It’s Official: Virgin Announces Deal
Posted by Justin B. on June 27th, 2008 at 11:16 AM
It’s finally official. After months and months of ongoing rumors, SKT/Helio and Virgin have finally come to a conclusion of what they are going to do. Virgin Mobile USA will be entering into the postpaid (contractual) market via Helio, and the Helio name will be turned in to Virgin Mobile. Read Virgin’s press release here, or Helio’s statement here.
I’d also like to clear up some common misconceptions really quick. Helio will not become prepaid. And the Ocean 2 is still on track for release.
Since there are a lot of numbers and tech talk in the press release, we think it’d be easier to just list it all out in a nice and easy to read list:
In addition to the press release, we are also told that Helio House (the corporate offices of Helio) will remain, albeit slightly slimmed down, but products, services, and other teams will still be there.
Jin Woo So, who is the President of Global Business at SKTelecom commented, “This transaction and our long-term, strategic investment in Virgin Mobile USA continue SKT’s strong momentum in the U.S. market, and will allow Helio and Virgin Mobile USA to realize significant synergies and strategic benefits. Virgin Mobile’s scale, strong brand power and expertise in prepaid with Helio’s leading technology, innovative services and experience in postpaid will together form a powerful new platform that will bring new value and flexibility to customers. We believe the strength of the business model will serve to enhance the value we built at Helio, and we look forward to a long-term partnership.”
Helio has also posted up their own statement, which covers just a few topics.
What does all this mean? Basically, our bill may now come from Virgin Mobile USA, and future handsets may have the Virgin Mobile logo, but I wouldn’t expect anything to go downhill from here. Since Virgin Mobile has so many customers, the discounts they will receive on handsets and airtime will be great. You can say goodbye to the little blue flame if you want, but I think the only thing we will be missing is that, the logo and the name Helio. It’s a sad day for everyone, especially those whose jobs were cut (my condolences, we’ve met a lot of awesome people at Helio!), but here’s to hoping that it’s just going to get better from here on out. If need be, we’ve made a difference before, we can do it again.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:21 am
There you people happy now?! Helio is not dead and we can go about our business. Now quit your bitching! I personally dont care if they merge. Im happy as long as prices stay how they are or lower.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:37 am
I dont want to be a Virgin again, it really sucks because everything is your 1st time.
I have Virgins.
But I still want to know about the Helio or umm err Virgin Ocean? Will it be on sale.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:40 am
im done. give me the 175 EFT. this is bs
June 27th, 2008 at 11:44 am
well i just got the email from helio and came here right away…this is bullshit…i just got helio last dec. cause i liked their service but they dont release phones…ill see how the rest of the year goes but most likely ill pay the $175 and get a iphone or something…
June 27th, 2008 at 11:46 am
Let’s hope this goes as smoothly and positively as they claim. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I have my doubts. Here’s to hoping!
June 27th, 2008 at 11:55 am
Will they continue to lease space from Verizon, or cut back to only Virgin supported coverage? I want my Ocean to work on the metro where there’s NO Sprint.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:56 am
I don’t think you’ll have any problem with roaming. Things should still run as planned.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:59 am
Quote from the official e-mail:
“Q: Does this affect my current contract with HELIO in any way? When Virgin Mobile USA does acquire HELIO, can I end my current contract without paying an early termination fee (ETF)?
A: HELIO contracts remain in effect and unchanged by this transaction. HELIO members who wish to end their contract early will still be subject to an early termination fee (ETF).”
That’s a load of crap. Either way they win. Let’s say 1/2 of Helio’s customers leave. 170.000/2 x $175 = $14,875,000 right there. By the way the 170,000 subscribers number is from the Virgin Mobile Press Release statement.
A lot of people are going to say that I’m jumping the gun. And I probably am. But I been through enough mergers and buy outs. And they ain’t pretty.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:00 pm
I think it would be nice to have better customer service, because when I had a virginmobile phone, the customer service was spectacular.
But I don’t get the ideal of a PREPAID HELIO phone.
Everything on virgin is paid by the minute or the day. So to pay for all the HELIO stuff by the day or minute would be ridiculous.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
Got my email as well stating the info. Life will go on, I’m still staying with Helio.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:06 pm
@David: Helio is Virgin’s new postpaid option. It won’t be prepaid.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
ye,i roam into verizon voice on my ocean OFTEN!i wonder if ill still get the same VOICE coverage?also,helio’s known to price gauge when you cancel!if theyre gettin’ ya bill direct withdrawl from your bank account,i’d keep my eyes open’,lol!
June 27th, 2008 at 12:14 pm
I don’t like this. If I wanted Virgin I would have gone with them in the first place when I was choosing a phone!! I happen to really like the name Helio and their logo, everything about virgin is ugly. The ocean 2 is tempting to stay, but when my contract is up, you can bet I won’t be staying.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
good bye ocean and hello new iphone
June 27th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
I can’t believe this happened… =( I Don’t want to see Virgin’s ugly @$$ brand name on Helio phones. Helio has a nme for itself. I like showing my phone as a Helio. I don’t wanna start advertising Virgin mobile when other people look at my phone. It means something/it just feels good to know you have a Helio phone. If Virgin starts selling phones like the ocean and the drift on there website, than those helio phones lose that special feeling of good quality technology. Virgin’ll just make Helio’s products another batch of produts to make fast cash off of. I mean, when you get a Helio phone, you know that the creators put a lot of time and effort into making it a high performance, sleek, and high quality mobile device. But once Virgin’s logo goes onto the Ocean or any of helio’s phones, it loses that feeling, that quality. I’m dissapointed that it had to come to this. I’ll still stick with “helio” or rather now, Virgin Mobile, but It’ll never feel like it used to to own a Helio device…
June 27th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Fucking bullshit. I do not want no faggity ass Virgin mobile company. I want out without paying a fee and I will fight to the highest power possible to do so.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Never once in my contract did it say “If we are ever bought out by another company you have to remain with the new company or pay a fee”
So logically for them to charge a fee is pretty fucked up.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:05 pm
i will be calling cs today to cancle my accout. i dont support sellouts.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:22 pm
I don’t understand how this isn’t a breach in the contract? I need to pull out my lawyer hat and classes and check for myself.
Its interesting to note how that was one of the questions asked in the email from Helio. It shows how savvy the consumer has gotten to escape telcom wallet attacks.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
I’m inclined to agree with the last few posts.
Helio was supposed to appeal to tech savvy people who want their mobile to be more than just a phone (sounds cliche, I know). Helio was supposed to be bringing in new phones that no other carrier has, and at first that was the case, but not anymore. They haven’t launched a new phone since the Mysto (which is a mediocore slider at-best), and that phone is a far cry from cutting-edge. So, everyone can get all hot and bothered by the ocean2 (whenever it comes out, September?), but I for one am starting to care less and less. Helio (or Virgin) has fallen behind the game and is no longer the early-adopter aligned carrier it was once made out to be.
If you want to keep me, Helio/Virgin, tease me with some new upcoming handsets (the ocean2 doesn’t count), otherwise I’ll have to say goodbye.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:28 pm
What if I want to transition over to Virgin Mobile? Helio has repeatedly skrewed me over and I was thinking of transition to a cheaper phone. How would I be breaking the contract if I moved over to what is now the same company? Can I do that??
June 27th, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I hate virgin i had it for a while their phones suck their c/s was annoying i was allways on hold for long time. They better step their game up if they want to keep me as a customer.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
@ Rob that fee goes for most phone companies. It has nothing to do with the merge. It just means if you brake your contract and leave before the time you promised to stay there is a fee. Every phone company does it. Yeah this company happens to be merging with another one and people don’t like it. But if the same were happening with cingular(Which it has before) they would still charge the fee.
