Tesco Mobile - Any Good??

Shyboy

Hi Folks,

Has anyone tried Tesco Mobile and if you have, are they any good??

Cheers!!:)

Dankoozy

never used them but I know if you make a call that only lasts a second you pay for a whole minute

FergalBoards.ie

Notwithstanding the fact they charge for a minute for the numerous dropped calls that one experiences, I saved a fortune moving to them.

As the call rate is effectively 10cent a minute (owing to the double top up for life feature) this is unbeatable if you are a light user who typically experience call charges of around 30 cent a minute.

Here are some other thoughts:

Coverage
-They use the O2 network. I was nervous of this as I perceived this to be slightly less pervasive than the Voda network I was on. I need not have worried. While O2 theoretically have a slightly lower geographic penetration, the reality seems to be that they are quite clever at covering SLIGHTLY populated areas you are likely to be in that are NOT covered by Voda. Also network congestion is far lower on O2. My contactability has increased wholesale.
-As they use ONLY the O2 network, you do not get the "hunting" you get with Meteor and Three where the phone is trying to "decide" whether to log on to the home network or the Vodafone network they have an agreement with. This is very significant. Where Three and Meteor have no coverage on their own network, you roam onto Voda, no problem. Where Three and Meteor have marginal reception, you can ironically end up with effectively no reception as the phone keeps hunting between the networks. This is a very significant effect.

Call Failure:
Meteor-When I changed over at first, some not all calls to or from Meteor customers (no matter what actual prefix they used) failed. I would answer, they couldn't hear me, I couldn't hear them. Ditto calling out. I complained and nothing happened. I put in a second, very strong complaint and it was resolved within an hour. I don't know if this was Tesco's "fault" or Meteor's.

Three-There is some argument going on between Three and Tesco. I don't know who is "right". As a result, you cannot call or receive calls from Three customers. Initially I could, now I can't. For some reason the Telecom regulator thinks this is perfectly acceptable. Welcome to Ireland, we're on the first chapter of Government Made Simple.

I like Three a lot, and I use their data modem. I'm not qualified to say who is right in this argument. Companies play hardball, that's the way of the world. This ludicrous situation is nobody's fault but the regulator's.
As, sadly, few people are on 3, it doesn't really affect me.

MMS
They don't do it. Well they do, but only between Tesco customers!
They read the first couple of chapters of the manual, but it got boring so they watched the match down the bar instead!
But that's OK, because I'm a fan of MMS and quite simply...it doesn't work at all on Irish networks, period. It may work some days and not on others. It may arrive instantaneously or (in one case) months later!
It is something I would like to use a lot, but in previous lives in Voda and Meteor I stopped using it because I never knew when or if someone got the MSS.
The other networks read more of the manual than Tesco, but then got jealous and went to watch the match down the boozer too! So none of them work properly!

Data
Now when Tesco saw THAT manual, they screamed and pulled a sickie!
They don't do data outside of WAP browsing.
But none of the other networks do it either except for Three. They pretend to, but try and use it when you want it, reliably, at a speed you consider reasonable.
In this scenario 3 were the swot down the back of the class and all the others boys know a bit here and there.
So I use 3 for all my data stuff, 'nuff said.

Customer Care
Very very very limited hours. This upset me at first, until I got to thinking that my best customer care experience has been with 3. Not because their customer care is superhuman, but because they just get their product right and you don't really need to use it.
And every time I contacted another network, I generated a lot of heat, but no light. I didn't actually get what I wanted done!
3 Customer care has wonderful manners by the way. I did need to use them for simple stuff like registering and APN settings and asking about their Skype offer. All the other networks could take lessons from 3 in that department.
So Tesco Customer Care doesn't really exist, but then again, Voda and Meteor doesn't either. It's just there to keep you company and take your mind off the fact that your MMS disappears into hyperspace for no good reason, that they can't find the unlock code for your phone, that they have no effective 3G network worth speaking about...etc

20 Cent a minute?
Some genius in marketing has decided that instead of just saying 10cent a minute, which it is (because of the double top up offer), they should say 20 cent a minute and double the value of the top ups.
Therefore very few people realize how cheap the network is.
Therefore nobody uses them.
Marketing is wunnerful, eh?
Do they have competitions in some secret club to come up with the most confusing, impenetrable tariff or what?

Minimum Charge of 1 Minute
Unconscionable. Shows whoever is running Tesco is in many ways just as mad as the people running other networks.


BUT

The bottom line is:
Coverage is everywhere, congestion is low, calls and SMS are cheap for the light user.
Anyone spending less than E50 a month on their current network would likely save money using.

I have

That part of my cellular spend has fallen from E40ish to E17 for a month.
There's no questioning that!

strecker

@Fergal,
when did you last use mobile internet?

