T-Mobile To Go: Out Of The Box

The day before yesterday (yes, I did a lot that day, though the s56 was only yesterday) I received the Nokia 6010 from T-Mobile To Go that I had ordered a few days earlier. Things have changed, maybe a little for the better, at T-Mobile and that's what I'll focus on here since everyone pretty much knows what T-Mobile To Go is.

The phone arrived with the back cover on and the battery and SIM already in the phone. Kinda scary to see that there was no SIM in the SIM card holder card, but then I figured out that everything was OK. Though I still wonder how they got a phone with the battery in it past UPS...the post office won't knowingly let you do that.

The phone wasn't in the best condition. Probably because a klutz put the battery and SIM in. There is a little scratch above the screen. But I don't feel like exchanging the phone. Though they did send me, among other things such as the activation guide and rebate form, a return shippiung label (!) in case things should run sour. That was a change since last time!

When I turned on the phone it registered on the T-Mobile network (another change for the better) and I was able to call 611. I thought someone else had used the phone before I did but the number that it gave as the phone number was just a code saying that the SIM wasn't activated yet. After confirming this with a T-Mobile rep (and ringing around the rosy a few times in Customer Support :( ) and also telling them to ship out the $25 card I was supposed to get (it hadn't been included, seemingly a common occourance) I started the activation process.

This is where things went very smoothly. I was forwarded to the T-Mo To Go activation department from the call I was having before, and I just punched numbers into an automated system. After maybe 10 minutes of punching a text message arrived on my phone telling me my number. Cool beans.

But then I found out that T-Zones wasn't working. It was trying to do a data call over GSM or something. Another few calls to T-Mobile support, who tried to send me settings and such, then aa call to a knowledgable rep in Tech Support (actually I was transferred) and he enabled web for me. He too was baffled why things didn't set up just right. But that's OK; now T-Zones is working.

Last but not least: the rebate. Since the rebate requires having activated T-Mobile service and one whole panel from the phone box, I won't of course be returning the phone. But for $4.95 after the various rebates (one mail-in, one DealKing cash back) that's OK. The phone is now happily unlocked (if anybody really needs a Nokia 6010 I will part with this one for $30 shipped) and thus ends my story of the new and somewhat improved T-Mobile To Go.