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Ovivo - Network Guy

9 replies

ChasingSquirrels · 04/04/2013 16:49

Hi Network Guy,

I've just seen a post of yours on another thread about Ovivo and had a look at them - seems to good to be true and thought I would ask what you know about them.

I have an S2 on a T-mobile 24 month contract which is just about to end.
I am considering a phone upgrade but am more likely to just keep the S2 and change contract to reduce costs.

I am currently getting 300 mins, 300 texts, Flexible booster (mostly I have free landline calls so that 300 mins are just used for mobile - mobile calls, but change to Euro booster on the few occasions we go abroad) and unlimited internet.

Looking at my calls and texts I use under 100 each a month (but this excludes landline calls which are unlimited and therefore uncounted) and 3G Watchdog is telling me my anticipated internet usage is around 200MB (although I am only about 10 days into the month - and can't get any information about previous months to check whether this is average for me).

On that basis Ovivo looks like it would be a fab deal for me - £15 up front and that would be it.

Am I missing something???

Finally (!!) how do I go about getting my S2 unlocked from T-mobile once my contract ends?

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ChasingSquirrels · 04/04/2013 16:53

hmm,and just saw you mention tethering on another thread - I do that sometimes (v occasionally, and I don't think it will be an issue if I can't).

Would I be able to on Ovivo? Presumably it just uses up the internet allowance - at the moment I have unlimited internet and tethering doesn't show up anywhere (on my bills/usage).

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NetworkGuy · 05/04/2013 00:41

I have not used them, to be honest, but am considering them.

I believe they use the Vodafone network so yes, you'd need to get the phone unlocked (ask T-Mobile how much). I asked them the other day about the Sony Xperia Tipo and was told "about 10 pounds" but there may be different charges depending on the phone... I asked at a grubby little shop and was told "expensive" without being told how much (but it was nearly 5 on the dot and the guy might have just wanted to get home). I had no plan to get it done at the time, just testing the water (and when I asked O2, which supplied my Tipo as a refurbished PAYG for 50 quid, they said 15). The Samsung S2 may be more costly, or could be free, even, depending on how much you've spent with them over the period of your contract.

I would suggest using their online chat facility to ask, or just ring them up (!)

Back to Ovivo, yes, it foes look rather astonishing, and i've seen minor speculation that it's a bit like a pyramid scheme, as the charge has increased from 10 quid for the SIM last year. (Pyramid on the basis of newcomers are paying for the cost of the network's cost based on the deal they must have to pay Vodafone, and that eventually they might end up with a big bill from Vodafone, not enough income from new customers - the supply of purchasors may dry up one day! and everything stops... at which point Ovivo users might become Vodafone users, and have Voda charges to pay.)

On a different thread I posted the deal someone had from T-Mobile :

Finally got my T-Mobile contract renewed.

Got this for £7.50: 600 mins 5000 texts 500 T-Mobile mins
+ 1 gb data with unlimited browsing and 3 GB wifi

I suggest you get your phone unlocked, and then when you are 30 days from end of contract, ask for your PAC (as if you had already decided to go elsewhere). You may get a call within hours offering a new phone or better deal.

Best to have seen alternatives (ignore the Ovivo option - the other networks won't match it any time soon) to be able to haggle a bundle of minutes etc down to a price you like... and then carefully consider whether you want to risk Ovivo or pay a regular fee.

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NetworkGuy · 05/04/2013 00:43

Incidentally, SMS Backup+ (author: Jan Berkel) logs details of all calls made/received as well as text messages, into your GMail account, so it would also log the duration (in seconds, sadly) of your landline calls...

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NetworkGuy · 05/04/2013 00:48

I'll see if I can find out on the Ovivo web site about tethering, and you could also take a look... it might be prominent on the site that they don't offer it. I know GiffGaff does {as a 5 quid for 1 GB extra each month}, and Three does (but only on their most expensive plan, the One Plan)

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ChasingSquirrels · 05/04/2013 08:33

Thanks! I couldn't see anything about tethering so will check that out further. How do they stop you doing / know you are doing it - as opposed to just using data on phone?

Main thought on the Ovivo deal is even if it changes later, at £15 for the SIM it doesn't have to last long for it to have been worth it.

Will ring t-mobile, contract says 30 days notice not to roll onto new contract - so have a couple of weeks before that.

Have unfortunately hidden this thread while scrolling down, hopefully I can still get into it!

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NetworkGuy · 05/04/2013 11:39

Can you still find it? I will PM a link, just in case, so you can still find it!

I know there's something on Site Stuff about how to find 'hidden' threads
(as I can never remember... I only use a fraction of the facilities on MN!)

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NetworkGuy · 05/04/2013 11:41

Yes, the one-off fee makes it worthwhile even if it only lasted a couple of months! I have just had one mobile unlocked free using a site called FreeUnlocks.com (by signing up for a free trial of NowTV.com, owned by Sky... must remember to cancel it, as it's not going to work on this Mac anyway!)

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ChasingSquirrels · 05/04/2013 12:10

I put it in my watch list so it still comes up there, but thanks!
I know I can unhide it somehow, but .....

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RustyBear · 05/04/2013 22:14

To unhide a thread - scroll to the bottom of the Active convos page and there's a link 'Manage hidden threads' Click on it and you'll get a dialogue box listing your hidden threads and you can unhide the ones you want to see again.

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