How to get best mobile phone contract

[topless_mx5]

My contract is due to expire with o2 in a couple of weeks. On £35 a month currently, 400 mins 500 texts. Got a letter through the post asking me to ring them regarding an upgrade.

Now, my cousin in the same situation some months ago managed to get for £25 a month, 600 mins and unlimited texts and a Blackberry Curve 8900 on an 18 month contract.

I ring up today and explain this and the best they could offer me was the same deal but £30 a month. I told them Orange had offered me the same deal at £26 (not strictly true) but the guy wouldn't budge from £30.

I told him no thank you. So, any advice on how I can get a better deal for that, as they clearly have the scope to offer it for £25.

[illmonkey]

ask for your pac code and speak to retentions.

I have been offered 1200 mins 1200 txt, unlimited internet, O2 Ignito on 18 month for £30/month.

[arryb]

Did you go through to the last ditch attempt guys? i.e. Go through to the 'I want to leave O2' bunch and then see what they can do. They usually do all they can to keep you, I managed to get a sim only deal for half their usual price buy threatening to leave

[kong]

Yep, as said above, ring up, and ask for your PAC code. Tell them you've already made up your mind. They'll send you a letter begging you to stay, ring up the Number on it, which will get you through to retentions. If you say you're giving them one last chance, they will pull out a ridiculous deal.

I did it yesterday, (albeit with orange) and got a new blackberry, with free blackberry unlimited internet and e-mail, (normally £5-10 a month) plenty of texts and minutes, some more magic numbers (and orange thing, any calls to them are free) all for £25 a month. Considering I already get £10 of my bills every month, I think thats a pretty good deal!

[V8mate]

topless_mx5 said:

Now, my cousin in the same situation some months ago managed to get for £25 a month, 600 mins and unlimited texts and a Blackberry Curve 8900 on an 18 month contract.

Offers change all the time.

[GregE240]

illmonkey said:

ask for your pac code and speak to retentions.

I have been offered 1200 mins 1200 txt, unlimited internet, O2 Ignito on 18 month for £30/month.

^Wot he said.

[The Ben]

go to an Orange shop and get 600 mins unlimited text or 700 mins 100 texts and unlimited landline calls for about £26.00 per month plus free home broadband

[3sixty]

I'm half way through my contract now, and I'm up for the "Best Plan" advice. They've told me I'm on the correct tarriff, I presume to get the £35 out of me every month.

However, due to getting a company phone, I'm now not using any call time and maybe around 50 texts per month... in comparison with the 600 free minutes and unlimited texts on offer for £35. Admittedly, I do use the free internet occassionally, but this only amounts to 1-2MB a month.

How do I go about changing this? I've tried the dropdown tariff thing and they say I can only drop down 1 tariff per 'Best Plan period' i.e. every 6 months (so my drop this period can only be from £35 to £30)... but at £5, I'm not saving as much as I should bearing in mind my now limited usage. Yet Orange are insisting I'm on the correct tarriff in their Best Plan.

Anyone any ideas what I can do? threatening to leave sounds a good idea, but I presume with 6 months left they'll say "fine, cough up the remaining contract and we'll let you go.. that'll be ~£200 please"

[illmonkey]

3sixty said:

I'm half way through my contract now, and I'm up for the "Best Plan" advice. They've told me I'm on the correct tarriff, I presume to get the £35 out of me every month.

However, due to getting a company phone, I'm now not using any call time and maybe around 50 texts per month... in comparison with the 600 free minutes and unlimited texts on offer for £35. Admittedly, I do use the free internet occassionally, but this only amounts to 1-2MB a month.

How do I go about changing this? I've tried the dropdown tariff thing and they say I can only drop down 1 tariff per 'Best Plan period' i.e. every 6 months (so my drop this period can only be from £35 to £30)... but at £5, I'm not saving as much as I should bearing in mind my now limited usage. Yet Orange are insisting I'm on the correct tarriff in their Best Plan.

Anyone any ideas what I can do? threatening to leave sounds a good idea, but I presume with 6 months left they'll say "fine, cough up the remaining contract and we'll let you go.. that'll be ~£200 please"

You're in a contract, so you cant do much really. You can change when it finishes!

[topless_mx5]

arryb said:

Did you go through to the last ditch attempt guys? i.e. Go through to the 'I want to leave O2' bunch and then see what they can do. They usually do all they can to keep you, I managed to get a sim only deal for half their usual price buy threatening to leave

It was the specialist team, as the normal upgrades team couldn't offer me the deal I wanted. Not sure if they are the last ditch guys though. Will give it a few days and then call back asking for PAC code.