June 27th, 2008 at 1:48 pm
so technically yeah it is in your contract
June 27th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
the ETF is total bullshit. we didn’t buy Virgin, we bought Helio. as far as i’m concerned, the contract is null and void. if they’re going to bend us over for the ETF after this acquisition, the least they can do is meet us half way and allow us to end our service amicably. i have no intentions of getting strung along with their changes. I didn’t buy Virgin, I bought Helio and I want out without penalty.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
ye,but if the service is different,like they no longer let you roam into verizon towers(which is just SPECULATION on my part),or something similar,shouldnt the contract be void(i never signed a physical contract anyways,lol)!when i think virgin,i think of crappy,plastic kyocera phones!and greedy,capitalist wal-mart(which i THOUGHT helio was the anti-thesis of)!c’mon helio,you were suppose to be the maverick that bucked the trends of the majors,lol!!! *imagines the oz2 for sale@7-11 next to 2 day old hotdogs and slurpees/slushees,lol!!!5 stacks says apu sales homer a oz2 on the next episode of the simpsons,lol! -sad times-
June 27th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Is there anyway we can start a class action lawsuit to find a way out of that stupid early termination fee? I did not sign up with Helio to get switched to a crappy company like Virgin! And I thought the government passed a law last year that your early termination fee depends on how long you have been in your contract? I just love how companies can just pass us along like cattle and their is nothing that we as consumers can do about it! Well on the bright side at least their customer service can’t be worse than Helio’s!
June 27th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Think about this. They basically threw us into uncharted waters.
Say I wrote out a contract that said “This person likes bananas” and you signed it. Then the next day I removed the word banana and replaced it with “Licking asses” does that mean you like to lick asses?
They can’t throw you into a new company without having you decide whether or not you want to go. It’s unjust.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
hahahahaha rob you are definently correct hahahahaha
June 27th, 2008 at 2:42 pm
If you talk to a lawyer he will totally agree with rob on that point. We sigined contracts with Helio LLC not Virgin Mobile USA Inc. No where on my contract says Virgin Mobile USA nor does it say if the company gets bought out or merges that I have to stay with the current company. Its against the law to make you stay with a company that you dont want to be a part of. The same thing happened with Cingular/ATT merger, and it was even tried at the supreme court level and ATT lost the case, people were eventually allowed to leave without any etf, the contract is a law binding contract and if any party breaks it then it is void, thus SKT/Helio voided the contract by selling Helio to Virgin, thus the contract is void. Worst case scenario you leave, they send it to collections and you dispute it with the credit beurau.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
I’m super bummed on the merger and that Helio has to give up the name and logo, but I’m hella stoked that nothing is going to change as far as Helio’s services. Virgin’s going to have *their* phones on the pre-paid service while Helio is going to keep *their* phones as the monthly paid plans. Same devices and the Oz2 on the way, I’m good to go.
June 27th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
another thing,virgin mobile is’nt a new company coming along,out of nowhere to take over helio!they were on the market and competitors WHEN i signed my contract(never signed anything,bTw,just got a cd-rom disk lol and didnt even click ‘i agree to these terms’ *shrugs*)w/ helio,if i wanted virgin i wouldve bought a kyocera w/ a stub antena and a re-fill card,lol!meng,virgins the bottom of the barrell!i’d rather have cricket,metro pcs or even fkn jitterbug,lmfa0o0o0!!! -0n3-
June 27th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Well after hours on the phone, and even getting the corporate phone numer (which was NO help at all), I was able to talk to someone who totally agreed 100% with what I said. But she told me that blah blah blah have to stay, she was nice so I just went with it. She took away my months bill. So I guess taking $80 off is pretty good. I guess I’ll just throw a blanket over the problem and just ride it out.
June 27th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
If she still works at Helio, the Sr. Manger of Member Care is Mary Langford. She was very nice and professional when I talked to her about my horrible experience when trying to get an Ocean and the poor customer service I got.
If you are going to contact her, be professional. Screaming and cursing at her will solve nothing. Remember at the end of the day, she’s just one person and it was not her decision to make the merger. Perhaps if enough people voiced their concern, they may reconsider the ETF.
Mary Langford
mlangford@helio.com
Sr. Manager, Member Care
My Helio . 310.405.3312 Office . 310.445.7204
June 27th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
Well I have about a year and a half on my contract I don’t want to pay the ETF I came to Helio cuz I liked the ocean and i was happy with Helio and the ocean I’m gonna ride out the rest of my contract and see what happens and if Helio/Virgin keep their word about us being able to keep the 3g network that helio started and they keep the $99 plan i just might end up becoming a full time virgin but if they start to fuck shit up than i think i’ll have to jump ship but for now I’m just gonna sit back and ride it out…
June 27th, 2008 at 4:19 pm
Mario, you’re insane if you’d rather have Cricket service than Virgin Mobile. Yeah, Virgin’s phones are lame as hell, but Cricket’s service and phone service are horrible. I’d get dropped calls ALL the time, text messages would get to me literally days after they were sent. Cricket is the worst thing to happen to the cell phone world.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Oh man, hopely merge w/ sprint after little awhile…
what about the Korean customer services? I love to here their cute korean girl voices. haha
please please virgins merge w/ sprint… dont wanna have Virgins’ logo anyway… T_____T
June 27th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
lol,ye,i’d rather have neither!i was being melo-dramatic,but virgin is still crap…
June 27th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
yeah im pretty upset about the merger too. just wondering, helio offered fry’s employees half off their service, has anyone heard if that will change? no way im paying full price for virgin mobile.
June 27th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
this f**king sucks…i mean seriously!!!…virgin mobile!!!!!!!…c’mon man…i didnt sign up for this crap…i hate to say this but good bye helio aka virgin mobile aka what else they try to throw at us…i think im going to have to go with the iphone(you know how many people ive argued with about the iphone)…hey so this means you guys at heliocity have to change your name from “heliocity” to “virgincity” has a nice ring to it huh?!…not!!!!!….goodbye friends!!!!!!!!
June 27th, 2008 at 6:37 pm
well i agree with rob. i know if this community voiced our opnion then helio will probably respond. on another note. im sure sprint and etc will have great deals to wandering helions to go sprint… same thing happened when amp went under and so on. and the ocean is pissing me off while typing this because there is such a delay while typing out this comment. Some i heard my co-worker talking saying they bought out his contract meaning paid the ETF when he signed with T-mobile.
June 27th, 2008 at 7:09 pm
so… whats gonna happen to this website?
June 27th, 2008 at 7:29 pm
F*cking RETARDED. And they wont waive the termination fee. How can this be considered a good thing???
Helio- Stylish, new, and fresh phone provider with innovative ideas that was a relief from selling your soul to mega providers.
Virgin Mobile- Synonymous for cheapo crap that you get when you cant afford a real plan. Logo is UGLY and there target audience is completely different.
As far as I’m concerned, Helio and everything it stood for is DEAD. Prove to me that its otherwise. I was looking forward to getting my hands on the ocean2, but now theres no way in hell I’m going to stick around. Virgin just wants the profits off the ocean 2 then its going to trash whatever little bit of Helio is left.
I’m seriously considering canceling my service because I don’t want to give Virgin another year worth of money.
Heliocity… you better hope Virginmoblecity.net is available.
Im checking out the iPhone… this is bull.
June 27th, 2008 at 7:37 pm
fuk this im out thats embarrasing when ppl ask you what kind of fone is that and you say virgin mobile theyll laugh sorrry i dnt want gay ass name on ocean2 i rather pay to get out tmobile im coming u guys always have new phones after ocean 2 it wont be years until they get new one
June 27th, 2008 at 8:06 pm
if anyone is able to get out of their contract witout payin a fee PLEASE LET ME KNOW!
June 27th, 2008 at 8:58 pm
if you dont lke the name, then just keep saying you have helio. everyone already knows what helio is. if enough people keep saying they have a helio and not a virgin, then theres a chance…albeit a SMALL one, that they might make a few cosmetic changes on future helio phones…they might keep the flame key
haha. or you can just keep your current phone. THAT will never have a name switch to virgin…randomly take it out after a year or 2…”what is THAT?!!” … 
“ITS A HELIO.”
