Review of Helio and Hero
May 19, 2006 at 8:45 am | In Mobile | 52 CommentsFirst a disclaimer, of sorts. I'm not a paid tech journalist, I'm not a Helio employee, and I'm not Tom Cruise, so I paid full price for the phone and the service. Why do I say this? Because I'm not just reviewing the phone as part of my job. I invested (?) into this, so I need to make it work for me, or I need to send it back withing 30 days under the Happiness Guarantee.
I SO don't fit the demographic for this service. I'm not the young, hip (well maybe), professional that lives for MySpace (but I did create an account). I'm a 43 year old consultant and gadget enthusiast. I travel frequently for my job, so I am very interested in mobile technology.
I also have two high standards that I use for comparison, Apple and Treo 650. Apple excels at user interface, integration, and usability, and Treo 650 excels functionally (for a mobile device).
What's Cool
- H.O.T. (Helio On Top) – This is a free add-on a application (currently Beta) for the phone that displays news headlines on the phone's main screen. The news "channel" choices are a little limited (Yahoo Headlines, Yahoo Business, Yahoo Tech, etc.), there's about 6 or 8 to choose from. At this point, there's no user-definable feeds.
- Streaming Video – I'm pretty impressed with the video capabilities of the phone teamed with the 3G network. Helio has a number of videos that are free to watch (although yesterday I got a message about a free trial expiration). I like RocketBoom, and while newer shows have not been posted, I enjoy watching older ones that I haven't seen.
- Gaming – I'm not a big gamer, but I may become one on my Hero. The graphics are very cool. There are 2 games included, a limited version of a 3-D Pool game, and Lost Sister which is you basic walk-around-slash-goons-pick-up-gems kind of game.
- MP3 Player and Headphones – The phone is packaged with a nice set of stereo headphones. The headphones have an integrated microphone for making calls and a button for answering and ending calls. The button also doubles as a Next Track button while listening to the MP3 player. While the 70MB of onboard memory is great for taking pictures and downloading app and other content, its not sufficient for music. I've ordered a 512MB TransFlash card just for loading music.
What's Not So Cool
- Web Browser – The browser is very limiting as far as sites that can be viewed. The current version of the browswer seems limited to strictly WAP formatted sites. There are a couple of ways around this limitation.
- Create your own WAP portal site – I did this for the sites that I like to visit the most. Its just regular HTML with a special header:<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//WAPFORUM//DTD XHTML Mobile 1.0//EN" "http://www.wapforum.org/DTD/xhtml-mobile10.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
- Use a reformatter like Skweezer, iyhy.com, or Google's mobile optimizer. Instead of trying to type long URLs on my phone, I simply use Skweezer on my computer, paste in the URL I want to access on my phone, have Skweezer do its magic, then copy the long resulting URL into my WAP poral site (Option 1 above).
- Uploading Pics – Uploading pictures to MySpace is a two step process (weird!). First you MMS a pic to a Helio server, then you have an opportunity to post it on MySpace. This seems a bit strange considering how much bragging is going on about how well Helio is integrated with MySpace. I will give them credit for the rest of the MySpace integration, it works well.
- E-Mailing Pics – Some e-mail addresses work, others don't. Customer Service doesn't have a clue about this either. I was told "We have pretty good luck sending to a gmail address". IMHO, this is a feature that should work to any e-mail address. I've personally found that pics can't be mailed to Blogger, 23hq and ScanR. I've had "good luck" so far sending to gmail, Yahoo, and FlickR.
- No SMS E-Mail Address – This is standard mobile phone stuff folks! But you don't have it with Helio (there is a work-around, but I'm not posting it here in fear that the hole will be filled). Any other service gives you an e-mail address that links to SMS. For Verizon, its yourphonenumber@vmail.com, for T-Mobile its yourphonenumber@tmomail.net. I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with a Customer Service Rep that couldn't figure out what I was talking about.
- Customer Service – I realize that the service is new, I realize that the reps are new, but does anyone train these people? I know more about this phone in the week that I've had it than any CSR I've talked to, and I've talked to 4 of them. I end up educating them every time. Sky, hire me!
- Manual – Normally I'm a subscriber to the theory of RTFM, but in this case, there are so many details about the phones applications that are missing, that you have to call Customer Service. Unfortunately, they don't know either. Want to know any details about the MP3 player and the options on the screen? Good luck. When you figure it out, let me know.
Camera Testing
I took a number of pictures of the same subject at different resolution settings. Here are the extremes, 1600×1200 and 240×180.
Overall
Is there more bad than good? No. I like the phone and I like the service. Its not for everyone, no service is. Noone can expect a be-all end-all service that has everything for everyone. Sky Dayton has chosen a niche, and filled it well. I hope to see more innovations, improvements, and additional apps for the phone. It is cool.
