MSE News: EU overhaul means shorter mobile phone contracts

Former_MSE_Guy

This is the discussion thread for the following MSE News Story:

"Broadband and phone contracts cannot exceed 24 months and providers must also offer 12-month contracts, under new rules ..."

Read the full story:
EU overhaul means shorter mobile phone contracts

gjchester

So?

There were not exactly load of 36 month options before the ban, why will this make a scrap of differnce. Sure they may offer 12 months contract but they will be so poor value no-one will bother.

Orange are the only people who did a 36 month contract at £5 a month, it may be a three year tie in on a very low end phone but as a cheap low use mobile it was pretty much unbeatable even beating PAYG

The time of the tie is not the issue it's the value to the user thats the key.

Still another EU triumph. How many millions did it take to get this into a law that not even relevent and what part of my regular phone bill will go up as the mobile co's pump up the cost of another service so they get their pound of flesh to satisfy shareholders.

lisawaters

May I just say, this is the first time I've ever posted at the start of a thread?

That's it really.

Although I don't see anything here that will bring the cost of having a moby down from three times the cost of a landline, or make roaming calls cheap. So, not much point but I'm sure it keeps the EU people feeling useful. I still won't be able to afford a nice phone... or be able to afford to call one from my landline.

RagingGoose

Excellent news in my view, wouldn't have been long before the only option was whether you wanted to be tied in for two or three generations of your family! (Exaggerated sarcasm obviously)

Not that I'll ever sign a contract for anything ever again, just seems to be a licence for a company not to bother giving you what you're paying for. I'm happy to pay more for the ability to walk away when a company isn't supplying the service.

Currently with Orange I can't receive calls, texts, or data reliably. Orange think it is perfectly acceptable to charge me £35 a month for this as I am able to make calls.

split_second

12 month sim only contracts have been around for years

nickmack

This appears to be of only minimal benefit.

If you're getting a subsidised phone on a 18/24 month contract, paying over 12 months instead is not going to make it any cheaper overall. The network still needs to make money on the device, so the monthly line rental is simply higher to reflect this.

mobilejunkie

Then again, when you find a free cashback deal it may have some advantages. There have already been some on a 12 month contract. Variety is the spice of life but over-regulation usually involves bureaucrats or politicians meddling in things they don't understand to justify their own existence.

hazelwoods

Why is everyone so negative?
I'm delighted that I can once again get a phone on a 12 month contract. I now have the choice of paying a bit more each month and having the opportunioty to change my phone every year. I always used to do that until the mobile networks decided that I couldn't have a 12 month contract.

It's all about choice. If you want to be tied to the same phone for 24 months then go ahead and do so. I choose to be tied for only 12 months. I'm sure there are many people who feel the same. Those of us who choose 12 month contracts are not forcing anyone else to have one. We are just exercising our right to choose.

Before anyone says I could buy a phone outright and go SIM only, that's not an option I choose to use.

OneADay

Good news - vodafone started bringing back 12 month contracts recently (be it with the expensive phones) but hopefully things will go back to how they used to be. 18 months is too long for many people, let alone 24 months.

gjchester

hazelwoods wrote: »

Why is everyone so negative?
I'm delighted that I can once again get a phone on a 12 month contract. I now have the choice of paying a bit more each month and having the opportunioty to change my phone every year.

I'm glad your happy, my problems is that something will go up in price to pay for this EU meddling. 12 month contracts have been around people don't want them as we in the UK are used to getting the phone free as part of the contract. As phones go up in price and we expect them to be free something has to give, and that was contract length

If you want to change phones often the best way is buy a sim free phone and a monthly or yearly sim contract.

foxtrot_mike

hazelwoods wrote: »

Why is everyone so negative?
I'm delighted that I can once again get a phone on a 12 month contract. I now have the choice of paying a bit more each month and having the opportunioty to change my phone every year. I always used to do that until the mobile networks decided that I couldn't have a 12 month contract.

It's all about choice. If you want to be tied to the same phone for 24 months then go ahead and do so. I choose to be tied for only 12 months. I'm sure there are many people who feel the same. Those of us who choose 12 month contracts are not forcing anyone else to have one. We are just exercising our right to choose.

Before anyone says I could buy a phone outright and go SIM only, that's not an option I choose to use.

Quite right

Im delighted for this news, more so to prevent longer contracts being introduced which I feel, if the industry did this would mean that shorter contracts would be stopped just like 12 month contracts.

I was conned into a 24 month contract last time, i thought id try it, but i ended up with a phone I hated and ended up selling it and buying sim free, I have now lost confidence in phones so I want the opportunity to now have a shorter contract, 18 months would probably be ok for me but certainly not 24 months.

Therefore it is good to have the choice of duration of contracts, I think the networks were beginning to abuse their monopoly by all of them fixing the length of the contract to the expense of their customers.