ones) but you can use one you have already if it's suitable. -- Chris Green |
|
#17
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
In message , Mike Mitchell
writes On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 11:23:22 GMT, (sPoNiX) wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote: I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. Check out: http://skybuy.sky.com. They have a rather nice Siemens phone on PAYG for less than £40. Even that doesn't sound cheap to me. It is cheap ! What would the phone charges be, roughly? Does one pay someone else for the usage? On a Pay as you go phone, you have no ongoing costs if you don't make a call, the person calling pays for the call of course. You buy the phone, you purchase a bit of 'airtime' if necessary with a voucher or whatever, though many come with GBP 5 or 10 anyway. This 'airtime' is what you use if you need to make a call - the cost is debited from the airtime balance, once you have used it up you can't make any more outgoing calls Tariff's vary, on our virgin phones it is 15 p for the first 3 minutes a day then 5p per min after that, on other tariffs, the per minute cost may start at about 25p. If you expect to make limited calls then the major cost will be the phone, so it may make sense to get the cheapest you can, and not worry to much about the tariffs Don't forget you can flog the phone on ebay afterwards and get a fair bit back. If I wanted to take instant photos with a throwaway camera, it's dead simple. I can buy such a camera almost anywhere. So why hasn't anybody done the same for mobile phones They have/are coming, but the technology in mobile phones is rather more complex :-) -- Chris French, Leeds |
|
#18
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Grant Mason wrote:
?29.99 for a pay-as-you-go Trium Eclipse on Virgin Mobile from Carphone Warehouse. You'll will need to buy top-up cards to make calls. Standard UK calls cost 15p/min for the first 5 minutes each day then 5p/min thereafter. Last time I checked Virgin were the only ones that would let you have a PAYG phone on direct debit - hence no need to buy top ups. (Both SWMBO and I have phones on Virgin Mobile at the moment - we are unlikely to make more than 20 mins outgoing calls a month on them - typical monthly bill for both is between 2.50 and 4 quid - not gone over a fiver yet!) - BT costs me more than that in line rental. Have a look at the virgin mobile web site - they often have reconditioned phones available in the 30 to 50 quid range. -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
|
#19
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Mike Mitchell wrote:
Even that doesn't sound cheap to me. What would the phone charges be, roughly? Does one pay someone else for the usage? It's all so bloody complicated! OK this ought to be simple enough: http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/phones/SIE-STD-A50-1 40 quid will get you a phone and 10 quids worth of out going calls. Since you wont be making many (any?) outgoing calls that will last you many months! Receiving calls or text messages is free. Receiving voicemail is free. It comes in a box, with a SIM card, a battery, and a charger. Take the SIM card and insert it in the phone, clip on the battery, plug in the charger and charge it up. Job Done. If you want to be able to receive incoming calls then leave the thing turned on. If not then turn it off (voicemail will take messages if you want). It will run for a week on a charge if you don't use it much (the more time you spend talking on it the sooner it will want recharging). Compared to 75 quid to have a BT line installed, and 12 quid a month that does not sound too expensive does it? -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
|
#20
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote: I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. I digress. This group, I know, is not the right group to be asking this, but I had a glimpse at the hardcore talk in uk.telecom.mobile and they just frightened me away. So I'm asking the good, faithful uk.diy crowd what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? Thanks. Not so much of a virgin now, eh! But I'm not enjoying it. Update: I just popped into the local Vodaphone shop. They have a Sendo for £40, plus I get a swipe card I can charge up for amounts of £5 through £20. I just need to make at least one outgoing call every three months to keep the number active. Sounds the cheapest of all. Haven't bought it yet, though. What would I get for the Sendo once I no longer need it? It's a neat little thing, I have to say. (OH NO! I AM ALREADY BEING SEDUCED!) MM |
|
#21
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
|
|
#22
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 12:31:59 +0000, Andy Hall
wrote: In the context of the various costs of the property sale it is not a lot...... Absolutely. While I detest moble phones, it would be daft not to be contactable when that magic buyer with a suitcash full of cash turns up at the estate agent's door and I am out buying T-shirts at ASDA or something. MM |
|
#23
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 12:38:32 -0000, "AK" wrote:
