is it the end of 12 month free contacts

be96erj

Hi forum

I am having difficulty in finding a new 12 month free contract with a legitimate company eg. e2save. Can anyone recommend one?

thanks

mobilejunkie

E2save is no longer a "legitimate" company. You won't find any such deals now; it seems too many people on here want them banned.

david69_2

I noticed the same thing my contract is up next month but theres not much about, I think i will go on a payg as I've got a company mobile to call all the 0870 numbers

diamonds

I think were lucky they lasted this long, the networks pay out large commissions & they want to end them & us to go direct

MSE is probably one of the main reasons they have ended ( along with hotukdeals ) - the amount of traffic through this site alone whom learnt such deals existed saturated the companies whom even went to tactics NOt to pay out, I done two via the link & they after me following procedure DECLINED mine DIXONS group lost my very loyal custom of 14 years - my first electrical purchase was a goodmans personal stereo off my paperround wages so as a whole I estimate DSG have lost £1200 a year out of me, !!!!! if they had a loyalty program The Link would have seen my history

PBA

Hang on a sec, fine E2Save might not have any 12 mos free at the moment, but they did have some a couple days ago (on orange, with free LG Chocolate). They've got 10 mos free and 11 mos 99p rental at the moment, and I'm sure they'll have 12 mos free back as soon as they get another batch of end of line handsets in.

I remember reading an article about 5-6 years ago about networks cutting their commissions so we wouldn't get free phones any more. Now we get free phones and free line rental as well. Can't see it happening, as long as we have 5 networks they'll need to compete for business.

mobilejunkie

Dream on. Yes, there were; I watch closely several times a day. You haven't done your research (most don't as always). The ones you refer to are on 18 month deals. Notice also (no-one seems to have apart from me) that the notorius "price-match" deals have vanished. There's a lot to this and I've not got time to spend explaining. Stop the movement to ban cashback deals or tehre won;t be any decent ones again; then you WILL be at the network's mercy and there won't be any worthwhile competition. This is something I have been saying ever since the crusades started. Anyone seriously wanting these deals to come back on a worthwhile basis should start countering the loud and many voices of those trying to stop them before it's too late - and there isn't much time!

As for the networks; they are mainly a cartel. Even O2 fell into line and stopped including 08 numbers in its bundels. People who are complacent or wait until it's too late are as guilty as those pushing for increased regulation, less choice and even more collusion.

PBA

Ok, I screwed up earlier. However I stand by my comment that there were 12 mos free 12 mos contracts available a few days ago. This isn't the first time that e2save hasn't offered them, and I'm sure they'll be back.

Ever since I've had a mobile phone, the deals I've been able to get have gotten better each year when I renew my contract than they were the year before. I'm sure this will carry on. If we truly had a cartel operating, we'd still be being charged like in the 80s when you paid for your phone, paid for the line rental and then paid for calls as none were included.

alnsv1000s

Most companies that were offering 12 months free deals on 12 months contracts have gone bust, leading to a tougher stance from the networks and Ofcom.

Nowdays you would be very lucky to get paid out if a 12 month deal exists so please take on a contract like this only on the basis that getting your cashback is a bonus.

The reason that E2 save, OSPS, The Link etc still have strong offers is due to fact that they are clearly sticking 2 fingers up to Ofcoms code of conduct issued last August whereby redemptions claims should be available for 60 days from the relevant bill date, but these companies are still only giving 30 days.

This gives them more reasons not to pay on these deals as per the many posts on this forum.

Which is why MPs and Ofcom have asked for certain dealers to visit them this month with recomendations to clean up the now dishonest, misleading cashback promotions and the misery it causes.

We do not want a total ban, but we do want legislation, not recomendations, where customers have over 90% chance of getting there cash back instead of the 40-50% that certain companies work on now.

This will lead to more realistic offers but also to a drastically lower level of complaints.

Mutton_Geoff

Also, mobiles are a big selling Christmas gift, not surprised the offers have been sparse. My gf & I both have e2save cashbacks that they have paid promptly without any hassle. When her contract came to an end in November, she called to cancel it and they offered her the next year completely free. She was on a £25 a month contract, they just asked her to confirm she'd renew and they credited her bill with £300 the next month. They are clearly hoping she'll go over the free talk/text allowance and pay more but she's very canny and well on her way to having a free phone with two years use for just one months payment of £25 (the original cashback was 11 months free on 12 month contract).

mobilejunkie

PBA:- I KNOW the free deals were there a few days ago - as I said in my reply above. I am also fully aware they have now gone.

Mutton Geoff:- beware thinking all is still the same at E2Save; it's not. Many have fallen into the trap of thinking that and are now having problems. I recommend you read the many posts on them.

Obviously I prefer the lower success rate; a great many of the complaints came from the 60% who lost - and in most cases they only have themselves to blame. I've only ever had 12 month free deals and am only interested in those in the future. If my needs or circumstances change that could too. I have warned for asome time that these deals were under threat (as others have) and grabbed free deals (one in November and another in December) as I always have on the basis that they might not be around again (even though at that time I had 8 other 12 month free cashback deals. Two of those were the onloy ones I ever lost on - and purely because Mobile Affiliates went under. However, I never complained and even defended them against the uproar which followed. I wasn't one who failed to do my research, evaluate and accept the risks and have done extremely well from my earlier deals. Of course, I realise that I'm not normal in that respect - but such is life. No pain, no gain. The pain was quite limited and contained and the gain far, far outweighed it because I knew exactly what I was doing well before I took out my first ever deal 18 months ago. I have also got many contracts for my friends and family and they have all got all of their cashbacks too - apart from one who had one contract with Mobile Affiliates. They too are content; their first 12 month contract cost them about £55 for a tremendous package and phone and the new one still cost no more than it would had they paid their previous PAYT rates. My friends and family rely on me to guide them through every stage of every contract and are ALL substantially better off. Without these deals, most will revert back to PAYT I suspect.

artha

Mutton_Geoff wrote: »

Also, mobiles are a big selling Christmas gift, not surprised the offers have been sparse. My gf & I both have e2save cashbacks that they have paid promptly without any hassle. When her contract came to an end in November, she called to cancel it and they offered her the next year completely free. She was on a £25 a month contract, they just asked her to confirm she'd renew and they credited her bill with £300 the next month. They are clearly hoping she'll go over the free talk/text allowance and pay more but she's very canny and well on her way to having a free phone with two years use for just one months payment of £25 (the original cashback was 11 months free on 12 month contract).

I've had the same offer on two contracts ending October 2007. We just use them as spare phones and as long as used in this way are very good deals. Need to make sure however that the contacts are cancelled again in time to avoid running out of credit