[James_Hertford]

I wish I could have edited my last post, rather than have to make a new one...

But anyhow. I have had my phone unlocked (I'm surprised it is a readily available, free service offered, since it always use to cost...) And I will now pop to the three store near my work in the morning and pay £12.90 for a one month sim (hopefully that's a quick in-out process). That gives me a couple days to check the coverage. Also hope that the iPhone 5 deal is still available then!

What would I have done without all of your help? Thanks!

[MTUK1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Hertford

I wish I could have edited my last post, rather than have to make a new one...

But anyhow. I have had my phone unlocked (I'm surprised it is a readily available, free service offered, since it always use to cost...) And I will now pop to the three store near my work in the morning and pay £12.90 for a one month sim (hopefully that's a quick in-out process). That gives me a couple days to check the coverage. Also hope that the iPhone 5 deal is still available then!

What would I have done without all of your help? Thanks!

Why don't you get a pay as you go sim? With the one month one you're tied in for 60 days. 30 days usage. 30 days notice.

[James_Hertford]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTUK1

Why don't you get a pay as you go sim? With the one month one you're tied in for 60 days. 30 days usage. 30 days notice.

Gosh dang. I should have realised.
Good thinking Batman!

[Ultraman1966]

Go Giff Gaff if you're stuck on crappy O2.

Also, have you considered other phones? Any reason why you must stuck with iPhones?

[James_Hertford]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ultraman1966

Go Giff Gaff if you're stuck on crappy O2.

Also, have you considered other phones? Any reason why you must stuck with iPhones?

I'm happy with iPhone. Does everything I need. I've decided not to be so much of a spend thrift keep my iPhone 4s. The only issue I have is the amount of data I need.

Boy oh boy am I glad I bought a pay and go sim before I signed my life away to a two year contract with 3. Once it is in my phone it fluctuates between 0/1 bars and no service. And the 3G sign often disappears completely, not even reverting back to a lesser connection, like O2 did. So this shows that my theory of the lack of masts in my area not being sufficient enough at all. The salesman I spoke to at 3 yesterday told me there were 2 within 200 metres and that I will be fine. Seems not! So, once this 3 sim is done with I will try another carrier, maybe GiffGaff, as they run on O2's network and are the only other network to offer a low price for lots of data.

Close call that one.

[-GONZO-]

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Hertford

not even reverting back to a lesser connection, like O2 did.

In poor reception areas Three should fallback onto Orange 2G, but doesn't allow data.

[James_Hertford]

Quote:

Originally Posted by -GONZO-

In poor reception areas Three should fallback onto Orange 2G, but doesn't allow data.

Well that explains it! Bye bye 3. Not even a whole day with them. Time to give giffgaff a go, as they are O2 and I know I have a good service at work and everywhere it matters. £12 for unlimited data, perfect.

[chenks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Hertford

Well that explains it! Bye bye 3. Not even a whole day with them. Time to give giffgaff a go, as they are O2 and I know I have a good service at work and everywhere it matters. £12 for unlimited data, perfect.

bear in mind that giff gaff has low priority on the O2 network.
O2 pay monthly and O2 PAYG have higher priority and this if the cell tower you are connected to via giff gaff is busy then O2 customers will get priority over you and you will be dropped to a lower connection.

[James_Hertford]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chenks

bear in mind that giff gaff has low priority on the O2 network.
O2 pay monthly and O2 PAYG have higher priority and this if the cell tower you are connected to via giff gaff is busy then O2 customers will get priority over you and you will be dropped to a lower connection.

The constant issue with O2 is that they do not offer a high enough amount of data, nor anywhere near a decent price. I'm not a data drain, it's casual use mainly. It's only a rolling 30 day contract, so if I ever find it exhausting to be with them, then I shall leave. It seems like no carrier is truly capable of servicing their customers effectively, they will all have their ups and downs.

[Everything Goes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by -GONZO-

In poor reception areas Three should fallback onto Orange 2G, but doesn't allow data.

There is very little fallback left. Most of it has been switched off as it is no longer necessary as 3G coverage is fine.

Using 2G for Data is pretty much useless. You are probably better of without it

[Ultraman1966]

Every area is different but for me, in the East Midlands, I've found there's little difference in overall coverage but the difference in 3G coverage is vast; Giff Gaff (O2) will often be on 2G when Three still gives one or two bars.

[neil79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Hertford

I'm happy with iPhone. Does everything I need. I've decided not to be so much of a spend thrift keep my iPhone 4s. The only issue I have is the amount of data I need.

Boy oh boy am I glad I bought a pay and go sim before I signed my life away to a two year contract with 3. Once it is in my phone it fluctuates between 0/1 bars and no service. And the 3G sign often disappears completely, not even reverting back to a lesser connection, like O2 did. So this shows that my theory of the lack of masts in my area not being sufficient enough at all. The salesman I spoke to at 3 yesterday told me there were 2 within 200 metres and that I will be fine. Seems not! So, once this 3 sim is done with I will try another carrier, maybe GiffGaff, as they run on O2's network and are the only other network to offer a low price for lots of data.

Close call that one.

Unfortunately some of the 3 networks fans get a bit carried away sometimes. I was on a 02 on a contract and then sim only and when I got a sim free i phone I checked out 3 and Orange and in the areas I use most O2 came out a clear winner. In my local area 3 was particularly bad even though it's a built up area where all the other mobile networks all work well.