Sky: If you're looking for a top notch DB Marketer (Unica), you have my number… literally.
—
Follow-up Edit 15 JUL 2007:
A few readers have been asking about my more recent experiences with Helio. In one word, “None”.
At the time that I got the Hero, I was traveling frequently, mostly to Richmond Virginia. I had a lot of trouble making and receiving calls pretty much anywhere. The phone would indicate that a call was connected, my party on the other end of the call was there, but I couldn’t hear them and they couldn’t hear me. Being an engineer, I tried to diagnose the problem myself as much as I could, by testing in different geographies, times of day, etc. The problem was sporatic, so I deemed the service unreliable after Helio replaced the phone 3 times.
Helio finally deemed me “unfit” for their service, and let me out of the contract with no escape fee. They determined that the area(s) that I used the phone had marginal Sprint service. Of course, I had expained any number of times that the issues with my calls happened pretty much anywhere. This is just another example of poor Helio customer service and their level of knowledge. After all the trouble that I had, I just wanted out of my contract anyway. Bye-bye, Sky!
What am I left with now? A brick that I still carry when I travel, only for the 2MP camera (I don’t carry another camera when I travel on business), and a game that I like to play.
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Sorry you had a problem sending from Helio to scanR. We haven’t had a chance to test it yet. If you have a moment, please send a full resolution photo to help@scanR.com and we’ll get it worked out. Thanks!
Comment by Chris Dury — May 19, 2006 #
First Week With The Kickflip…
I’ve had the Helio Kickflip on my person for about a week now, after picking it up on my trip to LA. I haven’t really had time to stop and catch my breath, so I’ve been ‘that geek who carries two cellphones’ everywhere I go. …
Trackback by Earthling - EarthLink blog — May 20, 2006 #
The hero is a better device but the kickflip can be troubleshot to work on some things.
Now also look at the pricing
The pricing is EVERYTHING you are using
well, mainly the phone access and that’s it if in the All In plan.
That’s $85 month for 1000 minutes
I have a T-Mobile device and pay $100 a month and it has 1/10th of what the Hero supplies.
look at how much a
MP3 player costs
Internet access costs
digital camera costs
video camera costs
etc
You could be paying
$400+ all together with all those things
You will see that the costs of the Helio devices and plans are well worth it.
As far as glitches and bugs go, most products in the open market have had bugs at one point or another and the companies still survive and get many fixed.
Which, eventually most of the bugs will be exterminated?
Also only a small percentage of people have Bluetooth too.
So it’s not really a concern for Helio.
Just look at http://www.pantech.com
who makes the Hero
Qualcomm makes the components too
The leader in cell phone components
There’s a multitude of features and benefits that outweigh the negatives.
Digital Chocolate joined
Sprint joined
Verizon joined
Fandango joined
MTV joined
Yahoo joined
Myspace joined
etc
They must see potential or they wouldn’t get involved, wouldn’t you agree?
As far as the other features, just look at the manual from the website and it will address most of the uses.
MUCH MORE TO COME
http://www.helio.com
http://myspace.com/helio
http://www.ripetv.com
Comment by Heliopersonlv — June 3, 2006 #
“No SMS E-Mail Address – This is standard mobile phone stuff folks! But you don’t have it with Helio (there is a work-around, but I’m not posting it here in fear that the hole will be filled)”
What is the work-around you have found?
I’ve been trying everything! Email me at AlexBellamey@gmail.com
THANKS SO MUCH!
Comment by Alex — June 8, 2006 #
^ Ditto.
If you could email it to me at djgamer@Gmail.com it’d be much appreciated
Comment by Matt — June 17, 2006 #
I could justify the cost of the “All in” service if I could use this device as a modem/network adapter for my PC. Can you use your Helio phone with the USB cable to provide 3G Internet access on your PC?
Comment by Luke — June 20, 2006 #
I’m not aware of a way to connect the Hero as a modem for the PC. At this point, I’m still using my Treo for this function.
Comment by dentthiscarrot — June 20, 2006 #
Can you send me a workaround to the SMS mail prob – I am purchasing my new Helio KICKFLIP in mid-July!!!
jr1_101189@yahoo.com
Thanks
Comment by Joseph — June 29, 2006 #
I am really annoyed with the WAP settings on my Hero and my girlfriend’s Kickflip, lol. Can you please email me step-by-step instructions? Thanks so much! we would both appreciate it.
