Phone contract question

[jimmy306]

Ive posted this in another section but haven't had a response in a few hours so i thought i would try my luck here (mods please leave it for a bit)

Hi guys, hoping for some advice,

I have an 18 month mobile phone contract, which for the first 12 months was £20, but for the final 6 has increased to £40. I use my phone much less then i did when i took out the contract, and don't want to pay £40 a month for services i am not going to use.

I have been told by some friends that because i have phone insurance, i can just cancel the contract. This seems a little strange to me, and i assume i would have to pay the excess. (although this is better then £40 a month!)

Does anyone know any other way i can make this cheaper for myself, are Vodafone likely to change my contract so i can pay less?

By the way i refuse to go into phones4u/carephone warehouse et al and have them buy out the remaining contract in exchange for a new one. I have only had bad experiences with these types of companies, and wish to only deal with service providers from now on.

Thanks in advance for any help,

James

[wiffmaster]

Phone insurance just covers you for loss or damage to the phone - it does not allow you to cancel your contract early.

Your options are to either stick with your current contract for the remaining six months, or you can free yourself by buying it out early (at the full rate - i.e. £40*6 = £240). Remember, if you stick it out for the duration, then come renewal time they are likely to offer you a very good deal if you threaten to leave.

There is a very slim chance that if you phone up your provider they will reduce your monthly rate for the last six months (try a sob story about the credit crunch - they may take the view that it's better to get a guaranteed £20/30 from your each month, rather than having to chase you for the full £40 a month via the courts, etc). As I say, slim chance, but worth a try nonetheless.

Edited by wiffmaster on Friday 15th May 19:16

[jimmy306]

wiffmaster said:

Phone insurance just covers you for loss or damage to the phone - it does not allow you to cancel your contract early.

Thats what i thought.

wiffmaster said:

Your options are to either stick with your current contract for the remaining six months, or you can free yourself by buying it out early (at the full rate - i.e. £40*6 = £240). Remember, if you stick it out for the duration, then come renewal time they are likely to offer you a very good deal if you threaten to leave.

hmm, i still need a phone so there is no point in paying off the contract as i will only have to buy another.

wiffmaster said:

There is a very slim chance that if you phone up your provider they will reduce your monthly rate for the last six months (try a sob story about the credit crunch - they may take the view that it's better to get a guaranteed £20/30 from your each month, rather than having to chase you for the full £40 a month via the courts, etc). As I say, slim chance, but worth a try nonetheless.

I think i will try this, its such a pain to be paying £40 a month for 1000's of texts and 500 minutes when i only send a few hundred texts, and make a couple of hundred of calls!

[arryb]

I think carphone warehouse did an insurance deal where you could end you contract early....don't think any of the others did though!

[Mrs Trackside]

Was the original contract you signed for 12 months @ £20 then 6 months @ £40, or has the contract suddenly been increased?

[The Ben]

arryb said:

I think carphone warehouse did an insurance deal where you could end you contract early....don't think any of the others did though!

Ye that's right, but they stopped it now as it was costing them too much money!!!

If it is the same as us in Orange, halfway through your contract you can move down a tariff month by month, ie £40-£35-£30-£25 etc

HTH

[JBM78]

O2 let me reduce my tariff (but only to the next one down) after 9 months, I'd assume that most of them have a similar thing. Give them a ring, they can only say no eh.