mobiles.co.uk - anyone used them?

[RubiconCSL]

They are a subsiduary of CarPhoneWhorehouse and been around 18 years, so not looking like a fly by night company.

I'm up for a new contract, but there don't look to be any decent upgrade options, nor obvious contendors to get my business. I've toyed with the idea of buying a handset and then PAYG or a monthly contract. Again, no obvious winners.

I then spotted mobiles.co.uk. They seem to have really good prices, based on providing "refurbished" handsets, which they say are actually just handsets returned in the 14 day cooling off period (you still get 12 months manufacturers warranty).

i want an S5, as I've been very happy with my S3. They have a deal, unlimited mins and texts, plus 1Gb 4g data (which should do me fine), free handset and £28pm, plus with cashback redemption thingies brings it down to 23.50pm. I've been stung by the cash back before though, where the company disappeared. But this one being part of CPW and having been around a while, looks kosher.

So, anyone used them? Good/bad experience? Anyone know of a better deal than that for 23.50pm?

[Pompey1985]

I'd be wary of only having one GB of data once you make the step to 4G I do a lot more on my phone now that its speed is functional.

[RubiconCSL]

I had thought about that. Orange say I've used an average of 400Mb a month in the last year though and I even tether it on the train twice a week. I mainly use the WiFi at home and in the office to be honest, plus BT WiFi/Cloud when I can outside.

I can get 2Gb for 27pm and 5Gb for 30pm. I am tempted by more data, but if I don't use it, then it's £150 over the contract that I don't need to spend.

I wonder if I'll be careful knowing I have 1Gb, but a bit gung-ho if I have 5Gb and then actually go over my allowance watching films!

[Pompey1985]

I had thought about that. Orange say I've used an average of 400Mb a month in the last year though and I even tether it on the train twice a week. I mainly use the WiFi at home and in the office to be honest, plus BT WiFi/Cloud when I can outside.

I can get 2Gb for 27pm and 5Gb for 30pm. I am tempted by more data, but if I don't use it, then it's £150 over the contract that I don't need to spend.

I wonder if I'll be careful knowing I have 1Gb, but a bit gung-ho if I have 5Gb and then actually go over my allowance watching films!

I used to use something like 700mb a month of 750mb data since going to 4G I have been averaging well over 1GB (I have a 5GB allowance). This is mainly down to me now using PlayMusic most of the day at work etc.. and the fact that I use mobile data more because I know I can I don't find myself being conservative.

I only went with the 5GB because I got a good deal £18 a month for 5GB data, 400 minutes to mobiles and UK landlines and unlimited texts that's on sim only with EE using a Google Nexus 5 which I bought outright.

[RubiconCSL]

I'm erring on the side of safety and edging towards the 5Gb. Still only £30pm, with a free S5.

First though, I must cancel my Orange account and see what their retention department then comes back with. Did it last time and got a free phone, a huge lot of extras plus £10 a month off for the whole 2 years.

[Pompey1985]

I'm erring on the side of safety and edging towards the 5Gb. Still only £30pm, with a free S5.

First though, I must cancel my Orange account and see what their retention department then comes back with. Did it last time and got a free phone, a huge lot of extras plus £10 a month off for the whole 2 years.

When I told Orange I was going to GIFFGAFF having bought a handset they instantly knocked 50% off, then I said that still wasn't attractive and they bunged on an extra GB.

[Number 1 Jasper]

I'm erring on the side of safety and edging towards the 5Gb. Still only £30pm, with a free S5.

First though, I must cancel my Orange account and see what their retention department then comes back with. Did it last time and got a free phone, a huge lot of extras plus £10 a month off for the whole 2 years.

I agree Samsung are excellent , but I went and treated myself to an HTC ONE M8 . I LOVE it , stupid name , but brilliant phone .

[RubiconCSL]

Well I really ought to start work I suppose; it is after all, nearly time to go home. I have though taken the plunge. Very confusing to explain, especially after I also found that I could upgrade our home broadband to fibre at long last (for £2 a month LESS than we were paying for a crappy 8Mb)! A combination of threatening to cancel both the mobile and home broadband contracts, plus a deal they have if buying home broadband and a mobile contract at the same time and they removed the £50 fibre installation fee, removed the £50 charge for the S5 and upped the mobile data from 1Gb to 10Gb (should suffice).

I'd also forgotten about paying 12months broadband line rental upfront, saving £4.75 a month (so that's another win). So, in the end, I'm paying about £7pm less for the broadband/phone (and it's 6 times faster). For the mobile I'm getting 1000mins, unlimited texts, 1Gb 4G data (upped to 10Gb), for 30.99, which is about £3pm less than the old/existing contract (now that the last contract's great deal and discounts have expired) and got the S5 for nowt. I have though lost Deezer (seldom used it) and 30 picture messages a month (of which I probably sent < 10 in 2 years). So a reasonably happy bunny.

Oh and the car passed its MOT too with no work

In the end, I may have done better if I had a few more days to waste, but I was getting bored!

[RubiconCSL]

Oh and iguess I don't have all that fiddling about claiming cashback half a dozen times during the contract.

[Earl Grey]

Skulking away at the lower end of the market I've bought myself the Motorola Moto G 4G LTE (£135 from Tesco) which is unbelievable for a pretty damned decent phone, and it's unlocked!

http://www.tesco.com/direct/tesco-mobil ... 1-1231.prd

Its performance is incredible for the money - near to top end phones. And you get 4G at a budget price.

This is cheap stuff when spread over the lifetime of a typical mobile phone before it starts to feel slow and need replacing - say 2 to 3 years? - working out at an extra what... 4 squid a month on top of a Sim-only contract (my SIM contract is £7pm).

Of course it has drawbacks which, for some users, might be called major - camera's not great at 5Mpixel, the battery is non-removeable, maximum SD card capacity is 32GB - but there's not much else that's wrong with it.

Comes with Android Kit Kat (4.4.4) with no customisation to speak of so the stock messenger, calendar etc are just what comes with Android i.e. basic and needing of change.

I'd recommend it for those not blessed with deep pockets but who appreciate very decent performance.