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FREE Samsung E3210 from Telechoice with Optus $5 Postpaid Card + Optus Thongs: ) LOCKED TO OPT

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FREE Samsung E3210 from Telechoice with Optus $5 Postpaid Card + Optus Thongs: ) LOCKED TO OPT
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LSestrooper on 21/12/2011 - 11:20 telechoice.com.au (1064 clicks)
Last edited 21/12/2011 - 11:42

FIRST time poster so sorry if the "freebie" option is not technically correct..
It is locked to optus but works on optus/boost sims and possibly other sim's that use the optus network (my Liveconnected does

I went into Telechoice at the marion (Adelaide) and I needed a replacement for my phone for when I go out. The representative said that they are essentially giving away the Samsung E3210 mobile (see link) for free*.

Here is what exactly is happening….

Optus made a deal with telechoice that if they sign up x amount of prepaid people, they will get a lump of cash. Telechoice is doing this by customers getting the free phone as long as they sign up a prepaid optus account. SO..the customer needs to sign up for 12 months to an optus plan which and the cheapest is some $5 a month plan. TELECHOICE will PAY (or reimburse you) every month the same $5 that you would need to pay for the first 12 months. So after 12 months, they wont pay anything but you can just cancel the account anyway (the contract is only 12 months). For this, telechoice gives you the phone and the prepaid card from optus which can be registered online and you also get a free pair of thongs :)

Heres the deal and what to do;
1) Go to a telechoice store and say you have heard telechoice gives the samsung E3210 for free as they pay you back the $5 a month you need to pay
2) You sign the forms and you get 1x E3210, 1x prepaid optus card
3) Just leave the optus prepaid card in a box and use your own optus sim
4) register the optus card online if you want the free dubee thongs
5) Have $5 in your account you give and optus will take it out but telechoice will reimburse you for the FIRST 12 months.
6) After 12 months, CANCEL the account and you still keep the phone + it is unlocked.

So, get a prepaid phone(which comes with a prepaid number inside) but you also get a postpaid $5 plan signup number. So technically, you are on a $5 a month plan which telechoice pays you and you get the phone for free. Just don't use the postpaid number and you will be fine.

You could use the extra number as a emergency number when you go out which WILL have $5 to use which is essentially free!! Just dont go over…..

There is another phone you can get ( a crappier samsung)

I did this myself and got 3 phones for the kids :).

If you need proof, I will upload a picture soon!

Mobile Mobile Phone Samsung

Related Stores

TeleChoice
TeleChoice

closed Comments

  • kheob on 21/12/2011 - 11:27
    +5

    Sounds like too much trouble for a $50 phone where a LOT can go wrong.

    • thejew on 21/12/2011 - 14:15
      +2

      $15.00 handset, not $50.00 :)

  • retiredfeline on 21/12/2011 - 11:28

    In step 3 you say use your own Optus SIM. Other SIMs not possible? Is that because the phone is locked to Optus for 12 months?

    • udyz on 21/12/2011 - 11:45

      Other SIMs on optus network "should" work

  • Sestrooper on 21/12/2011 - 11:32

    Sorry yes, its an optus/boost prepaid mobile. I have a liveconnected sim (which uses the optus network) and it works. It is LOCKED to the optus/boost network with potential to go onto carriers which use the optus network…

    Kheob: not much can go wrong if you dont use the mobile number that comes with it and just either set a reminder to cancel the contract in 12 months or just contact the bank to do it in 12 months time ;) I'm a Uni student so it's a bargain for me :)

    • kheob on 21/12/2011 - 11:42
      +1

      I guess it depends if you're willing to bear the burden of having a contract looming over you for a year plus the time it takes to set up. The things that could go wrong include:
      Telechoice not reimbursing you
      Optus charging you cancellation fees
      Forgetting to cancel the contract

      It just seems like too much risk for a crappy, no frills phone.

