I have waited to post this blog because I wanted to see how much interest there was. Though this blog may not have kicked off yet I have still decided to carry on with it. Why? I spend most of my time off talking about smart phones. I have yet to leave the house without someone asking me questions about their current smart phone or opinion of a smart phone. I never get sick of technology and neither do you.
In this article I will point out the important things to look out for in a smart phone. Buying a smart phone can be scary because they are so expensive and what if the phone you purchase isn't worth the money you spend on it? Phone stores don't allow exchanges on phones because you have decided you don't like the colour or the phone. unless you have an actual fault in the phone it wont be exchanged and even then it will only be exchanged for "Like for Like" meaning you get the same phone you originally purchased. Something not many people know. The reason behind this is not because the phone company are trying to rob you of your money or trying to sell you a crappy phone. It is because once opened that phone is no longer of use to anyone kind of like when you buy underwear in a shop as far as they know you've worn those underwear and can not be risked anyone else wearing it because of hygiene. That opened phone is not safe for someone else to use for their virtual hygiene in other words for security reasons.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
When you buy a phone in a phone store the end decision is yours. You MUST do your research first before buying a smart phone. Which is why I am here. To give you simple easy to understand insight to purchasing a smart phone. I do not have any diploma in technology but I am a pretty good sales assistant in a phone shop which i won't mention any brands. I am not here to advertise phone companies. I deal with customers everyday from advising them which smart phones to purchase and with the issues they may have with their phone after purchase. I also have a lot of experience from growing up with technology. My first phone was like many my age. The nokia 3310 and upwards to now having a HTC M9 which i will soon be upgrading but more about that at another time.
COST OF PURCHASING A HIGH END SMART PHONE
Before purchasing your smart phone you need to accept that you will have to spend a decent amount of money. Countless times people come in store and they want the top branded phone but don't want to spend the money on them. So phone companies have given us bill pay. This allows us to make a certain amount of calls and texts and use a certain amount of data AND either have a phone for free or at a much less cost all depending on your tariff. IF you do not have the money to spend on a top brand phone you either have to choose between a lower end to mid range phone at a cost you can afford or sign up to a monthly tariff you can afford. Its that simple. There are no hidden discounts that the staff are hiding from you. Trust me when I say if there was discounts you would know about them before asking. People always ask. Most of the time if you look around the shop any offers that are on at the time will be displayed. The staff want you to buy and so does the company so they want to give you offers as phone companies are constantly competing against each other. If we tell you a phone is €659.99 we really me is €659.99 we have no control over that. That comes from the brand of the phone not the company unless there is an offer on.
BILL PAY VS PREPAY
Now with all that said and thought about, you have decided if you are going to buy a phone out-right or get it on bill pay. If you have decided to buy it outright you can skip this this part. However if you are contemplating bill pay in order to get a phone at a discount. DO NOT just go ahead and pick the cheaper plan with whatever is free. DO NOT expect to go on the cheapest plan and get everything on your tariff and the highest branded phone for free. THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN! I can not stress that enough. you get what you pay for. Yes prepay (top up) can work out cheaper at a monthly cost if the plan or bundle is right for you but you will not get the same in bill pay with a phone at the same monthly cost. Please respect that it is a business, They do want to make money at the end of the day just like the rest of us won't work for free. A lot of the time Bill Pay can work out cheaper for people because they end up topping up by more than a monthly bill cost, I am one of those people. Bill Pay is the way for me.
Now you need to decide what you want from your phone. Please don't say 'I want calls, texts and data' That is pretty much obvious we all want that. Now if you do want everything you can have everything at the higher price. Be ready for that price but if you want to keep costs down be realistic about what you do on your phone. As an example. Internet is my most important feature. with or without WiFi. I use facebook, and whatsapp and google and games I play, use Internet as well. For some people YES facebook uses internet (some people do not know this), I am also a texter so I could live without calls and I could probably get over not having many texts then again i like knowing i can pick up my phone and use everything. I also need to have the most up to date phone being the gadget lover that I am my phone is a very big part of my life. I do not make enough money to pay outright for a high end phone and I am terrible at saving but i will always pay my bills so Bill pay is the most satisfying option for me. Some people run business' so they will always need their phone to hand and need it to be reliable therefore they will be the same as me. They need to have every feature their phone can offer and will most suit a bill pay option.
If you have decided bill pay is not for you then choosing a prepay option that best suits you. Again I am not here to advertise so I won't go into phone companies plans but do go to each company and find a plan on prepay that suits you after you have considered the above. Think what could you live without the most, calls, tests or data? what is the one feature you can not loose? Prepare a budget for a decent phone. DO NOT go for the cheapest unless you need a phone for a very short period of time. those cheap phones are not made to last a lifetime like you expect. I would suggest a budget for a prepay phone would be around €200 - €300 or go all the way and spend nearly €700 if you have it.
My next article will be about what phones and features to look out for, When buying your first smart phone or if you're a little more advanced, we will then have a look at other brands to look out for. In the meantime if you have any questions or any feedback then please post a comment :)
Happy Shopping,
GG
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