A bit harsh perhaps...

Forums › Apple iOS and devices › A bit harsh perhaps...

marmel

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#19190 8-Feb-2008 19:56

I was just about to post in the thread about the iphone GPRS issue when freitasm beat me to it and locked it

I was a bit suprised at the reaction to this issue with most just blaming him for importing a handset.

This site is for technology lovers at the end of the day and the iphone does deserve a lot of love. Unless you've held one in your hand and played with the UI you won't comletely understand.

I can understand members pointing out that vodafone isn't at fault and thats fair enough but I don't see why he should be flamed for importing a handset. Not everybody can afford to pay vodafone or NZ retail prices for a phone or a lot of other tech. I myself have been importing from the US for over 5 years and often save myself half the price by doing so.

I would like to think that if I did have an issue with a phone or otherwise the collective brain we have here at geekzone would help out and I would, and have, passed on my knowledge to others. Thanks to freitasm for pointing out the services download, as I understand it that will solve his problem.

Just my opinion.

freitasm

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#109331 8-Feb-2008 20:02

For a bit of background the OP is talking about this iPhone GPRS/SMS discussion:

"It seems that "don't get an unautherised phone" is like saying it's OK for corporates to rip people off. If I'm not uploading data, I don't expect to be charged as so."

"Is this a forum to look at solutions or to pat Vodafone on the back for all the great work they do?"

I have nothing against people importing handsets. The problem is when these people come around saying that we defend Vodafone.

Everyday someone says we defend Vodafone, Telecom, TelstraClear, Woosh, Orcon, or whatever, simply because someone disagree with these people.

I am tired of people being selfish and writing what they write.

It's a site for technology enthusiasts, but not for people who don't think a bit before accusing others for pointing out the obvious.

If these people had come here and read before posting they would see that there are critics of Vodafone (I am one), Telecom (I am one) and other ISPs and providers. But they only see what's convenient for them.

marmel

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#109335 8-Feb-2008 20:09

Yeah as I said I didn't have a problem with people pointing out that vodafone weren't to blame but I don't really see the point in posting just to tell him that he was a numpty for importing a phone and offering no help. At least when you posted you offered a solution.

I myself have had quite a bit of help the last couple of days regarding setting up a home network (thanks to those that helped

) and as I said there is so much knowledge here that you can almost guarantee that someone before you has had a similar issue, whether it be an iphone or a blender!

freitasm

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#109336 8-Feb-2008 20:13

marmel:Not everybody can afford to pay vodafone or NZ retail prices for a phone or a lot of other tech. I myself have been importing from the US for over 5 years and often save myself half the price by doing so.

I was reading this again... This comment is valid in some cases - but not in the case of someone who buys an imported Apple iPhone - not the cheapest of the handsets available anywhere in the world.

Again (I am tired, it's time to go to bed, a long day). I don't think people were saying "it's an imported handset, too bad".

People were (rightly) pointing out that thi wasn't a Vodafone issue, and the whole thing was turning into a "it's Vodafone's fault for charging me for something as simple as a SMS" when in fact not many people know what the iPhone does behind the scenes.

The case mentioned in that thread ("phone home") came around because cokemaster pestered Vodafone for ages saying he was being charged for some GPRS he wasn't using.

After much insistence johnr did a trace on his account. It turns our cokemaster had a Sony Ericsson device with a China Mobile ROM in it. Every time he did something the phone was connecting to the China Mobile website, behind the scenes, to check something.

How that would be Vodafone's fault?

See why when people are quick to blame Vodafone we first ask if they know what's going on?

marmel

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#109338 8-Feb-2008 20:20

At the end of the day he got his problem sorted so chalk another one up for geekzone.

Group hug for everyone.

nzbullet

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#109356 8-Feb-2008 21:11

Yeah as I said I didn't have a problem with people pointing out that
vodafone weren't to blame but I don't really see the point in posting
just to tell him that he was a numpty for importing a phone and
offering no help.

What bugged me about that thread, there were/are solutions to the problem. If people read the posts and follow what people say it generally works.

I am glad that Freitasm locked that thread

lyall

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#109460 9-Feb-2008 12:11

Well, I'm with marmel.

Pointing out that it's not necessarily Vodafone's fault is fair and reasonable; what's unreasonable flaming the poster with such vitriol for buying an imported handset. It's the "OS X Mobile" forum for goodness sake - what were they expecting people to be talking about?!

Really, those comments just make the posters look like they've got an axe to grind. Whether it's something specific against Apple or just a general desire to shoot people down I don't know, but looks pretty sad.

Surely the spirit of true geekery is things just like this - innovating, flying below the radar and making things work even though people want you to believe they're impossible. The internet was built by people like this, not by the conservatives sitting on the sidelines laughing and sneering every time someone trips up.

freitasm

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#109464 9-Feb-2008 12:23

I agree, I agree. But for this specific case I see people there posting their flames mainly because the posters were quick to blame Vodafone, and when people pointed that Vodafone has nothing to do with it they are quick accusing the forum (that's my forum!) of being a Vodafone thing - when it is not.

If you look in the other discussions in the Mac OS X mobile forum you will not see anyone accusing the posters of purchasing an imported handset. It is only in the context of having a cellular service that this happens.

Look around the Vodafone forum and you will see a lot of people with imported handsets getting information on how to configure and use. Sometimes it won't work, simply because Vodafone uses specific stuff for their services.

But people don't like to read "look, if you want to use the Vodafone services, too bad, you can't". And instead they turn into us!

I don't agree with the guys who condemned the poster for buying an imported handset, but I don't agree with the guy who says it's Vodafone's fault if it doesn't work. And I agree less with him after the (unfounded) accusations.

As I said before, every day some people with a not so geek spirit come around here accusing the forum of being pro-Vodafone, Telecom, Orcon or whatever they have a problem with, if there isn't 100% agreement against the provider.

And regardless of the discussion, when it happens I will lock it because there is no way to talk to people that act like that.

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lyall

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#109476 9-Feb-2008 13:25

freitasm:And regardless of the discussion, when it happens I will lock it because there is no way to talk to people that act like that.

Fair enough, I agree the conversation had become a bit silly. I think there was fault on both sides. Perhaps there's less excuse for the old hands though - the most inflammatory poster has a post count that suggests he's been round here long enough to know better.

Pity I hadn't bothered to read the thread properly until now. It'd have been useful to point out to both iPhone owners that the the phone's normally sold with an unlimited data plan - it probably feels free to run off and check stock prices/weather/whatever whenever it wants to. I found that out the expensive way too :-)