[Finance] Mobile phone contracts (after the phone hardware element paid off)

[Thunder Bolt]

O2 automatically do this now. Bill is in effect split for cost of handset and cost of usage. When the hardware part of the contract ends the bills for that cease.

Virgin do the same. Their deal on the Iphone8 is 0% interest too.

 

[BNthree]

Once I got lumbered paying for a (at the time) fancy smartphone on contract which malfunctioned pretty much straight away so I sent it off for repair and the repair centre it had water damage so wouldn't repair it. Definitely wasn't water damaged by me so not sure how that came about. Spoke to the mobile network and they said tough you've signed a contract you'll have to pay for the other 23 months. Ever since then I've bought a phone outright and done sim only deals to avoid being in a similar situation again.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

The Unfair Contract Terms Act and other legislation covers the world of consumers versus corporations. Hopefully something is done. I got mugged for quite a few months, but with someone like my elderly Dad he wouldn’t know where to start looking.

The end of paperless bills helps the subterfuge.

Virgin and EE got fined this week, it will be the start.

I don’t know how some people, normally older manage.

I’ve started buying the phone outright.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

My 7 plus is doing fine

Has yours taken a hit since the last update?


Mine seems to have.

 

[LamieRobertson]

Has yours taken a hit since the last update?


Mine seems to have.

Yes this is true...not enough to make me change....but definitely a bit buggy

 

[Miximate]

Fell foul of this last year by overrunning by 3 months, made my feelings known to the provider who didn't appear give a t**s, so promptly switched to another provider

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

Does the OP forget to renew his car MOT each year?
They don't send reminders either, but don't take wads of dosh either I suppose?

 

[theboybilly]

I got wise to this after paying out £60 a month for Vodafones 'Red' thingy. Thankfully I sussed it after 3 months and swiftly moved to 3mobile where I couldn't be happier. I've just finished my 2nd contract with them and have kept my Galaxy 7 Edge. It is still going just fine and I now have unlimited calls/texts and 12gb of data for £13 a month. I might go down the 'Handset Bought Outright' route in a couple of years but for now I don't think I scratch the surface of what my Samsung is capable of.

 

[spence]

I got wise to this after paying out £60 a month for Vodafones 'Red' thingy. Thankfully I sussed it after 3 months and swiftly moved to 3mobile where I couldn't be happier. I've just finished my 2nd contract with them and have kept my Galaxy 7 Edge. It is still going just fine and I now have unlimited calls/texts and 12gb of data for £13 a month. I might go down the 'Handset Bought Outright' route in a couple of years but for now I don't think I scratch the surface of what my Samsung is capable of.

£60 PM For using a mobile phone, Amazes me people like throwing money away. I don't need to get wise for that.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Ha! I paid some cowboys called Acpoa, or something, hundreds of quids on phone insurance over about 8 years, six of them after I'd replaced the phone, through personal negligence. However, yes, this is a total racket. Why can't we just have one company that provides efficient low cost phone, telly and internet? The GPO was low costs, but with no need for a business model (no compo) they just fecked us about (months to get a landline).

Shirley we can now revisit a nationalised provider that provides a decent service without playing silly buggers over peek-a-boo pricing If I were Corbyn this is the sort of thing I'd be focused on......but, oh, if I were Corbyn I'd be an arse hole.

Hmmm precisely the reason Labour will struggle to win a Genral Election, a certain Mr. Corbyn who constantly makes wrong policy decisions. However this has absolutely nothing to do with this thread, so I'll just shut up.

 

[Weststander]

Does the OP forget to renew his car MOT each year?
They don't send reminders either, but don't take wads of dosh either I suppose?

No, just a busy life running a business and having kids, plus being imperfect, so I failed to add check mobile phone contracts for four people to the long list of 21st Century ‘jobs to do’.

