Should I shop around for a new phone?

Mad Mike

Is there any point shopping around when trying to upgrade a mobile phone or do all phone shops offer the same deals?

I am a vodaphone bill pay customer and I want to stay on the same tarrif. Its three years since I changed my phone and the last time I did it there were a number of independent phone shops who offered special deals. Most of the independent shops seem to be gone now and the big players (Vodaphone and Carphone warehouse) seem to offer the same deals. Is there anywere else I should look? Do individual stores have discretion on pricing any more?

elderlemon

Try 3G stores as well. I just got a sim free Nokia 6600 from them at €70 less than Carphonewarehouse.

Mad Mike

What are 3G stores and where can I find one? (Shows how long it is since I was in a mobile phone shop)

I am near Grafton Street in Dublin.

RicardoSmith

Theres one beside the Gaiety I think.

I found the upgrades do cary from shop to shop even in the same chain, so its worth shopping around. At least it was the last time I did it.

BrianD

You should always shop around! Sometimes independent stores will have better offers (or different hand sets) to the branded operator stores.

Mad Mike

Originally posted by BrianD
You should always shop around! Sometimes independent stores will have better offers (or different hand sets) to the branded operator stores.

I thought so but there doesn't seem to be that many independent stores around any more - Any suggestions as to where I might try?

smemon

Originally posted by elderlemon
Try 3G stores as well. I just got a sim free Nokia 6600 from them at €70 less than Carphonewarehouse.

yea, ive seen a few place about €20 cheaper than the cfw. there playing a dangerous game with their 'price promise'.

if you buy a fone of them and within a week you find the same fone on same network & tariff you get 110% of the difference.

Mad Mike

OK I went ahead and bought a phone.

For the record it is a Motorola V525 on the Vodafone Extra Tarrif:

As predicted by a few of you the price varies depending on where you go.

Vodafone (Grafton Street): €79 and no trade in.

Carphonewarehouse (Grafton Street): €99 less €20 trade in = €79

Carphone warehouse (Nutgrove): €79 less €20 trade in = €59

I got an unconfirmed report that Carphonewarehouse in Liffey Valley are offering a €30 trade-in but it wasn't worth the journey just to save a tenner so I paid €59 in Nutgrove.

G3 don't seem to do Vodaphone.

I've only been using the Motorola for a few hours but it seems to be a pretty good phone for grown ups.
You can't get Britney Spears Snap on covers but you can take pictures of your kids and it works just about anywhere in the world. Plus it has bluetooth which is handy if you have a laptop. Being a Vodafone phone all of the menus etc are Vodafoneised which is a bit annoying given that some of the "friendly" options cost serious money. However a bit of fiddling with the settings and I have managed to tone down most of the Vodafone tat but there is one blatant button that seems to be stuck on Vodafone Live (which seems to be Vodafone's very expensive version of the internet)