      • Sestrooper on 21/12/2011 - 11:45

        Took me 10 minutes to sign the papers, telechoice has signed that they will reimburse. If they don't reimburse pretty sure you could take that to court. Optus wont charge cancellation fee's after 12 months ;). The contract looming over may be a problem for some but personally I have cut the sim up and notified my bank to cancel my contract in 12 months time :)

        • kheob on 21/12/2011 - 11:52
          +1

          Yeah, I guess it's a personal preference. I wouldn't do it, but to each their own.

          Also, I don't think anyone will take them to court for $60 :P.

        • AMLagonda on 21/12/2011 - 13:34
          +2

          5.The service MUST be used at least once to make a call every 60 days, or it will automatically cancel itself - resulting in that $40 termination fee.

          Now your stuffed…

        • MikeI on 21/12/2011 - 13:41

          Head back in to your local TeleChoice store and ask for a sim replacement, won't cost you anything. Refer to my post below.

        • retiredfeline on 21/12/2011 - 13:46
          +1

          I wonder why you cut the SIM up in the first place. Are you worried some terry wrist might get hold of it? I'd just put it somewhere safe. It has some call value and may be useful for those porting offers that appear from time to time.

        • Augh on 21/12/2011 - 17:15

          Didn't know you could tell the bank to cancel the contract.
          How are you paying, via CC or bank account?
          How do you get the bank to automatically cencel the contract after 12 months?

  • Brooklyn99 on 21/12/2011 - 11:36
    +2

    I'm confused….. you are on prepaid but on a contract?

  • homersyd on 21/12/2011 - 11:36

    yea like others have said, too much trouble for this phone…

  • Sestrooper on 21/12/2011 - 11:40

    Median, you get a prepaid phone (which comes with a prepaid number inside) but you also get a postpaid $5 plan signup number.

  • EarlyBird on 21/12/2011 - 11:44
    +2

    Too much of a hassle with a contract for a phone that is available for $29 on Optus Pre-paid.
    http://www.telechoice.com.au/phones/browse/samsung/e3210#pre…

    But still, an okay deal if money is tight for some.

  • bendertiger on 21/12/2011 - 11:54

    The only redeeming feature in my mind with this phone is the 3G capability. I've just bought a new one but interesting deal :)

  • dreamerman on 21/12/2011 - 12:00

    Should also work for amaysim.

  • MikeI on 21/12/2011 - 13:15
    +2

    Feel like I should clear up a couple of things.

    1. There is no minimum commitment, however if it is cancelled in the first 6 months a termination fee of $40 will apply to cover the cost of the handset.
    2. The service includes $5 worth (approx. 5 minutes or 20 SMS) of free calls, and free 5 minute voice calls to numbers on the same account.
    3. There is a second option for handsets, the Samsung E2230 which is unlocked and retails for $59.
    4. While other Optus retailers can do this deal, only TeleChoice will provide the $5 monthly credit to negate the plan cost. Outgoing calls can be barred on the phone making it a good option for parents that want to get their child a phone to be contacted on (It's essentially the same as most carriers $30 long expiry caps, but doesn't cost you anything) - or even for people with businesses that need sim cards for their security systems.
    5. The service MUST be used at least once to make a call every 60 days, or it will automatically cancel itself - resulting in that $40 termination fee.
    • AG_ACT on 21/12/2011 - 13:21
      +2

      no. 5 is a pretty big catch, you might want to put that in the post

      • MikeI on 21/12/2011 - 13:37
        +1

        Agreed. One last point:

        6). The absolute maximum number of services for a consumer account is 4 (often less depending on your account history etc.). So be aware of this if you're planning on signing up to a contract within the next 6 months.

        • huntress_love on 21/12/2011 - 13:54

          that's good to know.
          how would they know how many mobile account you already have.
          do they do a credit check?

          I've got a 3 and voda account, i wonder if that's counted as 1 or 2 now days!

        • MikeI on 21/12/2011 - 13:58
          +1

          I meant Optus services, so your 3/Voda Account(s) wont effect the total, and you've actually raised another important point. If it is your first service with Optus, even though it's free you'll have to undergo a credit check.

