Mobile phone contracts, upgrades and how to understand (and beat)them.

Jeded11

Don't even dream of upgrading on any network, it's insulting to see what you're offered in comparison to new customers. Here's a guide to the loopholes and short cuts and pointers available to help you navigate your way through the bull****.

Either cancel your service and then 60 days later come back as a new customer and get all perks ,freebies, promotions etc.
If you were to switch company every 12 months which more and more people are doing then you'll get the phone / modem free and all the extras that are reserved for first time or new customers it what attracts people to the network & away from their old provider who's offering some crappy handset. You only use bait for the fish you want to catch, not the ones already in the boat!

The phone networks rely on peoples laziness and fear of change to keep them from taking the first towards moving providers - to switch your network is easier than people realise the company you move to will do all the work in the store, this would probably take 10 minutes to do in any phone store .....then 12 months later as that expires go back to the other crowd and re-sign with them. The circle of value.

Phone companies study trends and know how to manipulate markets, none of it happens by chance. It sounds funny but they know how you think. They spend vast sums of cash on this and advertising to win a percentage of the market.

If you're stuck in a contract and want out then firstly find out if you're on a 12 or 18 month contract. If it's 18 then call your company's customer care and ask to move to a 12 month one (they must oblige). Most companies have 2 different charges for the same plan the 18 month one being the cheaper, usually by €5 thus making it more attractive. Once this is done then ask to have your plan reduced to the lowest possible one on your billing cycle date (important otherwise more nasty charges for changing mid cycle), in most cases this will be €15...and then a little while later call up up cancel the contract.

It is crucial at this point that you are paying attention to the conversation you are having with the customer care agent, you can and will be roped into another contract if you agree with any new terms, conditions, contract letters, verbal contracts, cooling off periods, etc listen for these key words.

ALL of these calls without exception are recorded for contractual purposes ,training & quality - which they do tell you at the beginning of the call, if you agree to something without realising it then you have 7 days to change your mind or cancel the agreement which may be posted or emailed to you. If you do not avail of the cooling off period and cancel the contract you agreed to then you are then committed to another 12 or 18 months, if you dispute this you will be called back to be played a recording of yourself sounding all stupid and stuff being talked into then agreeing to another contract, legally binding my friends -watertight.
The hand may be quicker than the eye but the mouth can be even quicker than the ear.

You may tug and pull a little with them for a couple of minutes but just start to make rumblings of moving unless you can change without a contract, you will get your way with some persistence. They talk to a hundred people like you every day they'll catch plenty others. Don't be that guy.

Now at this point to cancel your unwanted contract you will be charged €15 multiplied by the amount of months remaining on the contract. Not many people know this and may call up and buy out at the higher rate. For example buying out a contract with 6 months left on a plan worth €55 will cost you €330 while if you were paying €15 per month you will only pay.......€90. They won't advise you of this.

If you decide that you must stay and you're still not due that elusive upgrade even though you have served your 12 months then this is because you are on an 18 month contract. Remember earlier when we called to change the same plan from 18 month to 12, same again you want the 12. This will bring the amount of months needed to qualify for your upgrade back down to 12, and hey presto just like that you become eligible for the same upgrade you were denied only hours earlier. They won't advise of this.

Lastly on this point don't be conned into thinking that because you do the extra 6 months that you will have a better upgrade because you have spent more, you will not. Upgrades are calculated or "awarded" based on your spend over a rolling 12 month period not 18 months....They won't advise you of this.


Forewarned is forearmed...... good luck with it.

du Maurier

Hold on a sec, there!

On the 3 network you can't just move down to a 12 month contract from an 18 as easy as you say so. In fact I don't think you can at all.

The only bit of room I got to 'change' was from a 40 tariff to a 25 euro one, only on the grounds that my reception was so poor and it 'wasn't providing the service I had paid for'.

Spear

Moved from N&F.

Kenny Logins

Jeded11 wrote: »

Don't even dream of upgrading on any network, it's insulting to see what you're offered in comparison to new customers. Here's a guide to the loopholes and short cuts and pointers available to help you navigate your way through the bull****.

Either cancel your service and then 60 days later come back as a new customer and get all perks ,freebies, promotions etc.
If you were to switch company every 12 months which more and more people are doing then you'll get the phone / modem free and all the extras that are reserved for first time or new customers it what attracts people to the network & away from their old provider who's offering some crappy handset. You only use bait for the fish you want to catch, not the ones already in the boat!

The phone networks rely on peoples laziness and fear of change to keep them from taking the first towards moving providers - to switch your network is easier than people realise the company you move to will do all the work in the store, this would probably take 10 minutes to do in any phone store .....then 12 months later as that expires go back to the other crowd and re-sign with them. The circle of value.

Phone companies study trends and know how to manipulate markets, none of it happens by chance. It sounds funny but they know how you think. They spend vast sums of cash on this and advertising to win a percentage of the market.

