Carphone Samsung Fame for €35 and other offers!

margotoole

Hi everyone.
Have made it a bit of a habit to pop into carphone to see what deals they have and just found out the Samsung fame deal is back! You can buy it for €35 from them on Vodafone and you don't need to switch a number to get the deal like you had to before.

Also was told that you can get a Samsung s4 for free if you switch to Vodafone on the €55 plan or a Sony Z1 for free on the €35 plan but you don't need to switch a number for that one.
Checked in Vodafone and they aren't doing these offers so its only in carphone.

There were some other deals but can't remember them all!

Anyway, happy shopping!
Mags

sum41dude

Hi Mags, thanks for this BA. Was the fame for €35 on vodafone ready to go or billpay? And which CW branch was this?

margotoole

sum41dude wrote: »

Hi Mags, thanks for this BA. Was the fame for €35 on vodafone ready to go or billpay? And which CW branch was this?

The fame offer wasnt a contract so just usual top up. Think its in all their shops

TobesYid

Is this just in store? Coming up online at €90, only on o2 & meteor.

margotoole

TobesYid wrote: »

Is this just in store? Coming up online at €90, only on o2 & meteor.

Hmm I don't know about online. Definitely in store though.

flower tattoo

Got my daughter a fame for Christmas and had to get it sent away as it kept freezing. The girl in CW told me it was the 2nd time she'd seen that problem - just be aware

Simi

Is it €35 including top up, or do you have to buy a top up of x amount? Thanks.

NATLOR

Thanks OP my daughter is nagging me for one of these!,hoping its a nationwide offer

pogsick

NATLOR wrote: »

Thanks OP my daughter is nagging me for one of these!,hoping its a nationwide offer

It is

dodzy

TobesYid wrote: »

Is this just in store? Coming up online at €90, only on o2 & meteor.

Read the OP. Vodafone only ( not available online )

Canonfan

Don't waste your time finding that phone guys, they simply won't sell it to you.

On my way to work this morning I tried Henry street, Clerys, it showed available in the system but they will tell you it's a demo.

Bunch of lying ****ers.

NATLOR

Can confirm its on offer at that price for this week only,just got one in Enniscorthy branch

balfe1990

Canonfan wrote: »

Don't waste your time finding that phone guys, they simply won't sell it to you.

On my way to work this morning I tried Henry street, Clerys, it showed available in the system but they will tell you it's a demo.

Bunch of lying ****ers.

Why would they lie? To sell you a higher specced device?

You should probably heed their advice, these phones are burner-class, a one and done job. Very cheap and it will show in build quality, speed and longevity. Id drop the extra few bob on one that will last.

peckerhead

Except if it's for a kid who's likely to (a) refuse to put a case on it, and (b) drop it on the floor several times a day.
Least that's what mine do.... :mad:

NATLOR

peckerhead wrote: »

Except if it's for a kid who's likely to (a) refuse to put a case on it, and (b) drop it on the floor several times a day.
Least that's what mine do.... :mad:

My 12 year old's third phone in a year for exactly those reasons.Wasn't spending anymore than i had to

dodzy

balfe1990 wrote: »

Why would they lie? To sell you a higher specced device?

You should probably heed their advice, these phones are burner-class, a one and done job. Very cheap and it will show in build quality, speed and longevity. Id drop the extra few bob on one that will last.

Daughter has one. No issues. Granted not S4 speed but most definitely worth the €35. Its a no-brainer, particularly for young kids / teens. As long as the thing has wifi, a front and back camera, and can load apps, that's them sorted.

balfe1990

dodzy wrote: »

Daughter has one. No issues. Granted not S4 speed but most definitely worth the €35. Its a no-brainer, particularly for young kids / teens. As long as the thing has wifi, a front and back camera, and can load apps, that's them sorted.

Agreed, for kids and non-power users theyre perfect. But if someone needs a phone to get stuff done, they're not ideal.
I had a couple of cheapish Droids in the past and trying to do anything serious just provided headaches. But I suppose I'm a little bitter, 35 quid isn't a huge risk investment

rai555

Are they locked ?

styron

Available online now from €35: http://www.carphonewarehouse.ie/Product/strong-Samsung-strongGalaxy-Fame/238838/1.65

Apologies for what may be a stupid question - as a 'Vodaphone Upgrade' can this phone use an existing PAYG vodaphone sim? Or besides the number can existing call credit be transferred to the new phone sim?

Thanks.

RayCon

styron wrote: »

Available online now from €35: http://www.carphonewarehouse.ie/Product/strong-Samsung-strongGalaxy-Fame/238838/1.65

Apologies for what may be a stupid question - as a 'Vodaphone Upgrade' can this phone use an existing PAYG vodaphone sim? Or besides the number can existing call credit be transferred to the new phone sim?

Thanks.

Wont let me purchase@ €35

pogsick

rai555 wrote: »

Are they locked ?

As they are vodafone I can guarantee that they are.

FLOOPER

pogsick wrote: »

As they are vodafone I can guarantee that they are.

