1p mobile Suddenly change T&C to the worse could I quit and ask my credit back ??

adindas

1p Mobile typically require mandatory minimum top up £10 every four months, to keep my number. But I just received notification they now change their T&C to the worse. Instead of mandatory minimum top up £10 every four months it is now changed to minimum usage of £10 every four months.

I am currently having contract with another provider 15GB unlimited min and text that will last for around one year. For 1p mobile I could just use it to keep my number. So £10 to be taken every four month is just a waste of money as I will not be needing it??

I am currently having around £130. But while I typically nit use it in the UK I reserve this credit when traveling abroad as they have the same tariff e.g. 1p data/data/text when you are roaming in the EU countries.

My question: ; Could I ask them to return the credit and I don’t mind to switch provider given I get my £130 back ?

If they do not agree to refund the credit could I take them to the regulator, for this practice changing the contract to the worse in the middle while already having people money as a ransom??

Any opinion, suggestion will be very much appreciated.

PHK

It's not a contract. 
It's unlikely you'll get your credit back. (How have you managed to build up £130 of credit on a prepay service)

The suggestion is normally to use up any excess credit. 

Mark_d

From their T&C:
This Agreement does not come to an end during any period of suspension, any Top-up Requirement (as set out in clause 3) will continue to apply, and any stored voicemail greetings or messages may be lost. Any unused call credit on Mobile services will be lost. You are only entitled to a refund in respect of any unused credit held on your account under the following circumstances:

1. you have notified us that you wish to cancel your account within 14 days of application.
2. You have notified us that you want to switch the Service to another provider, have requested your credit and paid the Credit Refund Fee.

Mark_d

Credit Refund Fee is currently £10 according to their tariff

adindas

. Mark_d said:

Credit Refund Fee is currently £10 according to their tariff

I do not mind to pay £10 for credit refund as long as I could get my £130-£10=£120 back.
In the Broadband and other communication services if they change the term in the middle you are entitle to cancel and get refund. I will be happy of it continues with the current term my credit will not expire and I will not lose my mobile if I keep topping up £10 every four months. I will be using a lot of data roaming anyway when I am traveling. 

PHK said:

It's not a contract. 
It's unlikely you'll get your credit back. (How have you managed to build up £130 of credit on a prepay service)

The suggestion is normally to use up any excess credit. 

I will be more than happy to do that using the initial term when I signed in. Not after they suddenly change the term. But now whether I use it or not they will automatically take £10 every four months. I will not use it for the next few months as I still have contract that more than enough to cover my need in the next few months. I will use 1p mobile data when roaming abroad.

They are taking people money and Mobile phone number as a ransom. If they do not give my money back, could I take them to the regulator?

I will appreciate if there is a reference to the regulation, T&Cs or previous cases.

PHK

It’s not a sudden change it was announced last year and came into force on 1st February. 

It’s a minimum spend of £10 every 90 days. If you don’t spend £10 then they take the difference. Most people will spend at least £3.33 a month so it won’t affect them.  It’s only really going to affect people like you that top up but almost never use the phone. 

I doubt very much that the regulator will be interested. 

adindas

PHK said:

It’s not a sudden change it was announced last year and came into force on 1st February. 

It’s a minimum spend of £10 every 90 days. If you don’t spend £10 then they take the difference. Most people will spend at least £3.33 a month so it won’t affect them.  It’s only really going to affect people like you that top up but almost never use the phone. 

I doubt very much that the regulator will be interested. 

Most ??? I am not quite sure whether you could see what other people could see. It is equivalent to £3.33 a month contract. But now they force people to take it as they are using people credit and mobile number as a ransom. It is such an insult to people intelligent to offer such an inferior deal. £3.33 a month with 1p/Mb will mean. 333MB data a month in the UK for £3.33 ??????? It is different when you are using it for roaming.

Lebara is offering £1 for 15GB with unlimited min and text. Many other provider are offering a much better deal. The point here is they are taking people money and number as a ransom and forcing people to take such an inferior deal. 

I might be raising a complain and then if not resolved I will be taking them to the regulator. I wonder is there any reason why OFCOM would not be interested, is it not their duty the oversee this practice ?? Also If I am taking them to the regulator could I also ask for compensation for my time spending in this case ??

PHK

1p aren't doing anything that hasn't been done before. I can't see why the regulator would be interested now when they haven't in the past. 

The regulator also doesn't investigate individual complaints so you won't get any compensation.

If you want to complain then you need to complain to 1p first and then if you still aren't happy then they'll issue a deadlock letter and you can approach an ombudsman. 

Bit I think it unlikely that the ombudsman will rule in your favour. 

adindas

PHK said:

1p aren't doing anything that hasn't been done before. I can't see why the regulator would be interested now when they haven't in the past. 

The regulator also doesn't investigate individual complaints so you won't get any compensation.

If you want to complain then you need to complain to 1p first and then if you still aren't happy then they'll issue a deadlock letter and you can approach an ombudsman. 

Bit I think it unlikely that the ombudsman will rule in your favour. 

Thank for the head up, appreciate that. Do you or other people  have the contact detail of the Ombudsman or link that could be contacted, just in case I need to take the case further.

What else could be done apart from ombusdman ??

If I am taking them to ombudsman, I will count my opportunity cost, time dealing with the issue, not just for the sake of £130. Could I ask compensation for this. I will appreciate the reason for yes/no. Also if there is previous case to be referred to it will be helpful.

In these  industries there are reasonable number of rogue, unethical trader, using one of the oldest scam"advance-fee" once they manage to collect enough money from people they will change their term unilaterally. A good example to this is in the past was Vectone Mobile. now collapse.

PHK

As I explained, you need to complain to 1p mobile first and if you don’t accept their outcome then they’ll give you a deadlock letter to allow you to go to the ombudsman. 

If they award compensation will be what Ofcom calls “reasonable” so limited to what you’ve lost out on. You won’t get money for time spent. 

But do stop talking of scams etc.  That’s childish and will get you nowhere. 

GearGleam

Oh, I feel your pain with 1p Mobile's changes. I was in a similar boat and was quite annoyed they switched from a top-up requirement to a usage rule. Like you, I had a separate main contract and only really used 1p Mobile for roaming in the EU, so this new policy didn't sit well with me.

Regarding your credit, it's worth reaching out to customer service to see if they'll compromise. They might be able to offer you a suitable arrangement if you explain your situation and mention you're pondering a switch due to the new T&Cs. It's not guaranteed, but it could work.

If they refuse to refund your £130, consider contacting Ofcom or a similar regulatory body. Providers aren't usually allowed to significantly alter contracts without offering a fair exit option to customers, and since this change might be seen as substantial, you might have a case here.

In short, start with 1p Mobile's customer service, and if they're unhelpful, escalate to the regulator. But remember to weigh the potential stress against the amount you're trying to recover. Good luck!