If you're stuck in a contract and want out then firstly find out if you're on a 12 or 18 month contract. If it's 18 then call your company's customer care and ask to move to a 12 month one (they must oblige). Most companies have 2 different charges for the same plan the 18 month one being the cheaper, usually by €5 thus making it more attractive. Once this is done then ask to have your plan reduced to the lowest possible one on your billing cycle date (important otherwise more nasty charges for changing mid cycle), in most cases this will be €15...and then a little while later call up up cancel the contract.

It is crucial at this point that you are paying attention to the conversation you are having with the customer care agent, you can and will be roped into another contract if you agree with any new terms, conditions, contract letters, verbal contracts, cooling off periods, etc listen for these key words.

ALL of these calls without exception are recorded for contractual purposes ,training & quality - which they do tell you at the beginning of the call, if you agree to something without realising it then you have 7 days to change your mind or cancel the agreement which may be posted or emailed to you. If you do not avail of the cooling off period and cancel the contract you agreed to then you are then committed to another 12 or 18 months, if you dispute this you will be called back to be played a recording of yourself sounding all stupid and stuff being talked into then agreeing to another contract, legally binding my friends -watertight.
The hand may be quicker than the eye but the mouth can be even quicker than the ear.

You may tug and pull a little with them for a couple of minutes but just start to make rumblings of moving unless you can change without a contract, you will get your way with some persistence. They talk to a hundred people like you every day they'll catch plenty others. Don't be that guy.

Now at this point to cancel your unwanted contract you will be charged €15 multiplied by the amount of months remaining on the contract. Not many people know this and may call up and buy out at the higher rate. For example buying out a contract with 6 months left on a plan worth €55 will cost you €330 while if you were paying €15 per month you will only pay.......€90. They won't advise you of this.

If you decide that you must stay and you're still not due that elusive upgrade even though you have served your 12 months then this is because you are on an 18 month contract. Remember earlier when we called to change the same plan from 18 month to 12, same again you want the 12. This will bring the amount of months needed to qualify for your upgrade back down to 12, and hey presto just like that you become eligible for the same upgrade you were denied only hours earlier. They won't advise of this.

Lastly on this point don't be conned into thinking that because you do the extra 6 months that you will have a better upgrade because you have spent more, you will not. Upgrades are calculated or "awarded" based on your spend over a rolling 12 month period not 18 months....They won't advise you of this.


Forewarned is forearmed...... good luck with it.

Very interesting, but what do you have to back this up with? I know there have been many cases on here where people needed to cancel contracts for a variety of reasons but I don't recall seeing any network allow a reduction in the term or dropping to a lower tariff, unless already long into the contract.

drunkmonkey

He's not also not taking into account that if you want to switch plan with some providers, i.e drop down to the lowest you have to re-enter a contract. I think it's o2 and Meteor that have that rule so it makes that whole statement relevant to only Vodafone as 3 don't offer new customers any more than existing customers.

Jeded11

The reason that I am aware of these loop holes is that I worked for one of the largest mobile phone networks in customer care for many years and have a broad knowledge of how this works.

I'm not speculating these are facts. For example if a customer states that they are working overseas for a period of time it's commonplace that they will reduce the tariff for a period of a few months then explain that when they come back they need to be moved back upwards.
If a person has chosen the wrong plan they are entitled to adjust it upwards but also downwards to suit how they need to use the phone.

It's in the wording, and just because a customer care agent says no that doesn't mean that it can't be done.
They're all told how to steer the conversation. Persistence will pay off, ask to speak to the department manager or ask for their email address. Believe me that individual will have more on their plate than dealing with your problem and won't take the time to contest it.

Don't take no for an answer or throw in the towel, you will get your way if you persist.

du Maurier

Jeded11 wrote: »

The reason that I am aware of these loop holes is that I worked for one of the largest mobile phone networks in customer care for many years and have a broad knowledge of how this works.

I'm not speculating these are facts. For example if a customer states that they are working overseas for a period of time it's commonplace that they will reduce the tariff for a period of a few months then explain that when they come back they need to be moved back upwards.
If a person has chosen the wrong plan they are entitled to adjust it upwards but also downwards to suit how they need to use the phone.

It's in the wording, and just because a customer care agent says no that doesn't mean that it can't be done.
They're all told how to steer the conversation. Persistence will pay off, ask to speak to the department manager or ask for their email address. Believe me that individual will have more on their plate than dealing with your problem and won't take the time to contest it.

Don't take no for an answer or throw in the towel, you will get your way if you persist.

That's quite interesting. Maybe some networks will be a little bit more resilient that others in their policies. But that said, in reference to your thoughts on upgrades, would it be feasible (on whichever network) to push them for an upgrade 12 months after purchase on an 18 month contract. 3 do it at 16 months which isn't that great.

devinejay

Whichever of the "largest mobile phone networks" you worked for, I'm guessing it wasn't Meteor, or it wasn't recently.