June 27th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
i dont know how to fell just now?!? 0_o
June 27th, 2008 at 9:11 pm
i do think that if they want to be a more major front runner in the postpaid, they have to come out w/a 3″ touch screen phone (sort of like the lg viewty, or some of samsung’s new haptic phones), and phones with integrated live streaming tv. Needless to say, not THAT mnay people actually watch tv on their phones, but, other companies offer it……and….not helio. …basically, more/even better featured phones.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:35 pm
For all you claiming you are getting a lawyer and blah blah blah. Straight from the membership terms:
“Cancellation or transfer by us: Helio may cancel service, a plan, promotion, or any other offering at any time with appropriate notice to you. In addition, Helio may transfer your service to another provider with appropriate notice.”
June 27th, 2008 at 9:49 pm
I have to agree with rob. Helio has voided there contract. I think we should check out those4 cds they gace us when we ordered our phones and bash the shit out of them. They’re sell outs i can’t believe this. The main reason i started with helio is because i felt that it was the best to match up to the sidekick, but now i see that they’re sellouts. Helio has not only loset their pride, but they have let down a ton of their customers. If tis is all about profits and money they better lower my bill because this is bullshit. If i don’t see anything good coming out of this goodbye helio. Honestly $$$ is just paper and it can be ripped teared and burned but you sellouts will never be forgotten. You cant burn that u cant tear that and u cant rip that. I am a disappointed helioan.
June 27th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
This really sucks unfortunately I don’t think I will be sticking by this, I have both a Helio and a virgin phone. But I wouldn’t want to have 1 for both.
I mean virgin is cute, but for my girlfriend for me I like everything Helio stood for. But I think I’m out too.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:07 pm
As long as the plans stay intact, im cool to stay. I think this is a good start to Helio and Virgin Business wise, it just seems many of you guys dont see that.
June 28th, 2008 at 1:21 am
I’m out, I’m done, I’m gone.
I’ve had a really good run with Helio, I’ve been pretty happy with my Ocean apart from it being extremely slow. Fix the problems with the phone (I’ve got my Ocean to compete with LG VX9900 and 10000’s, as well as newer Blackberries, while it has been able to do this, phones are advancing, the next Ocean has to be able to compete) and a new Ocean would keep me around. Making minor improvements on the Ocean with the OZ2 just haven’t sold it for me. If the Ocean2 doesn’t have some important features, I was going to hesitantly move on to Verizon and either get a smartphone or VX10000. With this merger happening too, I’ll actually be HAPPY to switch to Verizon.
It’s throwing away a lot of Helio’s culture for the corporate dullness of Virgin mobile. It’s throwing away things like actual responses to customer’s requests (free youtube, anyone?). I’ll stick around until either my contract expires (12 more months) or the Helio name disappears and I’ll take one and pay the ETF and go about my business. Sorry to see you go, Helio. It’s been fun.
June 28th, 2008 at 9:16 am
What about the deposit fee I put down? What is the situation with that? Is it still in effect or what?
June 28th, 2008 at 9:25 am
I got the Helio Ocean last October, and loved the service I got in store and with customer service. I have had Virgin Mobile in the past and the service wasnt always the best. With Helio, I would call and get an AMERICAN voice, and the accent if there was one was easy to understand. Guess I get to talk to India again, just like Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T or whatever they will call themselves when this email is over, and Verizon. Its pretty unsettling that the service I fell in love with from the beginning may change, regardless of the press releases. I guess I will wait to see how things go, but the first sign of danger, I’m out of here. I signed my contract with Helio, based on what they had to offer. We will see how much of that changes.
June 28th, 2008 at 10:27 am
So is the general consensus that the iPhone is the next device to switch to???
June 28th, 2008 at 2:28 pm
I JUST got off the phone with Grace from Helio Member Services. She said in the contract for Virgin Mobile USA to take over Helio customers, everything will be staying the same. She assured me that our plans ($99 all in plan is what Im on), the contract time line, the waiting time for us to upgrade our phones, everything will stay the same. Our emails on the myhelio.com webmail server will stay the same, and our logos will all remain. I know this contradictory to what some people have speculated on earlier today and yesterday. She said Virgin Mobile USA will keep the Helio line of products open, with the Helio logo and the flame. My assumption is this will be much like the Sprint Nextel merger. The logo was altered a little to satisfy both companies, but the Nextel line kept their look and feel, and the same with Sprint. Doing my research, Virgin Mobile and Helio were both operating on the same systems already, both leasing their service from Sprint PCS. (If you ever called a caller ID your phone would show up as “PCS Caller” or something close to that.) So as far as service goes, I was assured everything will be the same. I will wait until October when I can upgrade to the new phone (I read it was coming out in September, but Grace could not confirm that). If it has the Virgin Mobile logo, I, like many of my fellow Helioans, will be looking for something else. But Grace did tell me the Ocean 2 (AKA OZ-2) will keep the Helio logos and flame key. For now, we can only hope, and pray to our Pantech created devices that SKTelecom held at least a little bit of integrity for those of us who entered into this daring new world of Dual Slide Technology.
June 28th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
Here is what Helio has to say,
Thank you for contacting Helio. This won’t impact current HELIO contracts. If you are a Helio member and decide to leave before the end of your contract, you will have to pay the early termination fee of $175.00. If you need further assistance, please do not hesitate to call us at 888-88-HELIO. You can reach us Monday through Friday 6am-9pm PST and Saturday and Sunday from 6am-8pm PST.
Regards,
Rhett R
Helio Member Care
http://www.helio.com
June 28th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
I don’t get why there are so many people whining here.
If service is staying with Sprint and you are getting the SAME service and you can still use the SAME phone, why the fuck is everyone up in arms?
If they said that you’d have to switch over to Virgin’s network (whatever that is) and a Virgin phone that that’d be another thing.
If nothing’s changing I couldn’t give a shit at this point. But if they jack up prices, or start using a differnt network, then yeah I’d change.
Otherwise, why’s everyone crying?
June 28th, 2008 at 5:28 pm
Wow I really don’t know what to say! I am confused as to stay or go. I love my Helio and live in a small city so when i pull out my Helio everyone wants to know what it is, and where it came from. Virgin mobile, wow I am speechless! I will say the only thing I am looking forward to is better CS. So will Helio and Virgin mobile have mobile to mobile? Will we see alot more choices of phones? If we upgrade and get the OZ2 will we have to still sign a new contract? Will the OZ2 come out before Septemember? I think that will be the best way for Helio to keep some of their customers!
June 28th, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Isnt time to start thinking of opening a new website called “www.VirginCity.net”?
June 28th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
Ay people, just to let ya’ll know i am reall happy with my ocean phone but since this merger is happening and probably i have to pay the ETF im thinking of switching to T-mobile. Yeah I know they dont have 3G or all the options as Helio, but they do have an Unlimited plan of $99.00 per month and the cool thing about it is that you can add up to 3 more unlimited lines for only $49.99 each. So in this case that I have 5 lines with Helio, as of right now I pay about $580.00 and if I switch to T-mobile it will be only $344.00 thats a BIG SAVINGS. Or I can get an unlock iphone and use it with t-mobile. I know I wont ever get a good deal as with helio with Myspace, Youtube, Opera browser, Google Maps, Search Engine, Buddy Beacon, dam Helio was the S41t 4 reals!! GOOD BYE HELIO…
June 28th, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Audio it’s pointless… They are too thick headed to understand THE ONLY THING THAT IS CHANGING IS WHO YOU ARE PAYING… Same phone (they arent going to gome take your phone and slap a virgin logo on it), same service, same plan. Just let them bitch and moan and cry. Hopefully they will actually leave.
What I dont understand is how a slowly failing company losing loads of money selling their product line to a company that was: A) Already established and B) Lacking higher end phones with monthly service plans considered a bad thing. As far as im concerned its a win win. Helio now owns 17% of virgin and has two seats on the board while still being able to sell their phones gaining a broader audience and best of all a better marketing team. Virgin gains customers, a new line of phones and imo one of the most inovative carriers when it comes to originality. I’m REALLY not a fan of touchscreens but thats just me.
I’m guessing most of the people here already have their helio…nothings going to change that. When the OZ2 comes out it will still have the the helio logo and flame. Can’t wait. I wish virgin the best and hopfully with helios help they will finally be able to produce the phones that helio promised.
