Tied into mobile contract but no network coverage!!

££nodollar££

Hi Moneysavers!

I love this forum and have got so much help from it over the past couple of years, however, I've never posted myself. I have a dilemma now though which I bet some of you have experienced and might be able to help with?

I'm tied into a mobile contract with T Mobile who I've been with for about 6 years now as a good customer, no missed or late payments etc. I'm due to move in with my boyfriend in a couple of weeks and have discovered that I have absolutely no T Mobile coverage at his house whatsoever. Nothing! I can't make or receive any calls or texts so my mobile is basically useless.

I've spoken to T Mobile about this and they have basically said there's nothing they can do. They say their coverage is improving all the time, it will work when I'm away from home etc, which is all well and good but I only really use my mobile on an evening, when I'm usually at home. This effectively means that I'll be paying them £25-30 per month until next April for a service which they can't provide, which just seems wrong.

Has anyone successfully challenged a mobile provider on this point? Can this be construed as breach of contract on their part? I'm fuming about it, especially their unhelpful attitude. They were great when I first joined them but their service has got worse and worse over the years and now I'm just keen to get away from them and find a network that actually works at my new address.

Any advice people?

Thanks
££nodollar££

macman

This topic comes up time and again. No network guarantees 100% coverage and so it is not a valid reason to break your contract.
Your best hope is to sell the contract on to a friend or family and then the direct debit can be changed, while the contract is still technically in your name

mart9012

I had problems with Vodaphone. I had just bought a new phone on contract but when I tried to use it at home I couldn't get any signal. I went back to the store and told them the problem and they were able to check the area on a map that showed them that my area is a vodaphone black spot. They refunded me for the phone and cancelled the contract.

So it's probably worth asking. Most companies will also let you return a phone within 14 days of purchase if you are unhappy with it.

blazin

you can cancel a mobile contract if you have no signal at your home address ive done it myself with o2, but you must contact them after you have moved address hope this helps

Clitherowkid

I have the same proble with T-Mobile as ££nodollar££. They will accept £214.20 to end the contract but if I keep it running until it expires in Sept 2010, it will cost me £195! Really frustrating as I had no intention of moving when I took out the contract, even more frustrating that O2 has a good signal there.

El_Cabelludo

££nodollar££ wrote: »

Hi Moneysavers!

I love this forum and have got so much help from it over the past couple of years, however, I've never posted myself. I have a dilemma now though which I bet some of you have experienced and might be able to help with?

I'm tied into a mobile contract with T Mobile who I've been with for about 6 years now as a good customer, no missed or late payments etc. I'm due to move in with my boyfriend in a couple of weeks and have discovered that I have absolutely no T Mobile coverage at his house whatsoever. Nothing! I can't make or receive any calls or texts so my mobile is basically useless.

I've spoken to T Mobile about this and they have basically said there's nothing they can do. They say their coverage is improving all the time, it will work when I'm away from home etc, which is all well and good but I only really use my mobile on an evening, when I'm usually at home. This effectively means that I'll be paying them £25-30 per month until next April for a service which they can't provide, which just seems wrong.

Has anyone successfully challenged a mobile provider on this point? Can this be construed as breach of contract on their part? I'm fuming about it, especially their unhelpful attitude. They were great when I first joined them but their service has got worse and worse over the years and now I'm just keen to get away from them and find a network that actually works at my new address.

Any advice people?

Thanks
££nodollar££

You should find details of the company's alternative dispute resolution scheme (ADR) on the back of your phone bill or from customer service. If they refuse to give you this information report the matter to Ofcom (020 7981 3040 or 0300 123 3333) Check their website. Hope this helps.

elljay20

They haven't breached their contract. You have chosen to move to a blackspot so they have no obligation to do anything i'm afraid.

Silvatung

I am going to try and challenge Orange on this. I am a carphone warehouse customer and through them I changed/upgraded my phone from an O2 account to an orange (Desire) and along with no 14 day cool off period on a 2 yr contract, (lost my faculties for a moment..dunno what I was thinking)I was offered an absurdly expensive insurance deal of £12.95 a month too. Now no coverage at my home and like everyone else, they say tough you are in a contract. I think the contract has been frustrated from the start and will argue this..the info below is about a successful challenge by Tom Prescott that I found at the watchdog site.

Good luck.


Tom Prescott had an 18-month contract with Orange, but couldn't get a signal, at home, work, or just about anywhere.

