Slingbox TV and a Vodafone Kaiser... - Tilt, TyTN II, MDA Vario III General

Hi...
Im not sure in which section to post this question but...
I'd really like to be able to watch TV on my handset and I'm tempted to buy a Slingbox and hook it up to my Sky+, as the prices for this hardware have dropped to around £50.
The thing that worries me is any charges Vodafone might make for data transfer charges.
On another forum Ive seen a Vodafone user claim that he doesn't get any extra charges using his handset to receive TV via Slingbox using 3G, but I'm skeptical.
I know that using WiFi would incur no costs, but what about 3G & HSDPA...
Do any forum members have first hand experience of using Slingbox on the Vodafone network ?
If so, are you charged for doing so, if you are, how much do you end up paying ?
BTW, I'm on the £7.50 Mobile Internet Plan.
TIA,
Mark.

I would assume that they have a data paackage you can purchase that would make using data free.

Yeah, I have an allowance of 500Mb a month which cost's me £7.50 a month, which isn't much, I'm guessing this will allow me to watch about 8 hours of TV a month - and the cost for exceeding this amount is high.
Do any Vodafone UK customers have experience of using Slingbox on their mobile ?
M.

Data packages are something you have to check for yourself, try to get the maximum allowance for the least price (obvious really when you think about it!!)
Thing you have to take into account is, no matter WHAT package suppliers say about bandwith, it is down to how many users are on the cell at the same time as YOU!! I have been on HSDPA at an exhibition site and got a slower connection that in Scotland on a basic GPRS connection. Again, logical when you think about it!! So check the web, ask around and see who really does give you the best connection/cost.
As to Sling...
I have a Slingbox basic (cheap one from PC World) on an extra Sky box in my UK home with the extra room package at just 10 quid (make sure its connected to the phoneline at the Skybox or they disconn you!) and use it on PC and mobile here in UAE.
Both work great so it's a good investment on that score.
H.

Related

Which is the best UK operator?