June 28th, 2008 at 10:43 pm
…as long as they keep the name “Helio” and the blue flame logo, and same service, i’m fine with it
Pinoy Terp (Jason): I really hope what you just wrote is true =)
June 28th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Don’t see anywhere that it says the Helio name will be phased out.
June 29th, 2008 at 1:23 am
To answer some of your questions MZ Tank:
The problem seems that Virgin CS sucks… I can speak to your mobile to mobile question, if I had to guess I’d say that they will not count for a while, same answer for the phone choices, not right now but probably in the future. From what I have been seeing the OZ2 is still going to be released, as to whether it will have a Helio logo or a Virgin logo… who knows. And I dont think anyone can say if the release date is still on, I would have to guess that it is because Helio has known that something like this merger was coming up.
ALL OF THIS IS MY BEST GUESS FROM WHAT I HAVE BEEN READING ON HERE AND DOES NOT REFLECT ANY TRUE STATEMENTS FROM EITHER COMPANY.
June 29th, 2008 at 4:29 am
DEAR Mr. Think Again AUDIO.
We all know Virgin Mobile also is operated on Sprint Network, along with Helio.
If its your only question ‘ why do people give a fuck on changing brand names,’ think of it as a brand power that presents as a social status and power.
If you can’t really get what the hell’s going on here, I’ll give you a good example of what the hell jst happened.
Let’s say you bought a car from Suzuki in the U.S., because you know well for sure that japanese car would be very much reliable to any other automobile. One day while you still had a bit of a pride in your car, GM states the fact, which was not really known to the public, that the suzuki automobile you bought wasn’t actually Suzuki manfuacted, but was by Daewoo. However, General Motors says that Daewoo and Suzuki are subsidiaries of GM and that there should be no problem, which is just the same shit with virgin mobile and helio on the same sprint network.
this is example is actually not just made up by me, but the true fact that owners of suzuki cars are feeling real fucked up of.
It’s not us getting upset by being merged to another companies, it’s just matter of where the fuck my wireless company is being thrown away.
All of us chose to sign up the either 2-year or a year commitment upon activation to Helio, not any other companies. Now but what helio says is that ‘whatever you promised to me, will remain promised even though I give your word to someone else.’
If SKT really is thinking through about having a business, they should come up with the real plan, not just ‘blabla~so now you guys are getting even more opportunities and don’t worry! there won’t be any change! but the whole company itself!”
June 29th, 2008 at 6:13 am
most of you guys are idiots, no offense. Specially the ones that dont think there will be a problem with the merger. For one, Helio doesnt own 17% of VM, Sk Telecom is the one that owns 17% of Virgin Mobile. Having 2 seats on the board doesnt mean a thing, they can still be outvoted in any company debate and really not have much of a voice recognition, this will be Virgin Mobiles Company and they will do what they want with it. Your going to see more mainstream characteristics come out of this deal, shutting down 3rd party retailers and sticking to the selling platform of Virgin, hence, most kiosks who sell Helio wont sell helio anymore. Virgin sticks to a way of doing things and it works for them, and that is what you will see, dont be suprised when you see Helio being sold in Wal-Mart or Target.
June 29th, 2008 at 6:54 am
The only thing I’m concerned about is if we lose the ability to roam on verizon’s network. I roam on their network a lot where I live and without it, my phone would be all but useless. As long as my service doesn’t change I’m staying where I’m at…for now.
June 29th, 2008 at 9:32 am
what’s wrong with helio being sold at wal mart or target? as long as the plans stay the same i don’t care who sells the hardware.
June 29th, 2008 at 9:54 am
first off, kevin you have no idea how this will work.
Now that that is out of the way, The fact of the matter is that they’re still two separate entities, jut one singular company. nothing will change in the way the Helio line of phones will work and nothing will change in how the Virgin line of phones will work. Its just not smart for one company to take over another and totally make a new business model and philosophy, that would just be dumb and its not whats going to happen. Instead Helio will be a subdivision of Virgin and the people running Helio will still be running the Helio side of things while Virgin people will do the same. Its not a hostile takeover, think of it more as a Marriage with Virgin being the man. Even so, they are still two separate ‘people’ with separate things to offer. whether it be Virgins cheap affordable pre-paid plans or Helio’s awesome higher end phones and social philosophy. Oh and about stores and Kiosks. This is possibly the best thing that could happen for Helio. working at best buy I would always wonder why we had just about every cell-phone provider except Helio. But guess what? We’ve always had Virgin. Now with this merger you can expect the Helio-side of things to get much more exposure in retail stores which is a GOOD THING! (more money!!). But overall my advice would be to stick around at least until we know for sure what the Ocean 2 has to offer and judge based on that. Cuz everything is staying the same. (or VERY close to it)
June 29th, 2008 at 10:49 am
well helios named is going to get phased out, (first thing that will change) selling platform will start to change, then more than 300 people will lose their jobs) Dont tell me nothing will change. I been in this business for 5 plus years. I love mvnos, I rided out the Ampd Mobile wave from day 1 to bankruptcy day and I saw more than 2,000 people lose their job over night. Now this may not be a big deal to you, but all those people who invested thousands of hundreds of dollars into this company by being a third party retailer then Helio selling out to Virgin and then Virgin shutting down more than 1200 third party retailer stores ( I dont even think there are that many 3rd party stores anyways) is bullshit. I invested alot of money, now since this is happening this will cause a problem with my commissions, and people will leave and I will end up oweing Helio more money than I even invested, so F you for not thinking about the small people and how fucked it is
June 29th, 2008 at 11:04 am
When I read that Virgin bought out Helio, I seriously wanted to cry… well not really but…
Anyways. I’ve been wanting to get the Ocean 2 since I first heard of it about a month ago. I really want to get it but I don’t want the Virgin logo on it. I hope that at least the Ocean 2 will be the last phone with Helio brand on it, or that they keep on putting Helio instead of Virgin on the upcoming phones. The plans for Virgin suck, my brother has Virgin and I really don’t like how they do things, I really like how Helios plans work. I’m glad that they say they’ll be sticking with their All-In plans, but usually they end up changing. If the Ocean 2 does has the Virgin logo on it, I’m just going to buy an Ocean 1, sign up to Helios plan, and enjoy it while I can.
I hope they don’t rename the Ocean 2 into the Wildcard 3 or something.
June 29th, 2008 at 11:51 am
anybody got anything other than speculation that says the Helio name will be phased out?
June 29th, 2008 at 1:43 pm
Yes, the Helio name is being phased out. From helio.com:
Q: Will the HELIO brand be retained, or will everything migrate to Virgin Mobile USA?
A: Over time, we expect that all aspects of the customer experience will be integrated under the Virgin Mobile USA brand. Integration of the direct sales channel will begin immediately, and we expect that existing HELIO products and services will soon be offered through the Virgin Mobile USA website at http://www.virginmobileusa.com.
June 29th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
I just tried canceling my contract with helio, but that went no where. NOTHING IS BEING CHANGED is there answer to everything. the fact is coorporate mergers or like in this case take overs change everything from the way they present their company image to small details like what kind of soap they use in the bathroom of the coorprate office. people are going to get fired, services although they want change for a while (because they dont want to let you out of your contract) will not be expended and dont expect to see lots of new software, lots of new features and lots of new phones. I am going to cancel my contract and I will not pay the cancelation fee. I will call them everyday and remind them of the changes and I suggest you do the same. also fax their coorporate office daily telling them, you want out ( 801-804-7137) and the reasons why and together we will put a dent in the ETF policy. So voice your opinion and they will let us go.
June 29th, 2008 at 5:05 pm
im sorry for not looking out for the “little people” but there isn’t much I can do anyway, The fact of the matter is that even if some people do get screwed, the consumer (ie. us) won’t be getting screwed.
And as for the Helio Logo being phased out, at least the ocean 2 will have the helio logo and you know what, if you give it some time maybe we will see a compromise and possibly virgin will change their logo due to popular demand. Imagine a red and Black ‘helio’ flame with a V inside of it? I think that’d be awesome.
With all due respect with people who got screwed; just give it some time and see if you like where this is all going. you can always bail later, just give it a shot.
