Contracts, tariffs, web data, specifications… choosing a new phone is a complete headache. But nothing hurts more than calling your mobile phone provider’s sales team for ‘advice’.
I can’t take it anymore. My mobile’s old, unfashionable and lacking in anything vaguely related to an app.
All of that I can cope with. What I can’t cope with is a phone that turns itself off just as I finish writing a text. Or one that stores up voice messages for days without telling me. Reluctantly, I’ve had to admit that it’s time to call my provider and discuss my options.
And this is where the real problem lies – there are too many options. It’s not that I don’t want a decent phone (I do), I just can’t cope with working out which one is right for me.
The pain of choosing a new phone
Question one: What model do I want? One with a decent camera (are any cameraphones decent?), a bigger screen (but that makes it heavier) or one that’s good for browsing the internet (and uses up battery life)?
Then there’s cost. Should I get a free phone and pay more each month or pay for the phone and get a cheaper monthly plan?
How many minutes and texts do I need? Will 0.5GB of web data be enough, or will I use the internet loads once I’ve got a decent phone? Somebody help me, please.
Don’t get drawn into the wrong contract
So, I finally caved in and called my provider yesterday. Having looked around on the internet I was feeling reasonably confident that I wouldn’t get drawn in to the wrong contract. Still, I was politely informed that the phone I liked was an uncharacteristic choice for a female customer and swiftly recommended some other models.
Then, after being told that my average monthly usage is 200 minutes of talk time and 150 texts, I was offered a plan with 2,000 minutes and 5,000 texts. My protestations that I don’t need anywhere near that much fell on deaf ears too – apparently it makes no difference to the monthly price whether I have 200 minutes or 2,000.
I finally managed to finish the call, but only because I practically hung-up. I’ve got to hand it to these guys, they don’t get fobbed off easily, and I nearly agreed to what I was offered out of pure exhaustion.
I still don’t have a new mobile, I’m still confused and I still need to call my provider again to tell them I’d like to chose the deal that suits me best, not one that they’ve decided I should have. I can hardly wait.