advice please! - phone broken before upgrade date

warden91

I have an HTC One S which is dead on its feet and needs replacing. I've been a bit caught out by having a 24-month contract, basically my phone has died quite a while before my upgrade date, so I'm a bit stuck. My Vodafone contract runs until October 2014, and I don't have the option to upgrade until August. So I thought I'd ask here for any advice on the most cost-effective way to go!

I don't need the most flashy phone there is, but I do like having a smartphone for a few basic apps and maps, and having a decent camera is nice too. I don't use loads of minutes or internet data.

I could simply buy a cheapish smartphone in the region of £50, and make do with it until I can get my upgrade.

or

I could spend more money on a better phone now, roughly equivalent to what I have now, and then when my Vodafone contract ends switch to a sim-only deal (with Vodafone or someone else), which seem to be good value and with 12 month contracts.

or

Is there any way or chance I could talk Vodafone into allowing me to upgrade early?

or

Does anyone have any wonderful bright ideas?

thanks!

grumbler

What about the warranty? Most phones are supposed to last more than 2 years and it's a delusion to think that you have to upgrade every time your are 'due' for upgrading.

IMO the second option is the best if you can't have your phone repaired under the warranty.

Have a look at the best value for money smartphone - Motorola Moto G 8GB £99 at Tesco BACK IN STOCK!!

mum2one

now out of stock x

flashg67

I'm sure HTC have 2 year warranty - have you checked their warranty terms on their website?

warden91

Will warranty cover me if I've dropped the phone...? I dropped it early on, which I don't think caused the problems but did cause a small crack to the screen. Much later, when the phone started getting temperamental (the power button stopped working) and I took it to a Vodafone shop, they said I'd have to pay for it to be repaired, as I couldn't prove that my having dropped it hadn't caused the problem. (I don't have insurance either.) So I'm not sure whether I'll be able to use the warranty...

[Also, on the warranty statement on the website, one of the reasons it gives for the warranty not applying is if the defect was caused by "normal wear and tear". Surely two year's worth of "normal wear and tear" is what the warranty should be covering you for?!]

macman

No, the warranty is to cover you against a manufacturing fault. Not dropping it (accidental damage), not wear and tear.
Your building insurance covers you if your roof blows off due to a storm, it doesn't cover you if the roof just collapes due to old age/wear and tear.
If the screen is cracked then Voda are inevitably going to conclude that any fault is due to impact damage. Try the manufacturer instead, nothing to lose.

warden91

Thanks for clearing that up about the warranty, I've never been very clear about that, but it makes sense now.

Have been reading around online about HTC warranties, from looking at posts of people with similar issues it seems like unfortunately the warranty will be rendered void because of the accidental and cosmetic damage (screen crack and scratches on the body). I don't think these were the things that caused the problems I'm now having necessarily, but I can't prove it either way, so hence I don't think I'll have much luck with the warranty.

Given that I don't spend much money on insurance and the like, I'm at peace with taking the occasional hit like this, and I'll learn the lesson to be more careful with my next shiny smartphone (will buy a decent cover next time - why can't they be as robust as those old Nokias? ). I'd just like to try to make that hit as cheap and cost-effective as possible!! So back to my original question about what options/ideas do you suggest??

grumbler

warden91 wrote: »

I'd just like to try to make that hit as cheap and cost-effective as possible!!
So back to my original question about what options/ideas do you suggest??

Have you even had a look at Moto G?

http://www.gsmarena.com/compare.php3?idPhone1=4574&idPhone2=5831

If not, stop talking about "as cheap and cost-effective as possible".
Huawei Y300 for £40ish will be cheaper, but hardly more 'cost-effective' smartphone.

warden91

Yes, I've looked thanks and it looks a good option. Seem to be some reservations about the quality of the camera, judging by some reviews.

That comparison website is really useful, I didn't know it, thanks.

Agreed, that "cheap and cost-effective" isn't the clearest of terms, and is quite subjective, but generally I'm looking for something comparable to my HTC One S. So I guess I mean a reasonable balance of cheap and cost-effective, within that general ballpark of quality.

Certainly the Moto G looks a good possiblity that I'll definitely consider, although as someone else already pointed out above, it's sold out at Tesco at that price. (I've registered for alerts if it comes back into stock.) I've seen a few other places which sell it for about £130.

Interested to hear any alternative opinions too.

robbies_gal

just buy a decent phone now and switch to sim only if you can aford to that is

grumbler

warden91 wrote: »

Interested to hear any alternative opinions too.

I think anything branded and new that is even slightly better will cost you at least £150 more.
S3 mini, Google Nexus.