But harsh lesson is learnt now,

 

[Arthritic Toe]

If you take out a contract that includes a new handset its your lookout if you continue to pay past the anniversary date. People need to take responsibility for these things - not just blame the company whenever they blindly sign up for these things and then act all surprised about it. I have a 7 year old iPhone 4s - the battery is still fine and I pay about £9 a month for calls/text/data. I never had PPI either because I questioned it when I was offered it and declined. People who blindly signed up for PPI are now awarded thousands of pounds as a reward for their own stupidity. Pisses me off.

 

[Wardy's twin]

Reasonable legislation would require phone companies to contact consumers at the end of a contract. As said, these things are easily missed.

same thing happens with a lot of products e.g. House Insurance I think we ended up in this situation because of legislation as companies can't actually just move you to lower rates. Not sure how a new law would be written to cover this but in the meantime you just need to shop around.

Regards phones - do people always need the latest one, do thyey really give you more than the previous. The only area where this is probably true is the camera but most people don't really know how to get the best from the technology anyway.

 

[Eeyore]

same thing happens with a lot of products e.g. House Insurance I think we ended up in this situation because of legislation as companies can't actually just move you to lower rates. Not sure how a new law would be written to cover this but in the meantime you just need to shop around.

Regards phones - do people always need the latest one, do thyey really give you more than the previous. The only area where this is probably true is the camera but most people don't really know how to get the best from the technology anyway.

I only have a SIM contract. When I need a new phone I get it from Ebay. The technology available 4 or 5 years ago serves my every need so I tend to end up buying an unused phone that was a new make at that time for a fraction of the price.

I paid 120.00 for a new Samsung Galaxy Note II a few weeks back. It was somewhere round the 600.00 mark a few years ago.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

If you take out a contract that includes a new handset its your lookout if you continue to pay past the anniversary date. People need to take responsibility for these things - not just blame the company whenever they blindly sign up for these things and then act all surprised about it. I have a 7 year old iPhone 4s - the battery is still fine and I pay about £9 a month for calls/text/data. I never had PPI either because I questioned it when I was offered it and declined. People who blindly signed up for PPI are now awarded thousands of pounds as a reward for their own stupidity. Pisses me off.

Good for you Mr. Perfect. It isn't just about stupidity, as someone else said, people live busy lives, Direct debits arent always checked every month, mistakes happen. I would never slag anyone else off for getting into that situation.

 

[BrightonCottager]

Virgin rang me the other day to try to persuade me to buy a new phone from them. They recommended a Samsung J6 which whould have cost £240 over 2 years. Currently retails at £140 online!

 

[nicko31]

No, just a busy life running a business and having kids, plus being imperfect, so I failed to add check mobile phone contracts for four people to the long list of 21st Century ‘jobs to do’.

But harsh lesson is learnt now,

BT do the same on phone / BB deals, watch out

 

[Wardy's twin]

I only have a SIM contract. When I need a new phone I get it from Ebay. The technology available 4 or 5 years ago serves my every need so I tend to end up buying an unused phone that was a new make at that time for a fraction of the price.

I paid 120.00 for a new Samsung Galaxy Note II a few weeks back. It was somewhere round the 600.00 mark a few years ago.

Did similar. I bought a one+ 3 years ago which was 2 years old. Paid 140 for it. Does it for me. My sim is 8 for 3 gig of data.

 

[Weststander]

Good for you Mr. Perfect. It isn't just about stupidity, as someone else said, people live busy lives, Direct debits arent always checked every month, mistakes happen. I would never slag anyone else off for getting into that situation.

A bit like the poster who arrogantly sneered at old people etc being tricked by scammers. “How could anyone be taken in?”.

 

[theboybilly]

Good for you Mr. Perfect. It isn't just about stupidity, as someone else said, people live busy lives, Direct debits arent always checked every month, mistakes happen. I would never slag anyone else off for getting into that situation.

Precisely. There is also the fact that the phone companies don't tell you that you will will continue being charged the same rate. In my view this is nothing short of theft.