Thursday, March 03, 2011

something to consider before buying that android phone

Robin's commentary --

(a shorter version)

Be wary when switching your cell phone carriers as there might be some unexpected surprises.

The first point, is the android.

If the android operating system is 2.1 it will not work with hands-free dialing with your Bluetooth. yeah, you think a smart phone would do everything and wouldn't think twice about the lack of Bluetooth functionality with something as simple as dialing hands-free.

Point 2 if you're switching to cricket and change your mind here is a warning to be aware of.

The cell phones that cricket offers has a 30 MINUTE TALK WARRANTEE FOR REFUND!

So if you change your mind and want to go back to your previous carrier you are not eligible for refund on your phone no matter how many minutes that you placed on it.

Let me quickly explain.

"Porting" a number from one carrier to another is easy.

Porting your number away from cricket back to your carrier closes the cricket account.

If you close the cricket account they CANNOT REFUND YOUR MONEY!

If cricket closes the account for you, YOU WILL LOSE YOUR PHONE NUMBER!

If your new carrier ports the number, it will automatically close your cricket account and you will still LOSE YOUR MONEY."

BECAUSE OF THESE OPTIONS, I HAD TO STAY WITH CRICKET OR RISK LOSING $200

Don't make the same mistake that I did.

PS... the cricket customer service department sucks.

When you call them... assuming you can actually get through the automated operator... you have your choice of talking with somebody in Spanish or almost English. Talking with somebody that actually knows what's going on is actually a flip of the coin.

2 comments:

MAX Redline said...

Yeesh! I had a deal from Sprint on a 'Droid, so I tried it out. It's a pretty cool phone, with a lot of cool apps. I took it back after a week.

I don't use phones all that much, and the LG Rumor is just fine. Has a camera and all that. It's pay-as-you go, through i-wireless, and associated with Freddie's, where I do much of the grocery shopping. That means I usually get around 40 "free" minutes added to the account each month.

Mostly, I use those in surfing the web. Phones aren't something I rely on, but they do come in handy. First one I ever got was one of those brick-like things, and I made the first call the very next day.

To 911. A trucker had crashed on McKenzie Highway - driver had crawled out the windshield and was staggering around, so I got a blanket around him and got him to lie down - then called.

Made me a believer. Just not in long-term, expensive contracts.

On hands-free: I don't think that's enforced; I see people all the time driving around with a phone stuck to their heads.

Gary said...

I've had my current cell phone for about three years. My daughter wants us to upgrade to an I Phone or an Android but I have a hard time paying all the data fees and everything else, so I told her she could buy one with her money and pay the monthly charges. That stopped the discussion. Last summer, my wife and I went to a wedding in west Portland. We took some scenic roads to save time and avoid traffic. We avoided traffic but didn't save any time because we got a might bewildered on the way up and also on the way back. By the time we got back home, I had convinced her we needed a GPS. The one we bought has bluetooth so we can use our phone while driving and stay legal. And we don't get lost anymore!