Contract min term ended long ago, O2 kept charging

Silk

Whumpie wrote: »

It misses the point, but it's pertinent. Because the answer is, "Nobody". And that is because only mobile companies can use this structure and get away with it. Any other type of company would run two contracts - one to purchase the kit and the other to provide the service. Because that's simple, and clear, and looks after both parties. This approach is clearly in the interest only of the operator.

You can do that though these days with the likes of O2 refresh etc
Even so if you didn't want to be paying a premium on your contract for the phone, you always had the option of purchasing a phone and using sim only.

Whumpie wrote: »

Yes, people should check their contracts better, and you can imagine how delighted I was when I unearthed this gem of a situation with my wife. That's a nice holiday blown, right there.

So you are now saying you didn't realise at the time you took the contract out that your phone was being paid for by the premium you were paying and you could downgrade after minimum term.
Perhaps next time you take a contract out you will pay more attention to the basics

Whumpie wrote: »

Now please all bog off and find someone else's post to use to make yourselves feel superior, you pathetic, insufferable pedants.

Nice attitude by the way !

Silk

d123 wrote: »

Now now, deep breaths there Mr Whumpie, you posted on a forum, this is a place for discussion and you got discussion. If you had wanted people to only post sorrow and sympathy I've heard mumsnet can be good for that.

That's funny :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

mobilejunkie

I love the idea that we spend all our time with spreadsheets etc. Actually, since all my contracts make a profit I spend a small amount of time grabbing the cashback and virtually none on the bleeding obvious - like cancelling a contract at the end of its term.

Or I could spend ALL my time ranting and banging my head against a brick wall trying to change the world...

ConsumerGuy0016

Whumpie's final post did raise some interesting points, in all honesty.

grumbler

Whumpie wrote: »

...
We don't have to put up with this cat-and-mouse relationship with suppliers! instead of spending all your time keeping reminders and files and studying contract law, you put the same effort into fighting back against companies who treat you as "revenue streams" and perhaps considered spending your money with the better - instead of the cheaper - suppliers, we'd all have better lives.

Well, start a campaign then and come here for support. I am sure you will get it - unless your suggestions get too close to a "nanny state".

Instead you expect someone else to do this so that you could possibly join.

MSE Towers hardly ever read the Forum and have their own agenda for campaigning, often (mostly?) commercially or PR motivated.

NFH

grumbler wrote: »

Well, start a campaign then and come here for support. I am sure you will get it - unless your suggestions get too close to a "nanny state".

The OP doesn't need to start a campaign. Which have already done so:

http://www.which.co.uk/campaigns/mobile-phone-deals/switching-mobile-phone-contracts/

"We’re calling on mobile companies to notify you a month before your contracts ends with the best deals for you, show the monthly cost of the handset separately from the service charge and to unlock handsets for free."

http://conversation.which.co.uk/technology/hidden-cost-mobile-phone-contract-bills/

See also pages 44 and 45 of Which's May 2015 magazine.

Given that Which, the most prominent campaigner on UK consumer rights, concurs with the OP's view, I think that the many criticisms above of the OP's view are unwarranted. This forum should be friendly to those who have identified a consumer rights issue rather than criticising them for airing their highly merited opinion.

jb66

Actually the refresh tariffs from o2 and virgin mobile automatically drop to sim only as the phone has been paid off

NFH

jb66 wrote: »

Actually the refresh tariffs from o2 and virgin mobile automatically drop to sim only as the phone has been paid off

Good point. The ironic thing in this thread is that O2 has been the market leader in abolishing this unfair commercial practice. However, that happened too late for the OP to benefit.

Silk

NFH wrote: »

The OP doesn't need to start a campaign. Which have already done so:

http://www.which.co.uk/campaigns/mobile-phone-deals/switching-mobile-phone-contracts/

"We’re calling on mobile companies to notify you a month before your contracts ends with the best deals for you, show the monthly cost of the handset separately from the service charge and to unlock handsets for free.".

First problem there from Which, is the contracts don't end they reach minimum term and carry on.
Second problem is the link is not about the contracts carrying on at the same price but rather being on contracts that don't suit their needs, paying for calls texts and data they don't use or even use but aren't included in their plan.


The issue with the OP is he and his partner hadn't a clue they were on an 18 month minimum contract where the premium was paying for the phone. It turns out to be a revelation to find that out three and a half years later !


Considering the amount of information overkill these days with advertising and internet selling along with sellers trying to get you to upgrade every 5 minutes, I don't see any excuse. Even allowing for them not reading the T&C's a numpty would realise the maths don't stack up


As I pointed out earlier there are things like O2 refresh etc now but even so, at the time, the OP could easily have bought a phone separate and sim only. They chose to pay via a premium on their contract and failed to reduce when they could.


Trying to blame the network for not reminding them doesn't cut it for me I'm afraid.
Considering at the last count there was over 83 million phone subscriptions in this country these days, the number of complaints about this is miniscule

NFH

Silk wrote: »

First problem there from Which, is the contracts don't end they reach minimum term and carry on.

I agree with you, but phrases like "end of contract", "in contract" and "out of contract" are all commonly used in the industry to refer to whether or not the minimum contract period has finished. Even prepaid customers have a contract with the network, but nobody uses the term "contract" to describe it. Some people don't even use "contract" to describe a SIM-only contract. The term "contract" is most commonly used in the industry only to describe an ongoing obligation to buy the monthly service from the network, usually including a subsidised handset. Which are using industry terminology that everyone understands.