Renewing or ending contract early without termination fee?

Phase

My phone was stolen late last year so I have been reduced to using less functional mobile.

I am on the 'Three' network.

My contract "upgrade" period is on the 24th May but I want a new contract now. My friend is on Orange and he spoke with them three months early and managed to get an excellent deal when he showed them a competitive deal on a contract search site. I have found more attractive deals.

Earlier in the year I sent a complaint about their service but it was unrelated to my phone being stolen.

Will I be able to negotiate with them at this stage? The fact that I might leave is very likely. Will they not put me through to retentions until my upgrade date is due?

Cheers.

gjchester

Phase wrote: »

My phone was stolen late last year so I have been reduced to using less functional mobile.

I am on the 'Three' network.

My contract "upgrade" period is on the 24th May but I want a new contract now. My friend is on Orange and he spoke with them three months early and managed to get an excellent deal when he showed them a competitive deal on a contract search site. I have found more attractive deals.

Earlier in the year I sent a complaint about their service but it was unrelated to my phone being stolen.

Will I be able to negotiate with them at this stage? The fact that I might leave is very likely. Will they not put me through to retentions until my upgrade date is due?

Cheers.

When does your contract pass it's minimum term? There is no "upgrade period" as such, you may consider the last month to be a possible period if you've given notice but an any case you need to give them 30 days notice or pay a month in leiu of notice.

Early upgrades are almost always a poor deal. The network knows they have you by the short and curlies, and you have no real choice. They may offer a deal 1,2,or 3 months before the mimumun term is up but they almost always add it on the end so you'll be signing up for 25/26/27 months if you renew.

Will they offer a better deal? All depends how much you have spent with them, if you have kept within your limits and they've not made much from you they may choose to hold you to the minimum term and offer nothing more than a new customer would get if your not worth retaining in terms of their profit from you.

Phase

I know that the upgrade period is basically my cancellation period. I have been with them for five years and missed three monthly bills but I paid it back the next month. I have very occasionally gone over my minutes. I am on a 21.50 £ contract.

Will it be pointless to ask a month early because they think you won't cancel?

I don't know where I would find my minimum term but they said I can 'upgrade' on the 24th May.

gjchester

Phase wrote: »

I don't know where I would find my minimum term but they said I can 'upgrade' on the 24th May.

You minimum terms is the months you singed up for after the contract start. So as they say you can upgrade on the 24th of may thats probably the start of the last month so you minimum date is 24th June.

The upgrade period is simply when they will offer you a phone, nothing more.

You can ask anytime but unless you are sepending a lot each month you won't get much of a deal, they know you are still tied in and can't easily move without a fee. Length of time is irrelevent it's now all about your spend per month,