Will
ministerwillz@myhelio.com
Comment by Will — August 20, 2006 #
I have to second your review about customer service. Helio’s customer service is horrible! I have a Treo 650 that was transferred from Earthlink Wireless to Helio operations. It was still under warranty, but the touchpad broke. Their customer service representatives (including 2 managers) promised me that they would ship me a replacement. They *never* sent it. I ended up waiting weeks for a Treo that never came. I then checked with the Better Business Bureau. Helio has been given an “F” rating by the BBB! So be warned – Helio can’t even take care of their current customers. I am switching as soon as my complaint with the BBB is handled (I’ve been waiting for 3 weeks for that to be completed, and it’s still waiting for Helio to respond).
Comment by Ann M. — September 14, 2006 #
Can you send me the workaround for the SMS? I spoke to 3 reps and taught them a thing or two myself!!!!
I however learned NOTHING!!! I’ve been looking for this answer all over…please email me diamond1230@optonline.net
Comment by Gina — September 21, 2006 #
Hello there. this si pretaining to the issue abt the manual for the phone. the book that is incldued is a quick start guide there is a detailed 150 some page pdf file abt the kickflip on the cd next to the manual.
Comment by Al — October 2, 2006 #
I am with you guys on the customer service! They are the worst! Not only did they have no idea what phone I had or how it worked ( They only carry 2 phones) It took 36 hours to of calling back and staying on hold anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour before I would hang up! I don’t even think they have ever seen or used any Helio products!
Comment by Will Kreider — October 24, 2006 #
hi, I just purchased a helio hero, and im pretty comfortable with the phone since im from korea. I was curious bout your WAP that you mentioned. How exactly do you do that so you can access other websites on the hero. I know you might be busy but if you ever have free time i would appreciate a guess a walk through?
thanks alot and your article helped.
Comment by sean bilbray — October 24, 2006 #
the drift is the new phone from helio is is made by samsung. it wnt launch till nov 5or so
Comment by erick — October 30, 2006 #
also there is a way to get http on the hero but dont know the code
Comment by erick — October 30, 2006 #
Please email me jesuseternal@gmail.com because i need the SMS workaround!! PLEASE! Also how do you send a picture to my phone from my computer? I’m not talking about the USB cord either but email. Thanks
Comment by Candy — November 1, 2006 #
Just got the drift, and I’m excited to learn more about the phone. If you have any tips, I would love to hear them. Can you please email me the SMS information. diana_a2@hotmail.com
Comment by Diana — December 16, 2006 #
customer service is horrible! I ordered the Kickflip on monday..its now thursday night and they PROMISED that if i orderedover the phone instead of driving to a store to order that i would have my phone in 2 DAYS ! now it has been 4 days and it still has not been shipped out!! they said i may not get it before christmas… This is VERYY VERY frustrating and very angering…
Comment by amanda — December 21, 2006 #
I just Got the Drift phone and I was wondering if you wold be kind to email me(zstroked7racer@yahoo.com) the SMS work around I would appreciated if you could explained step by step the WAP portal Site and it doesn’t seem very clar to me or if anyone else knows how to do it can you explain it we would appreciated a lot!!
Comment by dan — December 27, 2006 #
I am so glad I found this site and I really hope that my voice will be at least partially heard. I am new Helio customer…almost a month, and here are some of the Pros and COns I’ve came upon:
PROS:
- Great value for the money
- Amazing phones and features
CONS:
- They set you up with Automatic bill paying from the very beginning without informing you and there’s no option to remove it from the website. This can be a problem if you’re on a tight budget and don’t always pay your bill as soon as it’s available
– If you call customer Service, often the wait appears to be from 10 to 20 minutes, which i have not experienced with any other provider lately
– I happened to send an email to Customer Service only once, and after I received the response a few days later, only 1 out of the 3 questions was answered which was disappointing.
– I’ve talked to customer service 3 times fo far. First time to remove the Auto Pay option, which was a great experience and the guy was awesome. 2nd and 3rd times were a nightmare
* My 2nd time I called and wanted to get an answer to the other 2 questions that never got responded to in the email. One of the problems was not being able to share in ANY possible way the high resolution videos on the phone and the 2nd was why i can no longer send picture messages to ANY email address. It took forever to explain to the person what a high resolution video is and also how picture messages are sent to an email addresses. I had the email tracking number but the person was not willing to look it up instead but made a vague note at the end. I spent about 30-40 minutes, and it was mainly in explaining what the issue is. At the end they just esclated the problems, gave me a tracking number and told me someone will get in touch with me within 72 hours. 164 hours later, still no one reached me
* I called Cust Service/Tech Support for the 3rd time. DEcided to offer the email or the escalation ticket numbers from the very beginning, but I believe they had no idea what to do with those numbers. Then had to go over and over again through what a high resolution/high quality video is….etc etc. At the end they took notes, so that my quesitons can be answered, and to see why my email was not answered fully and why the previous escalation ticket was not responded to on time.