Hi all,
I'm due for and upgrade soon and I was wondering what you think of your operator. Prices / Customer service and support / Network coverage etc.
EDIT-My original reason for this thread is below. I took the risk of going with Orange today and got a Trinity
I'm considering a Trinity (only on Orange atm) or a Hermes (on o2, T-Mobile and Vodafone)
I prefer to look of the Trinity (bigger storage card, size, cheaper and GPS) but I view Orange as a bad point, but the Hermes has more support and roms here and is available with my current operator - o2, who I plan to bribe with 'give a free phone and a better contract, or I'll go to t-mobile or vodafone.' Anyone had any luck doing that?
reliability- vodafone
best deals - t-mobile
t-mobile wins
Do you know if any of the UK providers offer unlimited internet connection (without the stupid 'fair use' policy)? I mean, really unlimited like usual broadband?
damac said:
Do you know if any of the UK providers offer unlimited internet connection (without the stupid 'fair use' policy)? I mean, really unlimited like usual broadband?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
err usual broadband is fair use too. only very few are truly unlimited
damac said:
Do you know if any of the UK providers offer unlimited internet connection (without the stupid 'fair use' policy)? I mean, really unlimited like usual broadband?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How much are you planning on using? I find it hard to get anywhere close to the 1GB fair use "limit" on standard Web n Walk.
Unless you plan on doing a lot of streaming video, in which case you should get the Web n Walk pro which has a 10Gb ceiling, you will find it hard to download a lot on a pocket pc.
bbobeckyj, I tried the same 'bribe' but it got me nowhere. I have always been on O2, but might have to switch to Vodafone because they have much better contracts that suit my needs for my XDA Mini S. Vodafon are bringing out a new internet extra as well soon, so I'm going to wait until then.
Well guys and gals I successfully ported across to t-mobile from O2....the data charges are just scandalous on O2.
Web-n-walk and U-Fix 25....nice
HSDPA activated already according to the woman at t-mobile and i can verify it was....just watched the latest BBC News feed without a hitch!.
NICE
chrisjasper said:
How much are you planning on using? I find it hard to get anywhere close to the 1GB fair use "limit" on standard Web n Walk.
Unless you plan on doing a lot of streaming video, in which case you should get the Web n Walk pro which has a 10Gb ceiling, you will find it hard to download a lot on a pocket pc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was thinking of using skype a lot actually. For that, I think definitely 1 GB limit will be crossed fairly easily. But for that also need a fast connection. Will look into all this when about to get new contract near end August.
Midget1990: I didn't know that usual broadband is also capped! I have NTL and I download easily something like 20 to 40 gigs a month, which sometimes increases and sometimes decreases... So far never faced any caps, and got this connection just for that fact that it was 'really' unlimited, even if the speed was just 2 Mbps.
Just so you know, t-mobiles usage policy doesnt allow skype...you have to use the web-n-walk pro for that.
mrvanx said:
Just so you know, t-mobiles usage policy doesnt allow skype...you have to use the web-n-walk pro for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for that!!!
You just potentially saved me spending a lot over nothing.
Now all that's left is to find someone who does allow unlimited usage and VOIP. I think I'm living in dreamworld
I don't really want to pay loads for a contract, but it looks like the cheapest t-mobile do is about £30 . Which would you say is better out of web n walk and flext?
EDIT: Just looked at flext 20 and it looks perfect for me. (Mobile internet (t-zones, WAP or web'n'walk) charges
