Does this sound a reasonable deal for iphone 5c?

melb

Current contract with TMobile inc handset (blackberry) £20.50 a month on 2 year contract until August 2015 - early upgrade available in June. Blackberry has had it so need new handset. Daughter wants iphone.
Offer by EE: £158 early release fee, £29.99 handset fee plus £27.99 a month for 2 years for iphone 5c 16GB. This is for 250 minutes, 1000 texts and 2GB dat.
I didn't think it sounded too bad - any thoughts please?

grumbler

£158 "early release fee" does sound very bad to me.

melb

i know it does. I have bought a refurbed i phone 4s from smartfoneshop - grade B and looked great but 1. it turns itself off randomly (for eg when there's still 30% charge) and 2. the on/off button doesn't click. This was my first idea so I could carry on using the same sim. However the 4s was £135 inc postage so my thought was for the extra £55 I would be getting a new, better spec phone so seemed worthwhile? I can get a refund on the 4s.

gjchester

melb wrote: »

Current contract with TMobile inc handset (blackberry) £20.50 a month on 2 year contract until August 2015 - early upgrade available in June. Blackberry has had it so need new handset.

Don't blackberry's have a 2 year warranty?

melb wrote: »

Daughter wants iphone.
Offer by EE: £158 early release fee, £29.99 handset fee plus £27.99 a month for 2 years for iphone 5c 16GB. This is for 250 minutes, 1000 texts and 2GB dat.
I didn't think it sounded too bad - any thoughts please?

I'd check out exactly what the Early Upgrade means, its a way to tie you in with the company and often they add the extra months to the new contract. Bear in mind TM/EE know you have still got months left on a contract and will not offer very good deals.

The 5C is only available in 8GB from Apple and it's £319.

To move now as you suggest you'd pay £860 over the two years for the privilege. It may be better to buy a handset outright, and just move the sim card into the iPhone and then move to a Sim Only contract when the existing contract expires.

Keeping the existing deal would see you pay £320 for the phone, 9 x £20.50 to see you to the end of the contract, then 15 months at £16. Total for the 2 years is £750 saving you over £100 on the same deal. I am assuming your existing blackberry deal has data and can be moved to the iPhone by just swapping the sim to a Nano one.

Cost of the phone even with a standard 12 months Sim only with 2gb data is only £4 different to the deal, so your not getting a great deal.

Sim Free / Sim only has the advantage of not tying you into a contract, so you may be able to change after 30 days or 12 months depending on what plan you choose.

grumbler

Giffgaff sell 5c 8gb for £299+£7.50

melb

don't know about warranty on the Blackberry but they'd probably try and get out of it but worth a try. Yes the tariff we have does include data and she is using the sim in the 4s at the moment. Which company is the £15 per month with please? It does sound such a lot of money when you add it all up doesn't it £850 - best not to think of it but just see it as a monthly cost.
She does want a 16GB as I have been reading that 8GB is insufficient for a 4s so presumably the same for a 5?
I will have to ask if they add the remaining months onto the 2 year contract - hardly seems fair if I'm paying an early release fee?
Maybe I'll just ask Smartfone to send a replacement instead of a refund and see how we get on with that?

gjchester

melb wrote: »

best not to think of it but just see it as a monthly cost.

Think of it how you wish but totalising it up often surprises people..

melb wrote: »

She does want a 16GB as I have been reading that 8GB is insufficient for a 4s so presumably the same for a 5

What she wants is to some extend decided by Apple now.


The 5C is only available from Apple in 8GB version, there may be some 16GB ones still in network stock / stores but once that stock goes then that's it.

melb

I've just remembered that her Blackberry warranty was invalidated as she had a screen replacement from an unauthorised (ie cheaper!) source. Do people agree that 8gb is insufficient or is that rubbish as I've just seen that CPW have a new 4s 8GB for just short of £200?

Rusty!

"Sufficient" would depend on her usage of it. It might or might not be.

gycraig_2

As a former cpw worker a 8gb iphone will fill VERY quickly the iOS for a start will fill just about half of that. And there is also a good chance it's not gonna get next ios.

5 is definitely a LOT better option however you are restricted to ee for your early upgrade so probably won't get a great deal. Release fee is just contract left X £per month

forgotmyname

Almost £30 a month for a £300 phone sounds like a poor deal.

Thats a similar price to what i pay for my Galaxy S4 which was a £500+ phone when i got it last year.
I get unlimited minutes and texts though and 2GB data + some WIFI also.

Giving them £158 for nothing is mad. Why would you want to throw £158 in the bin?

£158 + £30 for the handset your only £115 or less away from a 16gb iphone 5. (proper apple refurb)

£671 + £158 + £30.. £859 for a phone over 2 years?