June 29th, 2008 at 5:35 pm
@Gene, you can try all you want, but they WILL NOT remove your ETF, because nothing in the contract has been broken. If they do, it will be because they want you to stop calling them.
June 29th, 2008 at 5:42 pm
rad ur a dick u fat piece of shit go suk helios cock
June 29th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
TO RAD,
If I have to express myself on your message, I have to use a lot of F words such as Fuck that shit, you fucking give a big big time for that virgin likcin bitch. I’m outa helio this week and they’ll have to laugh at me with 175$ bucks they completely rippied off me from.
June 29th, 2008 at 11:48 pm
Wow people…This really shouldn’t even be a moral issue, people lose their jobs everyday. Hell the national average is probably closer to every hour. It happens, thats how the business economy works. Companies downsize or need to make room for technological upgrades or lose money and as a result people get let go or transfered or what ever. I’m not going to lie, it sucks but it is life, my uncle has been downsized (not that it matters) but his life wasn’t over, he just got back on the horse and got a more secure job and he’s doing very well. The company was LOSING money…continuing the trend all the way to bankruptcy would of been a stupid decision for SK and those same people losing their jobs now, (actually even more) would be out of a job. There would be no service, no more OZ2, no more heliocity, and our current phones would just become bricks. I’m sorry, actually no im not, this was a good decision for Helio and I just hope they can continue WITH virgin to do some good things.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:06 am
like gene said,there won’t be changes@1st(or theyll be subtle),but in time the apps/services,etc they offer will become ‘virgin-ized’,lol and you’re naive if you think otherwise!i could care less about the virgin logo being imprinted on my phone,its the virgin service i have reservations about *shrugs* what irks me,is most of us got w/ helio in the grassr0ots stages,i thought we were gonna build a brand
as far as it being a ’smart’ decision because helio wasnt doing g0od financially,theyve been makin’ dumb financial decisions from the jump!lol@those artsy fartsy stores they opened tryin’ to be ‘big willy’(you gotta crawl before you can walk)and us,the customer,is paying the price -sad times-
June 30th, 2008 at 12:14 am
and why is the question ‘will we still be able to roam on verizon’ not being answered on their site?doesnt matter tho,im gettin’ t-mobilea wifi enabled wing REAL smartphone to supplement t-mo’s slow edge web,and a sidekick lx tony hawk edition as my ‘floss’ phone(ladies love sk’s,lol,WAY sexier than a ocean)since it’s got better AIM,yah0o and msn clients!!!i will pay the termination fee(even tho i NEVER signed a contract,bought my ocean@fye and it came w/ a cd-rom NO contract),cuz $175-185 is nothin’ for peace of mind!funny thing is,i ACTUALLY downloaded games,ringtones,etc from their store weekly(even tho,peetre and them have free games sites),cuz i loved helio so much i wanted to invest every dollar i could!but now im bitter,and im gonna bad mouth helio and virgin on every msg board i go to(i use to be a fanboy,who tried to get everybody to cop a ocean),happy helio?
June 30th, 2008 at 1:04 am
Long time lurker, first time poster.
I m not entirely happy. ( actually, pissed ) . Not sure is this was mentioned, just got here and thread tl;dr.
I got Helio cause Nextel pissed me off with the merger, Helio had more advanced phones at the time, they’re service was wicked cheaper…and I luved those little flamie guys. Needless to say, the biggest dissapointment is not bein able to say I’m a member of a ‘not-so-widely-known’ service that was flippin sweet. I dont wanna b apart or Virgin Mobile, everybody has that. I dont neccessaily like bn forced to b with that “brand” as well.
SKTelecom will always have my loyalty for bringing over some good services. Virgin better not piss me off even more than I already am. At least make it a subsudiary or something, that way we can keep the flame…sry, I mean “Brand”.
June 30th, 2008 at 1:37 am
Ironically, I just got the congratulatory text for a year of Helio service like two days before the offical announcement merger (that I just now found out about… I never got an e-mail.)
My question is, will I still be able to swap my device on the fly, or will that option eventually disappear? I mean, if I have phone issues or get something new, I want to be able to switch to back to my drift, or swap out for something newer WITHOUT doing the “sign this new contract” crap that helped me choose Helio in the first place.
June 30th, 2008 at 6:53 am
rad you are pretty pathetic, you care more about the logo than anything else, all those people who are getting screwed who own helio stores who will not be able to sell helio anymore dont give a fuck about the god damn logo, wow some people are just so pathetic
June 30th, 2008 at 8:27 am
The big concern/question for this us helio customers should be how many decisions about its service, plans and features will helio still get to make? Things us loyal helio customers have loved about their service have been innovative features including incorporating YouTube app/MySpace apps and the fact that they take notice of whats happening within its community of customers. The Opera Mini browser is a perfect example of that. If we can expect at least the Ocean 2 and more new apps and features that we really want, that should at least hold us over for another year or so, and then we can see what direction Virgin Mobile tries to take its newly acquired customers in.
We’ve had great things for a while that other companies are just now catching on to (3G iPhone…yeah we’ve had 3G for forever now, way to keep up with the times AT&T). I could really care less about a touch screen, b/c my Ocean does so many other cool things, and does them RIGHT. No reason to jump ship…yet anyway : )
June 30th, 2008 at 11:00 am
Mario its the same old bullshit - Of course SKT comes on and answers some useless question like “will the helio name be retained” - who the fuck cares about that. Answer a real usage question for once.
CAN WE ROAM ON VERIZON STILL AFTER THE MERGER?
June 30th, 2008 at 11:12 am
I float around this site quite a bit… and I’m upset about this… I’m upset that they are not allowing their customers to opt out of contracts w/o risk of Early Term Fee… that’s a bit obsurd, I didnt ask to merge … They wanted to…I dont want to be a Virgin Mobile customer that sux… So sad.. and so sorry I went Helio.. Wishing I hadnt now..
oh well Live in Learn.. bye bye Helio… now I have to wait for this god forsaken contract to end .. sheesh…
June 30th, 2008 at 11:37 am
Thats ghey, good bye helio, hello payphone.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
bpn2000, yes, you can roam on verizon after merger because it’s device matter unless they intentionally block verizon roaming for helio subscriber on Sprint network side. But I never hear any news on this decision….
June 30th, 2008 at 2:16 pm
well helio it looks like you fucked up again the merger just pissed off everybody you are losing the game your next move better be your best move the ocean 2 might work leak some specs pictures or something why the secrecy you dont like your customers????
June 30th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
ok so I’m supposed to be all up in arms because some people lost their jobs? no way man, I’m worried about myself and those that I can help and only one applies here. And looking out for myself I see that nothing big will change and if it does $170 is nothing to me, I’ll be out quicker than you can say “helio is dead”
my point was, wait and see before you bounce. not “OMG I LUVS HELIO” …I’m no fanboy… I’m just smart. And not childish.
July 1st, 2008 at 9:59 am
My network has been in 1x a lot since last friday. Youtube has been fuckin up since last friday. Opera mini keeps fuckin up since last friday. Anything data related and even some of the phone calls are all messin up or going into 1x. I used to get 3g connection all the time at work and now it’s 1x and most of the time pages won’t even load because of that. What the hell?
July 1st, 2008 at 10:41 am
well ive noticed a difference in my service too but my service is actually better i get 3g now an call qaulity is better
July 1st, 2008 at 11:05 am
JERRY, exactly, no news on the decision. We know Helio had roaming agreements with both Sprint AND Verizon, but Virgin AFAIK did not previously. Whether they do now or not is in question, and is of course, a materially adverse decision if they drop the support. Maybe thats why they’re so mum.
July 1st, 2008 at 12:41 pm
Helio and Virgin Mobile to merge…
There have been rumors about the pairing circling around the internet for the past couple of months. Heliocity had even commented on this, but the two companies had stayed mum denying the rumors — until last Friday.
