Here is my experience:

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!!!!

Features+Design matter, and I hope that Helio can manage to slow the cash bleed long enough to find profitability, and stick around long term.

This company has features that Tmobile cannot even pretend to have and AT&T wish their savior iPhone could bring, and Sprint and Verizon with all their highspeed this and that ought to have. It is not good that and MNVO upstages you (I think its on Sprints network), and a clear sign that the US oligopoly is stagnating the market. The two current best ideas they have to make money is their Early Termination fees not being pro rated, and continuing to raise the price of individual txts not on plans. Almost as effective as the RIAA’s sue and persecute the customers plan of attack.

My wife and I both have Oceans and love them so far. I love the fact that simple things like the ability to have a custom ringtone for whoever I want is included instead of something I need to buy an application for like on my Treo.

I also haven’t had a single dropped call or even a garbled once since moving over from Cingular/AT&T.

Rumor is that SK Telecom is looking to buy an American carrier (Sprint being the top choice.) That would probably make Helio cheaper and more profitable for the firm.

I own one of their phones (the Ocean) and what I’ve seen so far is the younger generation lusts over the phone and bombards me with questions and requests to check it out, the older folks I know have no clue who Helio is but admit that the phone is pretty neat nonetheless.

Usually when I show the dual sliding numberpad and keyboard the younger exclaim, “that’s so coooooollll!” Whereas the older folks get a smile and their eyes go a little wide and say, “Hey! That’s neat!” or just a simple, “Wow”.

Naturally, these are generalizations and I would expect a good majority of TC readers are already familiar with nifty gadgetry and not likely to have the same reactions.

The bottom line? Yeah, the ads might seem like they suck, but to teen/tweens and early adopter gadgeteers, they’re spot on. (Before you tell me, “I’m an early adopter with first gen and I still think the ads suck and don’t get them…”, ask yourself this–are you seriously so clueless that you had no idea what/who Helio is or what their phones look like? While not as prolific as iPhone hype, there’s tons of information on nearly every gadget blog & website on these phones–perhaps you really aren’t their demographic if you seriously don’t know.)

Also, Earthlink said they are not putting more money in right now, not that they won’t ever.

do they make cool looking phones? are they an alternative to verizon/at&t/tmobile etc? beats me.