Browsing costs 0.73p per KB, a maximum charge of £1 per day no matter how much you browse the internet on your mobile phone.)
Please could somebody say though, where would the £1 for the internet come from, because the £34 you get to spend a month just says that you use it on calls and texts. Does it come from somewhere else? (Never been on a contract before)
Well all i can say is im using flext 25 with web-n-walk 18.....that works out at 32.50 a month..........unlimited internet (obviously fair use...but a gig is MASSIVE for a pda)
the flext thing has 60 quid of allowance, works out at (if you go half for text and half for calls)
300 texts
150 minutes (anytime,anywhere(uk) )
plus free weekend calls to ANY uk number (not including premium or 08 numbers)
Youd get much more out of the flext + web-n-walk 25, but i really wanted to pay the cheapest option. I hate it when they put a few quid in between, but boost the allowance by almost double.
delude said:
Youd get much more out of the flext + web-n-walk 25, but i really wanted to pay the cheapest option. I hate it when they put a few quid in between, but boost the allowance by almost double.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yer ive noticed that...but the free weekend calls must be worth a HELL of alot.....think thats a limited time offer aswell??
Which have you looked at then?
I was gonna go with flext 20 + web-n-walk.
I can't see when the offer ends, I can't actually start the contract now so was going to in a month or so.
damac said:
Thanks for that!!!
You just potentially saved me spending a lot over nothing.
Now all that's left is to find someone who does allow unlimited usage and VOIP. I think I'm living in dreamworld
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
WnW MAX allows skype, its basicly everything like home Broadband but with 10gb fair usage, you can go over but if you go over say 3months in a row they may contact you and ask you to reduce it, allthou 10gb for a PDA is a hell of a lot, unless you plan on using it as a modem a lot of the time 10gb should do.
if you will be using it as a modem all the time then the t-mobile usb modem might be a better option as that allows unlimtied internet - http://www.t-mobile.co.uk/personal/.../internet-on-the-move/internet-on-your-laptop
Regards
I wish that t-mobile did a cheaper flext and web-n-walk. I only really want to spend £20 a month.
Orange - best customer service, talk 7 data plans ok, do the Trinity on very good deals if you shop around
T mobile - plans excellent if you want flexibility or if you download a lot.
O2 - customerservice absolute ****, plans ok, once the best range of PDA's - now limited
Vodafone - havnt a clue
Really depends on deal your offered. Orange clinched it for me at last upgrade - 7 months free line rental and a free trinity with GPS on a 12 month contract.
One thing to note about t-mobile wnw.
They are blocking IRC/MSN etc... over GPRS, some users have reported those apps are working correctly however recently signed up customers seem to have ports blocked??
Id be interested to know if anyone can use IRC over wnw....if so what GPRS settings are you using?
bbobeckyj said:
my current operator - o2, who I plan to bribe with 'give a free phone and a better contract, or I'll go to t-mobile or vodafone.' Anyone had any luck doing that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Short answer - no. I've been with Genie and then O2 for many years, and the one thing that's happened in that time is handset and contracts have become more expensive. I rang up a while ago to try and get a new XDA, and they wanted to put me on a £35+ contract and I would still have to pay something for a (decent) phone.
What O2 are good at (for me at least) is giving you dirt cheap contracts. For instance I got a 1 year contract of £20 a month reduced to £10 a month, then £100 cash back for not taking a phone. So I'm paying £20 for a whole year for Online Offpeak 300 (or whatever the hell it is). Even the O2 rep suggested I just get an XDA off Ebay.