I received an email from He…
July 1st, 2008 at 2:57 pm
I just have a feeling that they really don’t give a crap about the customer. Customer service was never their strong point anyways so why would they do the right thing and let you out of your contract?? Personally I had a feeling they were gonna do something but I just thought that they were bleeding so much money that one day I would wake up and find that my ocean doesn’t have service cuz they went out of business. Virgin buying Helio was not the end result that I was looking for but u can’t blame SK Telecom for taking the 39 million if they were just gonna kill the service for nothing! I hate it but I’m just gonna pay the fee and peace god it! Funny I always thought the only person that had my phone was Kim Kardashian but I guess we all made mistakes! I wonder if she got out yet as well?
July 1st, 2008 at 5:51 pm
bye helio. I personally dont want to be associated with Virgin Mobil. I had them once, hated them, and now un-intentionally I am back with them. T-mobile offers a phenominal flex plan with a blackberry option. I am going to jump ship to them.
July 1st, 2008 at 5:53 pm
can’t say i’ve noticed any difference in 1x/3g reception,but my youtube app has been HORRIBLE since friday(my ocean freezes and i have to remove the battery aproximately 40% of the time and vids are SEVERELY pixilated)!my opera messed up this mornin’,but i think that was just opera’s servers!funny thing is,helio NEVER texted me before but the day after the merger was announced they texted me reminding me of my upcoming bill,lol!hope we dont get to roam on verizon and they announce it before the 15th,so i can cancel w/o a ETF and have more $ to spend on accessories for my sidekick lx tony hawk edition
July 1st, 2008 at 8:47 pm
I don’t want to jump ship actually I guess I am one of the few who think this could be a real good thing, but I don’t think they can ditch the Verizon Roaming can they? That would be a change in contract (that is in th contract isn’t it? It defiantly was a bonus that helped persuade me to sign (I love Verizon’s Network BUT NOT VERIZON themselves.) I mean I don’t think its necessarily worded directly into the contract that we roam on Verizon but the coverage area and service are part of that agreement are they not? So if they ditch Verizon they change their service/coverage thus void the warranty. Correct me if I’m wronged as I really know nothing of this but it makes sense does it not?
If anything Virgin should just use their heavy weight to jump on Verizon themselves and make the terms better if they can (Verizon DATA!! alright gigity gigity)
One thing I did notice about Virgin is my Mom has them in PA, when I went back to visit with my Ocean I always had wonderful coverage and fast data (faster the here in Cali according to those test things.) But my mom constantly has horrible coverage bad calls dropped calls receives voicemail notifications days later and sometimes her phone wouldn’t/doesn’t even ring just forwards to voice mail. Same service provider (SPRINT) but totally different reception. Also this is her 3rd phone same deal? Weird?
July 1st, 2008 at 9:48 pm
what will happen to all of the korean-american customer?? is virgin going to support korean version of the phone?
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:13 am
wow,1st time i called customer service in awhile this mornin’!they sounded like they were readin’ from a scrip,lol!most didnt even know helio roams on verizon *rolls eyes* 1 even told me helio has their own towers,networks,etc!!!
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:43 am
My contract will be up at the end of Aug. what then? I like my current plan and the way it works …..
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:43 am
anyone have any new news on whether they will allow verizon roaming or not with virgin?
July 2nd, 2008 at 1:01 pm
most representatives i talked to said they didnt know if we would be able to roam on verizon(actually most didnt even know helio roams on verizon,and everytime i mentioned verizon they said ‘NO,were mergin’ w/ virgin not verizon’,lol)!hey,’mergin’ w/ virgin,that rhymes,lol!anywho,1 told me ‘yes,their will be no changes’(but she was readin’ a pre-written letterhead,obviously)and 1 person from tech support,told me probably not since helio has a deal w/ verizon not virgin *shrugs* again,i got NO definant answer,and this is all speculation!
July 2nd, 2008 at 2:45 pm
i wonder what the legal ramifications are if they dont tell us if we have verizon roaming or not within the 60 days? Can we still move after 60 days then?
July 2nd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
I for one is leaving Helio. The thought of a great phone company with their unique twist turning into something you can easily pick up at Walmart or Target? Yeah, not something I’m comfortable with. You have to keep up with the times, phones are becoming smarter & better. Virgin Mobile did not ever represent that for me - and for them to take the easy route & get Helio hook-up’s just ended up benefiting the Virgin Mobile customers not the Helio. So let me pay the damn fee & wave Helio goodbye
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:56 pm
According to the Korean helio statement on helio’s website, all korean aspects will remain the same (which is great because there are more features that are Korean oriented than US oriented). I wonder…if that’s the case, then the Korean kiosk people might not lose thier jobs..
Unless helio decides to make it so that you have to buy everything online.
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
so…that being said, i think they will support korean versions for years to come…after all, it is still partially owned by SKT, and Korean ams were part of their target audience. i cant imagine that they’d just forget them…
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:13 pm
I got a question. I never signed a contract, i got my phone over the phone with not contractual signature required. I asked for a phone/service, they sent it and I activatd it. So, does this mean I have a loop hole?
July 2nd, 2008 at 11:40 pm
thats called the verbal contract they got you to
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:35 am
errrrrrr.. i just don’t see VIRGIN selling phones to Korean-American.. its just weird.. can you imagine the advertisement for Korean people?? it’ll be pronounced “BUH-JIN” mobile.. and that just sounds gross..
why couldn’t they team up with VERIZON?? *sighs*
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:17 pm
if you read your contract it says you have sixty days to get out of contract with no ETF, when service changes in anyway. I would say a switching to a completly retarded company is a change in service
July 3rd, 2008 at 3:19 pm
CHAPTER 12: THE OTHER LEGAL STUFF
Helio may change this Agreement, Memberships and our policies in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to the following:
We may change or terminate service rates and plans with 30 days prior notice to you;
We may transfer your service to another provider;
We may change features of the service at any time; and
We may change the Membership Agreement, the Acceptable Use Policy, and the Privacy Policy and other policies, which can be found on our Website, at any time.
We may provide notice of changes by posting those changes to our Website, sending you e-mail notification, or using other methods of notice. If you choose to continue using the service after we provide notice of a change, you are deemed to have accepted the changes. If the changes have a material adverse effect on you, however, you can cancel your affected service without incurring an Early Termination Fee, by calling us within 60 days after we send you notice of the change. You may not change the terms of this or any other Helio policy without the express prior written consent of Helio. Always use your device in a safe manner that does not create a risk to your safety or the safety of others around you. For example, it can be dangerous for you to engage in stressful or emotional conversations on your device, or otherwise become distracted while driving. Be aware of and comply with the laws that apply to you when you are driving. Become familiar with your device and its features. When possible, use a device that allows you to talk on your device without holding it when you are driving. These accessories are often called hands-free devices. If you need to make or answer a call while driving and are experiencing heavy traffic or bad weather conditions, park your vehicle in a safe area before making or answering a call. Do not take notes, look up numbers or engage in stressful or emotional conversations while driving. Do not use your device while driving in locations that prohibit such use. Only use your device with approved accessories available at a Helio store or authorized distributor. You may not assign your rights or delegate any of your duties under this Agreement without the prior written consent of Helio, and any attempted assignment or delegation without such consent shall be void. Helio may assign all or part of this Agreement or your debts under this Agreement without notice. Helio may subcontract any work, obligations or other performance required of Helio under this Agreement without your consent. If one or more provisions of this Agreement shall be held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the validity, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not be affected or impaired thereby. Helio will amend or replace such provision with one that is valid and enforceable and that achieves, to the extent possible, the original objectives and intent of Helio as reflected in the original provision. You shall indemnify and hold Helio harmless against all third party claims, demands, suits, actions, judgments, losses, costs, damages (direct, indirect and consequential), attorney’s fees and expenses that Helio may sustain or incur by reason of any breach or alleged breach of any term or condition of this Membership Agreement, the Acceptable Use Policy, and Helio’s other agreements and policies and for any act or omission of you or your clients which are in any way related to the service. If you receive any software from Helio, whether already installed on a device you purchased from Helio, downloaded by you from our Website, or contained on a disk, your use of such software is subject to the end user license agreement included with the applicable software. Except as otherwise set out in this Agreement, this Agreement is governed by California law without regard to the conflicts of law principles thereof.
