Be a wise buyer, not a shopping victim

There are some things to look out for when buying a mobile phone. If you know the snags to avoid, you can make a better decision. Please feel free to look around at what is on offer elsewhere, then when you choose to buy from MobileShop, you'll know why it is a wise choice!

Hidden costs

Some contracts require you to pay every month for itemised billing or insurance whether you want it or not.

Some call charges are far higher than you'd expect especially to mobiles on other networks or calls to other countries. Some networks (particularly the "Virtual networks") have few users, so almost all calls to mobiles are to other networks.

Calls to 0845 numbers are not normally included in "inclusive" airtime. Ringing Customer Services is a chargeable call on some networks. Apart from some Orange contract phones, you pay for calls to "freephone" 0800 numbers. For an overview of call charges, see the Costs page of this section. For full details, see the main Costs section of this site.

Expiring credit

Some PAYG deals seem good value, but when you look at the small print, you find that unless you make a certain level of calls, you will be switched to a more expensive tariff or that your credit expires after a short time, whether you have used it or not.

For example, to keep a 3 phone working, you have to top it up every month with at least £3 credit: if you're spending that much every month, you'd be better off on a contract!

Pushy sales methods

Some high street dealers will try to sell you expensive (and unnecessary) extended warranties, even though they offer very poor value.

There are companies using pushy telesales methods to get you to buy, but the deals they are selling don't match the promises. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true!

Price matching

Some dealers offer to match any competitor's price. They present this as evidence that they offer good value, but the opposite is the truth! Price matching is a means of selling at the highest price they can get away with, and only offering competitive prices to people who know about good deals. Help keep prices down for everyone, by shopping from dealers offering consistent good value to everyone.

Split packs

Many dealers selling sim-only deals are splitting "handset and sim" packages, and selling the handset separately, often overseas. The Service Providers do not allow this, and buyers may run the risk of being disconnected if the SP finds out what has happened. Mobileshop sells sim-only with the full approval of the Service Provider, so you are safe.

Insecure transactions

Not all e-commerce web sites use proper secure servers, so your details are passed over an insecure link. This is probably no riskier than letting a waiter take your credit card to a restaurant till, but to be safe, use a dealer (Mobileshop, for instance) with a proper secure server.

Postal charges

Some mail order companies make more profit from the Post & Packing than they do from the sale. Beware the postage charges!

Indifference

Once you have paid, some dealers pocket the money, and offer no more support. MobileShop values your repeated custom, so you are assured of good after-sales support.

Ignorance

Some shops selling mobile phones really specialise in records, dishwashers, TVs, groceries or HiFi's. Their knowledge of mobile phones is not all it could be. Buy from a good specialist mobile phone dealer and you'll be buying from people who know what they're talking about.

< previous • site map • ^ up • MobileShop.com, mobile phones online • home • glossary • next >