Mobile phones (yet again)

[JULIANHJ]

I've had a mobile 10 years now. My average monthly bill over that time is around £35. In that time I've had 5 handsets. I'm currently kicking myself for not changing contract every 12 months to get a new phone for very little/free, and selling the old one privately to offset the line rental costs. On top of this it is also obvious I've missed out on numerous incentives to 'new customers'

Do you play the system? I'm about to bin my current Orange contract, get a free Nokia 6230 which will be Ebay'd for £100-£150, plus get £50 trade in for a tempremental Nokia 8210 lying around and £50 credit for me plus £25 for the g/f as she's 'introducing' me as a new customer. On top of this I'll get double minutes for the first 6 months plus double texts. All for my local Orange shop.

I called Orange to cancel my old contract, explaining the above and citing the only downside was a new number. Their response was 'Yes, we can't match it, thanks for your business.'

Oh well, might as well play it their way and come out at least £200 up...

[pug406]

I now have a V3 that I swapped for 3 old phones - P800 - Orange, T610 - TMobile and a Nokia - Orange. These were free phones on my last 3 networks. Got it (V3) on O2 PAYG and get 300 texts and 300 WAP mins a month. I hardly make any calls so it does me a treat.

[agent006]

Can you not port your number over?

I've not changed my handset for a few years now. Every time i always seem to get a more expensive contract. Last time i found myself paying £40 for a new version of the phone i already had.

[JULIANHJ]

I could go to another Network, but Orange are offering the best incentives, yet I can't port from one contract to another. No big loss I don't think.

[moleamol]

Change mine about every 10 months, always to the latest phone and for free. My old ones get given to whoever needs one.

[parrot of doom]

I moved from Three to Vodafone, while still under contract (which I cancelled).

I believe you can ask for a PAK code at any time, there are no restrictions on this.

[nicecupoftea]

I've been with Orange for the last 9 years. They're not a patch on how they used to be, but I believe they are pretty much all as bad as each other.

Trouble is, I make my money from having the same mobile number, so I can't chop and change. It infuriates me that I spend 100 quid a month with Orange and yet I don't get the kind of deals I would get if I cancelled and began a new contract

[wedg1e]

Julie's just changed her Vodafone deal: from 600 mins/ 50 texts for £13 to 900 mins/250 texts for £15 (monthly). She sends loads of texts (don't all wimmin?) and consequently the 50/ month was useless. Even though the contract is £2 a month more, she'll be quids in.
I'm thinking of binning my contract; I only got it after runing up a bill so large on the company phone from Saudi that I exceeded the credit limit and they cut me off .
Three years on, the battery is knackered, the phone's so old you have to put water and coal in the back of it and as Julie now lives with me, we're just like every other married couple and never speak

[edc]

nicecupoftea said:

I've been with Orange for the last 9 years. They're not a patch on how they used to be, but I believe they are pretty much all as bad as each other. Trouble is, I make my money from having the same mobile number, so I can't chop and change. It infuriates me that I spend 100 quid a month with Orange and yet I don't get the kind of deals I would get if I cancelled and began a new contract

Get the number you want to keep onto a PAYG and get whatever contract suits you on another tariff?

[Tuna]

I switched to Virgin, monthly billing, none of that line rental nonsense. As long as you don't need the absolute latest phone every six months, it's a lot cheaper than trying to get 'deals' out of companies that know they'll screw you on monthly charges.

[saf]

wedg1e said:

Julie's just changed her Vodafone deal: from 600 mins/ 50 texts for £13 to 900 mins/250 texts for £15 (monthly).

Chris's Voda contract is due this weekend, are you sure on those figures quoted, or could they be a typo error?

Just thought I'd ask so we can quote them at the weekend

[wedg1e]

saf said:

wedg1e said: Julie's just changed her Vodafone deal: from 600 mins/ 50 texts for £13 to 900 mins/250 texts for £15 (monthly). Chris's Voda contract is due this weekend, are you sure on those figures quoted, or could they be a typo error? Just thought I'd ask so we can quote them at the weekend

Just nipped home for lunch and found this: I've emailed Julie at work just to be certain. May have been £15.99... watch this space. It was on the Dialaphone website IIRC.

[wedg1e]

saf said:

wedg1e said: Julie's just changed her Vodafone deal: from 600 mins/ 50 texts for £13 to 900 mins/250 texts for £15 (monthly). Chris's Voda contract is due this weekend, are you sure on those figures quoted, or could they be a typo error? Just thought I'd ask so we can quote them at the weekend

Just nipped home for lunch and found this: I've emailed Julie at work just to be certain. May have been £15.99... watch this space. It was on the Dialaphone website IIRC - here it is:

www.dialaphone.co.uk/offerdetails_white.aspx?offercode=VODVF12

[dern]

Try this...

www.onestopphoneshop.co.uk/

...and go to the free line rental section. Choose one of the phones and change the tarif until you get what you want.

I got a 12 month contract with orange with a K500 which gives me 100 (or 200) minutes a month (I use no where near that) where the first 3 months line rental is about £10 and the last 9 is about £20 quid but the one stop phone shop vendor gives me the line rental as a cash back for the 12 months. They give you some vouchers and you send them to one stop with your invoices and they send you a cheque. As long as I don't go over the tariff free calls limit the year won't cost a penny.

You have to get the vouchers in on time and you have to cancel the direct debits for the insurance and technical support but other than that it seems catch free.

I even tranferred my existing number over.

Mark

[top fuel]

I "play the system" as you put it. Never renued a contract. don't see the point when they'll give you a Free phone for a new connection, yet charge you £50 when you upgrade.

I am always at the top band of prices for upgrades because I am a "bad" customer. I never go over my allowances, so they make no money off me.

This time I made a killing tho...

Went into Orange Store (not online, after the problems I've had with online contracts...) Got 200 mins, 1000 (yes one thousand) texts and care package (last phone got robbed, I need the cover now) for £5 a month. Also, handed an old phone in, and a mate "introdued me" so I get £75 of my next few bills, and he gets money.

I have no bother with sticking to phone companies (I just avoid one...) so I'll shop around and work it all out and go for the best deal at the time.

[kent993]

moleamol said:

Change mine about every 10 months, always to the latest phone and for free. My old ones get given to whoever needs one.

How come? You work for a phone company?

[moleamol]

kent993 said:

moleamol said: Change mine about every 10 months, always to the latest phone and for free. My old ones get given to whoever needs one. How come? You work for a phone company?

No, I just blag well

The shop down the road always has a better offer on That and the sales people generally have targets they like to hit

[JULIANHJ]

Thanks Wedg1e and Dern for those links - looks like I can get a very decent deal online instead