[caterhamboy]

The Ben said:

go to an Orange shop and get 600 mins unlimited text or 700 mins 100 texts and unlimited landline calls for about £26.00 per month plus free home broadband

I got 300 mins, unlimited text and free broadband for £13 p.m inc vat. Just phone up and ask for your pac code and if you have broadband with them ask for mac code.

[3sixty]

illmonkey said:

3sixty said:

I'm half way through my contract now, and I'm up for the "Best Plan" advice. They've told me I'm on the correct tarriff, I presume to get the £35 out of me every month.

However, due to getting a company phone, I'm now not using any call time and maybe around 50 texts per month... in comparison with the 600 free minutes and unlimited texts on offer for £35. Admittedly, I do use the free internet occassionally, but this only amounts to 1-2MB a month.

How do I go about changing this? I've tried the dropdown tariff thing and they say I can only drop down 1 tariff per 'Best Plan period' i.e. every 6 months (so my drop this period can only be from £35 to £30)... but at £5, I'm not saving as much as I should bearing in mind my now limited usage. Yet Orange are insisting I'm on the correct tarriff in their Best Plan.

Anyone any ideas what I can do? threatening to leave sounds a good idea, but I presume with 6 months left they'll say "fine, cough up the remaining contract and we'll let you go.. that'll be ~£200 please"

You're in a contract, so you cant do much really. You can change when it finishes!

I guessed so, was worth an ask though

[wildoliver]

The best deal for me currently was Nokia 5800 (nice phone by the way if you want an iphone type thing), £25 a month (just under due to 15% vat) 600 mins, unlimited texts, on vodafone (only network I get good signal on round here). Plus I find Vodafone customer services a delight to talk to, as long as your polite they are polite back and always solve your issues.

[andy ted]

Do you need a new phone? I didn't at the end of my O2 contract so went onto their 'simpicity' tarrif with some freebies thrown in. I pay about £15 quid a month for 800 mins and 1000 texts -plus free 02 - 02 calls could get that down to 10 quid a month I think if I took the lower option plan. Added bonus of no contract term so only a months notice to leave

[miguel38]

i phoned up orange after looking on the web, i said that i'd been offered there dolpihin 35 (600mins unlimited txt) for £13 via cash back with vodaphone, after 5mins on hold the girl came back and said sorry we cant match that but we can do it for £14, Result! its a basic phone but it suites my needs - nokia 6500C

[3sixty]

miguel38 said:

i phoned up orange after looking on the web, i said that i'd been offered there dolpihin 35 (600mins unlimited txt) for £13 via cash back with vodaphone, after 5mins on hold the girl came back and said sorry we cant match that but we can do it for £14, Result! its a basic phone but it suites my needs - nokia 6500C

Thats what I'm on (and not using) as above... you've made me feel worse now, thanks!

[dern]

miguel38 said:

i phoned up orange after looking on the web, i said that i'd been offered there dolpihin 35 (600mins unlimited txt) for £13 via cash back with vodaphone, after 5mins on hold the girl came back and said sorry we cant match that but we can do it for £14, Result! its a basic phone but it suites my needs - nokia 6500C

I was with orange a few years back, really good deal... spent the next year driving/walking round trying to find a decent signal.

Edited by dern on Monday 23 February 11:51

[munky]

Have you been with o2 for a while? If so you can probably get a free contract.

As above, call them and say you want to close down the account. Tell them you have a work phone and don't need your own anymore. Which is what I did, as I just didn't need the phone anymore given I had a work blackberry. They made some offer to keep me on, I turned it down.

So they made another offer which I accepted. An 18 month contract for £0.00 per month including 600 text and 600 mins of free calls, including mobiles, any time. Not sure what the included data is, but so far I haven't been charged a penny for anything ever since. Even though I keep entering the 5th Gear competitions! It's nice getting an email each month saying "You can now take a look at your O2 bill for dd/mm/yy online. The balance on your account shows that you do not owe us any money this month and so need take no further action."

[munky]

dern said:

miguel38 said:

i phoned up orange after looking on the web, i said that i'd been offered there dolpihin 35 (600mins unlimited txt) for £13 via cash back with vodaphone, after 5mins on hold the girl came back and said sorry we cant match that but we can do it for £14, Result! its a basic phone but it suites my needs - nokia 6500C

I was with orange a few years back, really good deal... spent the next year driving/walking round trying to find a decent signal.

Edited by dern on Monday 23 February 11:51

Depends where you are.. visited a friend in the Rhondda valley and no signal on 02 for the entire weekend. Orange is the only network with a signal there! Strangely o2 is quite bad in parts of London - always had a very bad signal in Islington, whereas other networks were fine.

[Soir]

I was out of contract with orange. Managed to get 800mins, unlim texts and internet downloads with nokia 6500 on 18mth contract for £10 per month plus £50 credit on acc.

Sold 6500 and bought unlocked iphone...