Batter down your annual mobile costs article Discussion Area

grumbler

£6.90 is their standard plan that you could have got down to £3.33 by joining as a new customer with £42.92 TCB cashback.

It doesn't include free Three to Three calls though.

Wi11iams

Hi All, 2 weeks left of my contract with Three (Customer for 3 years) trying to "cancel" 1st person i get through to on retentions (2nd different person after 1st kept putting me off with awaiting stock line on a refreshed samsung s3) is offering me samsung note 2(I changed my mind on handset) for the same price as i can get on the upgrade page on three website.

3 manager holds later and its still the same offer, I am due a callback shortly, what is my best tactic from here? will I get put through to another CSA higher up that will offer a better deal if i stick to my 30 days notice threat? Thanks!!

Megaton

I was with vodafone on 24 month contract, for the whole contract period I had difficulty with them as I couldn't log into my online account as they had set me up as a business by mistake, were charging me £30pm for the so called free sim for a month offer and when I tried to cancel because of poor signal at home they offered me a free sure signal internet booster then I found I was being charged £5 extra a month for this.
For 18 months I fought with retentions and customer service to get it all sorted with no luck and many phone calls. I then told them I was leaving and asked for my PAC code. 2 days later I got a call from the 'special retentions department' who I was told had more powers to help me, within 20 minutes they had arranged a bank transfer for all the money I was owed and changed my account correctly so I could log on and offered me a free iPhone 5 32GB and 6 months at £29 pm.

The PAC code is valid for a month so if things get desperate order the code and you can still stay with them if you want to. I moved to virgin mobile after all but happy I got my money back.

grumbler

Megaton wrote: »

...I moved to virgin mobile after all but happy I got my money back.

After getting a free iP5? Are you sure that your contract wasn't extended ('upgraded') and that you will not have your credit history trashed now and that debt collectors don't knock on your door tomorrow?

mickaveli2001

Megaton, they done the exact same thing to me. I also once took a contract mobile out again on Vodafone, for my partner and she was wanting to transfer her existing PAYG Vodafone sim to the contract, and basically they ended up charging us twice for one contract mobile for months. Ended up having to get over £400 from them

mobiles.co.uk are terrible thoguh.

I called them up to take out a contract phone, and the guy I kept getting put through to would hang up on me as soon as I said hello, and I would like to take out a mobile phone.. Called back 3 times oddly enough getting the same guy each time who kept hanging up on me. I sent them an e-mail telling them to ram their sale up their .....

Vodafone

Hi Megaton,

It's disappointing to hear about the troubles you faced but it's great that these have now been resolved for you.

If you need any further help, you can always contact me personally via the info here. Just include WRT135 FAO Heidi in the subject and I will pick it up. If you also include a contact number and a link to your post, I will give you a call.

Best wishes,

Heidi
Web Relations Team
Vodafone UK

sazzlebops

Phone is due for an upgrade in the next couple weeks. Currently with Three network (for about 6 years), paying £20 a month. I want an Iphone or Samsung s3. Been reading alot on here about PAC codes. IfI rang up and got through to retentions then requested a PAC code to call their bluff, what happens? Do they disconnect you after a period of time? Do you need to ring them back up to cancel the code down if you decide not to switch? Presumably if I was to switch you would supply your new provider with the PAC code, but if I didn't use it what happens? Thanks in advance...

grumbler

sazzlebops wrote: »

Phone is due for an upgrade in the next couple weeks.

Upgrade date is not necessarily the end of the minimum term. Sometimes it can be earlier.

...IfI rang up and got through to retentions

You don't need to get through to retention, although they may put you through if you don't demonstrated enough determination to leave. Be prepared to 'hard sell'.

then requested a PAC code to call their bluff, what happens? Do they disconnect you after a period of time? Do you need to ring them back up to cancel if you decide not to switch? Presumably if I was to switch you would supply your new provider with the PAC code, but if I didn't what happens? Thanks in advance...

It lasts for 30 days that you pay for even if you port the number out earlier (assuming that the 30th day is outside of the minimum term).
You give it to the new provider no more than 5-7 days before it expires. They will tell you the day at which the switch will take place.
As soon as the number gets ported the old contract gets terminated.
If you don't use the PAC and it expires the old contract goes on.

Richard_Corfield

I tried haggling with my provider - took the printout of the offer into the shop, pointed the retention person at Tesco's web site - to be told that Tesco were making a false offer and I could try it but it would fail.

So I went with Tesco. I have a top end phone which is unlocked (bonus!), and am paying £18 less per month than my existing provider were offering.

So now I have my PAC code - and now my existing provider are trying their best to keep me! I was phoned last night with an offer of just under £9 per month for 500 minutes, 5000 texts and unlimited data and a not so good but not too bad phone, and something about being able to upgrade my phone in the not too distant future. That deal - SIM only - is around £15 on the company's web site!

It's too late for me to cancel my new contract - and it was a good deal. But next time I think I'll get my PAC code then start looking!

Now for the limitation - and the twist. My new contract is backed by my old provider, just bought through Tesco. So I have to find a cheap pay as you go SIM, transfer out, then transfer back in.

It does strike me as daft that, in phones as well as in insurance, I need to change provider regularly to get the good deal. My insurance provider price matched themselves which is good, and I got the free cuddly toy for using the web site which is now collecting dust. My phone provider were too late.

pickoftheday

I reached the end of my 18 month contract with Three and I haggled, haggled and haggled and they wouldn't give in, even when I complained about the terrible customer service I've had off them over term of the contract.

The contract I wanted was the One Plan (because of the all inclusive data) so I got my PAC code for TWO of my accounts and they still wouldn't give in.

I'm now paying £34 a month for the One Plan (the normal price) on a 24 month contract and I feel like I had no choice because no other provider offered a better deal, even though it is a lot more expensive that my previous contract.

Has anyone ever haggled the price of the One Plan down or found a better deal?