SIM FREE in UK

SE e-shop 08705 238 238 They should be getting them in today, or so they said last week. Cost is �500

Just got off the Phone with them... Its 12:30pm.... and they say that they should be in "any day this WEEK" and that if i paid an extra 6� then i could get a next day delivery....
I am in two minds....
I could buy one today from www.mphone.co.uk and get it delivered by wed morning... but i think it will be old firmware (I think revision B)...
Or i could wait for eshop.. and call them every single day for the week
BUT I REALLY REALLY WANT ONE NOW.!!!!! :angel:

OH and i forgot to mention the price difference... and �100 more expencive if i buy it from mphone...

Just after I posted about the e-shop, I took a look at the esato forums (www.esato.com) It seems that someone else has called them today:

http://www.esato.com/board/viewtopic.php?topic=19561&forum=2&start=20

I have just spoken to the SE E shop and they still do not have a confirmed date even today the 24th. I spoke to Emma and then to her manager Adam. He advised SE could not release the unit sim free until a networked had released the phone and that was orange, they took all the free stock for the UK and re badged it. The stock the SE shop are waiting for has some new features !!??, A digital zoom function and improved night picture capability. Once they have delivery details he is going to email me the expected date.

So, I called them too, and spoke to Justin. He said he was still expecting them today, but they don't usually get their deliveries until around 2pm. He also said that they were still awaiting confirmation of when the handsets would be in, but if it wasnt today, it should be sometime this week. If you desperately need to get a handset, it may be worth looking elsewhere, as I suspect the e-shop are being given the run-around by SE. I know its not their fault, but it is mightily annoying.

Andy

What I have done, is gone on a Talk 120 package with orange and paid �299.99 for the handset. I was fed up with waiting and summarised this:
Orange do a 14 day no quibble contract termination, so if I find the P800 at a reasonable price in the next few days elsewhere (sim-free) I can take it back.

My main concern with buying sim free is the insurance side of things, how difficult and what price is it to get the phone insured if you�re not on contract, I would be using my Genie sim with unlimited text and internet facilities (I have found a way to configure even for dialup through a laptop using the free service).
So my plan is simple. I ether keep this phone, after 1 month drop down to the cheapest tariff I can find, using Oranges price match promise, pay the remaining 11 months contract fee so they unlock the phone, then use my old sim-card, or I return the phone within the 14days and buy sim free from SE

aren't you getting a bit bored of this too ephebe?

Seems like repeated deja-vu.....

There are rumours of an improved camera in the units being supplied to the eshop.. I have to say I doubt this, but it apparently came from Emma.

I'm sure you've seen the same thing as me in the esato post.

I vote one of us slips Justin a fiver and then gets him to ring us all when he knows more.. or someone send him a URL to these forums 😉

[quote="Andy_P"]
aren't you getting a bit bored of this too ephebe?
... <snip> ...
[/quote]
oh god, can you tell?

I've been in two minds over the weekend whether to ring up my local orange shop to inquire as to whether they have any left in stock. Problem is, if they do, I'm likely to go and get one - but I *reall* don't want another contract. I thought today that I'd leave it 'till around mid-day to phone Justin and I expected him to say, "whats your order number?" and then to say "Oh yes, we shipped that on Friday - should be with you today".

How disappointed am I? Still, last week Emma, and toward the end of the week, Justin were saying, "week commencing 24th". So nothing has changed really.

I'm not going to phone the orange shop - not today anyhow.

I did read somewhere on My-Symbian that there was a "new camera" coming. It seems to be from a different source than the esato message about the delayed Uk release. While I'm sceptical about an update to the phones ?hardware? I suppose it is possible. But, more than that, its BLOODY ANNOYING.

Anyway - enough of this pointless ramble. It must be your turn to ring the e-shop 😉

Andy

[quote="Andy_P"]aren't you getting a bit bored of this too ephebe?

Seems like repeated deja-vu.....

There are rumours of an improved camera in the units being supplied to the eshop.. I have to say I doubt this, but it apparently came from Emma.

I'm sure you've seen the same thing as me in the esato post.

I vote one of us slips Justin a fiver and then gets him to ring us all when he knows more.. or someone send him a URL to these forums 😉[/quote]

Just ordered mine (literally 3 mins ago) from SE...

They have no details on additional stuff or anything. Emma seems a touch saddened by the fact that people are quite so impatient about the dispatch dates being so vague.

In all honesty I think that although it would be nice to have a confirmed, set-in-stone date for delivery, there is nothing the e-shop can do other than their best.

I think that given the demand for this phone, eshop are doing a fine job, just think how much Em and Ad are having to put up with given our constant nagging.

just some food for thought.

Russ

[quote="chriz1000"]What I have done, is gone on a Talk 120 package with orange and paid �299.99 for the handset. I was fed up with waiting and summarised this:
Orange do a 14 day no quibble contract termination, so if I find the P800 at a reasonable price in the next few days elsewhere (sim-free) I can take it back.

My main concern with buying sim free is the insurance side of things, how difficult and what price is it to get the phone insured if you�re not on contract, I would be using my Genie sim with unlimited text and internet facilities (I have found a way to configure even for dialup through a laptop using the free service).
So my plan is simple. I ether keep this phone, after 1 month drop down to the cheapest tariff I can find, using Oranges price match promise, pay the remaining 11 months contract fee so they unlock the phone, then use my old sim-card, or I return the phone within the 14days and buy sim free from SE[/quote]

chriz1000,

I asked at the Orange shop yesterday if I could bring the phone back if I changed my mind. The guy told me that I could not unless it was faulty and that I would be locked into a 12 month contract with Orange. Where didi you hear about this 14 day deal?

You've been sold a bunch of crap if that's what they said - all networks offer 14day returns policy on new contracts (note - NOT upgrades), and Orange certainly do. You can take that phone back within 14days and the contract will be cancelled - you'll just pay for all the calls you made, plus possibly a 14day fraction of the line rental.

There is a leaflet in the box that says if you any reason you are unhappy, return the product fully packaged within 14 days for a refund and to terminate your contract , you will be responsible to pay for any calls you made within this 14 days. The guy in the shop pointed this brochure out to me, and said if your unhappy with anything in the first 14 day s bring it back. Well there is one thing I am unhappy about, when I rang customer services before purchasing my phone they said I could unlock the phone today for �20, so I went and purchased the phone, I rang them back, they said yep it was fine, then I got a call back 20 minutes later saying I had to pay a full years line rental up front. I explained what I was told earlier, and again the customer service rep said, well if you are unhappy return the phone within 14 days.
Hope this helps

[quote="labrat"] I think that given the demand for this phone, eshop are doing a fine job, just think how much Em and Ad are having to put up with given our constant nagging.[/quote]

Russ... I agree and have never said otherwise... It's probably more of a shame that noone has a contact inside the department which is responsible for allocating shipping for these phones.. then we'd obviously have more detail.

[quote="ephebe"]I've been in two minds over the weekend whether to ring up my local orange shop to inquire as to whether they have any left in stock. [/quote]

Ditto... I have just stood outside the Orange window thinking similar, especially with regard to this 14 day return thing. If only they weren't unlocked it would be a lot easier.

I've also just been toying with the idea of buying an import. I think that whilst it's a pain now, patience is generally a virtue and I know that an updated camera would be a reward for the delay and shut all those up who bought an import immediately... ( I still don't think this is true though..)

I ain't phoning them as they are probably really narked off with these calls now... I might take tomorrow's call 😊

I'm going to spend the rest of the day downloading GB / GBC roms for when I do get it.

