T-mobile wont let me downgrade package even though its printed on their bills!

deadphill

Hello

I took out my contract last november and it clearly stated I could change my tarriff after 6 months.

Last month on the back of my bill it said this again and so being reminded of this I went to downgrade my package. I was told that they had changed the policy in may to 11 months, and was told there was nothing they could do but I could email their customer service team.

So I did and this is the reply:
Hello Phillip

Thanks for your email informing us you would like to have your PAC code as you want to terminate your account as you're unable to downgrade your priceplan.

I'm sorry to hear that you're unhappy with our new policy and I can understand how upset you're about this. I'll be glad to look into this for you.

The recent change to our policy was introduced on the 1 May 2007. It means that the earliest you can move to a lower value price plan will be 11 months after you first took out your new connection. You can move to a higher value price plan at any point if this is right for you.

Our Terms and Conditions do not refer to moving price plans, however as a policy we allow customers to move to a lower value or equal value price plan from the 11th month of their contract.

This change in policy has been made to keep us in line with our competitors and also to ensure that we can continue to provide the best level of service, variety and choice in our price plans, both now and in the future.

To take a look at the variety of price plans on offer simply click here. If you haven't taken a look for a while you might find some new plans that could work well for you.


I'm sorry to hear that you wish to terminate your contract. I'm sure you'll reconsider your decision.

If you do decide you want to leave, we'll need to give you a PAC (Porting Authorisation Code), which will be valid for 30 days. This will allow you to transfer your mobile number to your new service provider.

As your contract hasn't come to an end yet, as you've joined us on 8 November 2006 and your contract ends on 8 November, you'll need to pay a cancellation charge of #82.65 before we can issue the code for you. The charge will depend on how long into your contract you are.

To get your PAC and to find out about any cancellation charge, please call us on 150 from your T-Mobile phone or 0845 412 5000 from a landline (Landline calls are charged at local rates if you're a BT customer, but if you're with another provider it may cost a bit more so please check) between 7am and 10pm everyday and we'll be happy to help.

Once you have your PAC, you'll then need to give this and your mobile number to your new network. Your telephone number will then be transferred to your new network. This takes five working days to complete.

Once your number has been connected to your new provider, your T-Mobile account will automatically be cancelled. We'll send you a final bill within the following 14 days and if it's in credit, you'll need to contact us again, so we can arrange your refund.

Please remember to keep a record of your phone book entries before your number leaves us, otherwise you'll lose this information and it cannot be retrieved.

If you decide you don't want to leave and don't use the PAC or it expires, your account won't be cancelled, you'll continue to be charged line rental and you can continue to use your phone as normal.

If you want to carry on using the same phone on your new network, we'll also need to give you a subsidy PIN. We can give you this for a fee of #15 (including VAT), but we can't guarantee your phone will work with your new mobile company.

Thanks again for your email Phillip. If you do wish to leave, I'm sure you'll consider us in future.

For any further queries, please feel free to reply to my email and I'll be glad to assist you.

Kind regards








Himabindu Depally
Customer Services Email Team
T-Mobile

Am I stuck in this contract until november or can I get out of it? I hear some people on o2 are leaving because of the charging of 0845 numbers.

If anyone can help I really would appreciate it.

Thanks

Phill

knowledgeman

deadphill wrote: »

Hello

I took out my contract last november and it clearly stated I could change my tarriff after 6 months.

Last month on the back of my bill it said this again and so being reminded of this I went to downgrade my package. I was told that they had changed the policy in may to 11 months, and was told there was nothing they could do but I could email their customer service team.

So I did and this is the reply:
Hello Phillip

Thanks for your email informing us you would like to have your PAC code as you want to terminate your account as you're unable to downgrade your priceplan.

I'm sorry to hear that you're unhappy with our new policy and I can understand how upset you're about this. I'll be glad to look into this for you.

The recent change to our policy was introduced on the 1 May 2007. It means that the earliest you can move to a lower value price plan will be 11 months after you first took out your new connection. You can move to a higher value price plan at any point if this is right for you.

Our Terms and Conditions do not refer to moving price plans, however as a policy we allow customers to move to a lower value or equal value price plan from the 11th month of their contract.

This change in policy has been made to keep us in line with our competitors and also to ensure that we can continue to provide the best level of service, variety and choice in our price plans, both now and in the future.

To take a look at the variety of price plans on offer simply click here. If you haven't taken a look for a while you might find some new plans that could work well for you.


I'm sorry to hear that you wish to terminate your contract. I'm sure you'll reconsider your decision.

If you do decide you want to leave, we'll need to give you a PAC (Porting Authorisation Code), which will be valid for 30 days. This will allow you to transfer your mobile number to your new service provider.

As your contract hasn't come to an end yet, as you've joined us on 8 November 2006 and your contract ends on 8 November, you'll need to pay a cancellation charge of #82.65 before we can issue the code for you. The charge will depend on how long into your contract you are.

To get your PAC and to find out about any cancellation charge, please call us on 150 from your T-Mobile phone or 0845 412 5000 from a landline (Landline calls are charged at local rates if you're a BT customer, but if you're with another provider it may cost a bit more so please check) between 7am and 10pm everyday and we'll be happy to help.

Once you have your PAC, you'll then need to give this and your mobile number to your new network. Your telephone number will then be transferred to your new network. This takes five working days to complete.

Once your number has been connected to your new provider, your T-Mobile account will automatically be cancelled. We'll send you a final bill within the following 14 days and if it's in credit, you'll need to contact us again, so we can arrange your refund.

