Question of the Week: Can I get out of my mobile contract early?

Former_MSE_Archna · 13 April 2010 at 12:39PM

Q. Is there any way of getting out of a mobile phone contract early, without having to pay £100's?

Martin's A. In general it's very difficult but there are two chinks of light. First if it makes any changes to the terms of your contract, then you usually have a short window of time to close it down, so keep an eye out for notices of that.

The second option is to downgrade to the very lowest tariff, so if you're paying £30/mth, see if you can switch to one for £10 or so then cancel afterwards, at least it'll bring the fee down.

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nickmack · 13 April 2010 at 12:50PM

MSE_Archna wrote: »

Q. Is there any way of getting out of a mobile phone contract early, without having to pay £100's?

I always cringe slightly when I see the phrase 'getting out' mentioned on the forum. More often than not, it attracts responses about shirking responsibility. It's sometimes a fine line between having a genuine reason to invoke a clause in a contract to terminate early and those seeking to avoid paying a valid agreement.

First if it makes any changes to the terms of your contract, then you usually have a short window of time to close it down, so keep an eye out for notices of that.

This can and has worked in the past in favour of the customer, but increasingly networks resist by citing that the change does not affect them based previous usage. Be prepared for them to put up a bit of a fight!

The second option is to downgrade to the very lowest tariff, so if you're paying £30/mth, see if you can switch to one for £10 or so then cancel afterwards, at least it'll bring the fee down.

This is the easiest option although be careful the lower tariff doesn't end up costing you more, because you exceed the decreased number of inclusive minutes/texts. (Another reason why factoring this into a deal at renewal time is not a good idea!)

gjchester · 13 April 2010 at 12:54PM

MSE_Archna wrote: »

First if it makes any changes to the terms of your contract, then you usually have a short window of time to close it down, so keep an eye out for notices of that.

The second option is to downgrade to the very lowest tariff, so if you're paying £30/mth, see if you can switch to one for £10 or so then cancel afterwards, at least it'll bring the fee down.

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Really this should have been researched a lot better.. The forums often get people posting looking for a loop hole as a way out, they will be awash with questions over this now.

Option 1 Possibly, maybe, but pretty unlikely in most cases.

Option 2, again possibly, most contracts now require you to stay a minimum no of months on your signed up contract. (minimum of 9 months) then you can move down one tarrif level a month. It's very unlikely you can go from £30 PCM to £10 PCM in one jump, it will probably be over three or four months.

MSE_Martin · 14 April 2010 at 7:19PM

gjchester wrote: »

Really this should have been researched a lot better.. The forums often get people posting looking for a loop hole as a way out, they will be awash with questions over this now.

Option 1 Possibly, maybe, but pretty unlikely in most cases.

Option 2, again possibly, most contracts now require you to stay a minimum no of months on your signed up contract. (minimum of 9 months) then you can move down one tarrif level a month. It's very unlikely you can go from £30 PCM to £10 PCM in one jump, it will probably be over three or four months.

This was perfectly well researched - and we have all the data over removal times in the article - but it is a general answer.

The first line says

"This is usually very difficult"

Which to me implies it isn't easy

Then I explain the two methods in short. The last one says "see if you can" not you can - the aim is to get people to call up and ask about this and find out what htey can do. To go through every networks policy really would take too long for a simple Q&A.

gjchester · 14 April 2010 at 9:37PM

MSE_Martin wrote: »

This was perfectly well researched - and we have all the data over removal times in the article - but it is a general answer.

Sorry maybe my comment was too blunt.

It may have been well researched but the entry is too short really for the forums. There seem to be either people who want a new shiny phone and want out just because there phone is now more than a week old, or people who didn't do their research before buying a phone and now dislike it, or occasionally people in genuine financial problems.

Too often it's the former not the latter. It would have been better if this was a reasaonablly detailed piece rather than the short Q&A that leaves more questions than answers.

Maybe future posts should link directly to the article in question.

watcherman · 15 April 2010 at 7:16PM

MSE_Martin wrote: »

for a simple Q&A.

Understatement of the century :rotfl:

Question of the Week: Can I get out of my mobile contract early?

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