Feeling Ripped off with Pixel Watch

TheCosmicOctopus on 06/03/2024 - 17:18

I bought a pixel watch 2 and a pixel 8 pro, I've been using Kogan for years for mobile service.

Pixel watch 2 only supports telstra in lte mode (this was not prominently displayed information)

Telstra 365 days prepaid plans are more expensive than Kogan, fine. but can't use that either.

Can't use the watch with lte mode unless youre on a month to month plan with telstra and pay the additional $5 a month on top

cheapest plan is $60~ a month, so my phone bill went from $200-300 a year with kogan, to being forced to use a ~$800 a year plan with telstra?!!

please tell me there's a cheaper option.

Electrical & Electronics Google Smartwatch Wear OS

Comments

  • bloom on 06/03/2024 - 17:26

    Use a boost plan (Telstra’s cheap brand)

    • Binchicken22 on 06/03/2024 - 17:35

      Boost don't support the functionality he is after either.

    • Murkymerv on 06/03/2024 - 20:42
      -1

      Why are you keeping the watch ? Sell the bloody thing and get a real watch .

      • TheCosmicOctopus on 07/03/2024 - 10:50

        It was a birthday gift for a family member, had hoped they could communicate without their phone nearby. Going to try and get a refund.

  • Binchicken22 on 06/03/2024 - 17:35

    Yeah unfortunately there isn't an easy way around this at the moment. It's the same with any LTE smart watch and any 3rd party (MVNO) provider AFAIK.

    I feel like its the telcos way of retaining their "premium, high profit margin" customers, i.e Techies who are willing to pay top dollar for the latest cool tech as they don't seem in any hurry to allow this functionality on any of the MVNOs… it's been years now since LTE smartwatches came out.

    However you should be able to use your pixel watch on Optus and probably Vodafone, just none of the MVNOs, so you'll still be paying a fair premium over "kogan".

    • kerfuffle on 06/03/2024 - 18:02

      However you should be able to use your pixel watch on Optus and probably Vodafone, just none of the MVNOs, so you'll still be paying a fair premium over "kogan".

      Nope. It's Telstra only

      • Binchicken22 on 06/03/2024 - 20:02

        Ah yep, seems the pixel watch is extra special in that regard.

        I gave up on LTE on the watch 5 pro, it costs so much more than just the "$5/$10 extra per month" once you factor in the cost of the 3 main providers compared to MVNOs.

        Yeah you can do the hack job of having a seperate esim plan with a different number to your main phone, but A. It's not ideal and B. It's still going to cost more than it's worth IMO.

    • DOGGYWOWWOW on 06/03/2024 - 19:51

      Any esim plan works with WearOS Samsung Galaxy watches. Strange that others don't allow it since they are also WearOS.

  • mrmc on 06/03/2024 - 17:45

    try the jbhifi plan

  • AustriaBargain on 06/03/2024 - 17:51

    Also you can't get full speed 5G with Telstra on their cheapest month to month plan. Telstra really know how to milk ya tits.

    • TheCosmicOctopus on 07/03/2024 - 10:51
      +1

      I wouldn't switch to them on principle at this point. Telstra are a pack of mongrels, always have been and always will be.

      • AustriaBargain on 07/03/2024 - 10:52

        Well they don't have contracts anymore or any excess use charges, so they have on the hole improved a lot. They still stretch out your hole though pretty wide in prices compared to some other telcos.

  • kerfuffle on 06/03/2024 - 18:02
    +1

    You should have bought a PW2 Wi-Fi like I did. (Yes I'm on Telstra but I didn't really see the need in forking out for the LTE model)

  • ghoulie1 on 06/03/2024 - 18:47

    Can't think of too many things that you can't do on the watch without LTE.

    • TooSerious2 on 06/03/2024 - 18:58
      +7

      A triple negative

      • pwnd on 06/03/2024 - 19:00
        +4

        I am still trying to figure out what the sentence means.

    • bargaino on 06/03/2024 - 23:55

      “I don’t know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve”

    • Sleeqb7 on 07/03/2024 - 12:33
      +1

      Pretty much anything 99% of other smart watches can do?

      Tell the time, Read incomming messages from your phone, track physical activities/workouts, measure heart rate and (arguably) blood oxygen levels, change music playing through external device, (Idk about specifics, but presumably this) play music directly to a set of wireless headphones, see the weather, have it transcribe voice notes, use your phone hands-free, sleep tracking, etc, etc.

      The only feature LTE offers in smart watches is sending/receiving texts/calls when you don't have your phone. Literally all other features remain, which is why the overwhelming majority of smart watches don't have LTE, and why the support for it in Australia is almost non-existent.

  • ozhunter on 06/03/2024 - 18:58

    Where did you buy the watch from?

    • TheCosmicOctopus on 07/03/2024 - 10:49

      Google store, I am pursuing a refund, will see how I go since its been on a wrist for a month

  • Bruskey on 06/03/2024 - 19:00

    I thought it was common knowledge that Australia is pathetically behind the rest of the world when it comes to LTE watch sims. I think using LTE in wearable devices is pretty much only available to the major telco's (with limitations) and im not aware of any MVNO having the ability to do it yet?

  • Yorkshire-Man on 06/03/2024 - 20:52

    Yeah I bought a LTE model, then figured this out (Galaxy 6). Im with boost.

    Telcos always have a scam. Only govt regulation ever stops them.

Login or Join to leave a comment
Login Join