As you can see..with other words Tech support seems to EQUAL ZERO unfortunately. I so so hope that this can improve and requested during the last call a manager or supervisor to call me. I am the nicest and most patient perso in the world and would so so love to see this company succeed. They have to start from somewhere though!
Thank you
Comment by Assi — December 28, 2006 #
After reading the horror stories here reguarding HELIO, I’m astounded ……and at a loss for words. I was making plans to make a move from being a Sprint customer to becoming a HELIO customer….. I use Myspace.com a lot, and right now, have no way of adding any new pictures as my PC has gone Kaputte. I was leaning towards HELIO because of the Myspace feature, and not only that , but because I would still have the same type of service I have righ now through Sprint , but at a cheaper cost. Right now, with my VISION service along with my normal service plan, its running me close to a Ben Franklin and then some , every month. And to add to the confusion, I really think the skill level of the CSR that works for HELIO, also matches that of the average CSR from Sprint. I guess I better face the music here……… all customer service reps read from a script, and scroll down the screen to answer your questions. How do I know?? I used to be a CSR for Cablevision …… out in the midwest. We did the same exact thing…. but anyway, I just wanted to gather an opinion or two…… should I stay with Sprint?? or move on and put the past behind me and go with HELIO??…..
*Note: Sprint has extended my contract 2 times already…. because I changed my number and address, and changed the amount of minutes I use ….. and trust me…. the abusing hangups from the CSRs didn’t help me at all…..
Comment by Jeff — January 8, 2007 #
I was looking at the Helio website. Although they do not appear to have standard SMS email setups, they do offer a web based email account that can be accessed from the helio phone. I’m not sure if the phone will notify you when a message is received.
http://kb.helio.cust-serv.com/HelioKB/eSupporthelio/consumer/esupport.asp?id=bf3b0dd0-8504-4d81-9b86-824d223503f5&resource=&number=0&isExternal=0&nShowFacts=&nShowCause=&nShowChange=&nShowAddInfo=&activepage=statement.asp&bForceMatch=&strCurrentSymptom=&searchtype=normal&searchclass=&bnewsession=false&selecttype=match
http://kb.helio.cust-serv.com/HelioKB/eSupporthelio/consumer/esupport.asp?id=535e31b2-325b-4013-8f34-f30a8c9c7c14&resource=&number=1&isExternal=0&nShowFacts=&nShowCause=&nShowChange=&nShowAddInfo=&activepage=statement.asp&bForceMatch=&strCurrentSymptom=&searchtype=normal&searchclass=&bnewsession=false&selecttype=match
http://kb.helio.cust-serv.com/HelioKB/eSupporthelio/consumer/esupport.asp?id=a5d7f960-81c7-4a42-883f-c6319dd2923b&resource=&number=2&isExternal=0&nShowFacts=&nShowCause=&nShowChange=&nShowAddInfo=&activepage=statement.asp&bForceMatch=&strCurrentSymptom=&searchtype=normal&searchclass=&bnewsession=false&selecttype=match
Comment by Eddie — January 17, 2007 #
I would switch. I was in a similar situation and I’m now very happy to be with Helio. The phone and services are great. Its mainly the customer service. You have to remember, most of the time you will hear about the bad things in life, when its good, its not as exciting to report on.
Comment by Gary — January 19, 2007 #
i purchaced the phone and out the box the feeling of early 90s cheap plastic. the item is called the drift it looks nice resolution from display is nice, but service is actually provided by sprint pcs this is not very good. a 75 dollar deposit is required when activating the phone. this means your limited when you go over the phone will turn off!!! hope you dont depend on the cellular phone. over all your better off getting something you can depend on.
Comment by william todaro — January 21, 2007 #
I just Got the Drift phone and I was wondering if you wold be kind enough to email me(kenshilling@gmail.com) the SMS work around. I would appreciate it also if you could explained step by step the WAP portal Site or if anyone else knows how to do it can you explain it we would appreciated a lot!!
Comment by ken — January 25, 2007 #
Helio has horrible customer service. I ordered 2 Kickflip device s 1/23/2007 online with online promo codes to get a good discount. Shipping was supposed to only take 2 days. So after waiting a week, I called to inquire about the devices. I was told that they were on back order and coming. So I waited..and waited. I finally called 2/5/2007 and was told the Kickflip was discontinued! So apparently I was waiting for phones that were never there. So I upgraded to the Hero..and for the Hero price as well. Its been 2 days and I still have not received my phones. So i call again. Rund two..they have no idea when my phones are or when they’re being shipped. I now have to wait an additional 24 to 72 hours for them to find out where the phones are..very frustrating and annoying. I’ll bet money that they’re “out of stock” assholes!