I'm using vodafone's isp AP all the time both on my phones and on my PC at home with an e71 as my modem! I'm getting better speeds that way than with my 3-dongle!

It's not all wap, mate

However, 1 point: if all you do is use the browser now and again, the tesco's wappy is ok!

FergalBoards.ie

@strecker

I think you're misreading. What I said is that Tesco ONLY do WAP (unlike the full menu of data services that O2, Voda and 3 allegedly do, but in reality only 3 do).

I use data services a lot, for more than surfing the internet.

While you will get data coverage with Voda in areas where 3 don't exist, it's only the GPRS version. In fact that's the problem with Voda, compared to 3, they don't have a 3G infrastructure, just a few showcases.

You must be an exceptional case, as Voda don't even have the newer, faster 3G technology that 3 have. They are rolling out....slowwwwwly. I'm not even sure that any of their network has it yet. They'll probably be primetime with it just when 3 announce they will move to some 4G standard. My experience of using Voda data is that it takes about 25 minutes to download a file that 3 would have disposed of in a few seconds.

For data, 3 is the only answer.

Kenny Powers

Fergal your talking through your arse do you work for 3? I think you'll find Vodafone have a full 3G service and have great data support I use the isp connection all the time and always get great speeds. They also have vodafone live services. Without a data bundle on 3 its cost 99c per Mb Vodafone is 19c. Get your facts straight before posting rubbish about other networks.

FergalBoards.ie

Yeah Kenny...do I work for 3 while recommending that people use Tesco mobile for voice...

Shows the reality you live in pal.

The OP was asking about Tesco, btw.

I raised the whole 3/data issue in the context that what is allegedly offered by many networks doesn't transpire in reality, as many of the objections people have to Tesco are due to the "cut down" nature of the service.

For the record, I am probably one of the few people in Ireland that uses over 10GB a month in MOBILE data with 3. It is NOT my home provider. I have DSL for that.

So yeah, I think I know what I'm talking about.
And if you are coming to Tesco from 3 and data is important, you WILL be disappointed.

If you come to Tesco from any other network, you won't be. As you never had 7.2mbps service with a large service area to start with, despite what the other networks imply.

Can we stick to comparing Tesco to other networks and lose the fanboi stuff?

Fidelis

Well, I certainly applaud anyone downloading 10GB a month, but take it from this old mobile telephony rat, I've spent my entire adult life downloading data, and advice like this can do more harm than good.

Kenny Powers

FergalBoards.ie wrote: »

Yeah Kenny...do I work for 3 while recommending that people use Tesco mobile for voice...

Shows the reality you live in pal.

The OP was asking about Tesco, btw.

I raised the whole 3/data issue in the context that what is allegedly offered by many networks doesn't transpire in reality, as many of the objections people have to Tesco are due to the "cut down" nature of the service.

For the record, I am probably one of the few people in Ireland that uses over 10GB a month in MOBILE data with 3. It is NOT my home provider. I have DSL for that.

So yeah, I think I know what I'm talking about.
And if you are coming to Tesco from 3 and data is important, you WILL be disappointed.

If you come to Tesco from any other network, you won't be. As you never had 7.2mbps service with a large service area to start with, despite what the other networks imply.

Can we stick to comparing Tesco to other networks and lose the fanboi stuff?

Do you want an award for that? 10GB a month wouldn't be alot for me. And for the record your the one that went off topic and started comparing 3 data to vodafone when were ment to be talking about tesco mobile.

FergalBoards.ie

@ Kenny, I have no desire to engage any further in this. You can go around calling names and accusing other people of nonsensical things. Anyone reading your posts will see the irrational hatred behind them.

@Fidelis what advice did I give that was so poor? I'm baffled.
Are you saying Tesco isn't the cheapest for voice for the light user?
That Meteor/3 phones don't "hunt" between networks?
Are you saying Tesco is as good as 3 at data?
That Vodafone has a large 7.2mbps network like 3?
That engaging with customer care when dealing with all cellphone networks gets you cheaper prices? Gets your phone unlocked in a timely and efficient fashion? Gets you the right APN settings? Gets snarl ups with banks resolved efficiently?

What?

Which bit of advice was poor?

Tom Dunne

Guys, can we keep it civil here please?

If you have specific points to refute, please do so. If you believe somebody is giving incorrect information, by all means provide information that proves they are.

If you have a problem with a post, report it.

Shyboy

Thanks Guys for the advice!!

Er, hope I didn't cause a war!!:o

Best Regards:)

Fidelis

Fergal, you can't just say that MMS doesn't work in Ireland, and you do say that. Making outrageous statements like that at the beginning of your post just discredits anything else you say thereafter.