"Mike Mitchell" wrote in message .. . Even that doesn't sound cheap to me. What would the phone charges be, roughly? Does one pay someone else for the usage? It's all so bloody complicated! You really are a mobile phone virgin aren't you?? I said I was! £40 IS a bargain. Just to give you an example, my Nokia 6610 cost £29.99 on a £28 per month contract. The phone itself probably costs around £200 to buy, but basically what mobile phone companies do is virtually give you the phone on the expectation that you will love it, use it loads and they get there money back from the calls you make. Now if you are disciplined and only really use it for incoming calls, you basically have a very cheap mobile phone. You wont find much cheaper than £29.99 for a PAYG How about the Sendo for £40, no monthly contract, and a top-up card for a fiver or a tenner? That sounds cheaper. MM |
|
#24
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:42:01 +0000, John Rumm
wrote: Mike Mitchell wrote: Even that doesn't sound cheap to me. What would the phone charges be, roughly? Does one pay someone else for the usage? It's all so bloody complicated! OK this ought to be simple enough: http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/phones/SIE-STD-A50-1 40 quid will get you a phone and 10 quids worth of out going calls. Since you wont be making many (any?) outgoing calls that will last you many months! What happens when I have used the £10 worth of calls? Okay, I know I said I won't use it, but inevitably the agent or buyer will want calling back sometimes. Can I top up the phone from anywhere or only from Virgin? Receiving calls or text messages is free. Receiving voicemail is free. It comes in a box, with a SIM card, a battery, and a charger. Take the SIM card and insert it in the phone, clip on the battery, plug in the charger and charge it up. Job Done. If you want to be able to receive incoming calls then leave the thing turned on. If not then turn it off (voicemail will take messages if you want). It will run for a week on a charge if you don't use it much (the more time you spend talking on it the sooner it will want recharging). Compared to 75 quid to have a BT line installed, and 12 quid a month that does not sound too expensive does it? Fair enough. It's not as bad as I thought. Thanks a lot for this very straightforward elucidation. MM |
|
#25
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:52:44 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote: I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. How about a Pay Upfront (aka Line Advance) deal? You pay a sum up front. For this you get a phone, 12 months free line rental (Usually) and a certain number of minutes free per month. Depending upon your calling patterns you can save a lot of money: http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~cjmcom...ns/advance.htm http://www.phones3000.shopmobiles.co...cked&SW=12 55 |
|
#26
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote: I hate mobile phones. You are not alone. I bought one 4 years ago (Siemens S25). The day after I bought it Virgin Recordstores reduced the price by £60. I complained, they added £60 to my call credits. I am *still* on that original £60, having used less than £40 worth of calls in 4 years. I am aware many people get thru £40 worth and up each month. I hate mobile phones with a vengeance, makes me wonder how we ever used to do anything when we didn't even have a landline phone in the street! The only "good" use I have for a mobile phone is for emergency use. I keep it switched off in the car most of the time. Might sound odd given that I'm in a business where contacting me might be appropriate - but I firmly believe that when I'm on a job on a customer site then that customer gets 100% of my attention - I'm not going to waste time talking to other would-be customers. I have a voicemail system on my landline which I can access remotely and will always call back as required. PoP --- If you need to contact me please submit your comments via the web form at http://www.anyoldtripe.co.uk. I'll probably still ignore you but at least I'll get the message.....  |
|
#27
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:42:25 +0000, in uk.d-i-y you wrote:
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:42:01 +0000, John Rumm wrote: Mike Mitchell wrote: Even that doesn't sound cheap to me. What would the phone charges be, roughly? Does one pay someone else for the usage? It's all so bloody complicated! OK this ought to be simple enough: http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/phones/SIE-STD-A50-1 40 quid will get you a phone and 10 quids worth of out going calls. Since you wont be making many (any?) outgoing calls that will last you many months! What happens when I have used the £10 worth of calls? Okay, I know I said I won't use it, but inevitably the agent or buyer will want calling back sometimes. Can I top up the phone from anywhere or only from Virgin? IMHO the best arrangement is just to let Virgin DD you. You get a monthly itemised bill. Michael Chare |
|
#28
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
(sPoNiX) wrote in message ...
