Telecom iPhone plan discussion...

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65 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 7

# 235688 15-Jul-2009 14:56

Hey Paul,

What about the rest of the 30 % of the country, I happen to be one of them, i can appreciate Vodafone wanting to expand the WCDMA on 900 band, it is the European/Asian std after all.

What you must admit is the Iphone is not designed for your network full stop, relying on a weak GSM band 900 for calls is weak on the Iphone, disconnections on the voice call all the time and I have only had this phone for 5 days!

Now when i owned a Nokia that supported your 900 WCDMA band I got way better coverage, for example if i turned off the 3g function and relied on GSM it was around 2 bars out of 5, with the 3g band in use i would get a 5 out of 5 bar reception and a really stable internet speed.

So I disagree that the Iphone is a Vodafone friendly handset.

exportgoldman

1200 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3

Trusted

# 235812 15-Jul-2009 19:58

lotech: As a person with an unsubsidized iPhone on a Talk plan, I just worked through the offer to work out which is the best deal, spreadsheet results here - http://www.geekzone.co.nz/lotech/6634

I can't see in here any allowance for the per second calling advantage Telecom has instead of the per minute rounding Vodafone do, I heard a 25% cost reduction figure being kicked around in he for the voice component when moving to per second pricing.

Or has Vodafone adopted per second call rounding now and I've missed it? It's been a wirlwind of action in the mobile dept this month. :)

Tyler - Parnell Geek - iPhone 3G - Lenovo X301 - Kaseya - Great Western Steak House, these are some of my favourite things.

geekchick

1 post

Wannabe Geek

# 235918 16-Jul-2009 00:57

So...

What the is legal amount of time I have to stay with Vodafone contract before I terminate? (Paying the $350 termintation fee, of course).

i.e. Can I get on the Vodafone contract, get the phone, and terminate, then get on XT network all on the same day?

Any advice from the wise ones who have done it already??

xoxo

Darwall

65 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 7

# 235936 16-Jul-2009 08:00

My experience which is currently ongoing at the moment. You can ring telecom and get your account set up they will take around 4 days to bring over your number and send out your sim card. If you bought your phone from a Vodafone store then you can cancel the contract really quickly over the phone and pay the the "fine" for doing so. Or if you go the phone thru a franchise member ie Digital Mobile, you have to go them with in the first 14 days of the contract to cancel and pay them the out right cost of the phone which is more normally than Voda's rates. I hope this helps.

mattbush

784 posts

Ultimate Geek
+1 received by user: 103
Inactive user

# 235939 16-Jul-2009 08:08

FINALLY....great to see some competition in the NZ market place. So far, I see Telecom listening and Vodafone struggling with it. We used to call Telecom the monster....lol

Termination charges are still whats keeping both networks charges rediculously high.

nitrotech

1245 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 156

# 236635 18-Jul-2009 10:34

Posting now from my iPhone on XT iPhone plan,
it's great data at 240 mb might be a bit small as I've used 22mb in 2 days.

Nbr mentioned on their website that they had trouble teathering the iPhone on XT but it works fine with both USB and Bluetooth on my pc.

Top marks to telecom for this plan.

Marmion

59 posts

Master Geek

# 236639 18-Jul-2009 11:27

z2k:
ahmad:
lotech: As a person with an unsubsidized iPhone on a Talk plan, I just worked through the offer to work out which is the best deal, spreadsheet results here - http://www.geekzone.co.nz/lotech/6634

As Paul has already commented on your blog, you have not factored in the VODAFONE subsidy in this table!

CRITICAL ERROR!

Please correct this because it is totally misleading and bad.

Thats actually the Pros and Cons for himself I think. For new buyers you would factor in Vodafone's iPhone subsidy but lotech already has an iPhone.

When I signed up for my You Choose 20 contract (ages ago as I'm beyond my 24 months now), I got given extra minutes (only two but hey - thats 10% increase) as I didn't need the phone subsidy (got the phone from Bond and Bond as Vodafone didn't have the phone I wanted).
I would assume this would still be the case - i.e. extra free minutes or something to compensate for not needing a subsidy if signing a new contract - something that a savvy consumer would negotiate surely!

ArranH

161 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

# 239436 27-Jul-2009 19:43

I'm glad that when I bought my iPhone I didn't sign up to any contract, as I'm getting sick of Vodafone and seriously considering jumping to XT. I live on the North Shore but find I lose 3G signals all over Auckland city, and even when I have 3G its not that fast. I lose signal completely when I'm in henderson Heights.

After Vodafone sent me a text recommending I upgrade to 3.0 I didn't realise that Push email was on by default, tripling my monthly data usage (of which they offered to pay half which I wasn't that happy about). I know its not a huge amount but after being told (quite incorrectly, why do customer service staff, especially those in Egypt, think they know the law) what the legal standing of the whole arrangement was I had had enough. For the sake of a few dollars they will be losing a customer they've had since Bell South.

If only the XT plan had less minutes and included texts, I would have changed over today. But I moved my home line and broadband back to Telecom last week from Vodafone last week, and I'll be dragging others with me. Its good to see one of the big two providing good plans and good customer service.

