Cancelling T-Mobile Contract

billa_champion

Hi people
I took out a contract (via a buymobilephones) with T-mobile on 11-09-09 and gave my PAC code for my number, but decided to cancel it within 7 working days (problem with the G2 Touch). I received my PAC code via email on 18-09-2009 saying the usual stuff about it the PAC code being active for 30 days etc.

In the meantime I ordered another sim but due to the blasted postal strikes I waited for the sim to arrive before giving up and porting my number on 14-10-09 to a PAYG sim (and cancelled the ordered sim). T-Mobile is now charging me £70 as an early termination fee because they said that I didn't cancel within 7 days. They point to the fact that my number got ported on 14-10-09.

They also billed me my first month’s line rental (they operative said 10-09-09 to 10-09-09) and took the money on 24-09-09, however, the day I ported my number over, I got a text from T-Mobile saying that my bill was ready and was for £39. When I queried this saying that my line rental is just £25 and I haven’t used the phone (as it was returned) they said that it’s the line rental and call charges from 11-09-09 to 10-10-09 and because they had issued me with a dummy number while my number was ported I had incurred charges because the dummy number didn’t have as many inclusive minutes/texts and that I had gone over this.

So my problem is two-fold the termination fees and the £39 bill.

Does this make any sense? Is what they say right? Am I in the wrong here and should I just pay up? Any advice would be really appreciated.

DarkConvict

I might be wrong, butthe problem i see here is your use of the PAC code. You got a new contract with T-Mobile and gave them the PAC code to transfer your number, which is fine.

But you then decided to return the phone within 7 days, but then also requested your PAC code to move it to a new contract with someone else. With contracts you can either terminate or request your PAC code, when requesting a PAC code your contract does not end until you use it, and if it expires after 30 days then the contract just continues.

At a guess, what has happened is your requested your PAC code thus keeping the contract active for more than 7 days.

What you can do i don't know, as it would seem only fair if you ported your number but didn't like the phone/contract that you could cancel and take the number elsewhere, the problem i guess is you only have 7 days to do this in. Otherwise you will cancel the new contract and then lose the number you wanted to keep.

billa_champion

Thanks DarkConvict. I suppose what you say about the porting etc makes sense. I'm resigned to paying the termination fees. I have asked them for a paper copy of the £39 bill as it just doesn't make sense!

DarkConvict

I would try and fight it, after all you do have 7 days to cancel, and the idea is you wanted to keep your number that's why you had the PAC code to begin with. Some operators like vodafone insist you give them the PAC code when you order so its not like you can use a phone for 7 days, and then transfer the PAC code, its not always possible.

Citizens advice would probably be your best bet for help on fighting T-Mobile.