Comment by kari — February 8, 2007 #
Also looking for the SMS email address workaround for a helio device. If anyone knows, please email me at killtheradio@hotmail.com Thanks!
Comment by Jeremiah — February 18, 2007 #
Hello,
In order to make this info available to anyone, if you want someone to send you a SMS from email they have to use mobile#@messaging.sprintpcs.com and it always works. As an update to the long article i posted on December 28th, i still have not heard from Helio 2 months after i talked to cust service and they opened multiple tickets etc on the problems and questions i had. What can i say…not surprised.
Someone mentioned that people tend to only write the bad stuff about phones, so….maybe here’s the time to put down the positive things which might help you with your decision:
DRIFT:
) – Extremely fast access to myspace and yahoo and pretty much any website you can think of. It takes same time as if you’re using a PC in most of the cases. I saw the yahoo features were upgraded recently and there are so many more options…for movies…etc
– Having a camera with flash…is amazing….increases the quality a lot
The GPS system is amazing. Takes a lil time to load up initially (was fast at some point when i first bough the phone) and even if you use the google earth option, it loads up real fast. Some other companies now offer GPS as well..i believe sprint…it’s same as Helio’s netowrk anyway, but even they don’t have the goolge earth option which makes things look amazing.
Rather than that….the phone has almost any other function u can think of. I uploaded a few 50Mb music videos with the software helio offers for free. It took a short time to transfer and the fie size was lowerd significantly. The quality is amazing on the phone..both sound and video. If you decide to use the speaker..it’s not as loud as i was hoping, but the two ear piece provided by helio provides amazing sound when plugged in
- Battery – when i first bught the device, fo the first few weeks i had t ocharge it every single day which was annoying. The best way to extend battery life is by usiing it up completely and then charging it. Now my battery lasts about 3 days which is impressive.
I can keep on and on. If anyone has specific question, shoot….i’ll try to answer them on here so i can hopefully help you make a decision.
Thanks
Comment by Asi — February 18, 2007 #
HELIO CUSTOMER SERVICE IS AN ABSOLUTE NIGHTMARE. NO ONE HAS A CLUE AS TO WHAT THEYRE DOING AND EVEN FLOOR SUPERVISORS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO EVALUATE PROBLEMS ON A CASE BY CASE SITUATION. THEY ALL READ SCRIPTS AND DONT KNOW MUCH ELSE TO TELL YOU. HELIO IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR INDEPENDENT RETAILERS SELLING PHONES UNDER THEIR NAME WHERE AN OFFICIAL HELIO CONTRACT IS GIVEN. BUT STILL HELIO ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING COMPLETED BY THE RETAILER ON THE CONTRACT OR THE WAY RETAILER ENTERS INFO INTO THE COMPUTER TO ACTIVATE PHONES. 3 WEEKS OF CONSTANT PHONE CALLS TO HELIO, STILL NO RESOLUTION, SO OFF TO COURT WE GO.
Comment by CEEJAI — February 26, 2007 #
The SMS workaround works great for inbound. However, I can’t reply to any messages that come in this way. Any suggestions?
Comment by Peter — March 5, 2007 #
Peter,
Reply to 6245 (or “MAIL” on the keypad), then enter the e-mail address that you want to reply to, a space, then your message. It worked when I had my Helio (I’ve since cancelled my contract).
Comment by dentthiscarrot — March 5, 2007 #
can i get directions for creating a WAP portal site for my helio.
Comment by n8 — April 16, 2007 #
I am not a Helio customer, yet I have already dealt with this horrible customer service that a lot of people speak of. I will give a brief run down. I have had a cell phone ever since the “brief case” days of analog phones with landline fees haha (no, I’m not THAT old). I had Cingular before they were national and switched to gsm…then Ive had Verizon for the past 6 years, with a Sprint phone for a year in between (business provided). I know that in general “customer service” is non-existent in the cell phone world. They are all the same…will say anything to get you to sign on, then a problem and they treat you like YOU are the thorn, not them. Verizon has always had good service, but their customer service is the same as the rest….they simply dont care about their customers. I have always been the kind to think that you get what you pay for…thus why I stayed with Verizon for so many years even though they were by far the most expensive. I was then given a Sprint Treo from my job and after using it for a year I came to the conclusion that their service isn’t noticeably different from Verizon, but they were much more affordable. These days I use alot of Internet browsing and Text messages and I like to watch videos, etc…Once all of these services are added, the cost of Verizon is just a joke. Sprint by FAR had the worst customer service I have ever encountered in ANY walk of life. But Sprint’s service wasn’t too bad so I thought about this Helio company…Sprint/Verizon service with all of the extras that I want and not TOO expensive. I still have a company provided Verizon phone (spell FREE!) so I don’t NEED a Helio…yet, I saw the Google Maps and I was sold! The GPS on the Drift phone seemed to work better than My Garmin C330 navigation in my car! The phone was far from perfect, I guess Ive been spoiled with a qwerty keyboard and other things, but it was still good to go….That was until today.
