Buying a damaged phone

NEH

Mobile phone has given up.It was my OH's so was already fairly old and i think it's last more than 5 years at least so not doing badly....

However don't really have the money to buy a new one ( on sim only contract)


I'm either facing up to going back onto contract to get a phone, buy a pay as you go or the option i have considered is buying a used phone on ebay that is damaged and taking it to a local repair place in the shopping centre....

Been looking at things such as the Sony Elm or the W series would a screen cost an awful lot to replace? I kow it's probably silly to consider it but needs must!

Exhortation

Phone screens can be picked relatively cheaply on Ebay and Youtube is full of videos showing you how to DIY repairs. If money really is that tight I would suggest this is the best way to go about things. The other option is to buy a basic Alcatel from CPW on PAYG, ensuring it is unlocked so you can put your own sim in it (once you've used the initial £10 top-up, obviously).

Going the Ebay route, you are obviously relying on the seller being truthful about what is wrong with the phone. "Caveat emptor", as they say.

Kingsd316

if your not bothered about features and want it solely as a phone how about this

NEH

Exhortation wrote: »

Phone screens can be picked relatively cheaply on Ebay and Youtube is full of videos showing you how to DIY repairs. If money really is that tight I would suggest this is the best way to go about things. The other option is to buy a basic Alcatel from CPW on PAYG, ensuring it is unlocked so you can put your own sim in it (once you've used the initial £10 top-up, obviously).

Going the Ebay route, you are obviously relying on the seller being truthful about what is wrong with the phone. "Caveat emptor", as they say.

Hmm that's what worries me...

I bought a Samsung on PAYG from tesco nearly 2 years back but it developed a few problems hence why i had to have OH's phone....

Kingsd316 wrote: »

if your not bothered about features and want it solely as a phone how about this

That looks quite good and might be enough to get my through the next few months....Though why is it on 02 you have to pay 3 times as much...:mad:

It's just one of those luxuries that you know the money can be better spent elsewhere iyswim expecially when you knwo things are going to get tougher in the next few weeks...

Kingsd316

you could always go for the vodafone one as im pretty sure if you ring them up they will unlock your phone for free, (you better check first before you buy it) its a saving of £5 which all helps!

NEH

Kingsd316 wrote: »

you could always go for the vodafone one as im pretty sure if you ring them up they will unlock your phone for free, (you better check first before you buy it) its a saving of £5 which all helps!

Carphonewarehouse would? Or Vodafone?

Last time i had a phone unlocked it was £10

Kingsd316

It doesnt matter if you got it from carphonewarehouse, vodafone is who you would need to contact for unlocking it, and about a year ago i read somewhere (prob here) that they unlock their handsets for free instead of the £20 they use to charge, although you may have to of owned the phone for a certain amount of time, in which case this would be totally useless info!

Astec

CPW phones are nearly always unlocked, they've got loads of cheap phones if you look on their site. If your using a 5 year old phone I'm guessin you don't need loads of functions either.

Personally I'd never get a faulty phone off ebay unless it was top end, dirt cheap and to be used for spares. Pay a little extra and get a new or working used one...especially if money's already tight.

NEH

Kingsd316 wrote: »

It doesnt matter if you got it from carphonewarehouse, vodafone is who you would need to contact for unlocking it, and about a year ago i read somewhere (prob here) that they unlock their handsets for free instead of the £20 they use to charge, although you may have to of owned the phone for a certain amount of time, in which case this would be totally useless info!

Worth considering

Astec wrote: »

CPW phones are nearly always unlocked, they've got loads of cheap phones if you look on their site. If your using a 5 year old phone I'm guessin you don't need loads of functions either.

Personally I'd never get a faulty phone off ebay unless it was top end, dirt cheap and to be used for spares. Pay a little extra and get a new or working used one...especially if money's already tight.

Oh trust me i would like more features i jsut haven't had money to have them up until now....My phone i had two years ago was far more up to date than the one i have now but it was a just case of make do for the last year and a half...:p

I checked out a lof of the phones on Ebay and they don't seem to be as cheap as they were. I've seen people biddingover the retail price as well...it just seems you can't get a decent second hand phone these days as much as you used to be able to...

Astec

NEH wrote: »

I checked out a lof of the phones on Ebay and they don't seem to be as cheap as they were. I've seen people biddingover the retail price as well...it just seems you can't get a decent second hand phone these days as much as you used to be able to...

I think it's the mobile recycling sites, many people prefer to just sell there rather than risk being scammed on ebay and the like...so less used phones being sold privately = higher prices.

Personally I'd go CPW etc and buy a cheap new phone with warranty etc than risk getting a scratched up phone from ebay. CPW phones that are unlocked in the main, so don't worry about unlocking.

espresso

Surely this one here is cheap enough for you! Likely to be unlocked so any networks SIM would work in it.