Crazy Meteor Phone and Bill Prices and no reward for 9 years loyalty?

Africa

Ive been recently looking into maybe upgrading my phone for meteor. Ive been a customer ever since they first announced the free texts for life, so thats many years. Nine years I think?

Anyway. Been looking to see if I can get an upgrade cause ive spent a fortune on credit at this stage, maybe even go that route of bill or bill lite. The old Samsung Tocco has overlived its welcome.

So I look on their website... well for PAYG customers it totally sucks. Some free credit? I want something on for a phone, i buy my credit anyway. So thats me getting chumped there. No reduction on phones.

So lets see... im swaying towards a Galaxy S2 or maybe the Xperia Play... ok or maybe Iphone. Heres what we have:

Meteor:
Samsung
Smart €30: €25*18 months + €249.99 for phone
Gives you 200 mins, 200 texts, 1 GB data

Thats still 250 euro for the phone and a fairly crap package if you ask me, very little minutes and texts. Min total: 700 for phone and that package, but I guarentee that you will get shafted on that and get bills of 50 and 60 quid a pop. Meteor are not nice with bill customers in my experience.

Smart Unlimited: €75*18 months +€149.99 for phone
Unlimited mins and texts 5 GB Data limit

So still 75 quid for 18 months and still only 5GB limit. and 150 euros for the phone. Min total: €1500

Xperia Play:
Smart €50: €40* 18 months + €169.99 for phone
Gives you 400 mins, 400 texts, 2 GB

What a rip. 40 euro a month for 18 months? AND only 2gb and STILL pay 170 euro?? Min cost: €890 and then get shafted on bills.

Smart Unlimited €75: €75*18 months + €119.99 for phone
Unlimited minutes, Unlimited texts, 5 GB data limit.

Im not paying 75 euro for 18 months with such crap data limits. Really meteor? Really?? Min cost:€1470 + whatever data you over use. The other 'deals' were of no value either.

Iphone (16gb model):
Smart :€45 * 24 months but free phone.
Gives 200 mins, 200 texts, 5 GB data (and then 69c a day over that)
NO free Meteor to Meteor.

So, free phone, but 24 month contract? Not only that but this phone is not exactly new to the market either, just to Meteor. And no free M2M, that'd eat my minutes and easily raise the price on a bill. Min cost: 1080 + getting ABSOLUTELY shafted on bills.

Smart 60:€60* 24 months but free phone.
Gives 400 mins, 400 texts, 5 GB data (and then 69c a day over that)
Free Meteor to Meteor.

Granted free M2M but that costs another 15 euro. Min cost: 1440+ but not so shafted on bills due to better minutes and M2M.

So if you ask me, Meteor fairly sucks to me at the moment.... so I looked at what good few of my friends (id say double figures anyway) have done; switched to 3.

Three:
Samsung Galaxy S II - 18mth €179.00 + €40 p/m
Samsung Galaxy S II - 24mth Free + €40 p/m
Flexi-units 350
Free Three to Three calls
Any network minutes 275
Any network texts 150
Data All you can eat
So total costs: 18 months: 899
24 months: 960. I also thought that the ratio of minutes to texts was better. I use webtexts a lot anyway so doesnt bother me too much. Plus the 350 flex which can just be minutes or texts too.

and Xperia Play:
Classic Flex Max €119 + €40 p/m *24
Classic Flex Max €219 + 40 p/m *18
Can take a Freebie to free text all other networks
Free Three to Three calls
Data All you can eat
Couldnt find the minutes or texts but assume its same as above. I hope.
So costs: 18 months: 939
24 months: 1079. Not quite as good as the Samsung difference, but better still than bloody Meteor.

Iphone:
Classic Flex Max:€40 p/m *24 (free phone)
350 flexi Units + Unlimited free 3 to 3 minutes + All you can eat data
1 freebie add-on included (which i would make all network texts for free)
And I assume the same as above with the minutes again. Whyever they dont list them online
So costs: 24 months: 960 and you pretty much wont use more than that from your bills. Problem is that 24 month contract, and its not exactly new either, and we all know what Apple are like for releasing new things...