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote: I am a mobile phone virgin. I do not have a mobile phone. I hate mobile phones. But now that I am selling the house and still want to be reachable, I am resigned to getting one, albeit only for a temporary period. The minute I am in my new house and it's all done and dusted and the sparkling wine has been opened, I shall take great pleasure in removing the mobile phone to a suitable flat surface, whereupon I will take a number 2 sledgehammer to it. Check out: http://skybuy.sky.com. They have a rather nice Siemens phone on PAYG for less than £40. sPoNiX Can't you just buy a second hand mobile from ebay and pop into a shop and buy PayAsYouGo cards ? |
|
#29
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
In message , Mike Mitchell
writes On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:42:01 +0000, John Rumm wrote: 40 quid will get you a phone and 10 quids worth of out going calls. Since you wont be making many (any?) outgoing calls that will last you many months! What happens when I have used the £10 worth of calls? Okay, I know I said I won't use it, but inevitably the agent or buyer will want calling back sometimes. Can I top up the phone from anywhere or only from Virgin? Various options: You can top up with a credit or debit card by ringing up virgin on the phone (free) You can buy a voucher in a shop (all over the place) and use that. You can use the 'e-topup' card, which is a swipe card you use in various shops etc. (the card just tells the system which account to credit) With virgin as others have said, you can setup a direct debit with there PAYG phones. -- Chris French, Leeds |
|
#30
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
Mike Mitchell wrote in message . ..
frightened me away. So I'm asking the good, faithful uk.diy crowd what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? If you do want to make outgoing calls it does depend on what time of day you want to make them, and how many minutes per day/month you will be calling for (per minute rate varies greatly due to both of those). It can be done very cheaply if you don't want to make many calls - I bought a serviceable phone on ebay recently for 1.70 GBP, to use with a pay-as-you-go SIM card which originally cost me a fiver I think; that gives me calls to BT at 10p a minute I think (but have never actually credited the SIM card since buying it, as the phone - a spare - is used so infrequently!) (The phone has only a black-and-white screen, no trendy case, doesn't take pictures, and earns ridicule from my daughter, or anybody else's. But it does make phone calls rather well...) David |
|
#31
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice (expiry time?)
|
|
#32
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 17:43:05 +0000, chris French
wrote: In message , Mike Mitchell writes On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:42:01 +0000, John Rumm wrote: 40 quid will get you a phone and 10 quids worth of out going calls. Since you wont be making many (any?) outgoing calls that will last you many months! What happens when I have used the £10 worth of calls? Okay, I know I said I won't use it, but inevitably the agent or buyer will want calling back sometimes. Can I top up the phone from anywhere or only from Virgin? Various options: You can top up with a credit or debit card by ringing up virgin on the phone (free) You can buy a voucher in a shop (all over the place) and use that. You can use the 'e-topup' card, which is a swipe card you use in various shops etc. (the card just tells the system which account to credit) Ah, that's the one the lady at the Vodaphone shop showed me. By far the best option for me. With virgin as others have said, you can setup a direct debit with there PAYG phones. DD, yuk! I don't that either, and have it only for the council tax. I just don't like the idea of complete strangers tapping into my account(s). I always pay bills by cheque. One of my funny little ways, although endearing to some... MM |
|
#33
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 18:13:22 +0000, Simon
wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:42:25 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 14:42:01 +0000, John Rumm wrote: Mike Mitchell wrote: Even that doesn't sound cheap to me. What would the phone charges be, roughly? Does one pay someone else for the usage? It's all so bloody complicated! OK this ought to be simple enough: http://www.virginmobile.com/mobile/phones/SIE-STD-A50-1 40 quid will get you a phone and 10 quids worth of out going calls. Since you wont be making many (any?) outgoing calls that will last you many months! What happens when I have used the £10 worth of calls? Okay, I know I said I won't use it, but inevitably the agent or buyer will want calling back sometimes. Can I top up the phone from anywhere or only from Virgin? The deal in the URL above is about as good as it gets. It is even a very good brand of phone. It does not have all the features of other phones but like any mobile it works just like you would expect a phone to. It even includes £15 of calls if you buy online. Virgin will (if you ask) send you a top-up card that you can use in almost any supermarket or news agent. Alternatively you can call Virgin and give your CC number, or DD as has been said by John. Receiving calls or text messages is free. Receiving voicemail is free. Someone else said that you should check coverage (ask your neighbours who already have phones). Each network has its blind spots but voice mail will kick in then. [...] Fair enough. It's not as bad as I thought. Thanks a lot for this very straightforward elucidation. MM Well you won't mind if I start asking Destroy-It-Yourself questions here will you  I am new to this DIY stuff. It is always easywhen you know how, most of the time I don't. Fire away with your first free fifteen minutes! (Sorry, this phone malarkey is getting me carried away with the fairies a bit.) I've just refurbished my 3-bed semi: stripped wallpaper and paint, repaired cracks, used expanded foam (excellent stuff) in some, wallpapering, plastering, fitted new plasterboard to ceiling, wiring spurs, new sockets, ceiling roses, switches, painting (all kinds), fitted new front door, rehung all remaining doors, replaced two wooden window frames, stripped and repainted all windows inside and out, ceramic tiles in kitchen and hall, laminate flooring in bedrooms, part of kitchen, and sitting room, partially boarded loft, removed tree in back garden, redid entire back garden and lawn and laid down areas of Cumberland chippings, rebuilt cracked drain, and generally tidied up front and rear of property. And also a lot of little jobs. I started working life as a motor mechanic in 1961, so I am of a practical bent. If you are new to the DIY lark, TAKE CARE! Very many novices injure themselves very severely. ALWAYS use eye protection when doing ANYTHING that risks sending something into the eye. Too many builders are casual with their own safety, which means that the A & E wards are often full with weekenders who have drilled a hole in their leg or slipped with the carpet knife and have gone straight through the femoral artery. MM |
|
#34
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 16:35:26 +0000, PoP wrote:
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 10:17:14 +0000, Mike Mitchell wrote: I hate mobile phones. You are not alone. I bought one 4 years ago (Siemens S25). The day after I bought it Virgin Recordstores reduced the price by £60. I complained, they added £60 to my call credits. I am *still* on that original £60, having used less than £40 worth of calls in 4 years. I am aware many people get thru £40 worth and up each month. I hate mobile phones with a vengeance, makes me wonder how we ever used to do anything when we didn't even have a landline phone in the street! The only "good" use I have for a mobile phone is for emergency use. I keep it switched off in the car most of the time. Might sound odd given that I'm in a business where contacting me might be appropriate - but I firmly believe that when I'm on a job on a customer site then that customer gets 100% of my attention - I'm not going to waste time talking to other would-be customers. I have a voicemail system on my landline which I can access remotely and will always call back as required. PoP --- If you need to contact me please submit your comments via the web form at http://www.anyoldtripe.co.uk. I'll probably still ignore you but at least I'll get the message..... Excellent! We should form a club! MM |
|
#36
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice (expiry time?)