FergalBoards.ie wrote: »

Also network congestion is far lower on O2. My contactability has increased wholesale.

Your contactibility has increased? Congestion? Is this 1998? The only times you will get congestion these days is at any large public gatherings e.g. festivals, sports event etc. and in no way is O2 superior to any other network in those terms (well, possibly the O2 venue? )

I'm a fan of MMS and quite simply...it doesn't work at all on Irish networks, period.

Lies. Stop it. Please

They don't do data outside of WAP browsing. But none of the other networks do it either except for Three

LOL. You just said that Three are the only operator to offer a data service superior to WAP. Good one

FergalBoards.ie wrote: »

that's the problem with Voda, compared to 3, they don't have a 3G infrastructure, just a few showcases.

Yes. Vodafone does not have a 3G infrastructure. You are totally correct :rolleyes:

Back on topic though, as for recommending Tesco Mobile, I don't think it's logical to recommend any operator that restricts you from calling people on another network, regardless of how few people are currently on it.

Dankoozy

plenty of vodafone 3g around the place, its just too many people using it

i dunno about ohtue, but you are sharing it with a bunch of twitting and facebooking i**** users

FergalBoards.ie

Fidelis, you can't just say that my experiences are wrong.

About a month ago I sent a picture of a certain setup to 5 colleagues to help them understand how to work it.

Sent from a Meteor phone. Only two got it "instantly" within an hour.
The other three got it within 24 hours. Is this "working"? I don't call it working.

As an experiment, I repeated this with a Vodafone phone the next day.
It took upto 3 hours for the MMS to arrive. Do you call that "working"?
All phones received SMS messages pretty much instantaneously, so reception wasn't an issue.

Working, is you send it, it arrives. Not hours later...days later, or in one memorable case with Vodafone...months later. (And it was an MMS from a Vodafone employee too).
That to me is "not working".

Yes, I do frequently get my phone saying "network busy" on Vodafone. I have had that problem consistently. I live in Cork city.

If I adapt my lifestly to have a lesiurely coffee in The Imperial or some other public venue like that, yes Vodafone 3G is great. If I want to browse a webpage on a phone in White's X, less than 4 miles from there, with a concentration of business parks in the area...I'm out of luck with Vodafone. I'm out of luck with O2. On 3 I get it lightning fast.

Even ignoring the specialist applications I use data for, do you call that "working" outside of a few showcase areas?

Compare the coverage maps for Voda, 02 and Three and tell me I'm wrong.
You can't just say I'm wrong because you want to. Even the networks themselves publicly post coverage maps that show I'm right.

As a fan of 3 (I work for them apparently!), it does on a theoretical level pain me to recommend a network that bars them.
But in the real world, in most situations, it doesn't matter.

And I presume sooner or later the regulator will get around to doing something about it.

It's not a large issue.

Where are the facts to back up most of what you say?
The reason we have rubbish, costly cellular service in Ireland is because people make excuses for networks' incompetence.

I don't.

senordingdong

Twenty euro a month and free texts on Meteor does me fine.

Tescos double top up does sound tempting but I couldn't properly weigh up cost saving unless I singed up.
But right now my expenditure is capped at €20 a month which suits me down to the ground.

From what I've read, I understand Tescos coverage seems to be good for some but bad for others and quite chopy outside of the city.

Pyro Boy

PAYG data bundles in Ireland are not great (3 would be one of the best). Tesco data bundles are pretty poor IMO.

99c for 3MB valid for 24 hours
€3.99 for 20MB (reduced from 30MB but no reduction in price) valid for 7 days

The data allowance is very poor if you compare that the other operators(vodafone,02,Meteor) give 50MB for 99cent

Nifdy

Tesco Mobile is joint with 02 so it's as good (or as bad) as the quality that 02 users recieve.

Fidelis

FergalBoards.ie wrote: »

Fidelis, you can't just say that my experiences are wrong.

I did not say that your experiences were wrong. You are using your own unfortunate personal experiences to make wildly inaccurate statements about entire networks. You said "it doesn't work at all on Irish networks" about MMS technology, which is such a laughable thing to say. I just did a test there with 5 work colleagues and all 5 received the MMS within 2-3 minutes. You must have exceptionally bad luck!

Yes, I do frequently get my phone saying "network busy" on Vodafone. I have had that problem consistently. I live in Cork city.

Well you are definitely an exception. The main operators have 97%+ coverage. From the sounds of it, the 3% of non-existent coverage seems to follow you around

If I adapt my lifestly to have a lesiurely coffee in The Imperial or some other public venue like that, yes Vodafone 3G is great. If I want to browse a webpage on a phone in White's X, less than 4 miles from there, with a concentration of business parks in the area...I'm out of luck with Vodafone. I'm out of luck with O2. On 3 I get it lightning fast. Even ignoring the specialist applications I use data for, do you call that "working" outside of a few showcase areas? Compare the coverage maps for Voda, 02 and Three and tell me I'm wrong.