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:12 pm
ye,i never signed shjt,i didnt even buy my phone online/phone order!i got it@fye(before i saw it there i alwayd wanted to try helio but didnt know how to go about buyin’ one/tryin to find one!shows how great their advertsing was,lol)!i never agreed to a conract,just called up like ‘Ay0,can i cut this phone on’ and thry siad YES SIR,lol *shrugs* i thought verbal contracts were only forceable amongst people doing buisnes w/ other people,i thought transactions / buisnesses’ were exempt?regardless,ill probably pay the ETF anyways!went to t-mo yesterday they were SO much nicer than helio and ima get EVERYTHING for $120 a month(only $20 higher than helios plan),and that includes tethering to my pc and using my WIFI(to make up for t-mo’s slow web)htc wing smartphone as a modem
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:16 pm
fogive all the typo’s
i am afterall using the ocean’s shjtty,cramped excuse for a qwerty,lol!ill text better when i get my sidekick lx tony hawk edition later this month,promise,lol!!!
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 pm
if virgin mobile doenst have contracts why do we have to honor are helio one if the company that bought them doesnt even have them?
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:23 pm
mario, you’re still getting a crappy web browser and a slower connection.
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:33 pm
the ocean went down $20 today online. a sign of phasing it out to make room for the ocean 2 or just another promotion? what do you all think? i love reading everyones reaction to this merger and the secret of ocean 2. quite entertaining.
July 3rd, 2008 at 10:35 pm
i noticed the price reduc, too. i think its both making way for Ocean 2 and as a promotion.
And, as for merging with verizon…when i was in korea last summer with others who had both sprint, verizon, people from verizon couldn’t make a call, though sprint people could. weird. both could recieve. Being SKT, I don’t think they’d merge with a company that won’t fully work in their home country, when part of their target aud. are the Koreans themselves. Even if thats not the case, its still weird how verizon people couldnt mkae a call in korea…….
and romanizing korean names for phone co.’s, maybe cingular/att would be better than any others. shin gyu luh/ae ti aen ti. buh rai jun isnt any better. seu peu rin teu. no.
July 4th, 2008 at 9:30 am
I hoping this merger is a step to seeing bigger Helio Name and Company.
Couple of weeks ago, Helio Corp. rep mentioned that Virgin would purchase Helio. Then SKT would purchase Virgin/Helio. This would cut Earthlink out of any future deals/profits/control.
I hope this merger will go the way Cingular/AT&T merger went. The Cingular/ATT merger just made it easier swallow for FTC/FCC/anti-trust/whoever. Who knows, SKT may just use this as a step to purchase Sprint since SKT really wants to be apart of the US market.
Plus, it also sounds kinda funny that Virgin is purchasing Helio for only $50million after SKT invested over $500 million.
July 4th, 2008 at 6:01 pm
hahaha BLAH you’re so funny. i think you can make calls with verizon if you have their special international call plan.
and as for “BUH JIN”(virgin).. can you imagine your parents saying that to you? “yah! did you pay your BUH JIN bill??” or “what does BUH JIN mean??” yarr… awkwarrrrddddd
and you knoe how we asians LOVE to gossip. so imagine your mother telling her friends “my daughter BUH JIN phone now” which will later be exagerated through many gossip to “that girl use her PHONE for you knoe what!”
thats great mom *thumbs up*!
July 4th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
iunno,ever since microsoft bought danger,danger’s upgraded their servers and are much faster(pages are proxied thru danger servers,not t-mo’s,similar to opera)!the last straw just happened tho,i THOUGHT it was a myth,but my ocean just popped where BOTH keypads are exposed and i cant close my phone(or make a call),great timing tho(i swear god’s a comedian)since im leavin’ helio anyways,lol! -0n3-
July 5th, 2008 at 7:35 pm
i don’t understand why everyone is SOOO upset? okay, so the name is changing…big woo! service isn’t changing so its like helio is only getting bigger and thats supposed to be a bad thing? i don’t think so personally.
July 6th, 2008 at 6:39 am
Ever since this announcement on that very Friday, my service has gone from 3G to 1x every single time I try to go online. I’ll have “full bars” with the 3G symbol at work and at home like I always used to, until I connect to the wap browser, youtube, google maps, anything data related it stays at full bars but goes to 1x. I called helio, did a hard reset back to the original everything. Put my phone number and the password number back in. now it won’t do crap online. I have an Ocean (with the newer firmware) and I live in Georgia. Anyone else having similar issues?
July 6th, 2008 at 7:52 am
+-: i’m in seattle and i havent had any 1x/3g problems. mine thus far hasn’t gone into 1x ever, unless i’m in a ‘bad area’ or in a garage under a building or something, even if i have only 1 bar (outside), it mostly stays in 3g mode. It’s proabably not helio’s fault, as they don’t have anything to do with the network. it’s most likely sprint or verizon’s problem. Or its a mfg defect on your phone.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
somehow…if i have 1 or 2 bars, when i try to go online or use google maps…i get a spike up to 5 bars when i try to connect, and while i’m connected. but when i quit the browser or whatever, it goes back down. i had that happen on the fin, and now i have the mysto, and it does it again. and not just in seattle.
July 6th, 2008 at 9:56 pm
It would be a mistake the phase out the Helio brand, it has a strong voice despite eveything.
July 7th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
anyone from ct wanna buy a IROC? oh yeah, virgin mobile sucks
July 7th, 2008 at 6:58 pm
You guys are acting ridiculous.
Your service will not change, and if the phones are sold in a more mainstream market, GOOD, my Helio to Helio calling becomes that much more valuable. If you leave as an act of protest because you feel like Helio is “selling out” and you think bailing will keep their employees from losing jobs, you are a complete douche. Hemorrhaging money will not make Virgin keep more Helio employees on staff.
The only legitimate concern I have read is a concern that Virgin will dumb down Helio’s pretty much awesome phones, but that remains to be seen, and I kinda doubt much will change.
Virgin has outstanding customer service and a lot of social awareness programs as well. They’re not as mainstream as so many of you are eager to paint them. Of course, you’re the same ones who didn’t read your contract enough to know that what Helio is doing is totally within the terms of what you signed, so why should we expect you to look any further than your own internet-driven, ignorant rage.
See how it goes. You may be surprised.
July 7th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Not thrilled by the news. My decision to go with Helio helped further my cause for supporting underdogs and not supporting powertripping companies like Verizon.
The Ocean 2 better have some nice features in it, like VOIP and WiMax.
On a side issue, does anyone else have issues with the phone mic building up condensation on humid days? People cant hear me on my phone when its humid.
July 7th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
im mad real freakin’ mad
July 8th, 2008 at 2:38 am
i dont care if the two companies merge as long as its the same and that they keep the helio name and logo, and virgin should also get rid of those ugly phones and get better ones too
July 8th, 2008 at 7:36 am
…douche..haha.
but yah, getting helio more ‘out there’ would be nice. then i can actually use the buddy beacon. noone i know in my circle, or my friends other circles has helio. nor my parents families or their friends and families. not to say that others where i am don’t have helio, i KNOW others do, but, i just dont know them.
July 8th, 2008 at 7:37 am
I have used Virgin Wireless phones before. The service was fine. Even though both use Sprint, the HELIO phone always had more bars than either of the Virgin units. On the few occasions I had to call Virgin Mobile customer service they were satisfactory.
My only complaint - and a silly one, I admit - is the logo issue. It’s not reason enough to make me change providers, but I admit there was something “cool” about saying a was using a HELIO while during the times I used a Virgin Mobile phone I always felt embarrassed to tell anybody. But again, that is all silly ego crap.
I hope that Virgin will bring us better prices, more/better services without losing/lowering any of the current services. It will be a matter of money - if it makes money, they’ll keep/improve it - otherwise, it’s gone. I may not like it, but I understand it… it’s just good business.
I have another year on my contract. Virgin, think about long-term customer retention over short-term profits and you’ll go far. If you keep the current level of service/offerings or improves them… I’ll stay. It’s that simple.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:35 am
I hope Helio helps them with some cool phones that are up to date. I mean Virgin got some busted looking phones ie the wildcard that is also on cricket wireless.
July 9th, 2008 at 9:58 am
“Helio may transfer your service to another provider with appropriate notice.”
