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REVIEWS 33
Three
Vodafone
As per usual, Three scores top marks for aesthetics at its store, which had entries from both the Tube station and the high street. It was easily the best location of any store in the area. The adviser caught my eye as he came
down the stairs and asked me what I was after. Straight down to business and he led me over to the display model for the HTC One (M8). If you've ever been in a Three store you will know that all the models are fixed to the desk. In a very nice touch he asked me
would I like to hold it in addition to the other touch point. He brought it over in grey and silver and let me have a play with the phone in my hand. He was able to explain that the M8 had a higher specification than its predecessor and did this in clear, simple language. For example, it would let me swipe faster between screens and browsing speed was increased. The camera quality was better and he gave me some detail on this although he didn't actually demo this feature. He correctly identified the sound quality was better by about 25 per cent and even gave me the example of how it was better through external speakers than the iPhone 5. Three's entry-level deal was for 2GB
of data, 600 minutes and unlimited texts for £38 per month. Their highest tariff was £44 per month for "all you can eat" minutes, texts and data. I asked him for tariff details on the earlier model but he said he doubted they had any left in stock. He informed me
Winner
that Three would not be getting in any more, which was later confirmed. For that reason he didn't go into a deep comparison of the two handsets but that was perfectly understandable given the circumstances. On a different week, the adviser
would have been the winner and he was undoubtedly an excellent salesperson. He was able to give me clear, concise information and it was a great touch to allow me to demo the device in my hands. A little more explanation of the differences may just have nudged him over the line.
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A great looking store and certainly one of the nicest Vodafone outlets Mystery Shopper has visited in quite some time. A great handset choice for many devices bar the hottest phone on the market. Vodafone was the third store visited that did not have a HTC One (M8) model on display. There was also no branding to promote it. However, this was not something that would sour the visit to the store. After I entered I was directed to Henry, the store's HTC One (M8) expert. He was already an owner of the handset and could give me the demo I required. He was also able to say it was quicker, more responsive, and showed me the different camera settings. The difference was he illustrated all of these points by demonstrating them on his phone and I could replicate on my own device. He also went out the back and got his old HTC One for comparison. He then remembered they were giving away a Bluetooth speaker to the first 3,000 customers. He was easily the most thorough on contracts, telling me the 3G and 4G prices and the comparison with the HTC One. Vodafone was by far the most
expensive for taking the phone on contract – a whopping £47 per month for unlimited calls, texts and 3GB of 4G data. But Henry had a solution. He told me that if I knew someone who worked at Sainsburys or another qualifying company, they could recommend me for
£10 a month off the contract price. He wrote all prices down for both handsets and explained that I would get Spotify or Sky Sports for six months. He told me to come back after I'd shopped around and he'd do his best to match any deal. Henry won the day as he was the only adviser to give a full demo of the phone and he even compared it with the old device nail on head for what I went in for. He was also keen to promote every single Vodafone benefit and the only one to ask me to come back in and he would try to price match.
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Store round-up We asked: HTC One (M8) or HTC One.
Vodafone: HTC One (M8) £47 per month for unlimited calls, texts and 3GB of 4G data.
Three: Phones 4u: Henry, 35, Vodafone
Tenure Three years Best deal Price matching Best tariff £47 per month for unlimited calls, texts + 3GB 4G data Sales ethos: I like demonstrating as most people like seeing things visually. I put myself in their shoes and offer them what they want.
EE: O2: Carphone:
HTC One (M8) with 'all you can eat' calls, texts and data for £44 per month.
HTC One (M8) £42 per month for unlimited calls, texts + 4GB of 4G data on EE. Free bass speaker.
HTC One (M8) for £40 upfront on £38 per month deal for unlimited calls texts and 2GB of data.
HTC One (M8) £38 per month for unlimited calls, texts and 2GB of data. £100 of House of Fraser vouchers and free case.
Unlimited calls, texts and 3GB of data for £42 per month on Vodafone. £100 cashback
Summary The retailers
performed strongly on this task but many struggled to differentiate between the two handsets.
Only three stores visited had the HTC One (M8) on display more than a week after it went on sale and this must be a worry for the manufacturer.
The camera and its ultrapixel specification was a main point of confusion with most staff unable to point out what this actually meant.
Indeed the only person who was able to confidently demo the M8 was Vodafone's Henry.
Last eight visits
Last eight visits
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