EDIT - Sorry if this sounds a bit whiny but I'm still annoyed, and trying to go nicotine free so probably not a good day for me to call Vodafone and complain :)

MastRMind

4 posts

Wannabe Geek

# 240796 31-Jul-2009 00:49

Anyone have the Telecom cancelation policy for the 180 plan (I just want to see it in writing). I understand its prorated.

scherfie

38 posts

Geek
+1 received by user: 1

# 241787 3-Aug-2009 13:36

Here is the disconnection fees schedule:

http://www.telecom.co.nz/binarys/xt_disconnection_fees.pdf

Cheers

GSManiac

73 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 22

# 241915 3-Aug-2009 18:10

These plans are a disgrace compared to what AT&T in America offer. One such plan is $199 handset Unlimited txts, unlimited data and 400 rollover minutes for $60USD a month.

exportgoldman

1200 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3

Trusted

# 241919 3-Aug-2009 18:14

ArranH: I'm glad that when I bought my iPhone I didn't sign up to any contract, as I'm getting sick of Vodafone and seriously considering jumping to XT. I live on the North Shore but find I lose 3G signals all over Auckland city, and even when I have 3G its not that fast. I lose signal completely when I'm in henderson Heights.

After Vodafone sent me a text recommending I upgrade to 3.0 I didn't realise that Push email was on by default, tripling my monthly data usage (of which they offered to pay half which I wasn't that happy about). I know its not a huge amount but after being told (quite incorrectly, why do customer service staff, especially those in Egypt, think they know the law) what the legal standing of the whole arrangement was I had had enough. For the sake of a few dollars they will be losing a customer they've had since Bell South.

Vodafone's coverage for 3G is still pretty bad, and when your on 3G the rates at least on the iPhone are sucky, which is why I moved to XT and have not looked back. I get 2+ Megabits on the old 3G phone and I got 4.3 Megabits when I put my XT SIM in a 3GS phone.

Strange though the maximum upload on XT on my iPhone 3G always tops out around 60-80kbps, not a killer as I'm mostly downloading, and whenever I speedtest againt VF iPhone customers my speeds are much faster.

I agree with the customer service as well, all care, no responsibility. If you can't wait for better speeds move to XT, if you can stick it out a year I reckon that Vodafone will have stepped up their network build and be of equal speeds, well, perhaps within shooting distance of XT. Now there is more competition Vodafone won't rest on it's laurels.

I am also giving up smoking :-)

Tyler - Parnell Geek - iPhone 3G - Lenovo X301 - Kaseya - Great Western Steak House, these are some of my favourite things.

ArranH

161 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

# 241956 3-Aug-2009 19:20

exportgoldman:

I agree with the customer service as well, all care, no responsibility. If you can't wait for better speeds move to XT, if you can stick it out a year I reckon that Vodafone will have stepped up their network build and be of equal speeds, well, perhaps within shooting distance of XT. Now there is more competition Vodafone won't rest on it's laurels.

I am also giving up smoking :-)

Best of luck with giving up smoking. I'm at day 7 and all is good :) Went out and bought three blurays today to celebrate (Borders in Albany has 75% off a small range of them, so $12.50 each).

Anyway, the hassles with Vodafone continues. The next day I got notification about my bill and it was once again about $40 more than usual. So I checked the bill and noticed I was being charged for all my texts even though I've had text2000 for ages. I called up and after being told by the rep that I didn't have Text2000 and asking if I wanted to add it (much to my telling them I already had it, or at least I should) I was told that it looks like when they added my 100mb data account (after the fiasco last month with data usage thanks to push mail) they didnt save it right which removed by Text2000.

The customer rep said that out of "goodwill" they would cover the cost of those texts. I tried to explain that when they're doing something to fix there own mistake it isnt goodwill.

If MyFavourites on XT covered texts I would have changed already, but as I text one friend 1000+ times a month (she has both VF and Telecom) then 1500 texts just wouldn't be enough. It would be nice if Vodafone and XT realise that not everyone uses their iphones the same. I have wifi at home and at uni so have very little use for data, and neither do I make a lot of calls, so all the plans are useless to me. And I'm sure I'm not that usual a geek to have ready access to wifi and to text more than call.

Objectivism

23 posts

Geek

# 242000 3-Aug-2009 20:49

Marmion:
z2k:
ahmad:
lotech: As a person with an unsubsidized iPhone on a Talk plan, I just worked through the offer to work out which is the best deal, spreadsheet results here - http://www.geekzone.co.nz/lotech/6634

As Paul has already commented on your blog, you have not factored in the VODAFONE subsidy in this table!

CRITICAL ERROR!

Please correct this because it is totally misleading and bad.

Thats actually the Pros and Cons for himself I think. For new buyers you would factor in Vodafone's iPhone subsidy but lotech already has an iPhone.

When I signed up for my You Choose 20 contract (ages ago as I'm beyond my 24 months now), I got given extra minutes (only two but hey - thats 10% increase) as I didn't need the phone subsidy (got the phone from Bond and Bond as Vodafone didn't have the phone I wanted).
I would assume this would still be the case - i.e. extra free minutes or something to compensate for not needing a subsidy if signing a new contract - something that a savvy consumer would negotiate surely!

Agreed - for the iPhone $80 plan you get $580 off the cost of the device but on Telecom have to pay full cost upfront. That changes things a bit - to be fair.

ArranH

161 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 1

# 242017 3-Aug-2009 21:07

Objectivism:

Agreed - for the iPhone $80 plan you get $580 off the cost of the device but on Telecom have to pay full cost upfront. That changes things a bit - to be fair.

But as he stated he already owned "an unsubsidized iPhone" then they wont receive a subsidy from VF. I'm in the same position they are in, if XT was to offer me a lower subsidy but for a better fitting plan I'd be there.

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