next g for xmas
Submitted: Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 22:20
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MAVERICK(WA)
here is another in the ever twisted telstra story.........yesterday I decided that it was time to remove the cdma and go uptech to next g. and all i really want is be able to
phone home or have
home phone me. the nice person at the telstra
shop showed me the lg at $30/mth with the blue tick then explained it didn't have an external
antenna even though it said it did in the advert. when i asked if it was compatable with the
antenna that was already on the 4wd it was 'so you want the country
phone'? when this was agreed to be a good idea out the back he went and came back with what looked an awful lot like my original cdma
phone from many years ago. looks ok and this is good in the country - yep.....except it doesn't have an external
antenna but you get one from some contractor and get another to fit and then there was some more geek speak and it came out that this one was $60/mth. now I realise telstra has a monopoly and that every couple of days I am getting messages threatening to close the cdma on jan28 but if the trouble is with the current handsets - so says a few 'experts' in the media - and the new handsets that will 'cure' these problems are not going to be available until april/may at the earliest why does telstra continue to threaten to close the network? and don't say contact the communications people or any other govt people as they are only saying they will wait to see what happens. i read the bit in the
forum about different wavelengths and stuff and I don't really care - I just want a
phone that lets me call out and receives calls..........obviously I'm not the type of geek
phone user that telstra wants but no other telco seems to want me either. If just once there could be a truthful, non-condescending, non-geek speak answer from some person attached to telstra maybe we could all just relax a bit and wait with glee the new system. and the telstra people said there will be no nokia for nextg then they said by october then by xmas now - maybe march or april - meantime the only handsets available are those that do not operate properly. liars and liars. rgds
Reply By: GaryInOz (Vic) - Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 22:31
Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 22:31
Rent satphone when needed. If needed often enough, buy. NextG is not living up to its promise....
AnswerID:
277894
Reply By: Member - Mainey (wa) - Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 22:36
Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 22:36
yes...
However I was told when I complained to the CountryWide
Phone Office there is a new telstra
phone that won't be available till about Feb O8, but it solves many of the present problems.
AnswerID:
277898
Reply By: Shaker - Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 22:42
Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 22:42
Of course there is a Nokia Next G handset (6120c), but it is 'blue ticked'.
The "Country
Phone" (Telstra 165) is available on a $30.00 plan, but doesn't have a very good reputation already.
Both it & the LG TU550 can be attached to an external
antenna by using a patch lead directly into the back of the
phone.
As far as which db
antenna you need, it depends on the type of terrain that you will be mainly travelling in.
AnswerID:
277899
Reply By: Willem - Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 23:17
Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 23:17
Dunno
In late January I switched over to Next G. Sweet voice on other side said they would give me a ZTE 850
phone on a $20 plan(been on a $10 plan since 1990) for free on a two year contract(I don't worry about contracts as they are expired very soon). I said OK.
Phone arrived without Mobile battery charger. So I complained and said that I had to drive 200km to the nearest place to buy one. They said it didn't come with a mobile charger although being advertiased as a Telstra
phone. But another sweet voice took pity and gave me $100
phone credits. I did drive to a place 120km away and they didn't have a charger but I found one only 42km away on the way back
home.
My
phone doesn't work everywhere especially in the outback but it works near or in most populated
places and I haven't had an issue with it. I had Message Bank cancelled as
well as all those icons you can get yourself into trouble with.
So far no complaints. But I don't expect too much from these phones and Telco's. In a previous life I had 3 Nokia mobiles and each one had something go pearshaped with them. I suppose its a matter of luck. With Nokia
mine was all bad....lol
Cheers
AnswerID:
277902
Follow Up By: Chaz - Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 11:08
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 11:08
Hi Willem,
I hope it’s all going
well. I have a similar experience with ZTE. When I changed over about a year ago, I bought the ZTE because it was the only one available with a car kit. When I first looked at it, I thought what a piece of k-rap, but it hasn’t faulted yet and in fact has surprised me with its reception quality and durability. My wife has been through 3 Nokia’s in the time I’ve had the ZTE.
The old CDMA was faster to get a signal, but would drop out if I moved more than a meter. The Next-G takes longer to get a connection, but doesn’t drop out once it’s locked on and this has saved me from constantly re connecting.
