Mystery Caller: HTC One (M8)

HTC’s latest offering, the One (M8), has understandably caught Mystery Caller’s eye. However, she’s a bargain hunter and wants to know if it is worth paying more for an improved One

6: Virgin

‘We currently don’t have any HTC phones at all,’ came the response I had been dreading

Manner – 3/5
Understanding – 4/5
Knowledge – 1/5
Helpfulness – 2/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 2/5
Total – 14/30

5: Orange

In other words, the CSA had made a recommendation based on no knowledge of the device

Manner – 4/5
Understanding – 2/5
Knowledge – 1/5
Helpfulness – 3/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 2/5
Total – 15/30

=3: O2

I’m not sure Danny fully understands the difference between ultrapixels and megapixels

Manner – 4/5
Understanding – 3/5
Knowledge – 1/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 17/30

=3: Three

I do think Phil should have backed-up his opinion with more details on specifications

Manner – 3/5
Understanding – 3/5
Knowledge – 2/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 17/30

2: T-Mobile

Tina went through both devices in turn, rather than comparing them side by side as I would have preferred

Manner – 5/5
Understanding – 3/5
Knowledge – 2/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 20/30

1: Vodafone

I chose not to point out that £5 per month over a 24-month contract amounts to £120 – hardly free

Manner – 5/5
Understanding – 4/5
Knowledge – 2/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 21/30

Summary

The HTC One (M8) is an impressive device but one built on the success of the original One.

For this reason I wasn’t surprised that several CSAs told me I would be better off (literally) going for the year-old device, despite the One (M8) having a better front-facing camera and processor.

Orange lost points for recommending the One (M8) without knowing anything about it, and O2 and Three lost points because of a lack of detail.

T-Mobile’s CSA was more thorough, and didn’t try to push me towards the more expensive handset for the sake of it.

Vodafone gave me some original information which made for a well-informed recommendation.

Full article in Mobile News issue 562 (April 21, 2014).

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