So. To the purpose of me making these checks and such... any advice on how to go about a better deal with Meteor, or is it possible? Because I refuse to pay that amount, yet still want to be with Meteor (lets say its come this far and ive been loyal customer) or am I doomed to switch?

This was all done online, so is it better if I were to call their customer service or go into a store?

Any experiences or tips would be greatly appreciated. Some of my calculations may be off too or I may have missed something. Would appreciate it if you pointed it out so I can edit it in

liquoriceall

Hi Im not so sure about the 'smart' phone things but my plan at the moment with meteor is 20 euro a month for 200 mins & 200 texts, cant seem to find a better dealt than that with other networks so think just go for the bill pay 18 month contract theres a good choice of phones

Walkman

Flexifix 25 from 3 gives 200 mins, free texts to all networks, free 3 to 3 calls and free add on (eg 500 mb data) for €25. Better than the Meteor plan above imo

Ghost Estate

Walkman wrote: »

Flexifix 25 from 3 gives 200 mins, free texts to all networks, free 3 to 3 calls and free add on (eg 500 mb data) for €25. Better than the Meteor plan above imo

3 is the best mobile network without a doubt. Its a miracle the other networks are still here at all

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Kenny Logins

Ghost Estate wrote: »

3 is the best mobile network without a doubt. Its a miracle the other networks are still here at all

Where's the LOL button?

Davy

Ghost Estate wrote: »

3 is the best mobile network without a doubt. Its a miracle the other networks are still here at all

How the tides have turned

theteal

Africa wrote: »

Ive been recently looking into maybe upgrading my phone for meteor. Ive been a customer ever since they first announced the free texts for life, so thats many years. Nine years I think?

Anyway. Been looking to see if I can get an upgrade cause ive spent a fortune on credit at this stage, maybe even go that route of bill or bill lite. The old Samsung Tocco has overlived its welcome.

So I look on their website... well for PAYG customers it totally sucks. Some free credit? I want something on for a phone, i buy my credit anyway. So thats me getting chumped there. No reduction on phones.

So lets see... im swaying towards a Galaxy S2 or maybe the Xperia Play... ok or maybe Iphone. Heres what we have:

Meteor:
Samsung
Smart €30: €25*18 months + €249.99 for phone
Gives you 200 mins, 200 texts, 1 GB data (+ Free M to M calls and texts - fairly important to a long time meteor customer i would imagine!)

Thats still 250 euro for the phone and a fairly crap package if you ask me, very little minutes and texts. Min total: 700 for phone and that package, but I guarentee that you will get shafted on that and get bills of 50 and 60 quid a pop. Meteor are not nice with bill customers in my experience.

Unfortunately OP, payg customers receive very little from all the networks as far as upgrades go

The Smart €30 plan is good and it suits a lot of people - it doesn't look as good when you omit the free meteor calls and texts. All your mentioned phones can be attained on this plan.

Why not just go for the 12 month option? I'm not a fan of 18 month contracts and 24 months is insanity tbh.

€30 * 12 + €249.99 = €609.99

Alternatively you could buy the phone outright here for €545 + delivery.

Also 1gb of data is a sizable allocation, 2gb is more than the vast majority of the population would ever encroach upon (bar tetherers). "all you can eat" data is an effective marketing tool but completely unnecessary for a significant majority of users. I'm an extensive data user, 2-3 hours most days and only average about 600-800mb per month (very little video/audio streaming)

Daniel S

An LG Optimus 7 might be worth a look. Just got mine, it's verrrrry nice

Only cost €168.90 or €183.90 delivered from Germany.

smegheadz

If you are on bill pay and contract has run out it's like a rolling 30day contact. if you buy the phone yourself and change your billpay plan you are not tied down to a 12/18/24 month contract. those are hardware contracts only with upgrades or when you purchase through meteor.
This may have changed but i've been offered free phones if i sign an 18month contract since mine was up about 2-3 years ago. i've changed my plan about 3 times now. can't go wrong if you buy sim free cheaper in the long run.

