3mobile - what a useless lot they are!

loobiloo

yes, thanks ScottishChick. thats what I would assume.

hotkee, I find what you say hard to believe...
Not correct - the end of contract is to end of May and there lies the problem - its money owed to end of May which you will have to pay Three.

Its the same with any network - if you leave a contract before the full term completes, the termination fee is to the end of the contract day plus or minus a few days depending on when you give the 30 days notice.

the early termination fee covers the cost of what I would have paid for the remaining months - why would I pay (or be expected to pay) an early termination fee AND the rest of the remaining months' line fees? It makes no sense, surely?

robt_2

loobiloo wrote: »

the early termination fee covers the cost of what I would have paid for the remaining months - why would I pay (or be expected to pay) an early termination fee AND the rest of the remaining months' line fees? It makes no sense, surely?

The early termination fee is the sum of each months line rental until the end of the contract in May. It is possible it will be VAT free. You can't just pay a months line rental mid contract as a termination fee, it appears this is what you have done.

loobiloo

No I haven't paid a months line rental as a termination fee. I have paid £30.50 early termination fee plus line rental up to and including mid March when the contract ended (early)

robt_2

loobiloo wrote: »

No I haven't paid a months line rental as a termination fee. I have paid £30.50 early termination fee plus line rental up to and including mid March when the contract ended (early)

You need to pay it until the contract ENDS in May. You are saying that you cancelled a contract early and only paid the line rental for up until you cancelled it.

macman

loobiloo wrote: »

Thanks macman
The monthly charges were £17 + vat

I was under the impression that by paying an early termination fee, which is (and I quote their letter) "the equivalent to the total you'd pay on your price plan until the end of the contract" that I no longer had to pay the monthly charges until end of May. Is that incorrect?

As I traded in my old phone with my new supplier, tmobile, who also paid half of my termination fee, it seemed like an easy option to me.

I would have taken my old number with me, but I knew that getting 3mobile to deal with that would have been a nightmare; it was easier to discontinue the old number and start afresh.

Yes, it is incorrect, your original contract ended in May. Therefore the early termination fee is the balance of the monthly fee for the remaining months, i.e. £17x4plus VAT. That's around £78-roughly what you are being asked to pay by May.
By your logic, you could take out a new contract with an expensive phone, terminate after 1 month, pay a 1 month termination fee and walk away with the phone! I don't think so...you signed a 12 month contract and they are seeking to recover what you would have paid had you kept to that contract.

loobiloo

macman wrote: »

Yes, it is incorrect, your original contract ended in May. Therefore the early termination fee is the balance of the monthly fee for the remaining months, i.e. £17x4plus VAT. That's around £78-roughly what you are being asked to pay by May.
By your logic, you could take out a new contract with an expensive phone, terminate after 1 month, pay a 1 month termination fee and walk away with the phone! I don't think so...you signed a 12 month contract and they are seeking to recover what you would have paid had you kept to that contract.

No, thats not what I am saying! In the scenario you mention, I would have to pay an 11 month termination fee, which makes sense.
I have paid my termination fee to the end of may which is the cost of the line rental. Why do I have to pay the line rental twice? They have recovered what I would have paid had I kept the contract going till May.

All they have lost out on is the cost of the calls that would have been made .

At least, this is my understanding of the situation .

hotkee

Seems to me you do not want to talk to them loobiloo and get it sorted.

Easy calculation - Feb you cancel - in Feb you would normally pay for Jan or Feb bill which would be 17+vat as you have indicated above.

Remainder is March, April and May - thats 17*3 = 41+ vat probably.

You say you paid them £30.50 which doesnt equate.

Simply phone and ask for the figures and get it sorted rather than hanging up on them.

countrygal

Just had a 45 minute conversation with3 re a similar thing, my daughter moved to uni which has no 3 coverage so knowing her contract was due to end soon (we thought May but it appears to be June) we wanted to terminate the contract, the woman on the phone (in India) went round and round in circles, saying we could pay £20.21 concellation fee, which made it sound that this would be full and final settlement on a £17+VAT pm line rental, however right at the end (after she'd taken my card details) said she'd still have to pay the last month's line rental, we were thoroughly confused and in the end decided to leave it to run it's course and cancel the contract next month.
It was very, very confusing, the woman didn't explain herself or the situation properly and ended up shouting at us both (the phone was on speakerphone) and I feel she was deliberately misleading us both. She also kept trying to sell her another contract, we kept reiterating the contract was useless as she couldn't get reception at uni!!!
I felt we were being confused and deceived on purpose as three wouldn't tell us exactly how much it would cost to finish the contract.

loobiloo

hotkee wrote: »

Seems to me you do not want to talk to them loobiloo and get it sorted.

Easy calculation - Feb you cancel - in Feb you would normally pay for Jan or Feb bill which would be 17+vat as you have indicated above.

Remainder is March, April and May - thats 17*3 = 41+ vat probably.

You say you paid them £30.50 which doesnt equate.

Simply phone and ask for the figures and get it sorted rather than hanging up on them.

I don't want to talk to them, its true, as, in my experience of talking to them so far, their English is appalling and they don't answer straightforward questions. They have their script which they stick to and it involves trying to talk a customer out of moving their account.

However, I will try and get some clearer idea from phones 4U where I got the new contract.


I dont know why the £30.50 doesnt equate, but thats what I paid for the early closure of the account.

loobiloo

countrygal wrote: »

Just had a 45 minute conversation with3 re a similar thing, my daughter moved to uni which has no 3 coverage so knowing her contract was due to end soon (we thought May but it appears to be June) we wanted to terminate the contract, the woman on the phone (in India) went round and round in circles, saying we could pay £20.21 concellation fee, which made it sound that this would be full and final settlement on a £17+VAT pm line rental, however right at the end (after she'd taken my card details) said she'd still have to pay the last month's line rental, we were thoroughly confused and in the end decided to leave it to run it's course and cancel the contract next month.
It was very, very confusing, the woman didn't explain herself or the situation properly and ended up shouting at us both (the phone was on speakerphone) and I feel she was deliberately misleading us both. She also kept trying to sell her another contract, we kept reiterating the contract was useless as she couldn't get reception at uni!!!
I felt we were being confused and deceived on purpose as three wouldn't tell us exactly how much it would cost to finish the contract.

thanks countrygirl; at least its not just me that has these difficulties!