O2 UK: Kaiser model?

Hey guys,
I'm looking around for a PDA, I've never really had one before but I really like the sound of the Kaiser.
Does O2 (UK) have a Kaiser based product?
Many Thanks
I have read a couple of things which suggest that O2 don't intend to pick up the Kaiser. Not sure how accurate the source information is though.
I doubt it!
I've been hoping since I first saw the Kaiser that O2 would be picking it up to release this year, as my contract runs out in November so I was going to upgrade to it then...
But since they've only just released the TyTN as the XDA Trion in the last couple of months, and that phone has been with every other network for over a year, I doubt very much they'll replace their "flagship" phone I suppose with a new one inside 6 months :-(
Yeh, I think you are probably right myk_83.
I have to say I can't imagine going back ot O2 now anyway. I used to be with O2 and they were fine, a good company, but with phones like this I find the Tmobile Web'n'Walk incredible value for money.
Unlimited data (within reason ) for under a tenner a month, compared to the other networks per mb charging. It is no exaggeration to say that my data use would cost me a couple of hundred pounds per month on the other networks
Awww man!
Say it isn't so!
I've been with O2 for 18 months now - on just a regular phone - and I've been really impressed with them, I've no experience with there data services but I'd hate to have to switch networks.
Osbornaldo said:
Say it isn't so!
I've been with O2 for 18 months now - on just a regular phone - and I've been really impressed with them, I've no experience with there data services but I'd hate to have to switch networks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeh, I never had any problems with O2, they were a good company. With these types of phones though, chances are you are going to want to download your emails, surf the net etc... and you will find that your data use creeps up faster than you realise.
I am not sure what O2 are currently charging but generally the other networks seem to charge around £3 to £4 (it used to be £7.50 per mb with most networks!!) per megabyte of data. I wouldn't consider myself a particularly heavy data user but I have used 40mb in a month before now which would cost me a fortune!
With Tmobile, it is just £7.50 per month ... big difference.
Aye,
E-mails and web connectivity are a large part of my needs.
I'm also looking at the possibility of developing custom apps to make me more productive (I'm a .Net developer by trade) and these apps would often rely on connectivity to the web.
I don't want to switch providers... but I'm starting to feel it may be inevitable.
Yeh, it may be the way to go. I haven't looked at O2's tarriffs though since I got my Vario 2 a year ago so perhaps they now offer a data plan, they didn't then but they might now. It's worth asking.
Only thing I would say about Tmobile is that in my area there is limited 3G coverage which means for the most part I am on the slower GPRS connection. This doesn't bother me at all but would bother some who use the video calling or need a faster connection. If you decide that it is time to try a new network, if you need 3G, check on the coverage for your area first.
... also, you can take your number to Tmobile if you need to, I did and it was nice and easy.
O2 Data
I think O2 include 1mb of browsing with their contract tariffs for free, and then they charge £3 for 2mb, or £5 for 4mb as bolt-ons. For me, that's not much of a problem, because pretty much everywhere that I'm not driving and can use my phone there's a wi-fi network I can access, so I very rarely use GPRS (can't use 3G at the minute cos I have a Wizard).
I can see this being pretty useless tho if you ever use GPRS or 3G internet, as I've noticed most pages loading about 150-200kb on average, so that's only gonna be about 10 sites with the 2mb package :-/ I guess it depends on what you use it for, and like I said, it probably wouldn't bother me, but it'd be nice to have 3G and be able to use it without paying a bundle!
There's not much chance of O2 selling the Kaiser tho, and although O2 in general have been pretty good to me for about 10 years, they don't seem overly fussed with PDA phones in general (they never did an AKU 3.x upgrade for the Mini S, and stuck at 2) and are slow to upgrade models, so I'm gonna check around when my contract's up and just try and move my number wherever I go.
Bit of a knee jerk reaction... but I think I'm already sold on T-mobile.
I just need to check coverage because I work in a few remote locations.
Crikey Mate!
I work in the sticks - but according to T-mobile's website there 3G coverage is at absolute maximum in my area plus very good @ home and the other sites I work...
Really do have no excuses now
I'm also on O2 and my contract is running out in December....T-mobile seems like a good bet IMO....what's the Kaiser named on T-Mobile?
budo*85 said:
I'm also on O2 and my contract is running out in December....T-mobile seems like a good bet IMO....what's the Kaiser named on T-Mobile?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When it gets released, it will be branded as the MDA Vario 3 I think
myk_83 said:
I've been hoping since I first saw the Kaiser that O2 would be picking it up to release this year, as my contract runs out in November so I was going to upgrade to it then...
But since they've only just released the TyTN as the XDA Trion in the last couple of months, and that phone has been with every other network for over a year, I doubt very much they'll replace their "flagship" phone I suppose with a new one inside 6 months :-(
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no information on this at all, just an opinion. The Kaiser is a direct replacement for the Exec, which is 2 years old & can't be selling much now. There is a definite case for O2 to replace the Exec with what is essentially HTC's best ever product & one that would generate them considerable revenues especially data. If I was XDA product mgr at O2 I would be selling the Kaiser straight away.
The matter of data charges is somewhat irrelevant to O2's ability to market this product - anyone who use significant date on O2 should have one of their data tarrifs, mine is for 36Mb per month, I usually have a little left over each month & I leave my emails on all the time & I look at lots of web sites each day.
Either way, I really hope that O2 do market the Kaiser.
I thought that the Omni was going to be the successor of the Exec (Universal), while the Kaiser was the next gen Trion (Hermes).
I'm basing this guess entirely on looks, of course...
Also, I thought that O2 had just got some shiny new XDA device in, as well as their Cocoon. I can't see them getting another (better) device in to overshadow them.
I'm happy to jump ship to T-Mobile, as the O2 data rates are extortionate.
Mr.Clark said:
I thought that the Omni was going to be the successor of the Exec (Universal), while the Kaiser was the next gen Trion (Hermes).
I'm basing this guess entirely on looks, of course...
Also, I thought that O2 had just got some shiny new XDA device in, as well as their Cocoon. I can't see them getting another (better) device in to overshadow them.
I'm happy to jump ship to T-Mobile, as the O2 data rates are extortionate.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
t-mobile suck ass for service tho!
my gf has so many problems with the customer services, network coverage etc etc
Well, my choice appears to be:
Stay with O2 and get no TyTN II (or get it SIM free, which is expensive)
Switch to Orange, Vodafone or T-Mobile and get it on contract.
My O2 contract runs out at the end of September.
Interesting...
according to the announcement today, the group that owns O2 will be getting it, so you may be in luck if you hold on with your current contract.
personally i'd move to tmo, they're pretty committed to developing all their 3G services
Expansys appear to be able to sell the Kaiser on O2 & Voda contracts, might be worth a call.
http://www.modaco.com/index.php?showtopic=258736&view=findpost&p=840064
Gordon

