**Earn Money from Phones4u/Sky/Virgin etc**

ConsumerRevenge

Hello,

Don't know if I've posted this in the correct area, but lets hope so

I've been looking at these forums for the last week or so, without signing up and posting, but now decided that I would get in on the action and try to see if I can possibly help save people some money as well.

A little bit about myself, I am 23, work as an insurance advisor for a national insurance broker, and have a property/mortgage with my partner!

I'm not sure of the rules on dropping names about previous employers etc, so if this is not allowed, just let me know and ill re-edit my post

My previous places of work include Phones4U, Halifax Banking group (HBOS, during the Lloyds take over) and currently working for a National Insurance broker.

I believe working in these roles have allowed me to see how they work, how they fob of customers etc etc, and ways to make money from them.

Ill go through each company, and ways how you can make money from them

Phones 4 U
The way phones for you work, is basically, they are a broker and sell the products of Orange, 3, O2 etc.. The network pay them a commission for selling their products, a small percent goes to the sales staff, a small percent is allowed for discount, and the rest into Phones4U's pocket.

Each phone and tariff has a different banding.. for example.. a high value phone, and low value tariff, would make for a low banding.. low banding = low discount available

High value tariff & low value phone = high banding = more discount

anything over £35 is classed as a high value tariff really.. if you want to, ask to look at the current banding guide as they should be able to so it you, and it will show the phone vs tariff = banding.. pick your best option and get the most discount, never accept their first offer, keep going and pushing as they will do anything to get the deal on.

IMPORTANT--

Always take a deal with has a "Returns Period" you will find that some Phone companies have removed this and once your signed up, your locked into a contract, you need to find a company (Phones4u and Car phone warehouse) are normally pretty good for allowing this "Cool off" period..

Once you've got your phone, and the deal you want, with lots of discount.. find out what the returns period is... and return the phone within this time... Every company that works with contracts (Virgin, Sky etc) all have a retention department... I'm sure your aware, at the end of your broadband contract etc you give them a call to say your leaving, and they offer you a better deal to stay.... THIS IS EXACTLY THE SAME at the start of a contract... if you ring the retention department/take it back to the store within the "cool off" time slot, they will offer you more money to keep the contract, or a better deal etc... this works with all the networks, virgin and sky for your media services etc etc.
I managed to get Phones4U to pay off my old contract (which had already expired), and they gave me £120 to do so, in cash, plus a good tariff and a brand new Blackberry phone.
I then took it back within the time slot, and got them to give me another £175 to keep the deal! I just told them it was going to cost me too much compared to what i was paying before and they started with £50 and i just kept saying no until they would go no more... Not bad just to take out the phone i wanted... try it... let me know how you get on...
Be careful though... when you "Upgrade" with the same network, instead of taking a new contract.. you will find you don't have a "cool off" period
Also you will find that sales staff will try and "Give away" a pay as you go phone... what they are doing.. is with the discount they can offer, they are actually using that to buy a PAYG phone, and then give it you... so as far as there sales figures look, it looks as though they sold you a contract and a pay as you go... this is CASH that you could be given instead.. Phones4U do this all the time!

Halifax
Not a great deal to say with this really apart from you will have much more joy in getting charges reversed if you go in and talk to your bank manager, than ringing their call centre.. they don't want to deal face to face with you, they have better things to do than listen to people like us whinge about bank charges and they have more authority than the call centre staff... half the time, they will just reverse them to get rid of you!

Virgin & Sky
As I said above... with these type of contract you always have a cool off period.. when setting up with them, make sure you keep bouncing them off each other first, keep going back and forth to get the best price, settle on the best price and then call them back within the normal 14 day period, and say then just say that you've changed your mind, and your going to go with free view... or the other provider etc etc.. they will then offer you a better deal to stay... it might be less per month, it might be upgrading your package... either way, your better off

With my virgin.. doing this I've managed to get the follow

XL TV Package
M (10mb) Fibre Optic broadband
Free Evenings/Weekends
Virgin HD+ Plus box (free)
Installation (free)
£39 a month

I'm just reaching the end of the contract now, and think i should be able to get them to knock it down another £5 a month.. without signing back into a contract!

Let me know how you get on and let me know if this helps... any success stories you've had with these techniques!