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Magic 02 PAYG Phone: Everything is FREE!
Paul M C
08-03-2011
Just further to a posting I put below, just wondered if anyone has ever had this happen to them on PAYG?

I recently got a new Blackberry (Bold 9780).

I was initially surprised that I couldn't send picture messages until it was explained to me that I had to have the 02 PAYG Blackerry bolt on for £5 per month. I wasn't particuarly interested in this, as I mainly use the phone for SMS and connect to the internet by my home wi-fi set up.

Anyhow, prior to realising I needed this 02 bolt on, I had an email "live chat" via 02's website with someone who said they would set picture messaging up and told me to take out my battery and sim and re-insert into the phone.....

Now, obviously, I cannot send MMS messages via the text screen (because I dont have and don't want the 02 Blackberry bolt on) but since that time, I can now

Surf the Net
Download stuff
Upload pictures to Facebook etc
Send Video's to facebook/or to my email
Make calls and not be charged! (my current tariff is Simplicity, PAYG, 02, £5 per month)

ALL the above is free of charge and not using any call balance or anything!

I was obviously concerned about this (as didn't want to end up with any bills) and rang 02 Customer Services. The guy there said definately no connection charges etc.. and that I simply *must* be connecting via my home wi-fi.

I had wi-fi turned off, but dis-proved his theory by driving up the road and still being able to connect - all by GPRS which now shows in the phone's display on the home screen.

I rang back 02 and explained all this and said I didn't want ANY bills and the guy I spoke to said there was NO WAY they could send me a bill because I am PAYG and he double checked and I am still on Simplicity £5 per month for unlimited texts only!

He then said he had come across this "issue" before and that there was nothing 02 could do about it (ie NOT stop me from getting free internet or calls!!!!!!) and that it should stop in a few days! He explained it was a "technical glitch" in their system!

So, I've been making the most of it!!!

Anyone else ever had this happen to them before?
Awshum-Yawn
08-03-2011
show off, lol, you lucky person!!

well done....
Paul M C
08-03-2011
Originally Posted by Awshum-Yawn:
“show off, lol, you lucky person!!

well done....”

Lol!

Yeah its not often you get something for nothing through a companies own "technical glitch" is it??

Still all free 24 hours later, so not sure when this will stop, but hey - if they can't do anything about it etc, I am gonna use it for now whilst I can!
carguy143
08-03-2011
I remember a few years ago when the pay and go system crashed. Everything was free of charge and the network went in to meltdown with people making the moat of not being charged. O2 then sent out a text sayin everything was free as a thank you to o2 customers!
Paul M C
10-03-2011
Well, you know, 3 days later, internet browsing and email is still free via GRPS - definately not via my home wi-fi set up......

Can anyone just confirm something for me:

If you are strictly on PAYG (this for me, is with 02) can they ever send you a bill, if you've never agreed to anything? As I say, when I phoned them, they confirmed I was definately still on PAYG Simplicity £5 per month unlimited texts deal - and that was that - no connection charges or anything showing up - just my usual PAYG.

It just worries me a tad that I am using all this data (still, after 3 days) and getting it free?
coolesticeking
13-03-2011
Originally Posted by Paul M C:
“Well, you know, 3 days later, internet browsing and email is still free via GRPS - definately not via my home wi-fi set up......

Can anyone just confirm something for me:

If you are strictly on PAYG (this for me, is with 02) can they ever send you a bill, if you've never agreed to anything? As I say, when I phoned them, they confirmed I was definately still on PAYG Simplicity £5 per month unlimited texts deal - and that was that - no connection charges or anything showing up - just my usual PAYG.

It just worries me a tad that I am using all this data (still, after 3 days) and getting it free?”

Nope, as it's Pay & Go - You top-up your account as they 'should' decrease this balance and stop you using your phone when you hit £0.

If they are not doing this, why would this be your fault?

I don't know if this is possible - but unless you have done something that bypasses how the credit is controlled then no fraud is taking place.
linux.root
13-03-2011
long may it last...
slipstream42
14-03-2011
BB Bolt Ons are brilliant value for money all the time. £5 and you get free texts, internet and what not its great.
Stiggles
14-03-2011
Originally Posted by slipstream42:
“BB Bolt Ons are brilliant value for money all the time. £5 and you get free texts, internet and what not its great.”

But on any other phone you top up £10, get free texts, internet and are still left with your £10.

Why do they charge to use a BB. Never understood this. My sister has a BB and it does the same stuff my desirehd can do but i dont pay for it
Paul M C
14-03-2011
Originally Posted by Stiggles:
“But on any other phone you top up £10, get free texts, internet and are still left with your £10.

