egafd.com

I worked in the industry so some advise that I know:

1. It costs o2 3p to produce an itemised phone bill (but they charge 99p for it). Thats according to one manager at 02.

2. o2 staff have a time limit on the call centre, ie they can only chat so long or they get in truble. So if you conect to them at a shop, you will find that the call centre staff type in the info very quick, and often make mistakes. Call staff are juged on speed and not errors. If a problem happens, no one will want to know (it takes too long), so its passed about, or ignored.

3. The data protection act allows you to ask for ALL records that are kept aboput you on a pc. You have the right to ask your mobile company to send you a copy of all the notes left. Its worth doing as many staff leave notes such as "tosser called today", if you found this you coyuld sue. This also applies to all firms that have info on you, ie gas firms.

4. The new g4 network will be expensive and unregulated.

5. As long as your phoner is turned on, phone companies can track where you are. These records are kept for ages.

6. When you sigh up for a phone, ask the company whop they are using, ie if you get an o2 phone, a different firm (CCL) may be the ones who you conect to. The problem is, if you want to add a new handset, you may (Will) have problems. A cheap deal may not be as good value as you think.

7. When you go for your phone - barter. These chaps get over ?100 for each contract, so tell the chap that another phone offered you the same phone cheaper, they will sell it cheaper.

Some logo to show the salman you know as much as him:

mms - media messaging (not mutimeadia messaging). This is pic and sound messages. Like text put in pic form. Messages can be sent to email if the person does not have mms. You can also use mms to serfe the web. You pay for the amount you download, not the time you are conected (you are always conected). Ie, you could load this page right now onto your phone, and keep it all day long, you are only charged for the page.

wap - you pay from the moment you log on. very expensive (crap), and very poor (just text).

Transmitters - many are well desised. You would not know they were there.

Migration - this is if you have a pay as you go, and want to turn it into a contracted phone on the SAME NETWORK. You need a new sim card so you will need to trasfer you tel numbers accross.

Port - porting a number from one network to another. Can be a pain, so if you are not too bothered about your tel nober, go for a new one.

Bolt ons - some firms offer you a type of pay before you go servise, ie 100 text messages.

Tip: When conecting, do not use somone who is rude on the phone. Often frude salemen phone cal;l ceneres to conect a phone and the call staff with on purpose make a mistake. If the guys ok, things should be conected better.

Tip: Credit vet from one firm is diffent to another.

You will find with o2, if you say you are a student you will have to pay ?100 bond.

Tip: always say you work full time, provide two id's (switch card and passport are good), tell them you have 3 credit cards.If you aare a student, say you work full time.

If you fail the credit check, tell them you have only just moved to the uk and worked last 20 odd years in frace or usa (ect), you willhave to pay a bond (?200) but with o2 you get it back after 3 months.

Those in armed forces will automaticly be accepted for a phone (the army pays the bills).

Hope this helps.

Jack, very useful info, any more on mms, I think I have that on my phone Sharp GX10, how does it work, can u mail me?

I've got a One 2 One free at the weekends account which I want to sell. They don't make them like that anymore.

Best bit of advice ever: How to save money on your phone bills.

Don't have one.
OK, have a fixed line one at home but how many of you really need a mobile? Yeah, yeah, useful in emergencies but how did you manage to survive BMP?

Mart

Well said. If they were as 'essential' as they say, there would have been four mile queues behind every public phone box every hour of the day before they came into being, and I can't quite recall that being the case. I suppose what they really mean is that they've become dependent on them, which is different. And texting, of course, is the devil's work. Weird fact: text messaging has totally failed to take off in America.


The Last Word

If you have a colour screen you may have mms.

Its main use is to send and receave photographs.

"failed to take off in America."

Is it so strange? Phone calls (and most things) are very cheap in the usa, so unlike the UK where a phone call is expensive, and thus text cheaper, I would guess that in the usa phone calls are so cheap, that people are not too bothered about saving cash.

Some time back I said at work, that one day parents would buy there children mobile phones so that they could keep in touch.

I was told I was daft and that only people who would you them were business people. Today many children have them. OK, they may go silliy with them texting there friends, but at least when they go out, you can phone them to see where they are. I am suprised when parents do not buy there children a phone, for the pure reason that they could keep in touch with there children.

One post read, "how to save money on phone bills", was not to have a mobile. Well, thats silly. The best thing to do is have a pay as you go, this way no monthy rental and you will only use it if you need it. For the few pounds that the phone will cost you, think about how much time the phone will free you. No more sitting in waigting for a phone call. I use pay as you go, great, if somone needs you they can just phone. I am not sat in, all day.

Think about models. Before they would have to give out home phone no, and risk getting abusive calls. Now they can give out a mobile no. Take calls when they are doing a shoot. I bet most models would find it hard to live without a mobile.

"there would have been four mile queues behind every public phone box every hour of the day before they came into being"

No, everybody was sat in an office or at home taking calls.

Now you can work in a park on a nice day, and still take calls, faxes and so on.

I just wondfer how in the past a Plumber would get work? You can phone him/her direct these days, does not matter if he/she is working.

In the past it would have been his/her wife/husband etc taking the call. Then maby not getting a response for several hours later.

I just wonder how much time mobiles have saved people.

And lets face it, if you have an elderly relative (ect) how nice now to know they can call you if they have a problem.

"When you go for your phone - barter. These chaps get over ?100 for each contract, so tell the chap that another phone offered you the same phone cheaper, they will sell it cheaper"

I run a number of phone shops, try asking my staff to sell a phone cheaper they will tell you to fuck off.

I got so fed up of these bartering tossers, try going in to your local and ordering a pint, and asking them to throw in a large whiskey, or telling them the pub down the road is cheaper. Morons