Just read that on Helio’s site in the agreement section. Looks like we’re up shits creek. Unless you can prove you didn’t receive what you’d consider “appropriate notice.” I personally never got an email so I may try to stand on that ground when I cancel.
An next up we have the iPwn… *sigh* more than likely yet another peice of shit that almost does everything I want it to…
July 11th, 2008 at 12:50 am
HEY I HAVE SOME INTERESTING INFO(IDK IF IT WORKS BUT IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO TRY LET US KNOW IF IT WORKS)…I WAS TOLD FROM A FROM A FRIEND OF MINE THAT WORKS FOR A CELL PHONE COMPANY THERE IS A WAY AROUND THE WHOLE ETF THING…FROM WHAT I WAS TOLD YOU WOULD HAVE TO PUT YOUR BILL AS AN “EBILL” AND PUT AN ADDRESS OF SOMEWHERE THAT THERE IS NO SERVICE AND THE PHONE COMPANY WILL TERMINATE YOUR PLAN WITHOUT THE ETF…IF ANY1 TRIES THIS LET US KNOW IF IT WORKS IT SOUNDS LIKE IT WORK BUT IN ALL HONESTY I HAVE NO IDEA IF IT DOES…I WOULD TRY IT BUT TO BE HONEST IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR ANOTHER PHONE COMPANY THAT OFFERS WHAT HELIO HAS AND I JUST CANT FIND IT…AND FORGET ABOUT THE IPHONE 3G THERE PLANS ARE GOING TO BE EVEN HIGHER CAUSE OF EVERY1 USING MORE DATA. THATS JUST CRAZY!
July 11th, 2008 at 2:32 am
That’s why they have you provide them with a utility bill of the address on your account.
July 13th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Everyone honestly has to calm down.
My only disappointment in the merger is the fact that Helio will lose its brand name. But this disappointment weighed against all other aspects of this deal is valued little to nothing.
There’s a reason for Helio to push for such a buyout, for crying out loud. Everyone can continue bitching about Helio’s agreement to selling itself to Virgin, but what other course of action would you have taken? There is no doubt that in comparison to the early expectations, that Helio has been dragged down in one way or another. Is it really in Helio’s best interest (not to mention the customers) to continue the business as it is with a meager 170 thousand users? At least Helio is making the effort to live out its services, while trying to save themselves from meeting worse consequences, including having to shut down the company as a whole–like Amp’d or Disney Mobile.
Virgin has the audience, the same Sprint towers, and the big name. If you truly care about the services or models of Helio, there is no reason to cut off from the service simply due to a name change. You’ll potentially find cheaper services with the same services.
Also, nearly a fifth of the direction will be controlled by SK Telecom, provided that SKT will have two members on the board. There is no doubt in my mind that SKT will provide some direction to the lagging Virgin, especially due to SKT’s determination to bring something special to the table.
$39 million is not a lot of money for a buyout in respect to SKT’s $270 investment just last year. Do you honestly think SKT will rest on that kind of money and let Virgin just do whatever the hell it wants? SKT has good load of the stock shares for Virgin and it is in its best interest for Virgin to succeed and market the accelerated South Korean services.
“Oh, I’m so superficial and shallow. I think I did my research and I think Virgin is going to fuck up the current services right away, so I might as well just pay the 175 and jet with a new phone.” Are you serious…? For one, not even giving a chance for Virgin to utilize and sustain Helio to its fullest capability is horse crap. For two, that’s just stupid.
With all these whiny complaints, I’m starting to think that maybe Helio’s best course of action would have been to close down the entity as a whole.
… I’m kidding.
Helio is giving its best shot. The company is trying to leave available their services, while trying to get a bigger audience. Is its strategy flawed? Not really… especially when they aren’t getting much return from the current way the company is holding.
I honestly don’t really know the difference. The connection? The logo? Okay, I’ll give that to everyone because I’m a little heated about that too. But outside of that? I don’t see any reason to discontinue its use unless Virgin really fucks up. But none of us will know the result of that until later. I mean, the buyout hasn’t even been finalized. It’ll go into effect the third quarter of this year.
July 14th, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Sorry to say this but just get a Blackberry Curve and get it over with. Seriously. I was a Helio fan for 2 years and I had enough. I reluctantly switched over to Sprint and got the Curve and my goodness. I will never go to any other type of phone again.
July 14th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
First step is to contact your states attorney generals office and file a complaint again Helio.
July 17th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I have a Drift, and was about to get an Ocean — but now I don’t know if I want to because I’d have to renew my contract for 2 years…
BAH.
I know the service and whatnot will stay the same, but I don’t want Virgin’s shit all over my technology.
July 20th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
i have a sidekick 3.
and i wanted to get a helio ocean but idk if i should get it now.
is the network coverage even good?
does it get good reception in a lot of places or what?
if someone can help me on this then please answer my questions.
July 30th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Ok ok, so I was searching all over the mall today picking up what seemed like 100 brochures on different cell companies to try to find a better one than At&t (so tired of their crazy prices) and then a lady told me to think about helio. So I looked at the brochure and saw the ocean and was very interested, then I called helio and the woman I talked to was very, very nice and answered my questions patiently and politely for like half an hour, and after that I was like….time to get a helio. But then I came online and found out about the Virgin Mobile merge (which I rly think I should have been told about while I was on the phone). I rly dont care about the merge, honestly, I think it will boost the service in more ways than one. The only thing im bummed about, which may seem dumb to some, is that if I like helio and decide to stay with them, their awsome logo won’t be on it anymore, replaced after sometime by Virgin Mobiles ugly one. I’m sorry but I’m not just about a devices use, but its looks, and helio’s logo was something you didnt see often walkin around and it looked good. Why cant virgin mobile just take helio’s logo. Anyone else agree?
August 18th, 2008 at 11:03 pm
I love Helio. I really do. My biggest sell was that they operated on the CDMA networks which was a system derived from the military. Why is it good? It allows your phone to lock into multiple signals (towers) at the same time so your call is never dropped. Virgin Mobile uses GSM which forces your phone to utilize only one signal at a time. This can result in your call being dropped.
If you start having dropped calls and weak ass signal you can lay down a bet that its downhill from there for Helio and its current customers. Also hope the 3G net will not disappear on us either.
August 18th, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Just found this on the web. Now you know why…………
Helio loses $326 million in spite of revenue
MVNO carrier Helio has posted a net loss of $326 million for 2007, an official announcement reveals. Although the carrier’s revenue grew to $171 million last year from $46 million in 2006, the company has also been facing mounting costs, such as an advertising budget that rose from $21.6 to $47.5 million. Recent losses are notably out of proportion to those from 2006, which were only $192 million.
This creates significant danger for Helio, as the company is no longer being funded by EarthLink due to issues such as its failed municipal Wi-Fi effort. Helio is not yet at risk of folding however, as it has raised $600 million in funding, and according to company representatives it still has $45 million in “cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities.” Its sole parent company is now Korea’s SK Telecom. [via RCR Wireless News]
August 19th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
Virgin Mobile USA does NOT run on GSM. Helio and VM are both CDMA carriers.
August 22nd, 2008 at 1:51 am
Okay. I’ve been working in an upper Tier Helio Department for a while - this is the news.
Virgin and Helio did not Merge, Virgin BOUGHT out Helio.
Reason being is because Helio was honestly going under because
1) The Ocean not going to sufficient about of beta testing before release and having tons of issues, therefore resulting in tons of replacements and hours used up to aid the troubleshooting even though most of it’s fixed now.
2) Butt sore Members who complain and get credits tossed at them on their account like candy from improperly trained Customer Service agents. Honestly, thousands of dollars every few days.
3) The number of people who go to collections with their Helio accounts
SKT Telecom was going under because of Helio but then basically wrote it off to Virgin Mobile so they wouldn’t have to suffer.
And hate to break it to you, but the word isn’t official if they’re continuing with the OZ2 even they say it is. As far as they and we know, it is halted currently.
Although, a different device before the OZ2 is currently in the works and should be launched earlier then the OZ2. This one will have Wi-Fi just like the OZ2.