Why do they charge to use a BB. Never understood this. My sister has a BB and it does the same stuff my desirehd can do but i dont pay for it ”

Couldn't agree more. I was really surrpised you had to seemingly have the BB Bolt on @ £5 per month to be able to use some of the features like BB Messenger etc.... The biggest thing that surprised me was that I couldn't send picture messages via MMS without this Bolt on. To my mind, if you are on PAYG and you have enough credit, why on earth can't you just send a picture message and have the MMS rate deducted from your balance? (Just as I have always done on previous phones....)

Anyhow, I can't complain at present, as, around one week later from my original post here, I am still getting all the internet/uploads/BB Messenger etc for nothing!

Just to cover myself, I did one of those "live chats" on the 02 website whereby again, I clearly explained I was getting the internet for nothing etc and I wanted to check I would never receive a bill - the advisor I chatted to looked into it and confirmed in writing via the chat screen that "no" I would never be sent a bill - so I emailed this chat to myself and have kept it just in case!!!!!

Don't know how this can happen, but, if they are daft enough to give me this all free, despite the fact I've told them 3 x in one week I don't really want all this free on my phone (for fear of bills etc), then more fool them!!!!
midnightdraven
14-03-2011
You have to pay for BB services, because they use RIM's servers. Everything is routed through them, and they charge for that.
Also, MMS is data, and without the correct plan for data on a blackberry, it just won't work.

Unless you get a magical phone.
Stiggles
14-03-2011
Originally Posted by midnightdraven:
“You have to pay for BB services, because they use RIM's servers. Everything is routed through them, and they charge for that.
Also, MMS is data, and without the correct plan for data on a blackberry, it just won't work.

Unless you get a magical phone.”

So essentially your paying for something most other phone users get free?

how strange lol
johnathome
14-03-2011
Originally Posted by Stiggles:
“So essentially your paying for something most other phone users get free?

how strange lol”

Bizarre isn't it?? Yet people with BB's swear by them! Just can't understand it myself??
markrduk
14-03-2011
Originally Posted by Stiggles:
“So essentially your paying for something most other phone users get free?

how strange lol”

You do get your usual internet allowance with this 'bolt-on', so it's not like it's a charge for nothing. But yeah, you can't really get any of the internet features (apart from basic browsing) out of a Blackberry without the Blackberry Data add-on (even over WiFi).

It is a bit bizarre that you can't use email or Facebook, for example, without the add-on. Though I don't really know why you would want to get a Blackberry without a data plan anyway!

There is (sort of) method behind the madness that relates to how the exchange syncing works on Blackberry handsets that involves setting it up on a PC through your network provider using the BB pin for the handset. It then automagically appears on your handset without any fiddly setting up process like with other phones. it also means it can be completely remotely administrated which is useful for business implementations.

They could of course allow people to set up a basic pop or imap account on the handset I guess, but this isn't the Blackberry way!

Originally Posted by johnathome:
“Bizarre isn't it?? Yet people with BB's swear by them! Just can't understand it myself??”

In fairness, they do do what they do very well. If your primary use for a phone is messaging, nothing compares. If you want something that offers a great web browsing experience, games, app store, multimedia etc... it's probably not for you!

For what it's worth, they aren't my cup of tea either!
johnathome
14-03-2011
Originally Posted by markrduk:
“
In fairness, they do do what they do very well. If your primary use for a phone is messaging, nothing compares. If you want something that offers a great web browsing experience, games, app store, multimedia etc... it's probably not for you!

For what it's worth, they aren't my cup of tea either!”

Thanks for the insight, how does the messaging differ from a normal phone? why is it so special?
markrduk
14-03-2011
Originally Posted by johnathome:
“Thanks for the insight, how does the messaging differ from a normal phone? why is it so special?”

The hardware qwerty keyboard really is pretty good and allows you to type pretty fast when you get used to it - faster than any touch-screen I would say.

If there is one thing Blackberry phones do well it's emails (to be fair they bloody should do as it's what they're all about). The way Blackberry server works, by retrieving mail on the server and pushing it out to the handset, means that pretty much any email account can effectively become an exchange server and offer push messaging on the phone. In a sense, the server does all the hard work.

BBM (Blackberry Messenger) allows anyone on a Blackberry to chat with anyone else on a Blackberry for free. In 'the day' this was a killer feature, but now we have things like Facebook, MSN and WhatsApp on smart phones this no longer offers the advantage it did.

Text messages are pretty much like on any phone really.
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