PAC code ends contract

Ferris

hi, i've just been on the phone to T-Mobile customer services. i'm not currently in contract, and i rang to give my 30 days notice. this was agreed. i then asked for my PAC code. i was told that i could either give my 30 days notice or have my PAC code.

she then told me something that i had never heard before, namely that a PAC code means that there is no need for 30 days notice. in other words, if you give a PAC code to a new network this will automatically cancel your original contract with no penalty. is this true? it is important to me because i have just missed my billing date and my full years advance line rental will be taken out of my account in a few weeks time. i don't want to miss out on my refund.

is this old news? am i just really slow? or am i being persuaded to cancel early and then they still charge me for the full month?

Steve_xx

hi, i've just been on the phone to T-Mobile customer services. i'm not currently in contract, and i rang to give my 30 days notice. this was agreed. i then asked for my PAC code. i was told that i could either give my 30 days notice or have my PAC code.

she then told me something that i had never heard before, namely that a PAC code means that there is no need for 30 days notice. in other words, if you give a PAC code to a new network this will automatically cancel your original contract with no penalty. is this true? it is important to me because i have just missed my billing date and my full years advance line rental will be taken out of my account in a few weeks time. i don't want to miss out on my refund.

is this old news? am i just really slow? or am i being persuaded to cancel early and then they still charge me for the full month?

Obtaining the PAC code will not absolve you from the terms of the contract, ie you cannot avoid the remainder of the contract simply by requesting the PAC code.

For a successful porting you need to have a contract in existence. That means that if you cancel the contract because you want to port your number, you must make sure that the network receiving the ported number does so within 30 days. Another way to do it to move the number to a pay as you go tariff with your current provider, giving due notice of course. Then you can ask for the PAC when it's been transferred to pay as you go.

If you simply ask for the PAC code and the new network doesn't port the number, then yes, your existing monthly contract would continue.

Ferris

thanks steve... i knew that part. what i meant is, its seems strange that the 30-day notice rule exists at all, if to bypass it all you have to do is request a PAC code and port your number to any PAYG sim you choose. virginmobile claim to be able to do it within five days, so it seems you can save yourself up to 25 days worth of line rental. how does that benefit the network?

bunking_off

From memory, when I've ported a mobile number, the action of the recipient network initiating the port (using the PAC you obtained) acts as a "cease contract".

Therefore, in the example you gave of 30 days' notice being required, then (given the port takes 5 days), your old contract would run for 25 days beyond when your number's been ported and you'd have to pay.

In the extreme case of a 1 yr contract where a number port was invoked on the first day, then I guess the contract would run for 364 days, 359 days of which would be after the number had gone (ie you'd be paying for a service that you no longer receive).

NB the cease applies from when the recipient issues the order, NOT when you receive the PAC : ie if you got a PAC then never used it, your contract would continue unaffected.

As a "belt & braces", I'd advise contacting customer services at the old provider once the port has gone through, to make sure they are cancelling the contract.

Ferris

thanks for that. i've just spoken to two different people at t-mobile and they've assured me that i'll be refunded back to the exact date when the porting takes place. so it seems possible that i will save 20-odd days line rental by porting to a virgin sim. (i'll believe it when i see it :P)

Steve_xx

thanks steve... i knew that part.  what i meant is, its seems strange that the 30-day notice rule exists at all, if to bypass it all you have to do is request a PAC code and port your number to any PAYG sim you choose.  virginmobile claim to be able to do it within five days, so it seems you can save yourself up to 25 days worth of line rental.  how does that benefit the network?

No, no, that does not seem to be correct to me. You gave 30 days notice as per your obligation. The porting may take place before the 30th day, but you will still have to pay for 30 days on your current network. You will not be entitled to any refund for the unused days.

Ferris

well if that turns out to be the case, i am going to have an almighty go at t-mobile for lying to me despite my asking the question about 10 times to 3 different people in about 6 different ways so that there was no possibility of misunderstanding.

having said that, i would put nothing past a mobile network...

Steve_xx

Yes quite, the problem is that there is nothing in writing. Why not email them and get them to state the case?

I reckon it'll be as I said. You see, they are entitled to their 30 days worth of notice and they will want you to pay.

Mark_Ice

i would put nothing past a mobile network...

Mmmmmm, same here!

Woby_Tide

the principle is correct I think, just the application isn't quite right. By obtaining the PAC code you are in effect givingthe 30 day notice, but if you don't ever pass on the pAC code to a new network it will just expire and your contract continues. In effect you culd request a PAC code, wait 25 days, issue it to the network you want to port and if everything went as it should you'd port out on your 30th day of notice period. As they are mobile networks this invariably doesn't happen so you run the risk of losing your number or the PAC being invalid, if you did it around 15 days before expiry it would probably work leaving you minimal contract to pay up

faddy

Don't know about T-mobile, but IME O2 Online only charge up to the date of number transfer, Orange charge full 30 days.

So it would seem to depend on the policy of your provider, which will presumably be stated in their T&Cs.