[neil79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chenks

bear in mind that giff gaff has low priority on the O2 network.
O2 pay monthly and O2 PAYG have higher priority and this if the cell tower you are connected to via giff gaff is busy then O2 customers will get priority over you and you will be dropped to a lower connection.

It doesn't work like that Look at the big outage on O2 last summer ( in July I think ) A percentage of O2 network customers including Tesco and Giffgaff lost their connection and when I heard the story on the radio found out my Giffgaff sim was working fine but the 3 of the 4 people who worked at the same place as me who were on O2 contracts were fuming as their phones were all no service

I have had giffgaff for nearly 12 months now and I would have been crazy to to use EE, 3 or Voda and have saved loads of dosh

[James_Hertford]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil79

It doesn't work like that Look at the big outage on O2 last summer ( in July I think ) A percentage of O2 network customers including Tesco and Giffgaff lost their connection and when I heard the story on the radio found out my Giffgaff sim was working fine but the 3 of the 4 people who worked at the same place as me who were on O2 contracts were fuming as their phones were all no service

I have had giffgaff for nearly 12 months now and I would have been crazy to to use EE, 3 or Voda and have saved loads of dosh

We will all shout about what we know works for us, I tried what a lot of people said was good (3) and for me it wasn't. Just waiting for my giffgaff sim to try at work. I really hope it works as I have cancelled my O2 simplicity deal now and want to be sorted with another supplier. I will have to use my crappy 3 sim in the meantime.

One thing I detest is being tied in to a contract for 2 years. Of course you can always pay through the nose for a shorter contract or keep buying yourself out, but I am too frugal for that. I would like to stick with a sim only deal - perhaps in future I will wait for the price of the iPhone 5 to fall and buy it outright.

[Everything Goes]

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Hertford

We will all shout about what we know works for us, I tried what a lot of people said was good (3) and for me it wasn't. Just waiting for my giffgaff sim to try at work. I really hope it works as I have cancelled my O2 simplicity deal now and want to be sorted with another supplier. I will have to use my crappy 3 sim in the meantime.

One thing I detest is being tied in to a contract for 2 years. Of course you can always pay through the nose for a shorter contract or keep buying yourself out, but I am too frugal for that. I would like to stick with a sim only deal - perhaps in future I will wait for the price of the iPhone 5 to fall and buy it outright.

GiffGaff is exactly the same as O2 as regards coverage since its the same network. Three do supply Home Signal boxes if you have poor in house coverage for free.

[James_Hertford]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Everything Goes

GiffGaff is exactly the same as O2 as regards coverage since its the same network. Three do supply Home Signal boxes if you have poor in house coverage for free.

Sadly the coverage issue is at work - for which they would not give me on of those.

I assumed giffgaff would work almost exactly the same but, people have said they have their own lesser hardware and that O2 gives their customers priority.

[chenks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Hertford

I assumed giffgaff would work almost exactly the same but, people have said they have their own lesser hardware and that O2 gives their customers priority.

yes, GiffGaff is on the third tier of priority in terms of connection.

they use the exact same masts and network as O2, but are given a lower priority over real O2 customers.
thus, if you had a poor connection using O2 then it will be the same on GiffGaff.

[neil79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chenks

yes, GiffGaff is on the third tier of priority in terms of connection.

.

Unproven nonsense :yawn:

[chenks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil79

Unproven nonsense :yawn:

it's not unproven.

[neil79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chenks

it's not unproven.

Prove it then

[chenks]

Quote:

Originally Posted by neil79

Prove it then

you prove it's nonsense.

[James_Hertford]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chenks

you prove it's nonsense.

Now now...

I think I could prove it some way by testing my giffgaff sim at work and seeing how it compares.

It hasn't turned up yet - I hope it does soon but I understand the delay as they are relatively small and do not have a dedicated department that issue out new sims.

O2 contract ends tomorrow. Switch to 3 for hopefully only a few days before I receive my giffgaff sim.

Scratch that... My O2 contract ends when I make use of my PAC, which won't be until I receive and port my number for giffgaff. So no 3 for me!

[James_Hertford]

I thought I would update y'all.

So after 3 not working and me wasting £15 to test a pay and go sim (better than being tied in to a 24 month contract) I got me a giffgaff sim - £12 a month for 250 mins unlimited texts and unlimited data! And it works, just as my O2 sim did. So far no issues *touch wood* although my phone briefly had two numbers showing for me on peoples phones, because I ported my number over. Seems to have fixed itself...

I really do not like being tied up for 24 months, paying £30+ for a contract. I think I will wait for the iPhone 6 (or whatever number the wholly redesigned phone is) and buy it outright, that way I can stick to paying £12 a month and cancel whenever.

Thanks again!

[IslandNiles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by James_Hertford

I thought I would update y'all.

So after 3 not working and me wasting £15 to test a pay and go sim (better than being tied in to a 24 month contract) I got me a giffgaff sim - £12 a month for 250 mins unlimited texts and unlimited data! And it works, just as my O2 sim did. So far no issues *touch wood* although my phone briefly had two numbers showing for me on peoples phones, because I ported my number over. Seems to have fixed itself...

I really do not like being tied up for 24 months, paying £30+ for a contract. I think I will wait for the iPhone 6 (or whatever number the wholly redesigned phone is) and buy it outright, that way I can stick to paying £12 a month and cancel whenever.

Thanks again!

Pretty much what I did with the iPhone 5. I bought it outright and got a 12 month SIM only deal. That way, I can upgrade to the new model if I want to, and sell the 5 for a decent price to put towards it. Or, if I don't think the upgrade is worth it, I can keep the 5 for longer.