Please remember to keep a record of your phone book entries before your number leaves us, otherwise you'll lose this information and it cannot be retrieved.

If you decide you don't want to leave and don't use the PAC or it expires, your account won't be cancelled, you'll continue to be charged line rental and you can continue to use your phone as normal.

If you want to carry on using the same phone on your new network, we'll also need to give you a subsidy PIN. We can give you this for a fee of #15 (including VAT), but we can't guarantee your phone will work with your new mobile company.

Thanks again for your email Phillip. If you do wish to leave, I'm sure you'll consider us in future.

For any further queries, please feel free to reply to my email and I'll be glad to assist you.

Kind regards








Himabindu Depally
Customer Services Email Team
T-Mobile

Am I stuck in this contract until november or can I get out of it? I hear some people on o2 are leaving because of the charging of 0845 numbers.

If anyone can help I really would appreciate it.

Thanks

Phill

Can you not read?

It clearly states in the email that if you wish to leave before the end date you will need to pay the cancellation fee

It is nothing like O2 situation and as far as I can see you dont have a right to downgrade unless it states on correspondence prior to 1st may and they have made a mistake, which I bet it doesnt

lapchien_2

You can terminate your T-Mobile contract, but as you are within the minimum contract period you will have to pay T-Mobile to leave the contract early.

With regard to your tariff change; have you kept the original paperword from when you took out the contract? If this says that you can change your tariff after 6 months, I would think T-Mobile would have to honour this.

Rather than writing in asking them to cancel your contract, I would send them copies of the original documents showing how it states that you can change tariff after 6 months, and asking them to honour this. If they fail to do so, you could try complaining to Ofcom (http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/)

deadphill

knowledgeman wrote: »

Can you not read?

It clearly states in the email that if you wish to leave before the end date you will need to pay the cancellation fee

It is nothing like O2 situation and as far as I can see you dont have a right to downgrade unless it states on correspondence prior to 1st may and they have made a mistake, which I bet it doesnt

Yes I can read. Thats why I was reminded of the fact I could downgrade my package after 6 months when it said it on the back of my bill. However I wanted to know if there was anything that I could do to get them to honour this.

As for lapchien thank you for your advice. I have emailed them again asking for them to reconsider as I only have two months left on my contract but this is more about principle to me. What if something like this happens in the future if I take out another contract?

I have stated I will send a complaint to OFCOM if they dont re-consider so I will see where this takes me.

Thanks for your help.

Phill

Sid_Harper

Phil I agree with your point - they tell you in writing "you can do this and that" but then don't honour it. You could take them to court if you wanted to.

It was part of the Ts & Cs when you signed up - did they give you 30 days notice that they were changing this 'policy'? If not, then they are in breach of their own obligations as part of the contract, which as you have correctly assumed, would allow you to terminate early without charges or indeed notice.

younome

I've run into this tonight as well.

If you look at the terms and conditions, it states that if you are a consumer (as opposed to a business), and they make a change to the terms of your contract that is detrimental to you, you can cancel with no cancellation charge due, and with immediate effect (no 30 day notice period).

There is no "entire agreement clause" in the contract. That is, a verbal agreement as to the terms is as binding as the written terms (yes, T-Mobile's lawyers did a poor job of drafting the contract), although admittedly more difficult to prove. However, thanks to T-Mobile printing "6 months" on the back of all bills before and after May 2007, they have given us written evidence of this verbal term of agreement.

I've escalated my complaint and pointed them to the specific terms in the contract. If they agree to let me downgrade, I'll post an update here. If I have to fight it, it will probably take months to resolve and I'll have long forgotten about this thread by then!

Anyway, do let us know what your outcome(s) are!!

kiteless

I've also run into this today. All of my bills (including the latest September one) state "You can also move to a lower priced plan after your first 6 months".

Have any of you got anywhere with T-Mobile?

PinkPig

Hmmm this is a pain. I took out a contract in April (before they changed to 11 months notice) and planned to downgrade in October. Please keep us informed about whether you're succesful or not!

Old_Gold

It seems to me that Tmobile are likely to be the winners with most customers. Most customers will get a silly letter like the one above and just accept it. Then some will fight it and even if they win it will take time and then start from the date you have made your agreement with Tmobile. So I would urge everyone to inform Tmobile that as this is your right you will expect compensation from the date you have informed them. Then act as if you had your downgrade or demand your pac without charge as they have illegally changed the terms of contract. However make sure you write to trading standards and ofcom.

SteveBentley

deadphill wrote: »

Once your number has been connected to your new provider, your T-Mobile account will automatically be cancelled. We'll send you a final bill within the following 14 days and if it's in credit, you'll need to contact us again, so we can arrange your refund.

Somebody needs to shout at T Mobile very loudly about this one too - I see no justification for requiring the customer to contact them again to get the refund once they've cancelled the contract, it should be automatic.

PinkPig

SteveBentley wrote: »

Somebody needs to shout at T Mobile very loudly about this one too - I see no justification for requiring the customer to contact them again to get the refund once they've cancelled the contract, it should be automatic.

I strongly suspect they're not the only ones trying to avoid paying people here - O2 officially say that you'll be paid automatically "within 28 days". I contacted them after about 14 days (before seeing the 28 day clause) and they mentioned that it takes up to 28 days, and that I should contact them again if it's still not been refunded then. After the end of the 28 days there was still nothing, I contacted them again and about 2 days later the refund arrived in the post. I very much got the impression that the policy was "only give a refund if it's at least 28 days later and you get contacted".