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 19:18:28 +0000 (UTC), mike ring
wrote: But I use it occasionally to call my answering machine, to make sure it still works, because I heard if you don't use it, the provider may de- activate it, without necessarily consulting you. Ah, I don't have that problem, because I don't have an answering machine! I used to have one, and dreaded listening to the messages. I figure, if it's *that* important, someone will send the police round. And if someone unfortunately died, well, they're gonna be just as dead when I get to hear about it eventually. (Hopefully before the funeral.) MM |
|
#37
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 15:32:18 +0000, Mike Mitchell
wrote: On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 12:31:59 +0000, Andy Hall wrote: In the context of the various costs of the property sale it is not a lot...... Absolutely. While I detest moble phones, it would be daft not to be contactable when that magic buyer with a suitcash full of cash turns up at the estate agent's door and I am out buying T-shirts at ASDA or something. MM That's not as far fetched as it sounds. In the 70s when I was selling my first house for about £30k, a young couple came along to view and liked the property. They came back later with her father, who had just arrived from a middle eastern country, clutching a large briefcase. This was duly opened, and contained the asking price in £50 notes. It was difficult to explain to them that this wasn't how houses were bought and sold here and that there various legal processes that had to happen and would take a little time. I had a hard job convincing the father that I wasn't being stand-offish - he was thinking that the offer wasn't enough and I was offended. Fortunately, the prospective son-in-law had been here for a while and knew a bit about what happens and explained the situation to the father, who was quite happy after that. Our solicitor was amused by all of this but the sale went through without a hitch. ..andy To email, substitute .nospam with .gl |
|
#38
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
PoP wrote:
I hate mobile phones. You are not alone. I bought one 4 years ago (Siemens S25). The day after I bought it Virgin Recordstores reduced the price by £60. I complained, they added £60 to my call credits. I am *still* on that original £60, having used less than £40 worth of calls in 4 years. I am aware many people get thru £40 worth and up each month. I always have to smile when people say "can I have your mobile number?" and I tell them they can, but it won't help them much because the phone is usually switched off. I then get the lecture about "what is the point of having a mobile if it is always switched off....". They seem to find it hard to understand I carry it for my benefit - not theirs! -- Cheers, John. /================================================== ===============\ | Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk | |-----------------------------------------------------------------| | John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk | \================================================= ================/ |
|
#39
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice (expiry time?)
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 19:18:28 +0000 (UTC), mike ring
wrote: (Lobster) wrote in . com: Mike Mitchell wrote in message . .. frightened me away. So I'm asking the good, faithful uk.diy crowd what is the absolute cheapest phone/package I can buy/rent which (a) allows me to receive incoming calls from landline phones or mobile phones and (b) can make call to BT landline phones? I'm in much the same position as MM, but I've already got my phone, for emergencies only - breakdowns or a stacked bike - and I won't say what I paid for it..... AAaaaaaargh. But I use it occasionally to call my answering machine, to make sure it still works, because I heard if you don't use it, the provider may de- activate it, without necessarily consulting you. Could this be true, and if so, how long would it have to be inactive for? It's on O2 Prepay mike r Call the provider and ask. 6 months is a typical time for deactivation and number reallocation ..andy To email, substitute .nospam with .gl |
|
#40
|
|||
|
|||
|
Mobile phone virgin seeks advice
On Fri, 26 Mar 2004 20:13:12 +0000, John Rumm
wrote: I always have to smile when people say "can I have your mobile number?" and I tell them they can, but it won't help them much because the phone is usually switched off. I then get the lecture about "what is the point of having a mobile if it is always switched off....". They seem to find it hard to understand I carry it for my benefit - not theirs! I just tell people I haven't got a mobile. Saves getting into a conflab about how they can't reach me due to it being almost permanently switched off! And I mean almost permanently. About the only time it is sucking airwaves is when I might be expecting my son or daughter to call when we are out and about. They of course have a mobile each which according to the usual definition would require life-saving surgery if it ever got switched off..... PoP --- If you need to contact me please submit your comments via the web form at http://www.anyoldtripe.co.uk. I'll probably still ignore you but at least I'll get the message..... |
| Reply |
|
| Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
| Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads
|
||||
| Thread | Forum | |||
| Maplin Remote Control Via Mobile Phone | UK diy | |||
| using mobile to control appliances at home? | UK diy | |||
Linear Mode
