Batter down your annual mobile costs article Discussion Area

mije1983

Chef_Hermes wrote: »

it's quite rare for us both to exceed our allowences

As has been said, it's all about how much you spend every month, not how long you have been a customer.

I've made the point to them in the best way.

The only ppl that don't really gain are Three.

Surely the best way to make the point would have been moving to another operator? Three still gain (literally) from you as you are still paying them.

stefano

Chef_Hermes wrote: »

So the potential to lose not one but two users makes sense does it?
The fact that I'm going to be £260 better off over the next two yrs & when my GF changes she could be £200 better off over two yrs, still makes no sense esp if she decides to go to another network.

Do not forget that Three paid through their teeth for the 3G spectrum, and as a business, they not not want to undersell their contract and not maximise on their profit margins. After all, you would not go to Starbucks and argue that Caffe Nero sells their Lattes for 15p less. They would say, go there then.....

birdhoose

hello,

I'm new to this haggling business and am just looking for your thoughts.

Today I intended to negotiate a new contract with vodafone who I've been with for 2 years.

My hope was to stick to call plan (calls and messages only), get a new (basic) handset and ideally reduce my monthly fee (from £10)

I ended up with an android handset, same texts and minutes and unlimited data for first 3 months, 100mb therafter for the same amount I was paying before which is £3 off what it usually is.

I realise its not that much but I don't imagine I'll use the internet on it that much.

I have found the phone and package on a comparison website with a cashback offer which would half cost of the package. Would I be able to go back to vodafone and wave that in their face to bring my cost down again during the cooling off period?

grumbler

birdhoose wrote: »

I ended up with an android handset, same texts and minutes and unlimited data for first 3 months, 100mb therafter for the same amount I was paying before which is £3 off what it usually is.

I realise its not that much but I don't imagine I'll use the internet on it that much.

100Mb is a dangerously low allowance for a smartphone unless you take measures to control and reduce the background data usage.

I have found the phone and package on a comparison website with a cashback offer which would half cost of the package. Would I be able to go back to vodafone and wave that in their face to bring my cost down again during the cooling off period?

Pretty unlikely IMO, but you have nothing to lose.

mobilejunkie

It would only "half the cost" if you know what you're doing and actually achieve the cashback. Networks won't be able to match a cashback deal if it's a good enough deal.

LC88

My partner upgraded his phone and contract with Dial-a-Phone yesterday.

On the phone he was told that they could not change him to a plan that was less than what he pays at the moment. (He currently pays £27 ish a month on Orange and they put him on another £28 contract on Orange (S3 with 1gb of data, 600 min and unlimited texts) that will go up to £36 at the end of the 24 month contract). You can get the same deal as a new customer for £26.

I currently have blackberry on Orange dolphin 25 (but pay around £26 due to the increase they applied last year). My 24 month contract ended May last year but I've not got round to changing it!

I really want to change to a google nexus 4 on orange panther which is currently on at £23.50 @ phones4u and Dial-a-Phone.

Just wondering if it is possible to 'upgrade' to a contract that is lower in price?

grumbler

It is possible.
And it is possible to join as new customer and to port the old number to the new contract in two steps.
And don't forget about cashback if you can do this online.

LC88

grumbler wrote: »

It is possible.
And it is possible to join as new customer and to port the old number to the new contract in two steps.
And don't forget about cashback if you can do this online.

Thanks for confirming grumbler. Is there any guides on MSE on how to port my number to the new contract?

Cashback tip is much appreciated too! I had forgotten I would lose this if I upgraded over the phone!

grumbler

Moving from Orange....to Orange!

Pop_Tarantula

Tried haggling to get both my just-out-of-contracts upgraded
Asking for £149 per handset (Samsung Galaxy S3)

Tried haggling again 1 month later
Still asking for £149 per handset

Tried PAC code request for both handsets
No contact from Retentions at all

I almost had to resort to my #BackUpPlan (i.e. actually switch network). Instead, I let PACs expire, re-requested them, explaining I hadn't found a deal in time but now I was ready to sign up elsewhere. (please note: This was no bluff on my part. I was out the door.)
WOOP! WOOP! WOOP! <alarm bells>
I now pay £21 (that's £5 off), get 400mins (that's +100mins), u/l SMS, 750MB data (that's +250MB) & I'm getting 4G LTE models, not 3G. I'm sure there was som efurther haggling to be had here but my 'loyalty chip' kicked in & I got while the getting was good.

I'd actually found a couple of deals on another network that would have sufficed via a comparison site & would have cost me the full £26, but TBH, I have no idea what I'd do with u/l Minutes (I barely use 200 p/m) OR 1GB data (I barely use 300MB p/m). Also, they could only offer the standard 3G model but I would have managed with just 1MB of RAM somehow....

What grinds my gears is wasting time shopping around for a month before eventually getting the upgrade I should have been offered in the first place. Next time, I'm shopping around before the 1st call & I'll be gone without a moments hesitation. "Cut Throat/Spite Face" perhaps, but I personally don't much care for all the time-wasting nonsense or apparent hoop-jumping networks expect you to do these days.

The comparison sites have some great offers & if that holds true, in future I'll gladly be a Tariff Tart.