Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

Hi

OH's mobile is about to give up the ghost and as we're heading over to NZ in a couple of months thought we'd try and get him one that he can use over there as well. Seem to remember reading something about vodafone phones and having it unlocked then buying a SIM in NZ which sounds complicated..... has anyone any helpful suggestions for two people who are not technically minded and need advice in simple terms!!!!!:confused:

Also what are the advantages of opening a bank account before you arrive - is it just as easy to do it when you get here? We're keeping accounts here anyway.

Thanks V :)

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

Go to Carphone Wharehouse in the UK - they are the only shop that will give you an unlocked phone for FREE. All the others charge you £20 for unlocking the phone and you also have to wait about 3 months before you can do this. You can then use whichever phone company in the UK you want to and when you get here (NZ) pick up a SIM card and change it. I thought UK Vodafone and Vodafone NZ were the same (WRONG) they would not help at all :sneaky:

Think you also need to buy a TriBand phone as a minimum (but I am sure someone will confirm this)

Good luck

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

Hiave a look on vodafone.co.nz and telecom.co.nz (their XT network) to see what you can get if you wait to get to Nz. Some people have complained that their phones do not work in the XT network, something to do with triband vs dualband phones. Im pretty sure an unblocked uk phone will work on the vodafone network though.

you can buy txt bundles to keep the cost of txting down if your on prepay.

I would suggest if you are able to open a bank account befor eyou arrive that makes it easier, you basically just pop into teh branch to present your ID docs for them to sight, and pick up your ATM card etc on the spot. Most banks are able to offer this, look at ASB, National Bank, Westpac websites for example.

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

Well....

I did buy a "Pay as you go" from carphone warehouse prior to leaving... Costed me something like 50/70GBP...

Got here, well it was locked & would not work on either Telecom or vodafone... :frown:

Bought a Sony Ercison on contract for $49 (the phone), with monthly contract of $30 something - Good deal if you ask me...

I miss my iPhone though!!

Not to forget that over here you signe for 12month or more, if you need to cancel they only charge you like $100 or somethin not like in the UK!!

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

I did the same as above with no problem what so ever :confused: - so not sure why you had the problem (did check before I bought that it was unlocked). I was using Orange and UK Vodafone SIMs in the mobile whilst in the UK, and then chucked a Vodafone NZ SIM in the phone when I got here. Worked perfectly.

Sorry that you were unlucky Matewx

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

YES! Bad luck is what am all about... :huh:

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

I put some techie stuff on another thread...

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=623995

bascially you DONT have to get a triband phone, a GSM standard phone will work fine on Vodafone and 2 degrees. You will need a 3G phone to use Telecom's XT network which supports iPhones.....

....and a CDMA phone which is locked to Telecom, has no SIM, and you can't buy anywhere else for the current Telecom network, due to be phased out but not before 2012

Hope this helps

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

[QUOTE=Matewx;7834374]Well....

...

I miss my iPhone though!!

[QUOTE]


why didn't you bring it with you? Was it on a contract or something....it'd have worked over here on Vodafone or XT if it were unlocked....and if it wasn't there are ways and means ;)

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

Hi, We bought a (T-Mobile, Nokia)triband phone for a reasonable price from Argos.

We then took it to a market stall on the high street of our local town to get it unlocked (I tested it after it was done by sticking my old Orange sim card in there).

Then we bought a vodafoneNZ sim card and prepaid credit off TradeMe (which was posted to us in the UK). The reason we bought the sim card on trademe rather than waiting until we arrived in NZ was because we were applying for jobs in NZ and wanted to put an NZ mobile number on there to encourage employers to call us. You can also get an NZ mailing address from http://www.privatebox.co.nz/ if you need one.

The phone worked perfectly and is still in regular use now (3 years later). Also, when we went back to visit the UK, we used our old Orange/T-Mobile Sim cards to use the phone there.

Hope it works for you :)

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

As far as I know Vodafone UK still do not lock their phones (certainly not their contract phones). Both my UK mobiles (both Vodafone) work with any SIM card in them. But I have been told in UK mobile phone shops that all phones are locked - it's not true. But as Rosiesue says its easy to check - just borrow a mates SIM on a different Network - don't need to wait 'til you get here.
It was Orange who started this locking phones stuff - even putting their logo on the handset - why??:confused: No don't answer that I know really!!

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

My phone was a cheap pay as you go from the Carphone Warehouse and I have had no problem with it over here. I was on Virgin in the UK and came to NZ and bought a Vodaphone sim card and it has worked perfectly. I didn't even think to check whether it was locked or unlocked...
The prices of phones over here are exorbitant compared to the UK so definitely worth bringing one over:thumbup:

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

Easy answer - cost of customer aquisition and churn. The average churn rate is about 20-25%. that means the average custoemr changes networks (in the UK) once every 4 years. In order to reduce this rate the networks lock the phones thereby ensuring a recoup of some of the cost of aquisition (and handset subsidies which in the UK are MASSIVE) and reducing churn.

The Kiwi model is a little different with longer contract periods for network usage and less handset subisdy....and of course with CDMA networks the phone is linked to the Telecom network no matter what you do.

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

Also re bank accounts. I waited until I got here as wanted to open an ASB FastCash account. It's the only one I could find that is completely free - I have a pathological hatred for paying bank charges when I am in credit but even current accounts here have annual and transaction fees :(. But you can only open one in person, however they do it all immediately and even issue you an EFTPOS card on the spot (has no name on it so no waiting for it to be printed).
Do you understand the EFTPOS as opposed to a Debit card - they aren't the same?

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

Yup - but far more accepted over here.....you can pay for just about everything with them

Re: Mobile phones and bank accounts
 

Ooh I did say don't answer - now you've set me off! I guess you work/ed for the industry hence you know all the techy stuff!
However I do know about marketing and sales......if mobile phone companies in the UK offered good deals to existing customers instead of only new ones (all those free phone adverts never apply to existing customers) they would engender some customer loyalty and therefore have less churn. I have been a Vodafone UK customer for 8 years in my own right and do get the good deals but only because I argue and threaten and wine everytime my contract is due for renewal, not because they go 'as a valued and loyal customer you will get......'
I will say they are getting better but the situation is entirely of their own making.
Also I do not believe the handset subsidies are that massive - I have been a purchaser of commercial mobile technology and it isn't that expensive considering how much smaller the market is. Again the phone companies sow the seed of their own destruction by changing them all the time, adding functionality no-one wants to attract the new buyer rather than keep existing customers.