Buying Your Next Phone, Surviving Greenhills et al.

Greenhills has been a center for cellphone purchases and trades. Hundreds of shops offer various brands, models and editions of phones with extremely low prices compared to those in classy malls. It is for you consumer to know the following tips when buying your next phone .

When buying a brand new or second hand phone, make sure that you:

1. Have an idea of what phone matches your taste. Nokia and SonyEricsson's websites might help you with their "choose your phone" application on doing this task.

2. Check the pricing of your phone in the web. Ebay.ph, sulit.ph and auction.ph are a few websites to consult with. Make sure you list the prices so that you won't have a headache.

3. When going to Greenhills and other malls, make sure that you visit at least a lot if not all the stores. It is better to ask someone to accompany you so that when you make a deal with the vendors, you will have moral support. See to it that, that person is capable of making tight "tawad" so you can get the most out of your cash. What I personally do to get cheap phones is I bring my friend Chiara and we try to converse in front of vendors like quarreling peeps, her saying that the phone somewhere is a lot cheaper than the phone. Then the deal goes on.

4. For people buying a brand new unit, see to it that you check the box of the phone together with the documentation. All must be printed well together with the stickers. Take a look at the bottom part of the phone and check wether the contact pins have scratches, if they have, it means that phone is not new! Lastly smell the board of the unit, you may then have an idea if the phone is original or has been repaired, you need a good sense of smell though. It the phone smells different other than freshly baked electronics, then you know what to do: get out of there!

5. Count your money twice so you will be sure that you are not losing your hard earned cash. When the seller gives you a receipt, see to it that the number of their shop is indicated in the receipt otherwise ask for their number and try to make a call. The location of stalls in Greenhills changes every now and then, so it is also advised that you ask the information desk when making product returns. Be sure to see what the warranty covers. Most of the sellers indicate the warranty terms in the receipt. Careful not to take warranty policies which do not include the LCD screen as it is a vital part of your phone.

6. Have fun, people in Greenhills are usually kind and generous. Just talk to them politely and you will have a good deal!

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