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We guarantee to try and beat any Mobile Phone Deals here at Star-Buy.com,
If you find it cheaper elsewhere, please let us know.
Star Buy mobile phone Buyers Guide
Read the helpful hints and facts below before buying your Mobile Phone or Mobile Phone Accessory.
Choosing the right NetworkMobile Phone Networks
Who does what?
Pay as you Go or contract tarrifs?
Deciding which Tariff will suit you.
Which phone to choose.
A thought about insurance.
Simple steps to take for security.
Choosing the right Network
Buying a mobile involves far more than simply picking the most gadget-packed or fashionable handset, deciding which network - who you will, after all, be depending on to take care of you - is of the utmost importance when making the decision. It's important that you think about what you require from a mobile phone before thinking of the type.
Mobile Phone Networks
There are many mobile phone Networks (You've heard the names, Vodafone, Orange, T-mobile, O2 to name but a few) out there and they are all seeking your custom so take care that the one you choose best suits your needs, customer service and network area coverage are two key factors to take into account. The most powerful persuader though, and one you should make full use of before parting with your hard earned cash, is word of mouth!
If you have friends and family who are mobile users and they live in different areas, give them a call and simply ask them for their opinion on their network and how good the customer services are. Go further and borrow their phone to test it in your own area and you will see how good the reception is for yourself. This is a very simple piece of advice but you would be amazed at how many buyers have gone out and signed contracts or bought their pay as you go phones only to find once they arrive home that the reception is so poor that the phone is virtually useless. (Some retail outlets - and they are usually the best ones - will allow you to take the phone away for a trial period, and if does not suit your requirements you can return it at no cost to you).
Strictly speaking, you don't have "a Vodafone". You have a Nokia or Motorola or Ericsson (or whatever) connected to Vodafone, O2 etc. Similar models are available on each network, sometimes under the network's brand name.
Who does what?
You buy your phone from the retailer and have a contract with a Service Provider, who does the billing and customer service on behalf of the network so it is worth keeping in mind that some suppliers are pseudo networks and make use of the main networks coverage to supply its customers, for example; Virgin mobile use T-mobile resources, OneTel uses Vodafone, NTL uses Orange and Sainsbury's uses O2.
You can "sign up" direct with a network, and this is the only way that some networks operate. These days mobile phone contracts are not the pen to paper affairs of old, but they are still recognized in law as legally sound agreements between both parties.
Pay as you Go or contract tarrifs?
Next, decide whether you want a pay as you go phone or the more permanent type option of a contract.
- Pay as you Go, where you pay (usually by financially topping up your chip at licensed outlets) before you make calls. This cuts out the arrival of those pesky monthly bills but is usually more expensive as they tend to offer fewer services and calls are charged at the higher end of the tariff tier.
- Contract - where you get a bill each month, but the call charges are usually lower, and there are more facilities offered.
You should take care too in that some pay as you go services expire at the end of each month, even if you have not used up all of the minutes that you have purchased, this is a question that you must ask and have answered when choosing the Pay as you Go option.
There are also some contract tariffs that have no standing charge and may offer free calls usually in a set amount of free minutes each Month or free texts, whereby you can send thousands of text messages for free. Other options we have encountered include 50% off your first bill, half price line rental for the first half year of your contract and in many cases the phone will come free with a contract. Some very attractive options can be seen here and we have found that in most cases, they will happily point you in the direction of a great deal.
Deciding which Tariff will suit you.
How heavy will your phone use be? Will you make calls at certain times of the day when call charges may be more expensive? Before you commit to buying, check whether you can switch tariffs at a later date without penalty. Your usage may change. Take careful note of this point because Networks will subsidise your phone and high-end tariff contract costs because they want your business long term! If, early on in the life of your contract, you decide that you want to change the terms of your contract (moving to a more affordable tariff for example) the network may well have a system in place to withdraw the subsidy and you then revert to paying a higher line rental fee. So, first of all, take time to think what is the best option for you when deciding on a tariff, and secondly, (but just as importantly) check whether there is a grab-back by the network of any subsidies that they initially offer if you do want to change.
Which phone to choose.
In the first section at the top of this page I said that buying a mobile phone involves far more than simply picking the most gadget-packed or fashionable handset. of course you will want the nicest one possible as long as it provides all of the features that you will require, and the vast majority of phones on the market today provide just that. If you go for a well known model you will not go far wrong, (remember to ask your friends and family what they think of their handsets) just about every electronics manufacturer on the planet now make their own make of mobile phone and the number features that they can carry is staggering. There are camera phones, video phones, phones with MP3 players incorporated, phones that twin as your iPod. Think what you want your phone for. You may marvel at your new "Do Everything" phone but you must consider that to pack all of the technology inside such a small space, some of the quality of each has to be sacrificed. If you are not going to use these features on your phone past the first couple of days, do you really want to pay for them in the first place?
One sure way of making sure you get the best value mobile phone package in this highly competitive sector of the communications market, is to visit one of the new breed of online resources that are now available and usually free of charge.
By utilising the services of an online resource you can be sure that you are being directed to a mobile retailer who has been thoroughly researched and found to be offering the best deals and service packages available on mobile phones.
It is worth noting here too that the resource sites are usually affiliated sites of the major manufacturers and so it is always in their interest to direct you to the best possible deals online because after all, if they did not, they would not be in business very long. If you want to cut right to the chase and see the latest deals and best value offers all in one place, visit the resource that we have found to be the most reliable at mobiles-2u .
A thought about insurance.
Very soon after getting used to your mobile phone it often becomes much more than just a phone, it can become your address book, your diary, your meeting reminder, your alarm clock, there are a whole host of practical uses that you will become accustomed to it doing. . . and so it can come as a very nasty surprise if you lose it, or a thief comes along and steals it. What will compound this situation is if you are on a contract type tariff and you do not realise your phone has been taken until after the thief has totted up a hefty bill at your expense, not to mention the feeling that your privacy has been invaded and your personal messages / contact numbers are being viewed by an uninvited third party.
As rule of thumb any retailer will supply you with a free phone with insurance when agreeing a contract with you but what you should be aware of and pay very careful attention to when spending your money is the situation with the insurance. Do not take the offer of free insurance as a given that your phone will be replaced if you lose it or it is stolen. Some retailers will offer this service but others will give you part cover only. So again check carefully before the sale on exactly what type of cover you have!!
Simple steps to take for security.
Very soon after getting used to your mobile phone it often becomes much more than that, it can become your address book your diary your meeting reminder your alarm clock. There are a whole host of practical uses that you can become accustomed to it doing. . . and so it can come as a very nasty surprise if you lose it, or a scumbag comes along and steals it. What will compound this situation is if you are on a contract type tariff and you do not realise your phone has been taken until after the thief has totted up a hefty bill at your expense. Below are some simple steps that you can take that may help you to recover your phone, or to minimize any financial loss to you if you do not.
- Retrace your steps - you may have dropped it
- Attach your contact details with a label
- Set your welcome note to your name and home phone number
- Set your profile as your contact details
- Set your profile as "reward if found"
- Use your phone book entries for contact details
- Get a bright coloured cover for your phone
- Call your mobile phone
- Call your network and have the phone switched off
- Keep your phone connected to you at all times
...and finally - always, always keep your important numbers and contacts on a spare chip and keep it in a separate place to your phone, this is not overkill, it is the best piece of mobile phone advice we can give you - Enjoy your phone!
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FROM THE CARPHONE WAREHOUSE
