Advice Appreciated....

donal_f

I signed a 24 month contract with T-Mobile last November. It was on a Blackberry contract. I work in an office block in Central London and I quickly found out that the T-Mobile signal isn't great in my building. However, I was able to live with it as the Blackberry copes reasonably well with weak signals (caches emails & texts and you don't browse the web much).

However, I've recently succumbed to an iPhone and its very hard to use with the weak signal. To the point where I'm getting desperate. I've called T-Mobile and they have confirmed that they're aware they have a weak signal in this postcode. However, they have said that they have no plans to do anything about it.

I asked them what my options were and they said I had none. I explained to them that Vodafone seem to have an excellent signal in my building and asked if I could switch. They said only if I bought out my contract at a cost of GBP531!

Do I have any options here? I work pretty long hours and having my phone semi-unusable during most of my waking hours doesn't seem like a service I should have to put up with? Equally over 500 pounds to move seems pretty extortionate (I could live with say, 100 pounds!).

I'd appreciate any advice?

eranou

donal_f wrote: »

I signed a 24 month contract with T-Mobile last November. It was on a Blackberry contract. I work in an office block in Central London and I quickly found out that the T-Mobile signal isn't great in my building. However, I was able to live with it as the Blackberry copes reasonably well with weak signals (caches emails & texts and you don't browse the web much).

However, I've recently succumbed to an iPhone and its very hard to use with the weak signal. To the point where I'm getting desperate. I've called T-Mobile and they have confirmed that they're aware they have a weak signal in this postcode. However, they have said that they have no plans to do anything about it.

I asked them what my options were and they said I had none. I explained to them that Vodafone seem to have an excellent signal in my building and asked if I could switch. They said only if I bought out my contract at a cost of GBP531!

Do I have any options here? I work pretty long hours and having my phone semi-unusable during most of my waking hours doesn't seem like a service I should have to put up with? Equally over 500 pounds to move seems pretty extortionate (I could live with say, 100 pounds!).

I'd appreciate any advice?

Nothing you can do Im afraid.
T-Mobile offer a 7 day guarantee in which you can return the phone if the coverage doesnt match up to what is shown on their streetcheck system.
You have basically accepted the coverage as youv used it since november.

You might want to think about selling the blackberry to cover some of the buy out charge or find a someone who is willing to take on the remainder of the contract

drbesty

Unfortunately you have no options at all, you signed a contract and the T&Cs of that contract state that 100% network coverage is not guaranteed and also that coverage is not going be at its best when indoors

donal_f

Thanks guys. So, do you think it would be even worth writing a letter to their complaints department or someone senior in the company?

DarkConvict

Complaints won't do anything, as you don't have anything to complain about (nothing that is legally relevant). You have not been mistreated you simply choose to operate in an area with little to no signal. You even choose to change to a phone that doesn't operate well with a poor signal.

All you can do is buy out your contract at a slightly discounted rate, and understand that contracts you sign are legally binding. You owe the full contract length on day 1 and just pay it back bit by bit over the minimum term.

You maybe able to sell your contract to someone else or just sell your iphone and go back to the blackberry

donal_f

Thanks for the info. Could you advise how I'd investigate selling my contract? Would this allow me to keep my number?

DarkConvict

http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/before_you_buy/thinking_about/mobile-phones/

If you choose a contract phone rather than a pre-pay phone, you will be committed to using a certain network, at a certain tariff for a minimum period of time without any legal right to change tariff or cancel,

^^ Just for further clarification.

As to the number, If you sell the contract you cannot transfer the number, to transfer a number you need a PAC code, using a PAC code will terminate the SIM and end the contract.
So, Either go back to your old phone (or one with a signal), or pay to leave and get a new contract via PAC code, or get a new job where there is signal.
Knock this down to experience. You put yourself in a hard spot, new place of work and new phone = unexpected results.

Cheapest option is to go back to your old phone if you really want your number, serve the minimum term and then move to VF for the signal. Note if you moved to an IPhone do you have a sufficient data package on your contract, generally a BlackBerry has a BB bundle and an IPhone an IPhone bundle to suit the phones specfic requirements...

If you really want an IPhone and your number, you going to have to cough up the money to buy out your contract, no other way, that number is tied to that sim and that sim to the contract.

drbesty

On the upside, TMobile will be merging their network with Orange later in the year, so you may yet get a decent signal

donal_f

Thanks for all the help and advice - really appreciated.

So - there may be a happier ending to this after all. I've noticed that today, the signal is significantly better in our building. I have 3G where previously I had only 2 or 3 bars with no 3G. And when I walk out of the building I now have a strong signal, whereas before I had none.

So - perhaps they've actually had an engineer look at the base stations near us and have fixed or fine-tuned them?

watcherman

I have found T-Mobile very obliging....Too often people here gloat with the "you signed for a contract" line....But you don't ask, you don't get.

I too have a poor signal at home, as a gesture of good-will T-Mobile applied a permanent credit to my account of £5/mth, which is what the Blackberry service costs me, and when I tried to cancel wNw, they told me that they couldn't cancel, as it was an 18mth commitment, but would credit the £5/mth that it costs to me, each month....Go figure!

So it's worth an email, not a phone call, via their "contact us" on the website, worse way you may get a few quid knocked off each month.