I went to my local Fry’s Electronics to buy the Drift and get set up with Helio. They had a deal on the phone and a Helio company provided sign stating that my first 3 months bills would be 50% off….sign me up…. Here is where Helio’s customer service gets called into question. I have the phone in my hand, its activated, they have all of my information… the Rep asks for me to sign the contract..(I never did)..I can’t read that 7 page novel entirely, but I did look it over long enough to ask where my 3 months at 50% off is notated….The Rep then says he has to get his “Helio Dealer” on the phone to get authorization. He comes back and says “sorry, that promotion expired”! I was not offered any sort of discount for the “trouble” so I said “keep the phone and cancel the service”. The Rep has to get on the phone with Helio to cancel, so the Helio Rep wants to talk to me. He seemed friendly and spoke proper English which was a surprise after how many times I must have called India to talk to Sprint! He asked why I was not happy…I informed him of his Shady Dealer and a little thing called FALSE ADVERTISEMENT!!!! (the sign was posted with the Helio display, it had NO expiration date, etc…it simply had a Helio logo, and said something along the line of “activate TODAY and get 3 months service 50% off!”, (no fine print). The Helio Rep while still being pleasant, apologized for the “inconvenience” and pleaded with me to “consider Helio in the future”!! The Future?!?! What about right now?! ME consider Helio?!? How about HELIO considering the fact that they just lost a 2 year contract (from a credit worthy person who will pay every bill and on time!)This is unacceptable! How could they not have tried to do one better than what I thought I was getting to begin with and maybe offered 6 months at 50% off? NOPE! not even the 3 months that the sign had promised! NOTHING!! In the end I am still somewhat intrigued by the Google Maps and all of the features….even though the “customer service” Rep didn’t use common sense (they have to have a script for this sort of scenario right?!) I still like the fact that the Rep spoke English so at least I have a chance of getting something accomplished. After all of this, I have come to realize that ALL customer service sucks! I will more than likely still get a Helio since it seems like it will work best for ME…(I will buy from someone else however). If you need a customer service that will kiss your feet then I would look somewhere else….when you find this, let me know!
Comment by dan — May 14, 2007 #
Hi, I’m curious about the Helio service. After reading everyone’s comments, I’ve seen the customer service is horrible. But I was wondering about any hidden fees… I am thinking about purchasing the Ocean and going All-In. So, is all the unlimited text messaging sent AND recieved? Or just sent, and if so how much per text recieved. I was also wondering if anyone on here had an Ocean, if you’ve found any reason that someone wouldn’t want to purchase it. If anyone can help me out I’d greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
Comment by Lexa — May 24, 2007 #
My wife and I just recently bought Helio Ocean phones, and we are testing out Helio’s Services for 30 days.
Believe Me When I Say This… if you live near Santa Monica, California, you’re in luck (Helio’s flagship store is located there).
The employees at the Helio Store in Santa Monica, Ca are Great. They will work with you and help you out whenever you have a problem.
Our Helio Ocean phones are working great so far… I am going to get a new Ocean at the store, because my Ocean’s microSD slot doesn’t work, and the guys at the store just told me to bring my phone in and get a new one.
**Notice** Helio Customer Support/Tech Reps are Nice and Polite, but (and I am trying to be nice here) they’re very INCOMPETENT and POORLY TRAINED when it comes to helping customers out.
One Helio Customer Support/Tech Rep spoke this way: “I was like talking to my supervisor yesterday and he was like telling me that microSD cards are like sometimes used… so return it if you can, you know what I’m saying?”
Comment by Ben — May 25, 2007 #
Better Business Bureau has them graded as an A as of right now.
Comment by Angela — May 29, 2007 #
So, dent this carrot…you wrote your original blog about Helio over a year ago. Have you noticed any major improvements/declines? I am really torn right now about which provider to go with, and I’d like to go with Helio if they are improving and if you would recommend them. I’m most impressed by the GPS service. Is it true that ‘everything’ is included? does this also include songs/screensavers, etc.?
Thanks! Love your blog!!!
Comment by Angela — May 29, 2007 #
Yes, would love to hear an update on your thoughts on Helio service.
