Tescomobile

mathepac

As some of you know Tesco and I aren't always best buddies, but please check out their mobile offers for PAYG phones and services.

Top-up in multiples of €10 and they'll double your credit (T&Cs apply)

Now if your PAYG account is in credit, you can send 200 free web-texts per month to Irish subscribers on any network and 50 texts to international subscribers. (T&Cs apply)

It's a pretty good deal for PAYG users (I converted from a bill phone in may and can't see myself going back) their website is well geared to self-help and their help-line staff are actually helpful. I needed to compile a report from my on-line account details and the lady talked me through the process.

Check full details and T&Cs at http://www.tescomobile.ie/

Amouar

+1 for tescomobile. They also have the cheapest international call prices!

Note: it's actually 200 free texts not 300.

wmpdd3

I agree with the help line, I switched over and got my mother in law to do the same. I was with three bill, rang the helpline once....never again.

I called the tesco one to give them the laser card no. so I could top up by text and they were lovely, seriously couldn't do enough.

Then my mother in law called up and they talked her through setting up internet and MMS for her unlocked Vodafone phone.... god help them. She said they were lovely to deal with.

danjo-xx

Been with Tesco for quite a few months now and was very sceptical at first as anything that looks too good to be true......usually is.

They are not hear just to soly gain market share and then up prices as they are using the O2 network and will have to keep ahead of the possy.

Does them good all round though. Paul the rep from tesco on the mobile forum is very helpful too.

every little helps.

mathepac

Just had a txt from them to tell me that the cost of text messages will increase to 10c from 20th Feb, but you now have 250 free webtexts, so that can be good news or bad news depending on how you send your messages. T&Cs and full details at www.texcomobile.ie/other-call-charges.aspx

danjo-xx

Still 2/3c cheaper than the rest though.

JTMan

mathepac wrote: »

Just had a txt from them to tell me that the cost of text messages will increase to 10c from 20th Feb, but you now have 250 free webtexts, so that can be good news or bad news depending on how you send your messages. T&Cs and full details at www.tescomobile.ie/other-call-charges.aspx

The price comparison on the Tesco Mobile website for text message prices is highly misleading. The table says "all mobile networks in Ireland" but yet excluded Postfone who charge 9 cent per text. Also the comparison fails to mention that almost every other network, except Tesco, offers free any network to any network text messages as part of top up bundles. Grossly misleading.

mathepac

Excellent feedback fungus. Have you addressed this with Paul in the Tesco thread or provided direct feedback to Tesco themselves? This is a good example of getting insight into ambiguous or misleading advertising for users and providers alike.

Kotek Besar

Amouar wrote: »

+1 for tescomobile. They also have the cheapest international call prices!

Not for UK mobiles. Tesco charge twice as much as Meteor. 20c per minute, compared with Meteor's 10c per minute.

That's the reason I'm sticking with Meteor.

danjo-xx

Fungus wrote: »

The price comparison on the Tesco Mobile website for text message prices is highly misleading. The table says "all mobile networks in Ireland" but yet excluded Postfone who charge 9 cent per text. Also the comparison fails to mention that almost every other network, except Tesco, offers free any network to any network text messages as part of top up bundles. Grossly misleading.

Who!!!!!!!:D

ah in all fairness I think most of us are only interested in the front runners and until a newbie like Postfone etc can start to compete across the board with the fat cats then let's not get to pedantic.

I can't see a flood of tesco customers going over to Postfone now can you:D

Kotek Besar

Technically Postfone is not a "mobile network" - it's an MVNO. Like Tesco Mobile themselves, and like eMobile.

CricketDude

Has anyone else notice the 3G on tescomobile is going shockingly slow since about the last month.

ShamoBuc

I've been with Tesco payg for about 2 years - never had a problem. Great coverage and 100% top up bonus - happy days!

Simi

Their customer service is good. They're fairly competitive price wise, but their 3g speeds are dire usually topping out at ~400kbps with a horrible QOS. It's fine for non-smartphone ppl., but kinda useless for the rest of us.

wmpdd3

CricketDude wrote: »

Has anyone else notice the 3G on tescomobile is going shockingly slow since about the last month.

I have heard so many people say this but I think its really fast, I use it most days... just to use up credit:D I can only vouch for the south east, but I spent 2 and a half hours reading articles and listening to podcasts in a hospital waiting room last week with out a blip. Do you watch video on it?

crushproof

Cost of texting has dropped to 10c.
If you call abroad alot there's really no one else who beats them, Canada is only 0.02c a minute for calls to mobiles, crazy prices.

podge3

I was with Tescomobile for a few years and used to regularly recommend the service to others. However my opinion of them completely changed when I tried to switch over to O2.

First off, I had trouble with the porting process although this was down to O2 more-so than TM.

When I finally got my number ported over it went dead after a few hours. Turns out that Tesco "took back" my number :mad:.

I have never dealt with such an incompetent bunch in my life in the resultant battle to get my phone back on O2. While they could take my number back completely without authorization, it took them 3 days to port it back to O2 due to "procedures" that had to be followed. I never got an apology or explanation for why they had taken my number back.

