Letting someone else negotiate with retentions?

elpasi

Hard to believe it, but two years ago I dragged my mother kicking and screaming into the 21st century with her first smartphone! Needless to say, she's loved having it (beyond the classic teething problems with learning new technology!).

Of course, being a new customer and ordering a new phone is easy, since it can be done online. I can sit right beside her and point out what she should get and let her go ahead and order it. Easy enough. However, her contract's now over and we need to negotiate something new. I'm looking at getting her a Nexus 4, so we want to move her onto a contract (with the same number she's had for LOADS of years!) that's just SIM only. But... that probably means going through customer services and retentions with Orange. By phone.

She won't know what they're asking her if she wants. What's the easiest way to sort this out? Will retentions negotiate with me on her behalf if she asks them to? Or will the fact we're discussing her direct debits and the like mean she'd be the only one they'd talk to? I can understand it's simpler for a husband/wife to perhaps be allowed to talk on each others' behalf to customer services, but does that extend to mother/son?

(Yes, sure, I know we could get a SIM from another company and grab a PAC, that way we could get the contract from someone who'd let us order online, but Orange's £10.50/mo "Panther 15.50 with £5 off" plan is the best there is!)

mobilejunkie

Get her to explain and give permission whilst she's on the phone and then when they accept you have authority to discuss it get her to hand the phone to you without redialling.

grumbler

elpasi wrote: »

Of course, being a new customer and ordering a new phone is easy, since it can be done online....

What stops you from keeping being a new customer?
Just buy a new contract and then port/transfer your number to it. If it's the same network, for some networks it will require porting in two steps.

starving_artist

I often have to do this for an elderly relative when various utilities come up for renewal. Either explain to CS the situation and let them get confirmation from your mother while you are all on the line or put the phone on speaker and direct the conversation from there.

Del_Astra

She can add you as a named person on the account, you get your own security questions on this account and they use this the same as if it were you own account. Done this with my wifes Orange contract.

elpasi

grumbler wrote: »

What stops you from keeping being a new customer?
Just buy a new contract and then port/transfer your number to it. If it's the same network, for some networks it will require porting in two steps.

Technically that is possible, but she does need the number at all times. She's on call as a carer a lot, so having a seamless handoff between the SIM cards would be ideal. Also, the fact that an upgrade-style of transfer means that the old plan ends instantly, but if she gets a new SIM, then the old contract has a 30 day cancellation (30 days of paying for a contract she's not using).

I'm just trying to make it simpler and more cost effective for her, that's all.