giffgaff, yes or no ?

[onionbargee]

Should I give it a try, or steer well clear ?

 

There are good and very bad reports about it, good thing is when I told Orange I wanted to leave their network they suddenly remembered about a much cheaper contract for me, so either way I'm winning.

[Northernboater]

I've had no problems with them, I moved from O2, good thing is you can choose your tariff every month so if your not using all your quota you just get a cheaper goody bag, bad news is if you use all your tariff within the month you can't renew your package till the old goody bag has expired so you need credit in your account to use the phone, the credit is deducted every time you make a call/text which can be costly.

I lost my phone and just put a new sim (which they will send free of charge anytime, so make sure you have a couple spare) in a new phone went on the net told them I lost my phone activated the new sim and kept my old number so easy.

As for coverage I believe they use the O2 network so on the canals it's only as good as the area your in.

Edited February 17, 2014 by Northernboater

[Guest]

Should I give it a try, or steer well clear ?

There are good and very bad reports about it, good thing is when I told Orange I wanted to leave their network they suddenly remembered about a much cheaper contract for me, so either way I'm winning.

Gift Gaff don't offer telephone customer support in the same way as the carrier they use (O2) do.

 

All their support is provided via a community forum like this one.

[CygnusV]

Should I give it a try, or steer well clear ?

 

There are good and very bad reports about it, good thing is when I told Orange I wanted to leave their network they suddenly remembered about a much cheaper contract for me, so either way I'm winning.

 

I wish it had been around years ago, it would have saved me a fortune. I now spend £5 a month (yes £FIVE) on my phone by buying 'Goodybags'. Get your family and friends on Giffgaff and calls to them are free. If someone phones you who are not on Giffgaff, you get a free minute for every minute they're speaking to you for you to use to call landlines and other mobiles etc. Their 'by the minute' calls are also the cheapest I've seen and the 'Goodybag also includes some free internet access.

 

Go for it, give it a try

 

Edited to add - the community help offered is absolutely spot on

Edited February 17, 2014 by CygnusV

[Richard10002]

Telephone support isn't everything its cracked up to be. Searching for a problem on Giff Gaff community usually/always revealed a solution. You can raise a special case with an expert if you can't find a solution elsewhere.

 

Great prices and very flexible - but not quite as altruistic and customer focussed as they make out.

 

We used Giff Gaff for over a year and only changed because we both wanted unlimited tetherable data - so got the One Plan from Three, (which also isn't quite what it seems).

 

If you don't need unlimited tetherable data, I'd go for it!

[jacloc]

I am on Giff Gaff too. Never had any problems, husband and daughter number 2 is on it as well so free calls and texts to both. I either just use credit, as texts and calls to other networks are cheaper than say orange, or I buy a goodybag when I know I will need some heavy usage. The daughter buys goodybags with data included and she also has had no problems, apart from she cannot use it when she is abroad, but that may be a good thing, but not sure if that is the Giff Gaff or the way she has set up her phone!

[Guest]

Telephone support isn't everything its cracked up to be. Searching for a problem on Giff Gaff community usually/always revealed a solution. You can raise a special case with an expert if you can't find a solution elsewhere.

 

Just to confirm I wasn't suggesting it is anyway inferior to telephone support just that people considering moving to Giff Gaff need to know there is quite a key difference in how you get help with your phone or account if you need it.

 

It is obviously one of the key ways they keep their call costs low.

 

I find Three's telephone support can be dire on the rare occasion I have had to ring them.

[Rich]

Should I give it a try, or steer well clear ?

 

 

Ovivo?

[jhoff]

I have giff-gaff - very cheap, flexible, and generally quite reliable. I have had some occasions where for some reason texts won't send, though, but this is rare - but when it happens it is very annoying and inexplicable. It just seems to get stuck for maybe twenty minutes or something.

 

But also, I have generally found that I have signal much more often than many other friends on other networks, so that's good.

 

Have never needed phone support from other networks, apart from once from O2 who were useless anyway. I tend to find online support is better anyway

[Psycloud]

Giff Gaff do use O2, in fact both are owned by the same company so you'll get the same reception/coverage as any O2 customer, just without the support.

 

Personally I find O2 suck around Willowbridge and I've now switched to 3 for my phone (we already used 3 for our internet). I used to have to step out the boat to make calls but on 3 I get a strong signal throughout.

[nb Innisfree]

When we moved house recently our Giffgaff signal was very patchy, involved standing next to the kitchen window. Only EE and Vodafone had decent signal strength so we switched to Ovivo on Vodafone, paid upfront one off charge of £20 which includes £15 of credit. This gives a free monthly allowance of 250 mins, 300 texts and 500mb, keep within this allowance and I don't pay a penny. Downside is adverts when surfing.

Edited February 19, 2014 by nb Innisfree

[Ten]

If both operators give you the same deal I would possibly go for Orange. Do they still do Orange Wednesdays? Two 241 cinema tickets!

[Staarek]

I use giffgaff, no problems at all, signal seems ok too.

[Bullfrog]

. Do they still do Orange Wednesdays? Two 241 cinema tickets!

 

Yes and Pizza !

 

David

[Ten]

 

Yes and Pizza !

 

David

 

And garlic dough balls?

[Sanddancer]

Giffgaff have just started a new goody bag which lets you tether.

[Richard10002]

Giffgaff have just started a new goody bag which lets you tether.

I think they have allowed tethering on their £10 goody bag for some time... The limit was 1Gb I think.

 

I think the latest changes now offer up to 5Gb tethered for £15.

 

Ill be switching to Giffgaff if 3 don't play ball at the end of my contract period in January.

[Sanddancer]

Yes but now tethering is with ALL the Goodybags, as for three had enough of them and their call centre

[Richard10002]

Yes but now tethering is with ALL the Goodybags, as for three had enough of them and their call centre

Just for completeness: Tethering is not allowed on the £18 Goodybag due to the unlimited data.

[nb Innisfree]

Update.

 

After Ovivo went bust we both took out a contract sim along with our Talktalk landline BB. £3.50 pm each sim, I get 200 mins, 750 texts 350 mb data, wife gets 100mins, 250 texts, 200mb

 

We hardly use our allowance so as there is now an app that routes 3 network through our landline BB, I at least will switch over to Three's PAYG '321' sim, 3p per min, 2p per text, 1p per mb. Much cheaper for a light user and simple to understand. Still the cheapest no expiry date PAYG available I think.

When we moved house recently our Giffgaff signal was very patchy, involved standing next to the kitchen window. Only EE and Vodafone had decent signal strength so we switched to Ovivo on Vodafone, paid upfront one off charge of £20 which includes £15 of credit. This gives a free monthly allowance of 250 mins, 300 texts and 500mb, keep within this allowance and I don't pay a penny. Downside is adverts when surfing.

Edited October 4, 2014 by nb Innisfree

[smileypete]

Update.

 

After Ovivo went bust we both took out a contract sim along with our Talktalk landline BB. £3.50 pm each sim, I get 200 mins, 750 texts 350 mb data, wife gets 100mins, 250 texts, 200mb

 

We hardly use our allowance so as there is now an app that routes 3 network through our landline BB, I at least will switch over to Three's PAYG '321' sim, 3p per min, 2p per text, 1p per mb. Much cheaper for a light user and simple to understand. Still the cheapest no expiry date PAYG available I think.

 

If Wifi calls are possible, Localphone may be worth a look:

 

http://www.localphone.com/

 

Works out 0.5p/min to geographic numbers which is cheaper than 3 even, also usually 2p/min to mobiles. They also do a monthly deal of £2 for 200mins/month which gives 1p/min to mobile!

 

They have an android app which is a bit clunky TBH but also work with an Android VOIP client like CSipSimple, the settings are on the help page of the LocalPhone site after you open an account and login.

 

Was a bit skeptical myself but gets some good feedback on MoneySavingExpert and was started by the bloke who started Ebuyer (that may count as good or bad ).

 

Anyway the minimum topup is £1.20 so not much commitment, once a phone is registered it can send CLI which is nice. Was considering TalkTalk myself but between 3 and Localphone that does for me.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

Edited October 5, 2014 by smileypete

[David Schweizer]

I have just read this thread, and feel I have entered a parallel universe. Am I alone in not understanding any of the Techie-speak?

[magpie patrick]

I have just read this thread, and feel I have entered a parallel universe. Am I alone in not understanding any of the Techie-speak?

 

No David, your not. I'm only 48 but pine for the days when a phone was a phone...

 

One big difference for me with all the deals they are talking of is that everything I use is via mobile networks unless I'm at work (council) my hotdesk (cheese and grain) or a friends house. I have no landline and no associated wifi to play with,

[Guest]

No David, your not. I'm only 48 but pine for the days when a phone was a phone...

 

http://www.doro.co.uk

 

Nokia (Microsoft) still do basic phones too, well for a while at least as it's rumoured they will ditch this market sector now that Microsoft have them in their clutches.

[carlt]

You could always get yourselves a Binatone brick, David and Patrick...

 

http://meetthebrick.com/uk/