I would rather use 2 tins cans and a piece of wire than Tescomobile.

thesandeman

mathepac wrote: »

Excellent feedback fungus. Have you addressed this with Paul in the Tesco thread or provided direct feedback to Tesco themselves? This is a good example of getting insight into ambiguous or misleading advertising for users and providers alike.

Where is that?
It doesnt seem to be in the Talk To forum.

vicwatson

Paul is a legend with Tesco Mobile (thus far), fair play Paul

CricketDude

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I have heard so many people say this but I think its really fast, I use it most days... just to use up credit:D I can only vouch for the south east, but I spent 2 and a half hours reading articles and listening to podcasts in a hospital waiting room last week with out a blip. Do you watch video on it?

its not actually fast enough to watch video most of the time. im usually in dublin city center.
if you run speedtest you see that if you are very, very lucky you might get 300k or 400k on a good day. i just did a speedtest now and its only 70k but do the same thing on an o2 3g phone and it gets 3mbps on average. and its supposed to be the same network.

i know they are limited to 1mb but you have no hope of getting anywhe near this.

it was great at first but it now seems to be slower every week.

JTMan

mathepac wrote: »

Excellent feedback fungus. Have you addressed this with Paul in the Tesco thread or provided direct feedback to Tesco themselves? This is a good example of getting insight into ambiguous or misleading advertising for users and providers alike.

Thanks Mathepac.

Good idea. I will address this directly with Paul. All mobile providers are at the same game of misleading their customers. Transparency is non existent.

unkel

mathepac wrote: »

Now if your PAYG account is in credit, you can send 200 free web-texts per month to Irish subscribers on any network and 50 texts to international subscribers.

Meh. Vodafone PAYG gives 600 free web texts per month world wide...

wmpdd3

Fungus wrote: »

The price comparison on the Tesco Mobile website for text message prices is highly misleading. The table says "all mobile networks in Ireland" but yet excluded Postfone who charge 9 cent per text. Also the comparison fails to mention that almost every other network, except Tesco, offers free any network to any network text messages as part of top up bundles. Grossly misleading.

I agree most other networks give you free texts calls to anyone on their network, but I rather just get the free credit every time I top up, not just every month..

I cant remember who's on what network anymore. But my sisters have free calls to each other on Meteor every month if they top up by €20, this could bankrupt Meteor!!

JTMan

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I agree most other networks give you free texts calls to anyone on their network,

No. Most other operators give free text messages to anyone on any network. Tesco restrict you to free texts to Tesco customers.

wmpdd3 wrote: »

but I rather just get the free credit every time I top up, not just every month..

Huh? I don't understand your sentence.

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I cant remember who's on what network anymore. But my sisters have free calls to each other on Meteor every month if they top up by €20, this could bankrupt Meteor!!

This will not bankrupt anyone. Meteor are a highly profitable part of the Eircom group.

wmpdd3

Please note exclamation marks after bankrupt remark.


I only have experience of Meteor as I said, my sisters top up by €20 per month and get free calls to each other and free texts to meteor only afaik.

I prefer just getting the extra €10 every time I top up.

I wasnt aware other networks give you free texts to all other networks, that a great offer but I wouldnt spend more than €10 per month. I really am a very low usage customer.

I spend €6 on data and €14 on calls and I get this for €10 per month, more than enough for me.

Kotek Besar

crushproof wrote: »

If you call abroad alot there's really no one else who beats them

Meteor beats them, for calls to UK mobiles.

Tesco Mobile are double the price of Meteor for such calls. 20c per min verses Meteor's 10c per min.

Kotek Besar

wmpdd3 wrote: »

I prefer just getting the extra €10 every time I top up.

There are conditions to this "free doubling of credit" though, aren't there.

The free credit doesn't go in to your normal credit balance for normal use, it goes in to a separate "pot" on the PAYG account for use only for certain calls. For example, you can't use it for any international calls at all.

Tesco really shouldn't be misleading in their advertising and should tell the public what the offer really is. People are getting the impression that you buy a €10 top-up and Tesco credit you €20. This simply isn't so.

JTMan

crushproof wrote: »

If you call abroad alot there's really no one else who beats them

Rubbish.

3's gocall.ie service offers lower priced calls than Tesco to most, but not all, locations.

Meteor have some good offers via their free international calling add-on.

Kotek Besar

Fungus wrote: »

Meteor have some good offers via their free international calling add-on.

For clarity, Meteor's international calling add-on is free - you just need to text "international" to 50104 to opt-in. I don't really understand why they make it necessary to do this though - why not just make this rate standard for all?

danjo-xx

I wish we could all go back to the horse and cart life was so uncomplicated then:D

We'd all want to be bloody solicitors now:(

mathepac

Kotek Besar wrote: »

... Tesco really shouldn't be misleading in their advertising and should tell the public what the offer really is. People are getting the impression that you buy a €10 top-up and Tesco credit you €20. This simply isn't so.

Oh yes it is! I am a Tesco customer since May 2011 and when I top up in multiples of €10 they double my credit, always, every single time. Yes the free credit is in a different pot and it gets used first but it's always there. The reason it gets used first is because it has a use-by date, which Tesco are open about, but they take it first. I don't use the phone for UK calls so I'm indifferent to Tesco's charges for them.