bubble.tea
Sep 11th, 2006, 01:27 AM
Whatever information you guys can share, please do so, and I'll collect and update.
I'm a fairly small-time gsm connoisseur, compared with a lot of people out there; however, having been burned I've already learned a valuable lesson, so I'm going to go ahead and share it-among other tidbits of information.
Firstly, as with all sorts of b/s/t transactions the basics are key:
Local Trades, be safe-meet in safe locations, a pal is always good to be with you.
Distance Trades, Heatware or such reputable feedback is Critical. DO NOT deal with anybody without ANY established form of feedback-and if you do, ensure you get PAID, or receive the parcel FIRST, THEN fulfill your part of the deal. I CANNOT stress this enough. As good a deal as it sounds, DO NOT do it otherwise. It's amazing that I got taken for $105 and that was a hard lesson, but I even-last week heard of a couple veteran users on hofo who got taken for ~$1000 from JUST this type of scenario.
TO REPEAT: NO FEEDBACK EQUALS YOU'RE looking for trouble.,
So having set those rules down., here's the low down. (and for now there's a couple holes that I'd welcome feedback from our inhouse cellular sellers).
To get warantee for products you need proof of purchase from an authorised dealer. This is why you pay a premium when you buy it from Rogers (the buy-out/no-contract price), versus buying it from other sources. I should mention however, that unless you have connections, Motorola Canada for example will not do any warantee service without a POP. I am sure everyone would appreciate feedback on all the manufacturers so I can clarify this point.
So for amateurs who are interested in buying cellphones don't bother asking this type of question, because chances are-unless the seller is specifying "POP included, or warantee included" the phone will not have it-this is all a part of the experience of being a cellular connoisseur-on a budget :lol:. Mind you, of course there are authorised dealers in Canada that you can buy a phone from & who may offer their own in-house extended policies-so if that is absolutely key to you, that may be the way to go. If you don't really care, then haveatter :) .
~~~~~~~~~
The following really only comes into play if you're dealing with a questionable person, and you're unsure of what key things to watch out for when buying a cellphone.
Now I'm going to customize this how-to for Motorolas.
Motorolas have a liquid damage indicator on the rear panel (below where the battery sits). It is a chemically reactive white piece of paper that turns red when liquid comes in contact with it. This voids the warantee so if someone is trying to pwn such a phone off on you, say 'buh-bye'. If the sticker is removed, THIS in-and-of-itself voids the warantee. There is another sticker on the interior of the housing fyi.
My Lesson Learned :( ~ how Bubble.Tea got semi pWnd (http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=999500)
There are other things to watch out for such as green corrosion on metal contacts, and such. Really, fairly common sense things, but in the heat of-whatever you may forget about these checks. Of course if you're doing a local trade-I'm sure all reputable dealers would invite you to pull the phone out and make a test call.
Yours,
I'm a fairly small-time gsm connoisseur, compared with a lot of people out there; however, having been burned I've already learned a valuable lesson, so I'm going to go ahead and share it-among other tidbits of information.
Firstly, as with all sorts of b/s/t transactions the basics are key:
Local Trades, be safe-meet in safe locations, a pal is always good to be with you.
Distance Trades, Heatware or such reputable feedback is Critical. DO NOT deal with anybody without ANY established form of feedback-and if you do, ensure you get PAID, or receive the parcel FIRST, THEN fulfill your part of the deal. I CANNOT stress this enough. As good a deal as it sounds, DO NOT do it otherwise. It's amazing that I got taken for $105 and that was a hard lesson, but I even-last week heard of a couple veteran users on hofo who got taken for ~$1000 from JUST this type of scenario.
TO REPEAT: NO FEEDBACK EQUALS YOU'RE looking for trouble.,
So having set those rules down., here's the low down. (and for now there's a couple holes that I'd welcome feedback from our inhouse cellular sellers).
To get warantee for products you need proof of purchase from an authorised dealer. This is why you pay a premium when you buy it from Rogers (the buy-out/no-contract price), versus buying it from other sources. I should mention however, that unless you have connections, Motorola Canada for example will not do any warantee service without a POP. I am sure everyone would appreciate feedback on all the manufacturers so I can clarify this point.
So for amateurs who are interested in buying cellphones don't bother asking this type of question, because chances are-unless the seller is specifying "POP included, or warantee included" the phone will not have it-this is all a part of the experience of being a cellular connoisseur-on a budget :lol:. Mind you, of course there are authorised dealers in Canada that you can buy a phone from & who may offer their own in-house extended policies-so if that is absolutely key to you, that may be the way to go. If you don't really care, then haveatter :) .
~~~~~~~~~
The following really only comes into play if you're dealing with a questionable person, and you're unsure of what key things to watch out for when buying a cellphone.
Now I'm going to customize this how-to for Motorolas.
Motorolas have a liquid damage indicator on the rear panel (below where the battery sits). It is a chemically reactive white piece of paper that turns red when liquid comes in contact with it. This voids the warantee so if someone is trying to pwn such a phone off on you, say 'buh-bye'. If the sticker is removed, THIS in-and-of-itself voids the warantee. There is another sticker on the interior of the housing fyi.
My Lesson Learned :( ~ how Bubble.Tea got semi pWnd (http://howardforums.com/showthread.php?t=999500)
There are other things to watch out for such as green corrosion on metal contacts, and such. Really, fairly common sense things, but in the heat of-whatever you may forget about these checks. Of course if you're doing a local trade-I'm sure all reputable dealers would invite you to pull the phone out and make a test call.
Yours,