I'm looking to get one for my brother who doesn't want to switch network (he's O2 and enjoys the Priority).

Woud this be difficult/expensive to unlock for O2.

Thanks,

sapphade

i got one in maynooth. the salesperson said it was locked to vodafone but I tried tesco sim and it worked. maybe I was lucky and got an unlocked phone. Phone itself worth it for 35 euro . flash and front facing camera are great for young teens

RayCon

Tried Blanchardstown and Maynooth - sold out in both.

Blanch guy says it was a weekend only offer and they won't be getting anymore in (in any branch).

Maynooth guy says they hope to have more in by the end of the week but can't guarantee what day.

FLOOPER

Hi,

Just bought Samsung Fame in Blackrock. They have one left as of now.

Can anyone please tell me how to safely unlock this and how much it'll cost. Otherwise I'lbe returning it to the shop.

Thanks.

RayCon

Managed to get one in the afternoon in the same Blanchardstown branch that had none this morning :rolleyes: ...

Checked an O2 sim in it ... it's locked to Vodafone unlike sapphade's above ... anybody recommend a good Unlock Code seller ?

keithclancy

I have this phone, it is a pile of junk and not worth it.

Screen is tiny
Internal storage is small
Starts freezing up when you put any kind of background apps on it

In work it has been nicknamed the Samsung Galaxy Shame.

I got the thing for free as a work phone and I still don't use it :P

shot2go

i got one today in galway for my 9 year old she is very happy

would also like to unlock it if anyone knows what it would cost?

dodzy

RayCon wrote: »

Managed to get one in the afternoon in the same Blanchardstown branch that had none this morning :rolleyes: ...

Checked an O2 sim in it ... it's locked to Vodafone unlike sapphade's above ... anybody recommend a good Unlock Code seller ?

On the off chance that you know a Vodafone bill payer, they will have access to 3 unlock codes online. Immediate retrieval on entering IMEI of locked handset. Maybe a relation / friend ? A lot dont even realise this little perk is available

dodzy

keithclancy wrote: »

I have this phone, it is a pile of junk and not worth it.

Screen is tiny
Internal storage is small
Starts freezing up when you put any kind of background apps on it

In work it has been nicknamed the Samsung Galaxy Shame.

I got the thing for free as a work phone and I still don't use it :P

You do know its a €35 handset ?

That aside, your review is BS.

keithclancy

dodzy wrote: »

You do know its a €35 handset ?

That aside, your review is BS.

Yes, and if someone gave it to me for free I would still not use it.

Its just about useful for calling, for using the on screen keyboard the screen is too small.

That crap that Samsung install over Android must make it unstable, even after resetting to factory data the phone is unstable a few weeks later again requiring a restart.

We have a large number of them in work and they are all going back and being swapped out for a different phone.

Wouldn't bother wasting your money.

dodzy

keithclancy wrote: »

Yes, and if someone gave it to me for free I would still not use it.

Its just about useful for calling, for using the on screen keyboard the screen is too small.

That crap that Samsung install over Android must make it unstable, even after resetting to factory data the phone is unstable a few weeks later again requiring a restart.

We have over 80 people with them in work and they are all going back and being swapped out for a different phone.

Wouldn't bother wasting your money.

80 of them ? That's one miserable employer. As many have previously stated though, perfect for young kids / teens.

Not for heavy users or those with shovel hands

keithclancy

dodzy wrote: »

80 of them ? That's one miserable employer. As many have previously stated though, perfect for young kids / teens.

Not for heavy users or those with shovel hands

I would highly disagree, but that's your opinion

Had a Samsung Galaxy S+ before that and it was far better.

Have a Moto G as a personal phone and that isn't even comparable.

Baze

Friend works for CPW in Liffey Valley and said they have a batch coming in tomorrow and maybe Friday also, but that will be the last of them at this price and will be back up to €99 from Saturday.

I also heard about the freezing issue but was told that 99% of the time this issue only comes up if the phone has been unlocked by flashing. Samsung are apparently trying to make it harder to unlock these phones through that method and as a result, people that get them unlocked that way are having issues.

I can confirm this as I bought one of these as a gift for someone or Christmas and paid for it to be unlocked. When the person tried to do the software update on the Samung website, they got a message back saying the phone could not be software updated as it had unofficial software on it now (wasn't those exact words, but was to that effect all the same). The current software is the latest anyway, and so will be a few months yet before it's eligible for a software update via Samung, but when it does, that will make it run faster as the software updates usually iron out difficulties that show up after the first six months or so that they have been on sale.

If you are buying one and are going to get it unlocked, ask them are they rooting the phone or using an unlock code. If they say 'rooting' - walk away - and find somewhere that using codes as that way the original software will not be tampered with and your warranty (CPW and Samsung) will generally be honoured. Code unlocking tends to be more expensive though, as they have to buy the codes, whereas rooting and then flashing with altered software costs them zero.


As for the phone itself: the 'Internal storage' is most certainly not small, it's 4gb and you can obviously upgrade that with Micro Sim cards. Has a 5MP autofocus camera, 1ghz processor, 512mb of Ram.