TIA!
- Mark
Comment by Mark — July 12, 2007 #
Mark and Angela, please see the Edit on this post (above).
Comment by dentthiscarrot — July 15, 2007 #
My husband and I just switched from Sprint/Nextel (AWFUL COMPANY!) to Helio and we absolutely love it. The customer service has been superb, the phones are great, though they take some getting used to, probably because they’re Korean phones and us Americans need to rewrap our minds around this new interface, and we received our phones in two days, just as they promised. I am guessing that in the beginning, when you early birds signed up with them, they had some problems, but now, they are a solid company. The only thing that hasn’t changed for us is the service, but that’s because we were with Sprint/Nextel already. Anyway, as of today, I can vouch for Helio’s marked improvement.
Comment by Rui — August 16, 2007 #
I mistakenly ordered a Helio from their on-line website, and decided to return it by refusing the FedEx package (as instructed by Helio).
By doing this I would assure myself their money back guarantee, since the phone would be returned within 30 days.
I talked to 6 different people from the help desk and billing department, and got a different story from ALL OF THEM! Finally, someone told me they would give me the credit back onto my credit card the day they got the package back at the company.
So, I tracked the package, they got it … I waited two days … no credit placed back on my credit card. I called, asked to talk to employee such and such, they said the company was too big for them to find any one individual, and that they could help. I told them what happened, and what I was told, and this person said, “Uh, no. You have to wait 5-6 weeks to see any refund. I said, Why? I don’t have you product or use any of your services. How can you charge me for something of yours that I don’t have or use? “That’s just how we do things here”, they said.
And I said, Oh. I see. It only takes you five minutes to charge my credit card electronically but takes 6 weeks to electronically credit back the charge. That makes sense (sarcasm).
A week later, I called to see where things were at. ANOTHER employee told me that my account was never cancelled, that I had forgotten. I told her I had cancelled it the day I had ordered it! She said, yeah, you’re right, that’s what it says right here in your record. But, since it didn’t get done and I’m cancelling it for you know, that will add another week for your refund to come back.
HELIO SUCKS!!! DO NOT TRUST THEM WITH YOUR MONEY!!!!
Comment by Chris — October 11, 2007 #
my boyfriend and i just figured out helio is owned by sprint (old news? not sure). But to send an email to the phone you type number@messaging.sprintpcs.com. goes right to the helio phone. You can also send a message from yahoo messenger to the phone.
Comment by Steph — October 26, 2007 #
Actually, Helio is not “owned” by Sprint. Like all “virtual” operators (known as MVNOs), they buy services from one of the Big4. Helio is actually a joint venture between Earthlink and SL Telecom of Korea.
When I first subscribed to Helio, I too discovered that you can receive messages via e-mail using the messaging.sprintpcs.com domain, just as you have. I once asked a Helio customer service rep about it, and I was told that they were working on getting their own domain. Well, as you can see, they’re working really hard at it because 1.5 years later, you’re still using sprintpcs.com.
Good luck with Helio. If you read the threads above, you’ll see that it didn’t take long for me to make my exit for more reliable service.
Comment by dentthiscarrot — October 28, 2007 #
I recently got a Helio Ocean. This phone is awesome and I can’t get enough of it, however you are right.. The customer service is probably the worst I’ve ever dealt with in my ENTIRE life. After numerous phone calls and hours of talking with customer service, I think their focus is to try to be “real with people” understanding, and empathetic, which is not a bad thing. However, it gets very annoying when the majority of the people you are talking to say they understand what your trying to accomplish, but don’t, even after repeating it 10 different times in 10 different ways.
Another issue is that they are extremely unorganized. You normally can’t talk to the same person twice, they tell you to keep calling until you get the orignial persons call center, which could mean you have to dial the 888.88.HELIO number 10, 20, maybe even 30 times until you reach the call center of the person you originally worked something out with (no, that can’t transfer you to a different call center.) Once you reach that person’s call center, they are hard pressed to transfer you to the original person as everyone is “happy to help you out,” even if you are not happy to try to explain a situation to 30 different people (who end up having 30 different answers.)
My most recent issue was transferring my number from my previous cell phone provider to my current helio line, and they ended up transfering it ty my boyfriend’s line instead, after I specifically told them several times what line it was. Now we are both stuck with out phones for atleast 24 hours, becasue they have to re-port everything. This is only one of several major issues, that should have been simple, gone horribly. I’m a patient person, and I would never take my anger out on another person, but I feel that others should know what they are getting into. At this rate, I’m nervous whether everything will be working tomorrow or not, or even if my boyfriend and I will ever get our numbers back, which we both need for business purposes.
