Buying a phone - Agent or parallel?

[slofox]

So I am interested in a new cellphone. Vodaphoney will sell it to me for around $450 - including several accessories.

Some dodgy (?) outfit in d'Auckland will sell the same phone to me for $280 odd. Without the accessories. Parallel imported I would venture to believe.

Which of the two would you get it from?

[Jonathan]

No need to pay rip off prices from the Vodaphone. Go parallel imported all the way! I find pricespy.co.nz is the best indicator of what a you should be paying for your phone.

[Smifffy]

I got mine parallel. Don't expect any support from the network if you have phone issues. What issues would you expect anyway? I had a moment of regret when I couldn't get it to work on telecom, but then saw the guys in the vodafone shop, popped one of their sims in and never looked back. Telecom lost my lifelong custom over that one - think it was an XT screw up in the end.

You will probably get an adaptor with the charger instead of an NZ plug.

I can't see the need for the high prices from the carriers since they are making on the service anyway.

[wysper]

Check if you have any kind of warranty at all too.

[slofox]

Check if you have any kind of warranty at all too.

1 year...never had an issue with a phone anyway - apart from when I dropped it in the sea...

[Swoop]

http://www.parallelimported.co.nz/

Good toys here!

[rwh]

http://www.parallelimported.co.nz/

Good toys here!

I asked them one question about whether they planned to get some gadget, and they took that as an invitation to start spamming me. I have no plans to buy from them.

Richard

[slofox]

Expert Infotech Ltd or E Square are the two I have looked at. Anybody had any experience with either of these? Both cheaper than parallelimported.co.nz

[Trudes]

I bought a phone through parallel, it worked great, however, many of the functions it had never worked because they didn't match the vodafone network codes or some such shit, but as a simple phone it was good, just don't expect to get any help from any of the networks if it won't do something or breaks.

[slofox]

I bought a phone through parallel, it worked great, however, many of the functions it had never worked because they didn't match the vodafone network codes or some such shit, but as a simple phone it was good, just don't expect to get any help from any of the networks if it won't do something or breaks.

I actually want the GPS function to work...oh and the phone itself would be handy I suppose...

[Smifffy]

I actually want the GPS function to work...oh and the phone itself would be handy I suppose...

I paid a fair bit for my parallel phone, specifically for the GPS function. I find the GPS on the phone to be horrendously slow and not really suitable for what I wanted to do. I should probably have gotten a cheaper phone and a GPS specific unit.

I hope yours works out better for whatever you have in mind.

The GPS does work well for photos tho.

[Maha]

1 year...never had an issue with a phone anyway - apart from when I dropped it in the sea...

It became a squids Shelly Phone......?

[slofox]

It became a squids Shelly Phone......?

I'd been fishing on Aotea harbour - was walking back round the harbour and the tide had come in - had to wade through a bit where the cliff had fallen into the sea...all tangled tree branches and shit like that. Got feet crossed up in a branch, fell arse over tip into the briny...phone in pocket. Never did work after that...bloody useless things they are. Although, I did manage to save my address book somehow...

[slofox]

I paid a fair bit for my parallel phone, specifically for the GPS function. I find the GPS on the phone to be horrendously slow and not really suitable for what I wanted to do. I should probably have gotten a cheaper phone and a GPS specific unit.

I hope yours works out better for whatever you have in mind.

The GPS does work well for photos tho.

What make and model phone smifffy?

[avgas]

You phone is too expensive.

[CookMySock]

Make sure you buy a 100% supported phone, and make sure its unlocked, and be prepared to become an expert on it.

Steve

[slofox]

Make sure you buy a 100% supported phone, and make sure its unlocked, and be prepared to become an expert on it.

Steve

Could you please explain all that - in half syllable words for me puleeeeeez? Don't worry about the "expert" bit - that's impossible for old farts like me...