Hard Bargain

Right.


The dreaded time has come, to my end of 2 years mobile contract with O2 and the hassle of deciding on what new phone to get. I am no gadget freak, as long as it gets dialling and I can hear the other person and vice versa I am happy.


i-Phone never appealed to me for some reason, probably because it looks too complicated for my taste. I mean, I have computers where I don't have to squint my eyes to play games etc, so why bother right?? And I am superorganize woman that I don't need a little machine thing to tell me when my next pantyliner shopping is up.


Anyways, went with N to have a browse of new phones (good lord things do move fast after 2 years!!). I am hooked on Palm-Pre (of course as primitive as I am I do still want to own a smartphone heehee...) But honestly it was N that was more hooked on it than me, and being a loving wife and crap, I said I liked it too. HTC HD2 looks fab but not yet readily available and I am not prepared to pay more than what I am already as a monthly contract. I mean seriously...£5 more each month added up to £120 in 2 years!!! And that's like......over 120 packets of Carefree pantyliners (with Aloe Vera added in may I add ahem) worth of supply! And if I use a pack a month that will last me *calculates with fingers and toes*.... 10 years man! whoa.

Anyways, it's hard to strike a bargain out there. No one really interested to offer anything apart from the standard package. But we bumped into this young guy in Phones4u, and he offered a month free line rental, and £50 cashback trade-in phone. Not bad at all, although I am bit heavy-hearted to part with my good ole samsung mobile.

Having rung O2 and asking if they could offer me any better or match it at least, which they flat refused, I decided best to go for the above. But then, it popped on O2 website just before I left that they will give the touchstone docking station as a free gift worth £43.98. So then on the phone again to O2 to clarify, and 2 of their staff were not even aware such free gift exist...I mean seriously...useless!. Anyways, they agreed to the gift thing.

So I rung back Phones4u, letting him know about o2 deal, saying that if he can't do better I won't bother driving down to town. He offered me £80 cashback straight today if I trade in any junky old phone as long as it switches on. I didn't budge so it went to £90. I could push further but having surveying the best deals online this sounds pretty good already so I agreed.

Got there, and believe it or not this poor kid made a mistake by offering to throw in free insurance worth £5 a month!! I was like seriously you cannot be right (bankrupt la pulakkk diaorang ni kang). But who am I to decline right? So he went ahead and called the service provider to upgrade, and realised he made a mistake and should not be offering the tariff on smartphones like the Palm-Pre. So imagine the carnage when he tried to backtrack....OmG it was hilarious! I obviously played the very very unhappy customer (note I was not rude OK), manager came as I think he heard our conversation. The manager seemed shocked as well that the guy had offered me the £90 cashback. Cut story short I asked for flat £100 cashback (only extra £10 to reimburse for my emotional damage)... and he agreed!!! Mwuaahahaha!

So I am a very happy bunny. Not only that, I didn't have to trade in my beloved Samsung as I found one of N's old Siemens phone instead.

The poor kid will probably lose £10 off his salary this month but what the heck, it's Christmas right? Consider it a treat for me :D