Cracking phone for €99, but at €35 - it's a steal.

Here's a decent review of it:

http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_fame_s6810-review-926.php

dodzy

keithclancy wrote: »

I would highly disagree, but that's your opinion

Had a Samsung Galaxy S+ before that and it was far better.

Have a Moto G as a personal phone and that isn't even comparable.

You are not comparing apples with apples. Significant price differences there.

RayCon

dodzy wrote: »

On the off chance that you know a Vodafone bill payer, they will have access to 3 unlock codes online. Immediate retrieval on entering IMEI of locked handset. Maybe a relation / friend ? A lot dont even realise this little perk is available

Thanks ... although I saw this a little late ... bought an Unlock Code from an Ebay seller for €10 ... took about 30mins to get the mail , 10secs to enter the code then - unlocked and ready to go.

€45 all in ... not too shabby.

shot2go

ive a vodaphone billpay account il try unlocking it later.
daughter is delighted with her phone and def worth 35. if i could switch it to meteor now il be delighted!

dodzy

RayCon wrote: »

Thanks ... although I saw this a little late ... bought an Unlock Code from an Ebay seller for €10 ... took about 30mins to get the mail , 10secs to enter the code then - unlocked and ready to go.

€45 all in ... not too shabby.

shot2go wrote: »

ive a vodaphone billpay account il try unlocking it later.
daughter is delighted with her phone and def worth 35. if i could switch it to meteor now il be delighted!

For those who have access to a VF billpay account, to get an unlock code for any VF handset ( apart from iphone ) just carry out the following:

1. Login to My Vodafone
2. Scroll down to the section "Get the Network Unlock Code (NAC) for your
phone"
3. Enter the IMEI number of the locked handset ( *#06# will display this number on the screen of the handset )
4. Select "receive by email" or via text - the code will be received instantly
5. Instructions for exactly what to do with the code on the various handsets
are also provided on the site

RayCon

^ that's good to know ....

... unfortunately I don't know anybody on VF Billpay

richie.c

Thanks OP got one in Naas earlier today.

physioman

richie.c wrote: »

Thanks OP got one in Naas earlier today.

bought one in monaghan yesterday. staff told me 5 coming in. none at the time. i went to walk out and she called me back to say she had a spare one out the back.bonus as well was it was unlocked. grand for 35 euro.

razor12345

If anyone picked one up and isnt happy with it Ill take it off you

jmorrisey

sound, thanks :rolleyes:

thats not gone well

Picked one of these up as a spare phone in Jetland limerick on Saturday.

Was vodaphone locked, but someone on payg unlocked it for me.
the criteria is €127 on credit in the last 6 months.

http://onlineforms.vodafone.ie/nac/

Or login to "my vodaphone"
Code came through immediately and worked a treat.
thanks OP!

deisediva

Thanks OP . Got one in Waterford over the weekend. Its not locked to vodafone as used a vodafone sim first then tried my own Tesco sim card.
Seems an ok phone only got it for one of kids to use so should do the job fine for them

Blue_Wolf

Were you checking stock quantity online?

Canonfan wrote: »

Don't waste your time finding that phone guys, they simply won't sell it to you.

On my way to work this morning I tried Henry street, Clerys, it showed available in the system but they will tell you it's a demo.

Bunch of lying ****ers.

Blue_Wolf

Just be wary that if you unlock the phone you void the warranty. Open the box they won't let you return it.

FLOOPER wrote: »

Hi,

Just bought Samsung Fame in Blackrock. They have one left as of now.

Can anyone please tell me how to safely unlock this and how much it'll cost. Otherwise I'lbe returning it to the shop.

Thanks.

dodzy

FLOOPER wrote: »

Hi,
Just bought Samsung Fame in Blackrock. They have one left as of now.

Can anyone please tell me how to safely unlock this and how much it'll cost. Otherwise I'lbe returning it to the shop.
Thanks.

Returning it on what basis ? You did know that it was locked to VF ?

Blue_Wolf wrote: »

Just be wary that if you unlock the phone you void the warranty. Open the box they won't let you return it.

Cant see how a VF authorised unlock would void a warranty on a VF handset.

fryup

Blue_Wolf wrote: »

Just be wary that if you unlock the phone you void the warranty. Open the box they won't let you return it.

but what if the phone is faulty? surely they have to refund in that case?

Blue_Wolf

I never mentioned faulty. In the poster case she wouldn't be able to return it if box opened just because she can't unlock it.

If box opened and it's being returned due to change of mind then no you can't return it unless the shop decides to over look that.

fryup wrote: »

but what if the phone is faulty? surely they have to refund in that case?

Blue_Wolf

No, but not everyone has Vodafone bill pay account to unlock the phone.

previous poster got unlock code on Ebay. If phone was to be sent away for repair for any warranty issues the repair centre will just flash Vodafone software back on to it

dodzy wrote: »

Returning it on what basis ? You did know that it was locked to VF ?

Cant see how a VF authorised unlock would void a warranty on a VF handset.