I use it primarily in the
Gawler and
Flinders Ranges and it connects everywhere that the CDMA did. I can charge it from the car kit or the USB data cable with a cig socket/USB adaptor. I’ve also patched it into the old CDMA
antenna which seems to work
well.
All good.
FollowupID:
541928
Reply By: Gone Bush (WA) - Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 23:32
Friday, Dec 21, 2007 at 23:32
I'm not fussed either way about the "blue tick" or external antennas.
I chose the Motorola V9 on a $49 cap and bought the
phone outright. The $49 cap gives me $250 worth of calls every month. I now hardly use my house
phone.
I chose this one for the camera and video calls. When our grandson was born we did not have this
phone and really regretted not being able to see him "live".
If we are outback and out of coverage too bad, it's a blessing in a lot of ways.
AnswerID:
277906
Reply By: Zodarp - Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 06:18
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 06:18
Hi Maverick
I also am having the same trouble with telstra. If the nextg network will cover most of the
population will there be any need to continue with the GSM network.
We have become the dumping ground for old technology and whenever a new system or advancement is introduced overseas we get the leftovers from the old system. Its looks like Australia has become a nation of followers regarding communication technology.
Regards Zodarp
AnswerID:
277922
Reply By: Member - Lionel A (WA) - Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 08:06
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 08:06
Gidday Mav,
Yep...after several messages from telstra threatening doom and gloom for me if I didnt change over they finally rang. I asked for a no frills
phone suitable for a tradie....I didnt want or need a stereo, miniture computer, camera, alarm clock, a tooth [no matter what the colour].
At the time I was up a ladder, and the
young bloke on the other end persisted in firing all these weird and wonderful features of various phones, which all went over my head. I think these people work off a set script rather than actualy listen to the customer.
Anyway, a Nokia 6120 arrived in the mail yesterday, took it out to have a look and noticed that one finger covered 5 buttons. Oh
well, suppose im gonna have to grow my finger nails. Figured out what blue tooth is so I immediately threw away that silly ear piece thingy [seen to many idiots walking around with those things hanging off their ears, that..."look at me...look at me" brigade.
The whole lot can sit in the box till the 27th of next month.
I personaly detest the bloody things but Im expected to have a mobile as part of the job.
Thats my Grumpy OL' Man moment for today.....lol.
Cheers....Lionel.
AnswerID:
277933
Reply By: TerraFirma - Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 13:44
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 13:44
Next time you get dicked around ask to speak to the Manager. In all honesty nowdays forget about the plans that include the phones, buy your own
phone on Ebay if you have to. Research which
phone is for you,
shop it around and then buy it. Then go choose a prepaid Next Plan and then nobody can trick you with their so-called $50 plans that always work out to $200 per month etc. The trick is to know what you want before you go anywhere near a
Phone shop.
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - Lionel A (WA) - Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 15:05
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 15:05
Spot on TF,
A year ago telstra offered me a " Total Package" !!!!! [ mobile, land line, internet etc etc] made the whole deal sound great.
12 months on....my communications bill is the costliest and most complicated it has ever been.
Cheers...Lionel.
FollowupID:
541954
Reply By:- Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 14:32
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 14:32
I listened to an interview last week on the radio with a Telstra Countrywide Regional manager. In his words
If you want a
phone where country reception is important, speak directly with a Telstra Contrywide representative, they know how to help. Do not go to a Telstra
Shop, they do not have the knoweldge or experience to solve your problem.
Couldn't have said it better myself, gave up going to
phone shops and just bought a Samsung A411 pre-paid from Australia Post. When I am happy with the coverage it will go onto a plan of my choosing, no contract.
Rolande
AnswerID:
277966
Reply By: Macca44 - Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 19:15
Saturday, Dec 22, 2007 at 19:15
We had a ZTE next G
phone , got it when they first came out.
Was always going flat as it was searching all the time. ZTE replaced it with a new
phone which was doing the same thing.
While listening to the ABC Radio the other day, the NE Victoria area manager was on and said anyone having trouble with their
phone to ring Telstra. We rang Telstra, they cancelled our current contract. We were told to go to a Telstra
shop and they replaced our
phone with a new $20 contract.
AnswerID:
277991