Despite this, Orange wouldn't let him out of his contract - so he went to court to claim back the money he'd paid, for a service he hadn't received. Orange's legal team didn't even turn up to the hearing. The court found in Tom's favour and he was awarded £500.

Watchdog spoke to Three
Regarding David Wilson's case Orange said:
"Mr Wilson's account was subject to an error that led to restrictions on his account that prevented calls being made and received. We'd like to apologise for the service Mr Wilson received and have now refunded him."

Regarding Penny Connorton's case Orange said:
"All mobile coverage checkers estimate the likely coverage in an area. Radio signals are affected by a range of local factors including buildings and other objects that can make it more difficult for some people to receive a signal in their home. In view of the difficulties that Mrs Connorton has experienced with her mobile broadband we will be refunding the payments she has already made. As she can use the modem in other areas we have agreed with the customer to convert her account to Pay As You Go. This means Mrs Connorton can use the service but without any ongoing obligation to top up. As part of a network upgrade, coverage is being enhanced in Mrs Connorton's area next month and we hope we can improve the reception in her home."

When Watchdog spoke to Orange about Tom Prescott's case, the company said:
"Orange would like to publicly apologise to Mr Prescott for the poor level of service he received trying to resolve the network coverage issues he has experienced. It should not have been necessary for the case to have reached the County Court and we will be reviewing our policies to ensure other customers facing the same issue are handled in a more appropriate way.

"In terms of Mr Prescott's contract, while we do not offer an option for customers to break their contract for moving house, in exceptional cases where a customer clearly has no network coverage at a new home of residence and has been unable to make calls, we will look to resolve in their best interest.

"While none of the mobile network operators are able to offer perfect reception either inside or out of the home, Orange is committed to improving the strength of our network, which currently covers 99 per cent of the outdoor UK population."

Watchdog contacted the UK's other major mobile companies. They say they have a range of measures to help customers, including the option to return a phone or mobile broadband modem in cases of poor reception within a limited period. The companies also say they're taking steps to improve the information provided by their online coverage checker tools.

lozzaman

££nodollar££ wrote: »

Hi Moneysavers!

I love this forum and have got so much help from it over the past couple of years, however, I've never posted myself. I have a dilemma now though which I bet some of you have experienced and might be able to help with?

I'm tied into a mobile contract with T Mobile who I've been with for about 6 years now as a good customer, no missed or late payments etc. I'm due to move in with my boyfriend in a couple of weeks and have discovered that I have absolutely no T Mobile coverage at his house whatsoever. Nothing! I can't make or receive any calls or texts so my mobile is basically useless.

How is the Orange coverage at his house? There is due to be roaming between the T-Mobile and Orange networks very shortly - so fingers crossed this will help.

Edit: Just realised how old this post is now, but information is above for anyone looking at this thread.

robt_2

Silvatung wrote: »

I am going to try and challenge Orange on this. I am a carphone warehouse customer and through them I changed/upgraded my phone from an O2 account to an orange (Desire) and along with no 14 day cool off period on a 2 yr contract, (lost my faculties for a moment..dunno what I was thinking)I was offered an absurdly expensive insurance deal of £12.95 a month too. Now no coverage at my home and like everyone else, they say tough you are in a contract. I think the contract has been frustrated from the start and will argue this..the info below is about a successful challenge by Tom Prescott that I found at the watchdog site.

Good luck.


Tom Prescott had an 18-month contract with Orange, but couldn't get a signal, at home, work, or just about anywhere.

Despite this, Orange wouldn't let him out of his contract - so he went to court to claim back the money he'd paid, for a service he hadn't received. Orange's legal team didn't even turn up to the hearing. The court found in Tom's favour and he was awarded £500.


When Watchdog spoke to Orange about Tom Prescott's case, the company said:
"Orange would like to publicly apologise to Mr Prescott for the poor level of service he received trying to resolve the network coverage issues he has experienced. It should not have been necessary for the case to have reached the County Court and we will be reviewing our policies to ensure other customers facing the same issue are handled in a more appropriate way.

"In terms of Mr Prescott's contract, while we do not offer an option for customers to break their contract for moving house, in exceptional cases where a customer clearly has no network coverage at a new home of residence and has been unable to make calls, we will look to resolve in their best interest.

Tom Prescott did not win on merit. He won because Orange didn't attend, no doubt because it wasn't worth their while doing so financially. I am sure than stance will change if people start doing this regularly.

How long have you had your contract and how long into it did you tell them you had no signal? You need minutes for it, not 14 days.