The truth of the matter is, although this is the best phone I’ve ever bought, and it suits pretty much all of my mobile needs, I may just end up biting the bullet and canceling both of our lines because the customer service is that poor.
Comment by Mo — October 29, 2007 #
Pheww!! Am I sure glad that I didn’t sign up for that service today. They tried luring me in with the gadget itself. I’m not one for anything extravagant. All I need is basic mobile phone service. So what caught me was the supposedly “$30 per month unlimited minutes promotional offer!” (Always stick to the rule of thumb;IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE IT ALWAYS IS) After about 30 minutes of the dealers determination and my skeptisism sure enough when it came to activation time the details of the offer begin to gradually change. BUYER BEWARE!!!
Comment by Dar — November 13, 2007 #
Buyer beware if you’re thinking about buying from Helio or HelloHelio. They didn’t honor their return policy. I returned my phones within 30 days in order to receive a 100% refund and got nothing but the run around from each rep. I spoke to. They told me that I wasn’t due a refund because my credit card was never charged. My card was charged and I have the credit card statement as proof and since when does Helio give out free Oceans. Still haven’t received a refund!!!
Comment by Brian — January 5, 2008 #
I was a supervisor at Helio and let me just say that the company is horrible! Our training class was taught by a junkie who did not know anything about the company. The only things we really did during training was make posters and take breaks. (and thats why no one knows what they are doing) When the supervisors would be busy taking calls (The ones that actually worked), a manager would just point at some guy who didn’t know his job and tell him to pretend to be a supervisor.
The employees are told not to call avoid but basically 75% of the calls they got during their shift, they hung up on. To be honest, it was a bunch of kids working there who just wanted the money…only problem is that they ripped us off, like they rip of the customers. Some of the supervisors will even tell an employee to hang up the call because there were more waiting. To make matters worse Helio opened up a call center in Philliphines. They messed up accounts, lied to them and stole everyone’s job. Also, another thing: many of the employees would steal your ss and cc #s.
Most of them, if not all didn’t give a damn about anything except on how to best call avoid without getting caught, how to piss the customer off the most, and how to get the member to ask for a supervisor without saying the word supervisor.
The only way you can probabaly count on getting ANY compensation for your account is to talk to help desk (supervisors), the saves department or someone that will just give you credit because they want you off the line.
Things to watch out for:
1. DON’T GET YOUR NUMBER PORTED
2. If you don’t want to wait on hold while waiting for tier 2, which we all know happens all the time, speak to a supervisor and ask them to call you back
3. Ask nicely
4. You CAN get that promotion deal
5. billing cycle dates cant be paid
6. it doesnt matter if they say they are taking the notes most of the time those notes are a sentence long
7. dont expect a refund back
8. your still paying for your phone even when its been suspended
9. their name and agent id doesn’t help
10. those nasty comments you make on surveys actually DO make a difference, they get back to the managers.
And yes, I am writing all this because Helio fucked me over like they’ll fuck you over.
Comment by HelioRep — July 2, 2008 #
Helio is the absolute worst cell phone company in the world! They shut off my phone, refused to turn it back on and now months later have sent me to collections for an early termination fee without ever contacting me or sending me a bill! I have truly, no exaggeration, spent over 20 hours total trying to resolve this problem with Helio and still it goes on. I really thought all phone companies basically sucked, but I had NO IDEA how bad it could be. Do yourself a favor and don’t even try these guys. I can’t even list the myriad of problems that occurred before this. I’m with T-Mobile now and totally happy. Really, don’t even try them.
Comment by Peter Shark — August 17, 2008 #
I had a helio ocean for a good year. its a great phone to have in tell it brake on you.i called helio to see if i can get it fixed.they said no cuz my warrenty has exspired 2 weeks ago. i still one more year on the contract with them. the only way they will fix my phone is if i singed a anouther 2 year contract with them.i think that is some bullshit because there contract last longer then cell phone do. i am telling every to NOT BUY A HELIO PHONE TRUST ME ON THIS.
p.s. thats my story
Comment by mike — October 16, 2008 #
Helio has the worst customer service on the planet. Identity thieves. Don’t give them your credit card. Don’t sign up for AutoPay. Braindead dishonest company. Ordered a phone in May never received the contract or phone. They have been billing me for 6 months. I have called to fix this problem a dozen times and was told it was cancelled in July. Received a bill from a collection agency today November 24th for a phone and service I have never received…AND they are threatening to charge me a $175 cancellation fee! You are CRAZY to buy a phone from these RIP OFF specialists!
Comment by rosie — November 25, 2008 #
i dont have any comment because here is very much of comment coming
Comment by Reviews New Gadget — July 4, 2009 #