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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

DS WANTS An iphone for his 17th birthday... it seems they can't be capped. what else is good i shoudl go for, that is affordable/

36 replies

slartybartfast · 09/11/2011 15:26

he wants a contract phone
and i was thinking £20 per month woudl be reasonable.
i dont mind an intial outlay of 100
but WHAt woudl be a good choice.

the hlepful man int he shop did suggest i bought ds with me to choose, if he can't have an iphone.. but i need some pointers/suggesetions

OP posts:
notjustme · 09/11/2011 15:36

If you are looking for iphone-esque iphones, I would definately recommend either the Samsung Galaxy S or the SII, I was an avid original iphone user but now have a galaxy s and it's just as good.

Original poster
slartybartfast · 09/11/2011 15:41
Smile

thanks so much.
but how can i persuade ds, that is another matter.

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notjustme · 09/11/2011 17:25

Erm...that's a tricky one - to be honest I would not give him an option! When he's 18 he can get himself one Grin

Original poster
slartybartfast · 09/11/2011 19:12

good point.
Grin

OP posts:
noddyholder · 09/11/2011 19:15

Ds has one it is 21.50 a month on o2. Hw went over month one and we went nuts and he has never done it again

MiraNova · 09/11/2011 19:18

Why does he want an iPhone? If it's for the apps etc, you could get him an iTouch with wifi and then a normal/cheaper phone.

Original poster
slartybartfast · 09/11/2011 19:21

an in touch?
i dont know.
his phone is broken as his his ipod so it seemed a combination.

any furrther suggestions good to hear.

so noddy, we have to GO nuts? Grin
so how does he manage to stop going over though? is he warned by the phone itself?

OP posts:
noddyholder · 09/11/2011 19:22

Yes we went ballistic Grin. He has a number which he can dial free from his phone that gives him his minutes etc Has worked v well and ds is notoriously disorganised and thoughtless at times.

notjustme · 09/11/2011 19:33

The problem is that unless he is aware (and can be arsed to check), it's VERY easy to go over your limits or use the phone to call numbers you don't realise isnt included in your minutes. I would never, ever, give a contract phone to DD2 and DD1 was never given it as an option either (though phones were much less 'necessary' when she was a teen). Even though I've had a contract phone for nearly 10 years I still get caught out sometimes.

My parents paid for me to have a contract phone as a teen (when phones really were new!) and I managed to run up a £250 phone bill in 6 days!!! That was when phones didn't have 'any network' minutes and I didn't realise that my friend was on a different network - went to my dads for a week and was bored shitless so rang her and texted her tons and ran up that bill in the week I was there. Needless to say, I didn't have the phone after that month!

The problem is that you could buy a Tesco Mobile iphone outright and then get one of their capped sim only contracts, but you are talking upwards of £300-400 to get the phone and you've said your budget is £100.

KateShmate · 09/11/2011 19:33

An iPhone on contract wouldnt be much more than what you initially said you would pay..

www.t-mobile.co.uk/shop/pay-monthly/iphone-3gs-8gb-black/

Or does he want the iPhone4?

If it works out to be too expensive, offer him that you will pay £20 a month - if the PM bill works out at £25 per month, then he pays £5?

As a fellow iPhoner, I do have to say that, IMO, other phones don't even come close..

notjustme · 09/11/2011 19:34

I mean you could tell him that if he goes over his allowances he gets one warning and then you'll take the sim card out and give him a PAYG one instead, but that doesn't help you if he runs up a massive bill - you'll still have to be able to pay it.

Original poster
slartybartfast · 09/11/2011 19:37

it is, my budget, well, 130 perhaps and i didnt mind , 20 per month since i coudl spend that on top ups, but can't find that deal, and even when i could, they werent capped. and i think they should be capped. no doubt even it is unlimited texts and lots of minutes and gigabytes, i worry he still would go over. the man in the shop said iphone dont cap. so i am even more anti iphone now.

OP posts:
Original poster
slartybartfast · 09/11/2011 19:38

and yes, it is an iphone 4
Angry

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2blessed2bstressed · 09/11/2011 19:39

Tesco mobile are doing a "cap any phone on any contract" thing at the moment, dp has got both the dsd's phones on this contract for their Xmas. I don't know what the monthly contract would be on an iPhone, but it might be worth looking at?
An alternative to an iPhone that he might consider could be the new htc Sensation - it has had fantastic reviews Smile

KateShmate · 09/11/2011 19:40

P.s, before people tell you that its easy to go 'over' on contracts and spend £1000's, its not - simply tell the network that once he reaches 'X' amount of texts, thats it - no more.
Is easy to do and most networks do it now anyway for teenagers

2blessed2bstressed · 09/11/2011 19:41

Oh, and when we asked about it in Phones 4 U, to try and shop around, the guy said that noone on the High Street could match that deal, but because Tesco rule the world........

KateShmate · 09/11/2011 19:43

Load of crap from iPhone-man - we pay for younger sisters contract on iPhone (admittedly DH's old iPhone 4 so already had the phone) but we told network that we wouldn't be taking out a contract with them until they put a cap on it - they did it pretty sharpish and we've had no problems what-so-ever :)

thisisyesterday · 09/11/2011 19:45

i'm going to be honest and say that if he really wants an iPhone, then I don;t think anything else will cut it tbh.

partly because it's a status symbol type thing (esp among teens), and turning up with a nokia that does similar things but a bit shitter (what? i love my nokia, honest) is not going to really have the same effect

so i would agree with the phone man. tell DS that it isn't going to happen, and would he like something else.
either that or agree that he will pay anything over his contracted minutes.
or put it in his name, that way he is responsible for it

Xmasbaby11 · 09/11/2011 19:50

Can't he pay the monthly amount from his bank account? You could put 20 a month into his account and then if he goes over, it's his responsibility. It's a good lesson in budgeting.

notjustme · 09/11/2011 19:51

Can they accept 17 year olds for contract phones??

Whatever you do - whatever phone you get, get insurance for it or make sure you are covered via your bank account (we get free mobile phone insurance with our current account). DD2 got herself a contract phone a couple of years ago, went out, got pissed and dropped it in the street and broke it, she had only had it a week!!

2blessed2bstressed · 09/11/2011 19:52

There we go notjustme, I don't know how to do links like that!

notjustme · 09/11/2011 19:53

Lets be realistic - even if you agree with a 17 year old that they will pay anything extra, even if you arrange for the money to go into his bank acocunt etc, if he ends up with no money and can't pay, she is still going to be legally responsible for paying the bill. So you need to cover that eventuality now, not wait for him to run up a bill and then find a reason that he can't pay it and leave the OP in the lurch.

Contract phones are one of the things I feel really strongly about, proved by my own stupidity as a teen! It's just not worth the arguments and cost to leave it to a 17 year old to be responsible.

notjustme · 09/11/2011 19:54

lol 2blessed2bstressed - I was worried it wouldn't work!!

Original poster
slartybartfast · 09/11/2011 19:58

thanks all
that tesco one is the one we were going for, but it was out of stock Sad

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