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Cell Phone Buyers
Beware!
How Young Costa Ricans
Used to Meet |
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Cell Phone Buyers
Beware!
In the market for a new
cellular telephone? Shop
around and keep in mind
that the best price is
not always the best buy,
as the local market is
saturated with used and
refurbished cellular
phones that some
retailers pass off as
new.
Currently the Instituto
Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE) says
it has available 90.000
lines of the TDMA
technology.
However, the Asociación
de Representantes de
Fabricantes de Celulares,
(ASOFAC) - the
association representing
cellular telephone
manufacturers - warns
that if buying a new
cellular phone - be it
TDMA or GSM - customers
should assure themselves
that the ASOFAC sticker
is on the box and the
that the serial number
on the box is the same
on the unit.
The available lines are
a product of customers
not paying their
telephone bills. ICE has
a standing policy of
cancelling service to
customers are two
consecutive months in
arrears and by the third
bill it will make the
lines available to new
customers.
Though TDMA lines are
available, purchasing a
new phone is no easy
task. A used or
refurbished phone does
not have the same life
as a new one and is not
covered by the
manufacturer's warranty.
Moreover, repairs can
sometimes cost more than
the price of new phone
and in some cases once
the unit goes bad
it is beyond repair.
ASOFAC advises to look
carefully at the unit
being purchased and
making the purchase from
a reputable dealer
assures the guarantee
will be honoured and a
solution in the event of
any problems.
Meanwhile, ICE is in the
process of preparing
bids for the purchase of
1.5 million GSM cellular
lines that it hopes to
have on the market by
December 2008. |
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The ASOFAC
sticker on the box assures buyers that
the unit is knew and covered under the
manufacturer's warranty. |
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