I am due an upgrade, or is it just the end of the contract

gfplux

I was prompted to post having seen a thread where someone was saying they were due an upgrade soon.
Have the mobile operatives brain washed people into this strange phrase "I am due an upgrade" or maybe I do not understand the situation.
If you sign a contract for 24 months at the end of the contract period surely you are due nothing. Perhaps as an existing customer there may be some sense of loyalty (ha ha) but surely you are not "due an upgrade"

Can anyone cast some light on this.

grumbler

gfplux wrote: »

Have the mobile operatives brain washed people into this strange phrase "I am due an upgrade" or maybe I do not understand the situation.

It's certainly the former, although most UK brains are surprisingly easy to wash.

'Upgrading' is never free, and loads of money can be saved by keeping the phone and switching to sim-only or PAYG.

wealdroam

gfplux wrote: »

If you sign a contract for 24 months at the end of the contract period surely you are due nothing.

That too is worthy of comment.

After (in this case) 24 months, one is still in a contract.

All that has happened is that the minimum term has been completed and thirty days notice is still required to end the contract.

Frozen_up_north

I have met several contract phone users who "upgraded" just because their battery needed replacing! The networks love these people because they hook them into another 24 month deal and the sales person gets a commission on the sale... It's a win win situation for the network and guess who pays?

At the end of the minimum term you usually continue to pay the full amount per month, even though you can give 30 days notice and switch to SIM only on the same, or (with a PAC code), another network for less money.

The best value for money is to own your own unlocked SIM free phone and shop around for a SIM only deal.

gjchester

Frozen_up_north wrote: »

I have met several contract phone users who "upgraded" just because their battery needed replacing! The networks love these people because they hook them into another 24 month deal and the sales person gets a commission on the sale... It's a win win situation for the network and guess who pays?

True but the other side of the coin is if they don't offer or give an upgrade the contact continues at the same rate, but as the phone subsidy is paid off then the operator makes more from you, so ideally the don't want to upgrade you.


However by offering you an upgrade that locks you in for a new term they get to may lose a little overall each month as there a new subsidy to cover but they hold you in for xx months.

indesisiv

As others said, none of the above ...

The contract keeps on going, if you do nothing the network will love you.
Upgrade and tie yourself in for another 2 yrs, the network will love you.
Move to cheapest SIM only as soon as your contract term finishes is the best route.

This is what I did, and whilst waiting for a phone to come along that i wanted to upgrade too I put the difference between the SIM only plan I was paying and the old contract payment into an account. By the time a phone came along that I really wanted I had enough saved to buy it outright. I am currently saving for my next phone now.

gfplux

Thanks for the help in understanding this brain dead way of spending money some people don't have.
So "I am due an upgrade soon" is just as stupid as paying the same in the 25th month as the 24th.
Why did I know this all before........because my Mother taught me.
What is wrong with people today.

gycraig_2

Used to work at car phone warehouse and was amazing how many people would just upgrade to a new 50 quid a month contract that offers nothing more than there old phone did. That phrase used to annoy me so much as they almost felt they had to

People take out a 10 quid a month contract then upgrading 6 months later to a 50 quid contract they can't really afford. Amount of people kicking off about being miss sold on a contract they picked themselves was unreal when they got cut off

Herongull

Lot's of foolish people do fall for it. Telling people they are due an upgrade as if they are doing them a favour!

It is just an offer to sign up for another 24 months on a expensive contract with a new phone that they probably don't need and may not be able to afford.

But they get people into the habit of getting an expensive new phone every two years. Contracts with "free phones" should be banned to protect these people. It should all be sim only or PAYG and then people can choose what phone they want and when they should get a new one.

Yes, I know sensible people can and do choose now, but vulnerable people do fall for this.

mobilejunkie

Why is it that the majority of people are supposed to limit their choice to protect the "vulnerable" all the time?

Either it's a free market or it's not. Personally I much prefer free. Everyone is free to choose and many so-called "vulnerable" people aren't vulnerable at all; they just prefer the simple option and the best product they can get.

grumbler

Herongull wrote: »

...Contracts with "free phones" should be banned to protect these people.

Nanny state with red tape everywhere?

...vulnerable people do fall for this.

"Vulnerable"?! You can't be serious.

vulnerable
...
exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
...
in need of special care, support, or protection because of age, disability, or risk of abuse or neglect.

:rotfl: