Smartphone coverage is clearly, very important when you’re finding what phone is right for you.Whatphone has some helpful hints to guarantee you get the best coverage for you.
Whatphone tries to understand you better so we can design a site which will help you make your Smartphone choice quickly, safely, and get on with more important things in your live – like playing with your new purchase !
As a result, we talk to people all day every day about their Smartphones and what they think about when they’re just about to buy. Clearly, price is an important consideration . When you’re just about to pick up a shiny new Galaxy SIII, you want to know you got the best deal across all the operators. AND, talk to anyone, absolutely everyone, about what else is important to them and they will tell you they want good Smartphone coverage from their network. Of course they do.
What’s the point in having a Smartphone if you’re not connected to the network.
WhatPhone has looked in to this important question and, as usual, can tell you ‘don’t worry!’ Smartphone coverage can be guaranteed and here’s how.
First of all, the TIO, the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman requires the telcos to play fair. In their Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code of practice for the industry issued in May 2012 and available on their website free of charge ( although it’s 102 pages long ! ) they set out standards of ‘fair play’ that you can expect from your telco. ( Telcos are just telecommunications companies like Optus, Telstra, Virgin Mobile or Vodafone )
What you can expect includes operators not claiming coverage in their marketing materials where they do not have it, offering you realistic information on where they have coverage ( “Which may include a map or diagram of mobile coverage” – in fact, most of the operators have a coverage checker on their website ) and that claims they make about things like network speeds are realistic.
On top of what they are obliged to do, and this is the key point, all of the major operators that we offer on our site: Telstra, Virgin Mobile, Vodafone and Optus offer a Smartphone coverage guarantee. That means that if you buy a phone and you have smartphone coverage problems in your area then you can take the device back to where you bought it and get your money back. It’s as simple as that !
Note : Each of the telcos will want you to call their customer service teams and work with them to establish that there really is a problem – which is fair enough really.
Of course, at Whatphone, we hear horror stories all the time of ‘misunderstandings’ with the telcos so, we suggest that you check out the specifics with the telcos. We find their chat facilities helpful on each of the operator’s online store websites. We recommend that you confirm the guarantee with the agent in writing and take a screenshot of your chat conversation so there are no questions later on if there is a problem with your smartphone coverage !
Vodafone have made a splash with their network coverage guarantee, covering it in their ATL ( Above The Line ) promotional materials- essentially using it as part of the marketing claims they put on TV and other communications mediums. Optus and Telstra want to stand apart from Vodafone and don’t want to call the quality of their networks in to doubt by having to reassure customers that there is a network coverage guarantee – you’ll probably actually have to ask an Optus or Telstra representative about the network coverage guarantee facility to find out about it – which is why we recommend the chat option.
But that’s it ! There’s not thing to worry about and here, actually, the telcos are going beyond what the regulator has obliged them to do – and, as a result, you can sleep easy – no need to worry about your Smartphone coverage.
So, you’re clear on what your rights are and feel reassured about your network choice ?! Brilliant ! Not we can get on with the far more enjoyable job of helping you find Whatphone is right for you.