EDIT:
As for the phones you mentioned. wouldn't bother yet.

September - December is a busy period for new releases, you have iphone 5, nokia n9 with the new OS (what i'll be getting), new winphone7 from nokia and other manufacturers, new droids too so all those you mentioned will drop pretty fast in prices, pick up 1 second hand pretty cheap too.

kellygav

Meteor rang me and offered me the iphone 4, the package with 200mins & 200secs with 5g for €45 24mth contract.

When i said i'm not sure he said "What would be the reason" i said that i get free M2M at the moment. He said "ok i'll add that to your package".

Thats €45 for 200mins & 200secs free M2M with 5g... Not Bad

I ended asking him to ring me back, i'm going to try to get the contract down due to the iphone 5 coming soon

Africa

theteal wrote: »

Unfortunately OP, payg customers receive very little from all the networks as far as upgrades go

The Smart €30 plan is good and it suits a lot of people - it doesn't look as good when you omit the free meteor calls and texts. All your mentioned phones can be attained on this plan.

Why not just go for the 12 month option? I'm not a fan of 18 month contracts and 24 months is insanity tbh.

€30 * 12 + €249.99 = €609.99

Alternatively you could buy the phone outright here for €545 + delivery.

Also 1gb of data is a sizable allocation, 2gb is more than the vast majority of the population would ever encroach upon (bar tetherers). "all you can eat" data is an effective marketing tool but completely unnecessary for a significant majority of users. I'm an extensive data user, 2-3 hours most days and only average about 600-800mb per month (very little video/audio streaming)

Lol, I had it explained to me in those terms too that I wont go over that a month, but I would do a lot of audio/video streaming.

The above one though (the Smart 30) does NOT include M2M free calls and texts though. Thats why it isnt worth it.

Africa

kellygav wrote: »

Meteor rang me and offered me the iphone 4, the package with 200mins & 200secs with 5g for €45 24mth contract.

When i said i'm not sure he said "What would be the reason" i said that i get free M2M at the moment. He said "ok i'll add that to your package".

Thats €45 for 200mins & 200secs free M2M with 5g... Not Bad

I ended asking him to ring me back, i'm going to try to get the contract down due to the iphone 5 coming soon

Very good. Yeah I wouldnt mind if they rang me for that. Im more likely to go for it then if I can get the M2M for free too; all my main contacts are Meteor and we stick to it for that exact reason. A lot have jumped to 3, but the main ones still are on Meteor (including the gf). Im still not impressed though that there is nothing decent for PAYG customers especially after 9 years

As to the phones I mentioned; perhaps it is better to wait it out a couple months yet and see how the iphone 5 or others will be. Only problem at the moment is my friekin Samsung Tocco is pink :P

theteal

Africa wrote: »

The above one though (the Smart 30) does NOT include M2M free calls and texts though. Thats why it isnt worth it.

that's new, it did, apologies, my info may be outdated

chrislad

Africa wrote: »

Lol, I had it explained to me in those terms too that I wont go over that a month, but I would do a lot of audio/video streaming.

The above one though (the Smart 30) does NOT include M2M free calls and texts though. Thats why it isnt worth it.

Smart 30 does include Free Meteor as long as you are keeping a number (ie pre to post or porting)

You don't get it if you are getting a brand new number.

jordainius

2 things never cease to amaze me;

1) That somebody would actually show loyalty to a mobile network.

2) That some people feel that mobile companies actually value customer loyalty.

Daniel S

jordainius wrote: »

2 things never cease to amaze me;

1) That somebody would actually show loyalty to a mobile network.

2) That some people feel that mobile companies actually value customer loyalty.

That's fair enough, but I stay "loyal" to O2, in this case, because the people in the store actually know what they are talking about. They don't hurry me out of the shop because I'm not buying something (I'm 17), they actually help. Vodafone are terrible in Ennis, Meteor are fine according to my brother and 3 seemed like they wanted me to let them relax by going away.

I also find O2 the cheapest for what I want and they have the "Golden SIM offer".

BostonB

O2 are no different. The best deals are for people joining the network. Existing customers get a worse deal.