Why sign a contract you dont want??

moneysavingpete

I have used these forums for a few weeks now and realise that nearly every other post on here is "how can i cancel my contract" or "can anyone tell me how to get out of my contract".

I am all up for saving money and getting the best value for anything I buy but my question is........... Is it ethical to find anyway possible to get out of a fixed term contract? And even worse are the people who will advise people to bend the truth to get out of these.

I only sign up to 30 day contracts as I dont want a long commitment. What I dont do is sign upto a contract and then 6 months later try to use anyway possible to get out of it.

I am probably about to get shot down and abused :eek: but just wondered if I am the only one to think this way??????

barrybarryr

If I was in a contract and had the opportunity to worm my way out I probably would.

I do agree though all these people who have contracts and try to get out simply because they dont want to be in it anymore is a joke.

Fortunately I'm like you. My contract ends in a fortnight and I'm going to go to sim only and buy a handset.

moneysavingpete

barrybarryr wrote: »

If I was in a contract and had the opportunity to worm my way out I probably would.

I do agree though all these people who have contracts and try to get out simply because they dont want to be in it anymore is a joke.

Fortunately I'm like you. My contract ends in a fortnight and I'm going to go to sim only and buy a handset.

Barry I thank you for making the first post one which agrees with me. Im sure this positivity is going to be short lived though :rotfl:

fredfro

You make a very interesting point but overlook some aspects of the advantages of contracts:

How do you suggest people pay for the new phones they want whilst on a 30 day contract? Sim Free phones are mostly above £99 and even reconditioned ones are significantly higher than most people could afford up front.

There is a craving to have the latest technology and contract phones provide that with no initial outlay and the promise of a low price per month - its extremmely clever marketing.

berniesmaster

i think you will find a lot of people are either mis-sold contracts, or just cant tollerate bad service etc.

barrybarryr

fredfro wrote: »

How do you suggest people pay for the new phones they want whilst on a 30 day contract?

Save up and buy one outright?

Reeves

fredfro wrote: »

There is a craving to have the latest technology and contract phones provide that with no initial outlay and the promise of a low price per month - its extremmely clever marketing.

In other words people sign up to contracts to buy a phone on credit which the providers hope you will pay over the odds for in comparison to buying a phone outright.

Got to admit though that I find it a bit strange when I read so many posts saying "i was paying £40 a month on contract 5 years ago and every year ever since I have negotiated cracking retention deals with a shiny new latest phone, 2000 mins, ults txts and tinternet all for £12 a month! ... and then complain that the providers have wised up to it and won't play ball anymore ... "they make a fortune out of me!!!" ... well not paying £12 a month they don't.

Inactive

moneysavingpete wrote: »

I only sign up to 30 day contracts as I dont want a long commitment. What I dont do is sign upto a contract and then 6 months later try to use anyway possible to get out of it.

I am probably about to get shot down and abused :eek: but just wondered if I am the only one to think this way??????

Well said, you are not alone, I also refuse to enter any contract over 30 days, my Broadband and landline phone contracts are for 30 days only, so I know that the company will perform well, as they know that I can leave at any time.

I have been with my present ISP for almost 3 years now, by choice, not by being held to a long contract.

Good post.:T

Kai

I'm with you on this. I just don't understand people who sign phone contracts of £30 or more. I point blank refuse to spend any more than £25 per month on any phone contract I sign (and even that's pushing it a bit).

These days when 18 months term is the norm and 24 month contracts are being 'forced' on us, even at £30 per month it's a crazy amount of money. (18m = £540 / 24m = £720).

Whenever I look at any contract, I always check what it's going to cost me in total, after all circumstances change (e.g. you lose your job, your car breaks down, etc.). I just think it's a poor reflection on our society that people should want to have the latest things and want a way to get it without paying or thinking it all through properly.

If you really want something, make sure you can afford it. If you can't, have some self discipline and save up for it - then you appreciate it more.

fiish

I used to like contracts for mobiles - when they were 12 months long.

I did make the mistake of signing an 18 month one two years ago, but the network decided to hike some charges mid-contract which allowed me to walk away. Not that I felt particularly good about it, just wanted to send the network a message. I am still with said network, however like many I have chosen to stick with SIM only and buy the phones as and when I have saved up for them.

Can't stand the lengthening contracts at all. The networks say this is all about 'loyalty' but they certainly do not reciprocate any loyalty we give them - in fact evidence seems to be to the contrary where existing customers often get worse deals than new ones.

I can understand why some people like them though. They do give good apparent value and, if you are someone who can use up the free minutes allowance with the phone's tariff, there is a benefit to being able to amortize the cost of an expensive handset. (e.g. if you can use up most or all of the 600 minutes in a £35 tariff, the cost of the phone is really just the number of months X the difference between contract and SIM only price). I would approach a contract like a credit card spend, though - make sure there's enough money in the bank for the whole contract before taking it up (I use my CC purely to spend money I already have)

Guys_Dad

My contract is coming up for renewal and I am considering my options. Always had a contract and, to be fair to Orange, I have always got a renewal deal that was better than any new deal (excluding cash back deals from Internet vendor sites), I will wait and see what they offer this time, but I am attracted to 30-day sim only contracts as my drawer full of fully functional working previous-contract phones would easily suffice for the purpose of making and receiving phone calls and email/sms whilst on the move.

Why some people want to cancel:- I have a couple of friends who have lost their jobs and are now financially strapped. Previously a £40 per month contract was easily affordable, but now - it's a major expense. So, I think that these genuine changes in circumstance cases warrant some sympathy.

However, there are lots of people who just can not budget and must have the latest in-phone without considering the future financial consequences, as well as those who equate the t&c a mobile phone as being the same as a new dress/shirt from a High Street chain and, if after a few days - or longer -, they don't like it, get bored etc, they expect a no-quibble return guarantee, believing that "it's the consumer law, innit??".

Clearly a lack of perception about what a contract is and I do get a bit fed up of whining people who want to weasel out of their part of a bargain that they entered into for absolutely no good reason.