Orange unlimted mobile browsing confusion

Ok im sure every1's heard about oranges new unlimited browsing offer;
they provide free unlimted mobile browsing on all 18 month and £35+ pay monthly contracts
has any one got more information on this as i cant dig up anything other then a whole lot of crap and dirt.
does this free unlimited bundle provide the same fair usage policy as the £7.50 unlimited mobile browsing or is it different?
on this link
http://www1.orange.co.uk/entertainment/OrangeWorld/terms.php
it says "The Offer provides 250 MB data browsing for £7.50 per month"
while on this link
http://www1.orange.co.uk/service_plans/unlimited_bundles_terms.html
it says "The Offers are subject at all times to a fair usage policy of 3000 minutes or texts (as appropriate) each month or 500MB data per month"
im sure alot of other people are confused with orange, iv called their customer support team up many times and nearly all of them seem ignorant regarding thier "Unlimited" mobile browsing bundles.
If you get a 18 month contract with a mobile phone on a deal that is £35 or more excluding the £5 online discount that's presently avalible then you get an free 'unlimited' bundle for data that has a fair use cap of 500mb however if you get a deal less then then £35 then you can still buy an 'unlimited' bundle for an extra £7.50 a month on top of your standard contract that has a fair use cap of 250mb.
You can't of course get the free 'unlimited' bundle of 500mb and pay an extra £7.50 to get an extra 250mb, least not that I know off, as your not buying 500mb of data but unlimited data.
It should be noted also that with either of the deals Instant Messaging is deemed an abuse of service as is VoIP, YouTube (or any video not on Oranges mobile site) or using you mobile as an internet sharing device. As to how easy it is for Orange to pick up on your use, how often they do, etc, I really don't know.
Other networks seem to have better terms, Three almost seems to promote the things Orange bans and apparently Three use Orange's 2G where they don't have there own 3G coverage!
I'm on PAYG with Orange, and apart from there Orange Wendsday I'm not sure why I'm still with them. :-(
my contract with orange expires in february and i just baught a touch diamond,
i upgraded my plan to one with free unlimited mobile browsing
its a bit stupid how orange promotes htc's touch diamond, yet their data bundles and stupid restrictions really make the phone ineffective in fulfiling its marketed purpose and functions.
The diamond has a youtube player, yet where not allowed to use it, when my contract expires im going to move to o2
xdaman85 said:
my contract with orange expires in february and i just baught a touch diamond,
i upgraded my plan to one with free unlimited mobile browsing
its a bit stupid how orange promotes htc's touch diamond, yet their data bundles and stupid restrictions really make the phone ineffective in fulfiling its marketed purpose and functions.
The diamond has a youtube player, yet where not allowed to use it, when my contract expires im going to move to o2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
why not use a real htc or custom rom?
i am using a custom rom on htc diamond, iv got the unlimited package on my line now, its active, when i called customer services yesterday they said 250mb, i called them this morning and they said 500mb, i hope they dont mess me about and charge me extra once iv gone over 250mb
what I would do is call once again to confirm and take down the persons name and ext. just incase there are any comebacks. I did query what would happed in if i exceeded fair usuage policy i was informed i will not be charged but will be advised to control my usuage otherwise services will be restricted.
iv called them again and now they go its 250mb, so last night they said 250, this morning they said 500, and now they just said 250, i gave the woman i was speaking to, the link that says i get 500mb, i asked for the package in august during their promotion, and the link clearly says 500mb but the woman said to me that this link may not be a real orange website because it starts with www1.
but shes chatting nonsence, as it is the real orange website.
she goes to me its 250mb but shes gona look into the link i gave her to find out what it is and give me a call back tonight, so i will keep u lot updated.
Orange really need to fix up
The www1 remark is outter nonsence! URL's work backwards, so it's .co.uk first, then orange then www1. Orange own anything *.orange.co.uk ! It's the same as how xda-developers.com is owned and uses forum.xda-developers.com and wiki.xda-developers.com etc, surely this is common knowledge to someone who's suppose to give advice at Orange?

My problem with mobile broadband

With the release of the ipad it just reminded my why I hate mobile broadband so much. I can simply explain it like this. At home i pay (isp) a set amount based on the speed they offer me, then I can connect any and every device i want to MY internet connection. If mobile broadband was even remotly like this I would be all for it.However, they force you to pay (alot) per device and tell you what is and isnt allowed with that device. Ex: $30 bucks for internet on phone, $50 bucks for internet on laptop through mobile modem, now $30 for intetnet through (insert tablet/media device here). Not to mention if i didnt have a 3 year old phone plan my internet for my phone would be twice as much; that right there is alreay $110. (It is a little less bad with a device like the Mifi) but holy crap for $60 at home i have roughly 9 computers on the internet. (we'll say the speed difference is made up for by the convenience of mobility) So is anybody in agreement with me, am i a stupid selfish consumer or should we all boycott att/verizon/sprint/tmobile until they offer about 60-70 buck mobile broadband plan that i can use on every device i purchase that has a mobile broadband modem.

Bell User in Canada: Internet Fees?

