Free Text Messages and WAP!! (Genie)

Member Name: Hitman

Product:	Genie
Date:	17/08/01 (2069 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: FREE SMS, FREE WAP

Disadvantages: Coverage not too good

Genie is the relatively new service offering free text messages and free WAP use.

Before I start mummbling on about it all firstly try out their website:

www.genie.co.uk

It's true, you can really send an unlimited amout of messages for FREE.
For those text addicts out there this has to be the best deal around.
Up until the 27 August 2001, you can phone up (0800 092 5599), or order off the net, a free SIM card which offers all of genie's services.
You are able to have just a pay as you go card or a rental card.

Beware off the website though!
Not wanting to put you off or anything, but the site can be extremely slow at times.
I have broadband internet and it takes the pages a while to load on mine sometimes so what a normal 56K modem would be like I wouldn't like to guess.
Eventually I ended up ordering over the phone.

Phoning up is easy and you should get through straight away to speak to an operator - no speaking into a nasty machine or pressing buttons.
The SIM card arrives by post nicely packaged in a cardboard sleeve with all the usual rubbish and small print in with it too.

Also useful is the 14 day money back guarantee on all phones offered by genie.

All that is if you just want a SIM card.
Thats not all though...

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Pay Monthly
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If you decide that you want a new phone aswell and want it on rental you firstly have 2 options.
You have to decide what "tarrif" you want.
You have "ANYTIME" or "OFF PEAK".
Note that any FREE minutes must be used in the day in question, or month and are NOT carried over like Orange.

ANYTIME:
This gives you 100 free minutes a month to use anytime, peak or off peak.

*Text Messages are FREE.
*WAP is FREE.
*Peak calls are 10p per minute.
*Off peak call
s are 2p per minute.
*Online billing and e-care.
*Voice care is £2 a call.
*Calls to BT/Genie mobiles are charged at 10p peak, 2p off peak, per minute.
*Calls to non BT/Genie mobiles (eg Orange, One 2 One, Vodafone) are charged at 50p peak, 35p off peak, per minute.
*Voice Mail retrieval is 10p.


OFF PEAK:
Again, you get to choose a new phone but with this tarrif you have 50 minutes of off peak calls free, every day.

*Text Messages are FREE.
*WAP is FREE.
*Peak calls are 20p per minute.
*Off peak calls are 2p per minute.
*Online billing and e-care.
*Voice care is £2 a call.
*Calls to BT/Genie mobiles are charged at 20p peak and 2p off peak, per minute.
*Calls to non BT/Genie mobiles are charged at 50p peak, 35p off peak, per minute.
*Voice mail retreival is 10p.


On both tarrfis there are a few phones to choose from including the latest Nokia's and the Sony Z5 and J5.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~P ay as you Go
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Again this will include a new phone but will cost you more than a monthly phone.
Phones available on Pay as you Go are:

Nokia 3330
Nokia 3310
Sony J5
Seimens C35
Trium Mars

*Text messages are FREE.
*WAP is FREE.
*Peak call are 30p per minute.
*Off peak calls are 10p, 5p at weekends.
*Free online e-care.
*Voice care £1 per minute.
*Calls to BT/Genie mobiles are charged at 25p peak, 10p off peak per minute.
*Calls to non BT/Genie mobiles are charged at 50p peak, 35p off peak, per minute.
*Voicemail retrieval costs 30p peak, 10p off peak and 5p at weekends, per minute.

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I have only had my new genie SIM card a few days now but the ability to send messages for free is brilliant.
The cheapest messages I've found elsewhere were 2p, but that had to be on the
same network (One 2 One), otherwise it was Orange Pay as you go.
This involved you buying a £50 voucher though every time.

For parents who are paying the bills for their children, and are constantly telling them to stop texting, this could be you're life saver.

Certainly a good operator to try out.

Summary: