telstra tuff max smart phone.

[davent]

Back in june, I bought a telstra tough max smart phone, I thought it would be perfect for me, fishing, prospecting etc.
It boasted long life battery, camera, gps/google maps water proof for 20mins, tuff screen, drop resistant etc.....
well it turns out that the phone is actually a chinese ZTE smart phone with a slightly tougher case.
in short, im extreamly dissapointed with this phone, and I would not recomend it to anyone.
it is the most unreliable P.O.S I have ever owned. The screen remains blank after charging, sometimes for a long time, hours, and you cant turn it off or on. If it rings, or you recieve a message, you cant answer it. If the alarm goes off, you cant stop it till the screen comes up.
OK, so I decide to send it back under warranty. No problem, we have to send it away, how long I ask, it could take a couple of months! The answer. Ok, can I get a loan phone?
If its a pre paid.....then no.
so I spend $460 on a phone, 3 months ago, and its usless, and to have it repaired, I need to buy another phone to use untill it comes back.....jeez thanks telstra.

 

[Solid Luck]

I wouldn't put up with it.
I'm sure under consumer law that if the item is faulty or does not do what was intended of it they should refund or exchange immediately.
Check your state consumer law.

 

[AtomRat]

What a joke mate.. lol @ the alarm bit but.. :lol:

 

[Mike70]

I had way too many problems with Telstra, got fed up with them. Now with Optus, so far, so good.

Mike70.

 

[Occasional_panner]

Dave, I have a couple of phones which I just didn't like, I'm happy to send you one no charge to tide you over till you get yours sorted. PM me your address and I'll send you something, be aware it will be crap that I didn't want, but still works fine.
BTW off the plan so will work on any carrier.

 

[davent]

Unfortunatly, if you want any telephone coverage outside of town limits, its telstra here or no one.
I have been through the telstra complaints online, over the phone and facebook.
They will not budge.
The telecommunication ombudsman advises that the phone needs to be checked out to deem wether I wrecked it or it is faulty, and that means .....it has to be sent away.....if it was on a plan, I would get a loan phone, but because I bought it out right, and stayed pre paid, then telstra win.....again.
I need to buy a phone to use while they repair the phone I have already got.....what a rort! Worse still, it has to be through telstra, or I dont get coverage where I need it! ?.......F@K! (In a loud angry voice!)

 

[davent]

Dave, I have a couple of phones which I just didn't like, I'm happy to send you one no charge to tide you over till you get yours sorted. PM me your address and I'll send you something, be aware it will be crap that I didn't want, but still works fine.

Thanks very much for your generous offer, I actually have another phone I can use, but its the principle of their soloution I hate!

TELSTRA soloution is that I buy another phone while they fix the one I have......

Atom Rat, mate....I got up at 4am the other morning, and for the next 4 hours the alarm went off every 15 minutes......I very nearly put my pick through the bloody thing, try walking up a very steep hill in the dark with a gpx4500 in one hand , a pick and rake in the other, a backpack full of water, battery and headphones etc on, and a phone inside going beep beep beep, for 10 mins every 15 mins! I was nearly crying when I got to the patch! Lol!

 

[Occasional_panner]

Yes I agree with you mate, I can think of a word that starts with C.

 

[Nanjim]

davent,

mate I know what you are going thru...
to me a phone is a comm's device... if it works as the manufacturer says all good
if not it accidently falls of the boat while out fishing etc. etc. you get my drift....
have all my stuff on the Household insurance...
Yes You pay for it ....
Not that I am recommending that sort of behaviour.....

Cheers Nanjim
Jim

reason for edits Bloody predictive text.....

 

[thedigger]

We have had our share of telstra experiences,they have a lot people who could not care less,about the customer.

We bought a Davey phone from Telstra,it has been good,it has external aerial plug.

Regards Frank

 

[Goldpick]

I have the exact same phone after putting up with several easily broken screens on various Samsung models. Had it now for about a year without any issue, been dropped several times with no breakages. I do know what you are talking about regarding the screen blanking out, had it happen a couple if times earlier in the year, but it has been fine since. If there was a real negative for me, it's the poor audio level when talking to others that lets it down a bit, other than that it's been pretty good for what really is a budget phone (in comparison to a high Samsung or IPhone).

It usually accompanies me on most detecting trips, all my detecting videos and photos were taken with this phone.

 

[davent]

I agree, when it worked, I thought it was a good phone, but now it might as well be a piece of rust I picked up. It has gotten worse the last week. Seems that going in and out of aircon has been a problem.....

 

[Moneybox]

Mrs M's comment, "It's a tough phone - not a smart phone" :lol: :lol:

My iPhone 5s used to give me a lot of trouble when it was new. It was unresponsive when charging and useless if it got too hot. Like me it seems to have improved with age.

 

[Nightjar]

For what it's worth Davent, leave the mongrel in your vehicle, reading your posts it is obvious this is a stressful situation for you. Get out and enjoy your hobby.
A lot of us here have tramped around the bush for decades with out a mobile phone and we're still alive to bring home the tales.
Having said that, we have a Telstra F165 country phone, we leave in the ute (as you have said, the only service that works in remote area) the screen has a series of lines through it but can still usually get a text message out if need be, which is not very often.

 

[Nightjar]

I had way too many problems with Telstra, got fed up with them. Now with Optus, so far, so good.

Mike70.

Mike, don't even think about coming to the WA goldfields with an Optus phone if you rely on it for regular communication. By the time you get to the 10km sign outside the towns the service is gone.

 

[davent]

It is stressful Nightjar, but I need to take the phone with me, for a few reasons, work being one of them.
I spent a lot of time in the bush without phones to mate, decades, but now, its different for me, and I like to have it with me.

 

[Jaros]

I worked for PMG, Telecom, Telstra for 36 yrs. Management went south in the 80's. Before then it was a great company to work for.
I went Optus as well. Have a Thuraya XT Satphone for areas not covered by Optus. $15 per mth. service fee-cheap insurance.
I use the new Huawei P9 LTE tel-very happy with the pic quality and build.

 

[Wishfull]

I agree, when it worked, I thought it was a good phone, but now it might as well be a piece of rust I picked up. It has gotten worse the last week. Seems that going in and out of aircon has been a problem.....

You said going in and out of air cond rooms it play up.

Just wondering if because the humidity would be getting worse up there atm if that could be what is giving you issues. I went to Bali years ago and took my good camera. Well most of the pictures I took in the first few days didn't come out or were tinted green. Turns out it was the change in humidity that caused it. It maybe that your phone can't handle humidity.

Maybe a poor seal somewhere in it ? In which case it should be under warranty :/

 

[kurrajong]

I have one of those phones and apart from me getting used to it, no problems.

Out here there is no choice but Hellstra so despite my dislike of them and their behaviour I shut my trap and put up with them. Any dealings are done by officious bitch of a daughter (very handy to have I might add) who speaks the sort of language they understand.

The main selling points for me were the aerial port and the camera megapixels.
I have had two of the previous versions but they were not tough enough. Sitting on them whilst they were in the back pocket destroyed the tough myth. I would have thought any phone would have been able to handle my svelt 105 kilos!

I agree that it is very poor "service" from Hellstra to not offer a temporary replacement but they have lived down to my expectations by doing zip.
A truly disgraceful example of a communications company but as I said above I and ymany others have no choice.

 

[Mike70]

I think it would be a very different story if all the other telco's had the same coverage.

Mike70.