Advice needed re: iphone 4 contract with 3 mobile

herman2811

I bought an iphone 4 from the Apple store at the end of June, and at the same time signed up instore for the £30/month contract with 3 mobile. At the time, the only confirmation I got was the receipt for the iphone (£189 for the 32GB), and a print out saying I was on the "internet texter 500" tarrif. (no mention of monthly payments etc). They did however say that I would get a proper contract confirmation letter in the post direct from 3 mobile.

Anyway, just to check, I later the same day phoned 3 customer services to check the tarrif/price I was on - they told me I would be paying £20/month! Obviously I was quite pleased about this, so kept quiet about the fact I should be on £30/month. A few days later, the confirmation letter came, which confirmed I had an iphone4, on the "internet texter 500" plan, and paying £20/month, so I was obviously delighted with that.

A few days after that, I got my first bill, which showed the monthly charge of £20/month, but with a recurring £5 discount (no idea why!), which obviously works out to £15!

Anyway, the other day, I got my 2nd bill, and it looks like they have realised the mistake - and are now charging £35 plus a recurring £5 discount, which equals the £30 I should have been paying from the start.

However, I would have thought the confirmation letter they sent me stating £20/month would be legally binding? I was on the phone to them for ages last night, and they reckon it is a £20/month contract, but with an additional £10/month for the handset - but my point is that there is no mention of the extra handset charge in the contract (and the handset is indeed named on the contract), so do I legally have to pay the extra?

I totally accept that it was a mistake and that I should be paying £30/month, but it would be fantastic if I could get the contract for £20/month instead - just need some advice as to what my rights are as they aren't really backing now. They intend to contact the Apple store I bought from to find out what happened from their side, and are calling me back today, but I'm not expecting them to back down.

Any help/advice would be appreciated, thanks

MyUserNamesTaken

I don't see why you are even asking this. When you signed up, you agreed to a £30pm internet texter tariff. You are basically getting what you agreed to. Seems to me you're just trying to get out of it. You said you're asking about what your rights are in relation to this, but you didn't seem to bothered about their rights when you thought a mistake had been made in your favour.

herman2811

MyUserNamesTaken wrote: »

I don't see why you are even asking this. When you signed up, you agreed to a £30pm internet texter tariff. You are basically getting what you agreed to. Seems to me you're just trying to get out of it. You said you're asking about what your rights are in relation to this, but you didn't seem to bothered about their rights when you thought a mistake had been made in your favour.

I'm not trying to get out of the contract - am happy to keep paying £30/month, but should I legally be paying £20 as that is what was in my contract letter?

MyUserNamesTaken

herman2811 wrote: »

I'm not trying to get out of the contract - am happy to keep paying £30/month, but should I legally be paying £20 as that is what was in my contract letter?

You should be paying the amount you agreed to when taking out the contract - i.e. £30 per month. The letter you refer to was just a confirmation of what had already been agreed. However, they got the info wrong in that letter. They have subsequently corrected the issue and are charging you in line with the agreement you made in the store at the time of purchase.

herman2811 wrote:

at the same time signed up instore for the £30/month contract with 3 mobile.

The above is what you contractually agreed to.

herman2811

MyUserNamesTaken wrote: »

The above is what you contractually agreed to.

All I'm saying is that my contract letter states £20 month instead, so was hoping I could get away with paying that instead!

I understand the moral implications of my query, and if my contract was with a small independent company, I would be happy to pay £30 - but this website is all about saving money, and that's all I'm trying to do!