My Thoughts on Technology and Jamaica: Digicel's Supa DigiDealz gives you a DL600 or DL700 free on a Smart Postpaid Plan - YVA 2013 to feature Zendaya as Digicel are the Big Bad Wolves in the Smartphone Wars

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Digicel's Supa DigiDealz gives you a DL600 or DL700 free on a Smart Postpaid Plan - YVA 2013 to feature Zendaya as Digicel are the Big Bad Wolves in the Smartphone Wars

I was minding my business on this glorious Saturday January 18th 2013 when I happened upon the following advertisement on Twitter. Telecom Provider Digicel is serving up as new offer via a Supa DigiDealz Promotion in which you can get a free DL600 or DL700 or 50% off the purchase of any Digicel smartphone once you sign up for a one (1) year Postpaid Plan as stated on the Digicel webpage dedicated to the Supa DigiDealz Promotion.

This promotion began “unda de quiet” on Friday January 17th 2014 and I'm lucky to even have noticed it in Twitter! How quiet? It’s STILL nowhere to be found in the Traditional Media outlets of the Jamaica Gleaner or even the Jamaica Observer; apparently it’s just a solo Social Media deal in Jamaica Patios! Sweet!

Obviously Telecom Provider Digicel has decided to quietly match Telecom Provider LIME’s offer of a free Alcatel One Touch T’Pop (OT-4010) as described in my blog article entitled “LIME Jamaica introduces 30-day Data Plans for JA$300 and a free Alcatel One Touch T'Pop - How the Butler started the Smartphone Data Revolution with their own Free offer of a Digicel DL600 and a DL700.

The Promotion started on Friday January 17th 2014 and runs for two (2) weeks until Friday January 31st 2014, as per their Supa DigiDealz FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) and is aimed at all persons getting a smartphone from Digicel for the very first time. Mighty convenient as it ends just in time for YVA (Youth View Awards) as stated in the article “VIDEO: Changes coming for Youth View Awards”, published Monday, January 06, 2014 BY SIMONE MORGAN Observer staff reporter, The Jamaica Observer.

This suggests that this may merely be a promotion for the YVA’s and not necessarily a response to LIME, whose offer has been about since August 2013 and in fact is no longer active as of the time this article is been written. Scope out the YVA’s and who’s nominated for which Category in 2013 here as well!

The Postpaid plans are the very same revamped Smart Postpaid Plans as described in my blog article entitled Digicel Upgrades Smart and Value Postpaid Plans to Smart Postpaid Plans geared towards smartphones - More helpings of Data and International Calling Bundles is How I Live Now” and are as shown below:

To qualify for the Supa DigiDealz Promotion, you'll need the following before you run down to your Digicel Store now and sign up:

1.      Minimum deposit for your smartphone of choice
2.      Completed application form
3.      GOJ (Government of Jamaica) ID e.g. Driver’s License, Passport, National Voter's ID
4.      2 Utility bills (to show proof of address one of which can be a Digicel Bill)
5.      TRN (Tax Registration Number)

The details of the plan can be scoped out via texting 172 to 137 on your Digicel phone. Shockingly, there’s no Youtube video on the Supa DigiDealz Promotion on Digicel Jamaica YouTube page, save for this most recent feaurette on the upcoming YVA’s and the fact that 17 year old International pop sensation Zendaya is set to be a headline act at YVA’s this year!


Curiously, again, in a nod to Telecom Provider LIME’s Promotion back in August 2013 as described in my blog article entitled “LIME Jamaica introduces 30-day Data Plans for JA$300 and a free Alcatel One Touch T'Pop - How the Butler started the Smartphone Data Revolution , Digicel also has removed overage charges when you exceed your Data Bundle on the Postpaid Plans.

Also again a nod to Telecom Provider LIME, Digicel has  chosen instead to downgrade you to 2G i.e. EDGE (Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution) and GPRS (Global Packer Radio System) Speeds! Still no pre-alerts as to when your Data Bundle is about to run out; Data Bundle Balances have to be checked via dialing *120*9# to check Data balance!

Digicel still behind time on customer care with this missing detail!

Still they’re a bit tech-forward with this next bit; Digicel has introduced the concept of ETF (Early Termination Fees) in their Postpaid smartphone plans as made clear in the Supa DigiDealz Terms and Conditions. This is where you pay for the value of the phone plus GCT multiplied by the number of months left in the one (1) year contract should you for some strange reason decide to terminate your Supa DigiDealz Plan early.

After all, to some people, having 3G Data, Google and downloading Candy Crush Saga as described in my blog article entitled “How to download Candy Crush Saga and play it on your Desktop or Laptop - BlueStacks App Player to the Rescue of the non Post-PC Era people” and playing it free all Day long isn’t worth the trouble of Postpaid!

Still half-price off any smartphone or free on Postpaid is ok with me as it’s the way Digicel should have gone when launching smartphones from the get-go! YVA 2013 plan to feature teen sensation Zendaya with her single Replay proves that Digicel’s DL600 and DL700 are the Big Bad Wolves (2013) in the Smartphone Wars in Jamaica as noted earlier in my blog article entitled “Jamaicans fall in love with Digicel's DL600 and DL700 during Christmas 2013 - Sub-US$100 smartphones driving rapid smartphone adoption in Jamaica as Manufacturing is Possible”.


Check back with my blog or just follow Digicel Jamaica’s website or their Digicel Jamaica YouTube Page for details on when the next promotion is coming to a store near you! Also scope out the YVA’s Facebook page and try to guess where the chips will fall when all the votes are counted in each of the categories!

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