:robot: <== no idea what that is

borg smiley

😉

Does anybody actually believe that stuff about new hardware..???... cos i am really lost about buying an import or WAITING!!!!! and then getting one from SE...
Also i had read somewhere that the "NEW version" of the P800 has the jog dial further inset into the handset... and also that it looks physically smaller... I dont know whether these are just rumours or whether they hold some element of truth...>>> anybody know anymore?? 😞

[quote="nrs5"]Does anybody actually believe that stuff about new hardware..???... cos i am really lost about buying an import or WAITING!!!!! and then getting one from SE...
Also i had read somewhere that the "NEW version" of the P800 has the jog dial further inset into the handset... and also that it looks physically smaller... I dont know whether these are just rumours or whether they hold some element of truth...>>> anybody know anymore?? 😞[/quote]

The "rumours" actually originate from expansys.com who noticed that on the proper release units they had altered the hardware design ever so slightly.

As for the enhanced hardware, I don't believe that is the case.

I would just place your order at SE and wait. I know it is hard and it is easier to be impatient, but then you will save yourself 100 quid or so for the extra weeks wait.

Unfortunately, I agree... 😮 😮 😮

@ephebe

Give em a call and see if they came in @ 2 !

8)

Your turn!

😃

OH my god... someone has just posted that SE eshop will only get them on 4th of march... please say it isnt so......!!!!!!
I think im goona go for the import version... (so what if its revision B - I can always upgrade later right?!?!?)

Posted: Mon Feb 24, 2003 5:20 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Spoke to Emma 5 minutes ago at SE EShop will not be getting them in until 4thMarch

Thats on pg 16 of the UK availability page....

Bugger :x

Well, you might be alright, then again, you might not. Some people in other countries have been refused upgrades because they have imports. Take a read through Esato.com's forums. The older P800 threads are in the General forum.

For the sake of a week, you may be better of waiting, or you could try FWDcellular, who have reduced their UK spec P800 price to �269 + contract.

oh well. 😞 good luck deciding what to do!

Andy

Jeez... 4th March would really suck major ass.

I'm hoping that by the time it comes it will be accompanied by a SE Chairman punchbag to take out my frustrations.

THe really annoying thing is, when I played with it in the shop, I wasn't completely bowled over by it. OK, it's cool, but because of all these posts I know exactly what it does, so there won't be much of a surprise now.

When you think that Hutchinson are launching 3g now before SE can launch the P800, it makes you wonder, especially looking at the (fairly lucrative) contracts on their website.

I just got too sick of the whole fiasco about 2 weeks ago and depsite the 'official' release just being around the corner, I said f@ck it and bought one from mPhone. I couldn't be happier. Have been using the phone for 2 weeks without a crash or any other problems and I have the R1B firmware!

4 of my friends now have a P800 in the UK, and all are (obviously) imports. That's 4 less sales of the (somewhat delayed) official units. I think there will be lower than expected UK sales of the P800 as it only appeals to a certain segment of the market and many of those interested will have either imported or bought something else.

My only regret about ordering from mPhone was that I waited until Feb to do it. I wish I had just done it in Jan. Lesson learned - don't wait for SE UK...

The rumours about a smaller P800 are rubbish. Some maybe have the jog-dial positioned slighly differently, down to a change of component supplier or some other such thing. The only 'reward' you will get for waiting is updated firmware, which, if my experience is anything to go by, is not worth waiting months for.

The funniest thing is that I've been into a Phones4U and a CPW and my P800 is the first the staff have seen!!

Just checked Expansys and they have

Availability: Estimated 4 Days
Released Tuesday 25th Feb

So it will be out tomorrow, but they won't have any until Friday - what a load of BS!! They have no more idea than us when they will have them!

Ok I think that my dillema has sorted itself out, and not really in the way i wanted it too but hey.... that's life..
Just told myself to wait untill the BIG tuesday 25th feb confirmed SE eshop date, and then if we go past that the go ahead and buy from www.mphone.co.uk
BUT GUESS WHAT?!?!?! -Mphone refused to accept my order as they too have posted on their site that they are expecting UK spec shipment this week, and therefore won't sell the imports for the time being...

GO FIGURE.... I JUST CAN'T WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!