Showcase areas? Look at the Vodafone and O2 maps, they cover every town and city in Ireland. 3's mobile broadband coverage looks excellent on paper, but I've heard nothing but bad things about 3's data and call quality from friends who have tried it.

You can't just say I'm wrong because you want to.

I don't want you or anyone to be wrong, you're wrong because you are.

Where are the facts to back up most of what you say?

My facts? Are you serious? Where are YOUR facts? You are the one making spurious statements with NO facts/figures/references whatsoever.

The reason we have rubbish, costly cellular service in Ireland is because people make excuses for networks' incompetence. I don't.

I can't speak for other operators, but I can vouch for Vodafone Ireland, as they have one of the best quality records in the world. The percentage of dropped calls, SMS delivery failure etc. are among the lowest in the world. So for you to come on here and say that Ireland's mobile networks are rubbish is just flat-out wrong.

I worked in Vodafone for over 5 years. I have made many, many informative contributions to this forum in the past. I was involved in rolling out MMS and 3G with Vodafone Ireland. I know what I'm talking about.

I won't be replying further to this thread. I've corrected all your inaccurate statements/comments so far and would only be repeating myself if I had to reply again.

schween

Who knew mobile phone networks can generate such heated debate!

Anyways, I find MMS to be dismal. Whenever someone sends me an MMS it normally takes 30 mins - 1 hour to get them, if I do get them. A few times it worked instantly but I just don't bother with MMS much because it's so much hassle.

I've rarely experienced network congestion except obviously at New Years Eve. I do remember a few times getting the network busy thing but it's so rare.

I'm with senordingdong on this. Meteors €20/month free calls and texts does me fine.

FergalBoards.ie

<snip/>

Other people may have been.

It just bears out my point.

"If it works in Dublin, or Dundalk, if it works for me then it works" is the attitude to customer care in most networks.

Out there in the real world, these things don't work in a set-it-and-forget-it fashion.

They work if you're in the right place or go out of your way to use them in the right way.

<snip/>
Vodafone's own shop gave me the wrong settings for MMS in August 07. The reason I had MMS at all is because of boards.ie.

When you pay for the "frills" of Vodafone, you are paying for people like <snip/> to "care" for you by saying "it works for me".

Go Tesco. You have nothing to lose.

And O2's coverage IS good. You will be better off on Tesco/O2 then you will be on the hybrid systems of Meteor and Three for voice because you will not have hunting.

Do you think I feel "cared" for by <snip/>' response there?

I'm still a bit of a Vodafone customer btw just not on my primary personal cellphone. Thanks, <snip/>, I'll remember your post when the time comes.

Boy I feel good about them after reading that last post.
This is typical of the "care" I got and why I don't notice the difference with Tesco.

The Corinthian

Let's tone down the accusations, etc. people. Only warning.

schween

FergalBoards.ie wrote: »

And O2's coverage IS good. You will be better off on Tesco/O2 then you will be on the hybrid systems of Meteor and Three for voice because you will not have hunting.

I live in Galway and I have great Meteor coverage all the time. I only have the hunting problem when I go to visit my parents which is for a few hours maybe once or twice a month. Seeing as it's my parents I can devote a few hours to them without my phone.
I guess it just depends on where you live, what you expect etc.

FergalBoards.ie

I would just like to point out there seems to be some misunderstanding here:

I did not accuse Fidelis of working for Vodafone.
I said that he had worked for Vodafone.

This is why I said that:
"I worked in Vodafone for over 5 years. I have made many, many informative contributions to this forum in the past. I was involved in rolling out MMS and 3G with Vodafone Ireland. I know what I'm talking about."

This is a direct quote from Fidelis in the post http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=63035619&postcount=19

I don't accuse people of things.
And my previous post did not mean to give the impression that I thought he is a current employee of Vodafone.

Kenny Powers

Give it a rest mate....:rolleyes:

The Corinthian

I really don't like where you're going with your argument Fergal.

The objection being made here isn't even that the poster in question has worked for a specific mobile operator. Hell, I've worked for Vodafone (though not in Ireland) amongst others, in the past.

It is that you made a personal attack against another poster. Don't. If you want to rant about VF or anyone else, do so (as long as it is not a mindless rant) but keep individuals out of your argument.

This is definitely the last time I warn you on this.

Nonoperational

No offence Fergal but you really are talking complete nonsense. It is just completely wrong info your giving out here.