Batter down your mobile contract cost

jillymp

I have just renegotiated my contract with 02 - from 45 quid for 400 minutes and 50 texts and an old phone with dying battery (and badly over my limit every month), to fantastic phone with blue tooth headset, mp3, camera and lots of things I can't work yet, plus 600 minutes and 450 texts (about my usual usage). Should save me at least 100 quid a month and I am really pleased. I just kept asking for a better deal and they just kept adding the extras..

Kio

I've recently been the victim of a text messaging scam with an unsolicited premium rate provider called Venista. It had me tearing my hair out because I was receiving messages every 5 days that were costing me £6 a shot even though I wasn't opening them. The stop code was invalid. My provider, T-mobile, was completely and utterly useless and refused to take any responsibility for this despite the fact that I was paying Venista via my T-mobile bill which I couldn't refuse to pay unless I wanted the bailiffs on my doorstep. Eventually I got legal advice (through my union so it was free) and Venista sent me a refund. Around this time I read the article about reducing tarriffs. I was pretty fed up so I wasn't messing around when I called to tell T-mobile that they needed to offer me a better deal or I was going to change service provider. My line rental has now been reduced by £5 a month, from the £14 I was paying to £9 a month instead of the £18 it currently costs for new customers. I have an upgrade coming tomorrow with loads more features than my old phone had and £150 worth of accessories including a removable memory card, USB cable, wireless, stereo headset etc and a £10 credit to my bill because I was unhappy about paying my £5.50 delivery charges. So apart from the distress that Venista caused me I think I've done quite well out of the whole annoying business. Thanks Martin.

Sebastian

Thought I'd post my own experience with O2, which is very similar to Martin's. Knowing that I was approaching the end of my contract I looked through the papers for a good deal and found one from 3 with a free Motorola V3 handset & Bluetooth and 9 months free (paid up-front and then claimed back, although with a good initial discount) followed by 9 further months at £29 for 500 mins + 100 texts. I phoned O2 customer Services for my PAC code and was put through to their retention department. When I asked for the code they tried to tempt me with a deal that was £20 pm for 400 mins (doubled for the first 3 months). I said that the offer in the paper was better as, overall, for the 18 months I was with the new company I'd effectively be paying only £15 pm and getting more minutes. The guy then came up with a package for £15 pm which had less minutes (200, doubled for 3 months) but more texts (250, +50 extra for 3 months) which suits me better anyway. He also thew in a new V3 and gave me a credit for the price of a Bluetooth from their sales team! This is also only a 12-month deal, so I'll be able to repeat the process this time next year! The moral is to call the company with some ammo, and to go for the package you want, not just the first they offer you! Happy haggling, everybody!

Sebastian

I have been on the O2 100 contract for almost a year. I'm interested in trying to improve my current deal; however, I bought my phone from the Carphone Warehouse. Although my service provider is O2 I am billed by the CPW. When trying to arrange any new deal who exactly would I need to persuade in this situation? O2, CPW or both?
Any suggestions on how to proceed would be greatly appreciated.

Have you spoken to either of them yet? Get on to customer services from one company or the other and speak to them as though you already know you're at the right place. Then, if you're right, haggle hard! If you're wrong, phone the other, and then haggle hard!! Good luck and best regards.

Lol

crikey I'm a bit stunned really...

Just made a call to One-Tel, equiped with all the things I wanted to say, the deal I wanted them to try and better, and ready and prepared for the haggling that was about to take place but what I got was this...

(me: 'I wish to leave' blah blah)
one tel: "well can I tell you about the current offers at the moment"?
me: "yes I am interested to hear, though it might be easier for me to tell you what kind of deal I am after" (was about to mention 3)
one tel (immediately): "so you want to terminate your contract today, yes we can do that for you now"

honestly..that was exactly how it went!! No urgency from one tel to keep their existing customers, eh?!

csxxx

Phoned T Mobile on Friday -
It is my 11th month (exactly) so I called them to cancel my contract. Got through to the customer management team / disconections team and struck a good deal.

Cancel my current contract a month early.
Keep same mobile number
have a new free mobile phone - Sony Erricson t630 (I declined this)
Sign up to Ufix 15 for 12 months - normally £15 a month - I'm charged £5 a month (50 mins x net any time and 25 texts)
I also bought a new phone off them (the SDA smartphone) for £80 (£10 discount off current RRP)
£5.50 delivery charge to pay, £10 credit on account to cover it.
The member of staff I dealt with was called Bethan and was very helpful.

kazd

Called vodafone today and asked for my pac number, actually went through the voice menu's to the one where it says this number is only for leaving vodafone. Asked for my pac number, no problem it will be in the post in the next couple of days. Didn't even try to persuade me to stay. Do you think I should just call regular customer service or the upgrade team and see what they say.

andy88_2

Did you misunderstand the menu?

kazd

Maybe, i just followed the menu to the one where it said this was only for discussing leaving vodafone, i thought this would lead to the retention team, guess i was wrong. I will now wait a few days and then try going through reg cs.

andy88_2

I think you sounded too decisive so they didn't bother to discuss it. You need to hint at other deals you've seen, and sound regretful at leaving