I hate Bell with a passion. After two short 1 week vacations in the states, I was charged for nearly $200 of money I didn't use, apparently for roamer packet data.
I never want to put myself in any situation where my phone sucks money out of my wallet without me knowing.
After installing Android (Thanks Myn!) on my HTC Touch (From Bell), I've been using it for a day and I wonder whether or not my internet access will cause my extra charges.
I used to have an unlimited data plan on my HTC Touch running WM 6.1, but is that transferred when I use Android? Essentially my phone now thinks its American, yet runs via Bell Mobility.
Should I stop using internet?
I too am on Bell's network with the unlimited mobile browser plan and do not get charged extra fees using any data on Android (while within Canada). This also goes for tethering. Although this is the vogue forum, I want to save confusion and let you know i am on an HTC Touch from Bell (Vogue).
I have the fun 15 bundle with Bell and have never been charged for data. From what I understand, Bell does not consider the Vogue to be a smartphone, and therefore allows you to take the Fun 15 (or other unlimited mobile browser package).
Cheers
shadoslayer said:
I have the fun 15 bundle with Bell and have never been charged for data. From what I understand, Bell does not consider the Vogue to be a smartphone, and therefore allows you to take the Fun 15 (or other unlimited mobile browser package).
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seriously? I've been paying extra for data... I'm with Bell and have the Touch.
I just need to put this out there. This question has been answered MANY times. If you had searched you would have found the answer
ThomasHW said:
Seriously? I've been paying extra for data... I'm with Bell and have the Touch.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have Unlimited Mobile Browser and the Touch, then you shouldn't be paying any extra for data from Bell.
Liko said:
If you have Unlimited Mobile Browser and the Touch, then you shouldn't be paying any extra for data from Bell.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't have unlimited browser, but I'm assuming a plan with that would be far cheaper than the $65 I'm paying?
ThomasHW said:
I don't have unlimited browser, but I'm assuming a plan with that would be far cheaper than the $65 I'm paying?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can add the Unlimited Browser option for $10 to any current plan. For $15 you can add Fun 15 Bundle which includes the Unlimited Browser, Call Display, Voicemail and 250 text sent.
I have to Touches with Bell both with unlimited, one is a postpaid and the other is prepaid and never get charged extra EXCEPT for one time I was in Niagara Falls right on the border, I ended up getting charged about 20 dollars for one day extra in Data fees they said because I was on the US towers, weird but I never left canada and still got charged.
Bell are horrible in everything except the unlimited data for the vogue lol.
Yep, as everyone stated, there should be no charges with UMB. For some its reason enough to try and get every last drop out of the vogue. I do look at some of the devices out there and wonder though.
I too was charged roaming data rates when in the South part of Vancouver Island (good old Sooke, BC). I guess I was on the US towers and checked my email a few times. I think charges were around $25. Be careful when close to the US!
Yes, I am on the $7 unlimited data plan and also have not paid a cent extra
bobjr said:
Yep, as everyone stated, there should be no charges with UMB. For some its reason enough to try and get every last drop out of the vogue. I do look at some of the devices out there and wonder though.
I too was charged roaming data rates when in the South part of Vancouver Island (good old Sooke, BC). I guess I was on the US towers and checked my email a few times. I think charges were around $25. Be careful when close to the US!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
masalma said:
I have to Touches with Bell both with unlimited, one is a postpaid and the other is prepaid and never get charged extra EXCEPT for one time I was in Niagara Falls right on the border, I ended up getting charged about 20 dollars for one day extra in Data fees they said because I was on the US towers, weird but I never left canada and still got charged.
Bell are horrible in everything except the unlimited data for the vogue lol.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can contest those charges. Let them know where you were and they'll remove the fees.
prairiefire said:
You can contest those charges. Let them know where you were and they'll remove the fees.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Trust me I did, no go.
Off topic: I once had added 500 long distance minutes for $30 I think from bell, and towards the end of the month I felt like I was getting close, so I called in to ask if I can add more, and the lady on the phone said since I am a student I can get a plan where I can make/receive unlimited nationwide calls from/to 10 numbers, all I have to do is go into a store and show my id and ask them to add the plan.
Next day I head down to a Bell store, tell them I want the student plan, and to add to my plan 40 long distance minutes for $7 just in case I call or receive any long distance calls outside of these numbers.
