How to buy a mobile phone.

Post by **RobB** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:28 pm

Seven years ago I bought my first mobile phone, complete with ?10 worth of airtime. The other day I went to check my mobile only to discover,to my horror, that my phone had been barred.
It had been on 80p credit for several months

and seemingly I should have made sure that it was kept above a pound.

Well,I wasn't going to buy it any more airtime as I didn't have great faith that the battery would still work in another 5 years or so.

So,rather than chance having to buy a new battery in the near future,I took the rather drastic action yesterday of buying myself a new,more modern, mobile phone.

At least I won't have to take any more piss-taking remarks from my ultra-trendy niece about my mobile looking like a brick.

So,with my usual amount of pre-planning and research,I strolled into the carphone warehouse and asked 'Whats yer cheapest model?"

The sales assisitant helpfully replied 'Well,we have a Nokia 1100 for ?19.99 and on the Virgin network......"

'That'll do" I replied.....and 5 minutes later I was out of the shop,proudly clutching my new mobile phone,complete with ?10 airtime credited to it.

At least I won't be accused of carrying a brick around with me for the next seven years.

puce · Post by **puce** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:39 pm

It's my phone, too and I chose it with the same criteria!

Post by **sound world** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 2:54 pm

So now you can wander around talking to yourself near bus queues,RobB

But that is salutary.I hardly ever use my mob,it's just my partner's tracking device for me

(the SatDav? DavNav?)
So I hardly ever stick any credit in it.

Post by **RobB** » Tue Jul 04, 2006 5:08 pm

Well,my last one use to sit in the car for months on end,just in case i ever broke down.

This new one is so tiny though I can actually get it into my pocket so i'll probably carry it around with me more often now.

blue · Post by **blue** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:40 am

I've only had two mobile phones, ever. The first one disappeared for ages, so I was forced to buy another one - I never use the things, it's just for emergencies really. Shortly after the second one was purchased, the first one turned up, somewhat chewed, in the cat basket.

Colour me baffled, until I remembered that some weeks previously, I'd looked after an abandoned dog for a few days.

Post by **RobB** » Wed Jul 05, 2006 10:28 pm

At least you now know why he was abandoned .........he kept hiding people's mobile phones !!

blue · Post by **blue** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:07 am

Dogs do seem to have a fascination for phones. My boss has four dogs all told, who seem to take turns at hiding/destroying her land and mobile phones every couple of weeks. Now she refuses to pay more than twenty quid for a phone.

Post by **sound world** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:09 am

Those high pitched electronic ringtones must be maddening for Fido.
Not to mention the brainshrinking radiation accompanying it. [crazy] [:xx]

blue · Post by **blue** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:20 am

Dave, if your mobile has a setting where you can play all the ringtones in succession, try it out on Tatty when you have a bored moment. My cats are hilarious when I do this, they're completely fascinated and puzzled by the noise. Especially the ones of a cat miaowing and a frog croaking.

Post by **sound world** » Fri Jul 07, 2006 12:34 am

I haven't got those kind of sounds...guess my phone's a bit LARGE.
It plays plenty of inane tunes,mind.
I dunno,my poor old mog has to put up with plenty of noise as it is,three people all playing several different instruments,two singing groups visiting every week and inbetween, Dave's endless music collection [music].
She often wanders into one of our singing gatherings,lots of nice laps to try out,but as soon as we launch into a song,she scrams through the catflap.

And then there's the times when everyone's shouting at the telly mysteriously as 22 blokes hoof a bit of leather around

[rolling]

x31eq · Post by **x31eq** » Sun Jul 09, 2006 10:49 pm

My parents have 6 year-old phone, and it's been cut off because it's obsolete technology. And they have 40 pounds on it. I thought yours was going to be the same story, but no.

Anyway, I have two mobile phones, and thingumies so I can wear them on my belt. I was very glad to have one, too, when I ended up in a hospital up in Xiangshui. It meant I could call home to say what had happened to me. And in Nantong they didn't worry about me using it in intensive care, even plugged it in for me. Ah, memories...

Post by **RobB** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 1:54 pm

x31eq wrote:My parents have 6 year-old phone, and it's been cut off because it's obsolete technology.

I guess thats what happened to mine then.

If so,maybe these phone suppliers should state at point of purchase that even if your mobile is in credit and in perfect working order,after 6 years you can bin it.

Sorry to hear that you were poorly whilst abroad.......quite reassuring though to have contact with the outside world and with home.