    • morpheu on 21/12/2011 - 15:13

      this part is interesting "The service includes $5 worth (approx. 5 minutes or 20 SMS) of free calls, and free 5 minute voice calls to numbers on the same account."
      so you can get 2 phones on the 1 account and you can call each other for 5 min for free, what's not to like about that?! that should take care of the "make at least one call every 60 days" condition

  • huntress_love on 21/12/2011 - 13:40

    so this is for telechoice in all states?

    • MikeI on 21/12/2011 - 13:50

      Sure is.

      If your local store isn't sure on the offer get them to make a call, as there wasn't much correspondance regarding the offer unfortunately.

  • samehada on 21/12/2011 - 14:37

    this is dodgy, you are actually sign up for a postpaid contract so that Telechoice get their commission and give you crappy phone as gift. Telechoice is ripping Optus off by doing this which as a reseller they are not supposed to do. This should NOT be promoted through ozbargain. If you sign up so many contract with Optus, in the future if you want to get another contract on postpaid you can be declined.

  • Postulative on 21/12/2011 - 19:40
    +1

    When you say Optus thongs, are we talking Australian-style footwear, or the US underwear? And can the brand be seen when you're wearing them (either version)?

    • bendertiger on 21/12/2011 - 20:09
      +1

      They are thongs made from brazilian rubber (eco-friendly or not I don't know) by a company called 'Dupe'…which might be more apt than usual. They don't carry any optus branding. They look to be plain thongs.

  • Cheeper on 21/12/2011 - 20:59

    Is a bargain a bargain when you have to jump through hoops and do somersaults like this for a piddly little phone??
    No from me, sorry.

  • BJReplay on 21/12/2011 - 21:31
    +1

    For me this is a good deal. Shitty phone to replace the kids 2G phones which still work but have cracked screens from being in schoolbags being thrown around, stepped on, having books dropped on them, and so on. The $5 plan is just right for them to be able to call home a few times a month / send a few texts a month - and for me to be able to reach them.

    I'll set a reminder to cancel this time next year, and move on to the next deal for replacement phones after these are cracked after a year of abuse.

    • amy_c on 22/12/2011 - 13:04

      You might want to remember though, that once the kids go over the $5 included, the phone doesn't stop them calling & texting, it just goes on to rack up a bill…. Which could be huge if the kids spend most of the waking hours on the phones like most kids I see these days!!

  • syd2012 on 23/12/2011 - 16:48

    The SOUTH-EAST ASIAN at the Town Hall, Sydney CBD store did not know how to process this $5 deal.

    The INDIAN at the Wynyard, Sydney CBD store said "We are out of stock of all the $5 phones."

    When can a guy get a break?

    • retiredfeline on 23/12/2011 - 16:56

      What does the ethnicity of the sales staff have to do with it? Why mention it at all? In the first case, it's just incompetence or just a newbie. You should have escalated it to a more senior salesperson. In the second case, it's outside his/her control.

    • punter1 on 23/12/2011 - 19:58

      i got 1 at westfield eastgarden 2day

  • coolsteps on 12/01/2012 - 01:36

    i got the last two white boost E3210 phones on this $5 deal which are 3g , come with a bonus mini amp speaker and a extra $10 prepaid sim, i'd recommend this one. they said they have ordered some more in which are expected to arrive soon. I was told that you need to pay the first 2 months since Telechoice only make $15 quarterly payments. is this true? also dont forget to change from paper bills to online bills or you will have to pay $2.20 to receive a statement in the mail by default. i called another telechoice store to check stock levels and they said according to the terms of the offer you are only allowed 1 phone on this $5 plan offer. its funny how different staff make different rules. does anyone know for certain that you are in fact allowed up to 4 phones free under this offer? if so i might get another 2 phones for the kids and prey that i don't cop big bill for 3/4 phones on a plan? ps don't forget to request they turn off the internet if the phones are for your kids to avoid copping a big bill. btw you can live chat to optus or call to get them unlocked since you are on a plan. I finally got the wifes optus prepaid HTC incredible S phone unlocked for free thanks to this deal.

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