Well what the girl did, she added the student plan, and the $7 plan, but she took off the 500min for $30. When I got my phone bill it was close to $400 for that month because they ended up charging me for the 500 minutes of long distance. Lets just say it took about 3-4 months to get them to issue a refund, and with so much time spent on the phone, at the store, with managers.
basically screw Bell, if they didn't have this unlimited browser for the Vogue, I wouldn't even touch them.
rant over
I feel your pain. Any time they screw up, it's a guarantee you'll be spending time measured in days for them to correct it. I love it when you call back and find out that the previous person on the phone didn't keep any notes in their system and you have to start from scratch.
Unfortunately I think every other provider is equally crappy.
pretty much every time I call bell for anything I immediatly tell them I want to talk to 'retentions'. When the rep asks why I say cause I'm going to cancel my plan, pay it out a switch carriers.. They transfer me to retentions who is much more organized to deal with.
lol
Well.. I phoned Bell and asked why they were charging me for data when my phone wasn't considered a "smart phone" and why they didn't tell me this when I switched phones (I called in to switch). They gave me some garbage, and I said "yes... but I could have been paying $15 less a month and would of had the same service." He went and talked to his manager and they're reimbursing me for a few months and are switching my plan.
don't use data in the States
NEVER use your Touch in the States.
I was in Vegas for a week and a few checks of my email and a few Twitter updates (everything that automatically used data- push mail, MyPhone backup, weather- was disabled) and I've used 67 meg of data.
And $2000 tab from Bell Canada....
For the entire year of 2009 Bell reported to me that I used 120 meg, they falsely report your unlimited mobile browser usage to you by capping each mobile packet data session (check your bell bill, each session has the same total).. But when you go to the states (or another country that supports Bell CDMA) the provider that you are piggy-backing service from is reporting back to Bell what what your actual data usage is (like you were using any data device -blackberry, iphone etc.)..
it gets better..
Bell bills this, out of plan, mobile browser foreign usage at $30 per megabyte - it bills actual data phone foreign usage at $6 per megabyte.
I had naively bought the 2meg $20 US mobile browser thinking this should cover my usage while in the states..oops
I've talked to a dozen different people at Bell from CSR's, supervisors, managers to different people in the executive office; they all say after consulting with their "data expert" that there was nothing wrong or abnormal about my usage in the states. 100% true I used my phone data normally, they are looking for a one time large or abnormal usage.
But as we're not getting billed normally, we are not able to make informed decisions about a) pre-buying a US mobile browser package or b) monitoring mobile browser usage in the US. And getting forced to pay 5X what other data phone users are paying for their data usage in the US.
Zadabest said:
I hate Bell with a passion. After two short 1 week vacations in the states, I was charged for nearly $200 of money I didn't use, apparently for roamer packet data.
I never want to put myself in any situation where my phone sucks money out of my wallet without me knowing.
After installing Android (Thanks Myn!) on my HTC Touch (From Bell), I've been using it for a day and I wonder whether or not my internet access will cause my extra charges.
I used to have an unlimited data plan on my HTC Touch running WM 6.1, but is that transferred when I use Android? Essentially my phone now thinks its American, yet runs via Bell Mobility.
Should I stop using internet?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ahh there is a god..
I finally got resolution to my $2000 bill from bell for US mobile browser usage.. they had offered a 50% reduction..
I finally got a sane person at the Executive Office who charged me $45 for the new US 1GB package and has wiped out the outstanding US browser charges. The 'data-expert' that was to return my call is no longer with Bell... and NO body at Bell understands the difference between mobile browser usage (capped) and Data usage (uncapped).. even better when you bill says "roamer data usage"
... good timing too as the accounts receivable bastards had disabled both my phones with Bell Mobility and I had borrowed $1500 to reactive them.
Be polite, but persistent..
Now on my next trip to the US should I try and pre-purchase the 1GB US data package for $45.. LOL
wow. that is a horror story if i've ever heard one. i have seen how the UMB shows capped packet data but never understood why they would do that. It doesn't make sense. Are they not recording the correct data internally or just not reporting it correctly?
10$ for it? damn... i'm glad I got in before the price hikes... it might only be a couple dollars but it adds up. When I signed up, it was 5$, and I was enrolled for some promo that knocked it down to 3$ a month. About a year ago I got a letter saying it was going up to 7$, but the promo's still on my account knocking off 2$ every month so I only pay 5 for it... Kinda wondering what to do when my contract finally expires in 6 months, since I'm quite enjoying the vogue with android for 40$ a month after taxes... (200 minutes, 500 texts, unlimited data etc etc) and I know they won't renew my contract at that rate :/

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