I went bill pay for the first time last november, and foolishly signed up for 18 months. Since the summer I've had a new job and the office has zero Meteor coverage, and to add to that, I lost my phone on a night out so I now don't even have the lovely smartphone I jumped to bill pay for. All my own fault, but I'm not going to let that stop me trying to get out of the contract, or at least get onto a contract that better represents my phone usage (i.e. I hardly use my phone now, and never use the data bundled in my contract)

I called customer care, explained the situation. I started off innocently enough, aware that they might try brush off my complaint or assume I wouldn't press, and then continued to press. I got nowhere.

They wouldn't change anything for me, contract length, bill plan, anything. I pressed from plenty of angles for any glimmer of hope but I got nothing. I had a good look at the contract myself, and it's pretty watertight (imo, I'm no legal eagle.) Basically I have 9 months left on my contract, and I can only change onto a lower plan at the end of those nine months (when the "Minimum Period, as outlined in the application form, expires) If I cancel the contract, the charge incurred is the number of months remaining on the contract, multiplied by the monthly tariff of the contract not €15 or any other flat cancellation fee.

I started with the hopes of possibly getting down to a 12 month, lower tariff contract, which would leave me the option of changing provider to get a new phone and only incurring a €45 euro fine for leaving the contract early. Instead my options are go the distance, or pay €180.

In fairness, this was more to see what I can get out of it than a matter of urgency. I go back to college in September, when I'll probably get myself a smartphone anyway and get back to using what's included in my plan because I'll be on the go a lot. Sorry if this has been a bit long winded, but it was a half hour phone call and I'm only getting my head around the ins & outs of bill pay.

tldr; Meteor won't let you change anything unless you want to pay through the nose for it, always choose the shortest contract and don't lose your phone like a dope

On another note, I'll be keeping my ear to the ground for any change in contract by Meteor, which you probably know lets you opt out of your contract, no matter what they're changing. However the wording in Meteor's T&Cs suggests they might hold your phone number ransom if you do try this, and I wouldn't be surprised if they did after seeing how hard they've tried to ensnare me so far!!

Also I'd love to hear if anyone else had better luck than me, I could just have got the hardest hard-ass on the Meteor customer care team

krudler

If you're stuck in a contract and want out then firstly find out if you're on a 12 or 18 month contract. If it's 18 then call your company's customer care and ask to move to a 12 month one (they must oblige). Most companies have 2 different charges for the same plan the 18 month one being the cheaper, usually by €5 thus making it more attractive. Once this is done then ask to have your plan reduced to the lowest possible one on your billing cycle date (important otherwise more nasty charges for changing mid cycle), in most cases this will be €15...and then a little while later call up up cancel the contract.

you cant just reduce your contact like that, you took an 18 month, you're contracted for 18 months, handset price and price plan conditions and all that

devinejay

On re-appraising the whole situation, I reckon OP is trolling the customer care team he used to work for. Crafty devil.

KrisW

If I ever got in charge of Education in this country, I'd make sure everyone had to learn about contract law (and VAT and how to file a tax return) before they left school. Lots of people don't understand what a contract is, and how strong it is.

Basically, you agree to a contract, you are legally bound to fulfill your part of the deal. If that part of the deal is "I will pay you this much for 18 months, and you can take my phone back if I leave you before 6 months", then that's what you've got to do.

You can ask at any time to have the terms changed, but the other party has no obligation to change them at all. You're relying entirely on their goodwill - remember that the next time someone in a call-centre or a shop is winding you up; shouting will get you nowhere. I don't work in a shop or a call-centre, but I am amazed by how some people think it's okay to abuse others just because they themselves agreed to a deal that they shouldn't have.

If you don't like it, you've got to lump it, then get a better deal next time. Go in with your eyes open and check what you're actually getting, not what you're led to believe by the headlines. ("Free iPhone", indeed...)

_Kaiser_

I'd have to agree with devinejay - at least where Meteor is concerned..

Even though I ran into an ongoing series of billing issues that were THEIR fault (and acknowledged as such by them) they refused point blank to release me from the contracts.

Despite my getting ComReg involved (who are toothless - only able to ensure the complaint is looked at by your Operator but that's as far as their influcence goes), and then having the matter escalated to eircom (as Meteor's owners), I'm STILL stuck with having to pay Meteor until the contract expires.... after which both accounts i have will be moved elsewhere that same day!!

One thing though the OP does highlight is that upgrades are increasingly worse value with these longer contracts (18-24 months is now fast becoming the norm it seems) so I plan to buy my next handset unlocked/unbranded and then choose where to take it rather than being tied into a long-term, inflexible, overpriced contract with a handset that'll be outdated 6 months into said contract anyway (I get bored with phones easily )

He's right on one other thing too .. Irish people don't (in general) shop around enough - although to be fair, in many cases there's very little savings to be actually made (think even of the price of milk between say Dunnes and Tesco - it's either the same, or maybe a few cents cheaper/dearer)