checkmarshall
02-14-2007, 07:09 PM
I thought Rev3 folks might enjoy something different.
I was a Verizon subscriber for years, recently I switched to Helio.
Their program intrigued me. They said no 2 year contract, awesome. You pick the minutes, cool. Unlimited text, picture, and video messaging along with surfing the mobile web at no additional cost in the all-in deal, exactly what I needed. MySpace mobile access was also a plus. I was ready to check it out.
I decided to go with the cheapest plan at first. Just to check out the service. I also picked up the then new KickFlip, mostly because of how sweet it looked and how it opens. The Hero was the more ‘powerful’ handheld and came in black with a bigger price tag, but I really wasn’t impressed with the aesthetics of it. As I recently switched to the Mac, the all white minimalist form factor was very appeasing. At first when you look at it you can’t really tell what it is, a cell phone or a slick digital camera. I liked that. EVERYONE seems to have a RAZR now and I heard so many complaints that I talked myself out of one.
New KickFlip
http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/02/helio_kickflip.jpg
Now I had my new phone and new phone company.
A few months in came the first real test of any company. Customer service…..
When the 3rd or 4th bill arrived, I sat down shocked. I knew I had gone over my then small minutes plan but wasn’t really sure by how much and how much it would cost.
When the bill came back at almost $600…….I went white and started calling Helio right away.
I reviewed the bill that they send me in the mail when I found the problem.
A computer glitch told the company that I made a phone call for 24 hours. Awesome.
I talked with one of the guys that work in customer service and he agreed that it was impossible….the call started at 12am and I started making normal calls at about 8am.
The call cost $315.35. They fixed it and I was happy.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a255/checkmarshall/Helio.jpg
Now that was a mistake on their part….so everything went smooth.
What would happen if something went wrong on my end?
-That’s what happened next.
A few weeks ago I tried sending a friend of mine a picture message. I send them all the time and everything works fine. He called me and asked….”Um, why did you send me a picture of a TV?” I was confused. I had sent him a picture of something else so he could check it out. I didn’t even have a picture of a TV in my album……anymore. I figured out that my Helio was now sending pictures of deleted items. It happened a couple of times and I wasn’t too happy. I called Helio again to let them know.
David, the CS rep from Helio, helped out great. He asked me all the normal questions and tried to help reset the phone. When it didn’t work he was just as stumped as I was. I let him know that the wall charger was also not working properly and I used the miniUSB now instead.
David let me know that he would consider the item faulty and send me new phone right away.
Bad news….they no longer make my awesome KickFlip….damn. I love my phone.
He let me know there was another phone I could get, but I knew already I didn’t really want the Hero.
He said they have a new one called the Drift…..
http://www.helio.com/images/services/location_overview.png
I was siked! I actually thought about buying this phone. It has all the features my KickFlip has AND built in GPS with Google Maps and BlueTooth!
It even came in white!
He said he would send it and it would be here in two days. I was more than happy. David was great on the phone, helped as much as he could, then did the only thing that could make me even happier, get me a brand new phone.
I’m glad I made the switch. Some people are weary of new companies, stating they will wait until they get bigger….sometimes they try the hardest to keep people happy.
I definitely recommend them with all my friends. Anyone thinking of a new phone company should check Helio out.
-Marshall
I was a Verizon subscriber for years, recently I switched to Helio.
Their program intrigued me. They said no 2 year contract, awesome. You pick the minutes, cool. Unlimited text, picture, and video messaging along with surfing the mobile web at no additional cost in the all-in deal, exactly what I needed. MySpace mobile access was also a plus. I was ready to check it out.
I decided to go with the cheapest plan at first. Just to check out the service. I also picked up the then new KickFlip, mostly because of how sweet it looked and how it opens. The Hero was the more ‘powerful’ handheld and came in black with a bigger price tag, but I really wasn’t impressed with the aesthetics of it. As I recently switched to the Mac, the all white minimalist form factor was very appeasing. At first when you look at it you can’t really tell what it is, a cell phone or a slick digital camera. I liked that. EVERYONE seems to have a RAZR now and I heard so many complaints that I talked myself out of one.
New KickFlip
http://www.engadget.com/media/2006/02/helio_kickflip.jpg
Now I had my new phone and new phone company.
A few months in came the first real test of any company. Customer service…..
When the 3rd or 4th bill arrived, I sat down shocked. I knew I had gone over my then small minutes plan but wasn’t really sure by how much and how much it would cost.
When the bill came back at almost $600…….I went white and started calling Helio right away.
I reviewed the bill that they send me in the mail when I found the problem.
A computer glitch told the company that I made a phone call for 24 hours. Awesome.
I talked with one of the guys that work in customer service and he agreed that it was impossible….the call started at 12am and I started making normal calls at about 8am.
The call cost $315.35. They fixed it and I was happy.
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a255/checkmarshall/Helio.jpg
Now that was a mistake on their part….so everything went smooth.
What would happen if something went wrong on my end?
-That’s what happened next.
A few weeks ago I tried sending a friend of mine a picture message. I send them all the time and everything works fine. He called me and asked….”Um, why did you send me a picture of a TV?” I was confused. I had sent him a picture of something else so he could check it out. I didn’t even have a picture of a TV in my album……anymore. I figured out that my Helio was now sending pictures of deleted items. It happened a couple of times and I wasn’t too happy. I called Helio again to let them know.
David, the CS rep from Helio, helped out great. He asked me all the normal questions and tried to help reset the phone. When it didn’t work he was just as stumped as I was. I let him know that the wall charger was also not working properly and I used the miniUSB now instead.
David let me know that he would consider the item faulty and send me new phone right away.
Bad news….they no longer make my awesome KickFlip….damn. I love my phone.
He let me know there was another phone I could get, but I knew already I didn’t really want the Hero.
He said they have a new one called the Drift…..
http://www.helio.com/images/services/location_overview.png
I was siked! I actually thought about buying this phone. It has all the features my KickFlip has AND built in GPS with Google Maps and BlueTooth!
It even came in white!
He said he would send it and it would be here in two days. I was more than happy. David was great on the phone, helped as much as he could, then did the only thing that could make me even happier, get me a brand new phone.
I’m glad I made the switch. Some people are weary of new companies, stating they will wait until they get bigger….sometimes they try the hardest to keep people happy.
I definitely recommend them with all my friends. Anyone thinking of a new phone company should check Helio out.
-Marshall