[cofe]

is it possible? i'm jonesing for a new phone by a particular fruit manufacturer but it will involve switching network and I have ages to run on my current deal. anyone have any experience? word etc.

[Monolith]

I'm sure Sloper will furnish you with the actual legalities of doing this but I recently terminated a contract early doors. It may not be the same scenario as yours in that I remained with the provider but totally changed contract. I did tell them at first I wanted to disconnect and this would have been possible if not for a great degree of theatrics on my part to secure the package I had in mind from them.

Which provider are you with cofe?

[Jaspersharpe]

I assume you mean without paying an arm and a leg? In a word "you can't" as far as I know. Unless they've fucked up somehow and could be deemed to be in breach of their side of the contract etc.

[cofe]

I assume you mean without paying an arm and a leg? In a word "you can't" as far as I know. Unless they've fucked up somehow and could be deemed to be in breach of their side of the contract etc.

thought as much. nevermind. i'm on 3 at moment.

[Monolith]

My 3 contract was due to terminate in December of this year. I called them and said that I wanted to terminate my contract as other providers are offering much better deals and that I don't feel the current contract represents value for money anymore. The guy said he could put me through to disconnection but asked whether I would be willing to speak to an advisor first to see if they could better what I had come across. Of course, I hadn't even bothered to look at other deals as this is a waste of my time. I made up some deals that I had been offered and he had to go one better to keep me. He gave me an offer but I was sure I could get better still. I told him I'd think about it and took the number for his department. I called back the following day and presented a different advisor with the same scenario and was presented with a better deal than the man had made me previously.

I'm aware that 3 in-store is quite different from 3 call centers. In store, they don't seem to be able to negotiate deals whereas on the phone, I was practically dictating what I want. Just my experience.

[cofe]

My 3 contract was due to terminate in December of this year. I called them and said that I wanted to terminate my contract as other providers are offering much better deals and that I don't feel the current contract represents value for money anymore. The guy said he could put me through to disconnection but asked whether I would be willing to speak to an advisor first to see if they could better what I had come across. Of course, I hadn't even bothered to look at other deals as this is a waste of my time. I made up some deals that I had been offered and he had to go one better to keep me. He gave me an offer but I was sure I could get better still. I told him I'd think about it and took the number for his department. I called back the following day and presented a different advisor with the same scenario and was presented with a better deal than the man had made me previously.

I'm aware that 3 in-store is quite different from 3 call centers. In store, they don't seem to be able to negotiate deals whereas on the phone, I was practically dictating what I want. Just my experience.

word. i'll give them a try on the blower then. i'm actually on a very good deal - no probs with 3 at all. i just want a particular phone that you can only get on O2.

[Jim]

not the G.A.Y phone?

[Jaspersharpe]

Mono - this is all very true but with the contract up in December you were in a very good position to negotiate. If you have a long time to run as cofe suggested it's a totally different situation. The companies are DESPERATE to hang onto your business so will bend over backwards to do so and you can negotiate some pretty good deals because of this. However, once you sign up to whatever deal it is they have you by the balls until the contract is nearing it's end. When you only have a couple of months left it's a bit like a football player having a year left on his contract. They will fall over themselves to give you a better deal or you can walk away on a Bosman free (picking up a shiny new phone and a laptop as you go).

[Monolith]

I had 5 months left before it was up for renewal so I suppose that is a pretty short time frame eh. I still reckon it's worth being crafty with the call centre, can't hurt to try eh. Good luck in worming out of it cofe.

As an aside, I recently incurred a mystery charge whilst perusing my bank statement. I called the bank where I was then given the contact details of this direct debit. To cut an Icelandic saga short, back in '05, I was offered upon termination of my O2 contract, the right to keep my number for a one off small payment (something like £3.00). I wasn't told anything about being given "£200.00 of credit" to use on paying a monthy bill yet this is what they had done to me. Since that 200 has now expired, I'm liable to pay 10 quid a month for a service I had never even requested.

The guy at Carphone Warehouse was actually very helpful and told me how they used to fuck people over but with new disclaimer laws, it was much harder for them to get away with. It should be possible to cancel this but the whole epic has majorly riled me.

At any rate, I despise phones, phone providers, phone culture, phone shop assistants and the whole 'need' for hyper communication. Fuck every last one of the aforementioned.

[Jaspersharpe]

Actually, with the way that mobile bills have come down so much recently it's one of the few areas of life where I don't feel like I'm being ripped off. I still am of course but when you can pay £30ish a month for enough call/text allowance never to have to pay any more it feels quite good in comparison to the £70-£100 the same usage would have cost a few years ago. I realise that it just shows how much the cunts were coining it when they were charging that much but it's still OK by me. Perhaps I've been lucky with a lack of cuntish behaviour from the mobile firms I've dealt with though.

[Mike Tyson]

Being an employee of one of the major networks, i feel i can advise on this matter! There is way you can get out of a contract early unless you pay the remaining line rental due to the end of the contract term. We get loads of folks coming in my shop saying they will cancel their direct debit and not pay etc. All this will do is ruin your credit rating as mobile networks are nasty bastards who keep vendettas. With regards to the fruit based phone your after, it is very cool at there are heaps of alternatives out there. My current fave is the HTC touch HD. It is well fly, google it for a look. It beats the i-phone on loadsa fronts.

[Jaspersharpe]

Nice.

[slackline]

Must be a real pain using the camera on that, looks like it points off at 45^o.  No doubt works well for those with a lazy eye

[cofe]

incidentally, this is the only reason i want a pearphone.

[slackline]

incidentally, this is the only reason i want a pearphone.

[dave]

I think my McAfee Metrosexual filter is blocking that website. and I've only got the filter level set to "mildy fruity".