cancelling phone contracts before term is up?!

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Duncan.F

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Duncan
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I made the BIG mistake of puting my daughter on monthy contract she has now vastly overspent twice and I have confiscated the phone. I am only 5 months into a 24 month contract, is there any hope/method of voiding the contract without having to buy it out? We are with O2.
 
Unfortunately, especially with O2, I wouldnt hold your breath to be honest...

If you got a good handset with it, it may be worth selling it to put towards the cost of buying the contract out if thats the route you want to go.
 
depending on the phone, get an app that can monitor and block when reaching limits to help you out

also theres is no chance they will agree unless you buy out and thats about %5-10 of your whole bill deducted off the release amount.

my two cents :)
 
boliston said:
Do they allow you to cap the monthly spend?
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I'm pretty sure they do, I've just switched over to 3 and they have capped my bills so I cannot go over.
 
The utility warehouse will help out with the termination fee (up to a very generous limit) when you switch to them.

They were also the first with budget limit control which is now being copied by some other providers.

Get an early termination fee quote and drop me a pm.
 
Make her work it off ,and stand by your decision to withhold the phone . We had the exact situation with our oldest lad,he was £586 !!!!!!!
 
I wanted out of a 24 month contract with O2 after about 6 months due to continual lack of signal issues. They're refusal was absolute, I'd left it too long (which I had) and the only way was to pay the remaining contract off, which was nearly £800. I'm now this month able to finally cancel the contract as it reaches it's end.
 
24 month mobile phone contracts are evil, i can't believe anyone actually signs up for them. The only contract i'll sign for over 12 months is a mortgage rate.

and my job contract of course :)
 
The fact that they are for such a long period and difficult to get out of is exactly why they are the bane of the devil.
 
thats fine if you like to chop and change every year, ive just come out of one 24 month into another. doesnt worry me to be honest, i know i can afford the monthly cost and never go over the bundled allowance etc.
 
i don't chop and change, My last phone I had for over 24 months, it's more about tying yourself into a contract that is unforgiving that makes 24 month mobile phone contracts and absolute joke.

Most people I know wish they weren't in them, so many circumstances change in a 24 month period

i always buy my phone, never get into a contract at all.
 
Your pretty much stuffed unless you can find someone to take the contract on. If its an iphone is there not an app to cap the limits?
 
neil_g said:
yup also i appriciate the cost of the phone is much much more over 24 than buying outright, personally i didnt have a spare £400-500 to get the latest smartphone :(
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and for nearly everyone who signs up for a 24 month contract - that's the same thing. People can't afford the handset price so have to go for the 24 month contract.

I can understand the appeal for getting the handset you want, but so many people regret it afterwards. For the majority of people you'd be better getting an interest free loan of £500 and paying it back over 12 months. Or buy on a credit card and do an interest free balance transfer onto another card, once you have a handset thats worth something you can sell it on when you are ready to upgrade and put the sale towards a new handset.
 
joescrivens said:
24 month mobile phone contracts are evil, i can't believe anyone actually signs up for them. The only contract i'll sign for over 12 months is a mortgage rate.

and my job contract of course :)
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Try and get a 12/18 month contract now, no chance. I've been with O2 for ages (sim only now - out of contract) and I wanted a new contract/phone, there was no way they would let me have a 12 month deal without paying a fortune for a phone.

OP - will they not let you swap to a Pay & Go contract?
Maybe the cheapest option would be to move to a very low usage i.e. cheap tarrif, O2 used to say they would swap you to the most economical tarriff if your circumstances changed (do they still do that?) then put that phone in a drawer (or you use it) and buy daughter a P&G with someone else.
Teenagesr - dont you just love them....

Matt
 
MatBin said:
Try and get a 12/18 month contract now, no chance. I've been with O2 for ages (sim only now - out of contract) and I wanted a new contract/phone, there was no way they would let me have a 12 month deal without paying a fortune for a phone.
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thats the thing though, people have this impression that a handset should not cost money - why not? It's a piece of equipment that is expensive - why shouldn't you pay money for it the way you do with a computer or tv or any other electrical device.

Paying money upfront for the phone to me is worth it to not be tied into a contract thats more than 12 months
 
joescrivens said:
thats the thing though, people have this impression that a handset should not cost money - why not? It's a piece of equipment that is expensive - why shouldn't you pay money for it the way you do with a computer or tv or any other electrical device.
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Historical I suppose, when phones were simple devices ( a million years ago) they didnt cost a lot so 12 months was 'normal' and the phiones were free or very cheap , modern phones are very expensive so contracts have been extended to cover this. I'll just stick with my 5 yr old thing until it expires (sounds like my camera kit too :) )

Matt
 
MatBin said:
Historical I suppose, when phones were simple devices ( a million years ago) they didnt cost a lot so 12 months was 'normal' and the phiones were free or very cheap , modern phones are very expensive so contracts have been extended to cover this. I'll just stick with my 5 yr old thing until it expires (sounds like my camera kit too :) )

Matt
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yes i think thats it exactly. People are used to getting phones because they were always free and cheap. They have moved on but people are still expecting the same service.

There needs to be a change in the people mentality
 
24 month contracts are fine, providing you understand what you're committing to. It's one way of getting an expensive smart phone for a relatively small monthly fee, if you're not in a position to pay cash for one, but they can become a millstone round your neck if your circumstances change. If you think it's a rip off, find another solution. Ordinary, cheap, phones work just as well for calls and text.

I got my daughter a contract phone in South Africa, when she was at school, because I didn't want to risk her running out of airtime. There weren't any smart phones then, it didn't cost an arm and a leg, and she was responsible. It never caused any problems, but she got a bit tired of friends who had burned their airtime wanting to use it, and the incessant "Call Me" texts, because she "Didn't have to pay for the calls anyway"!

I'm going to cancel my contract when it runs out in the summer. The Vodafone signal where I live was fine when I got it, but has steadily deteriorated and is now so weak that it's just about impossible to rely on it. I just get the red "SOS" emergency calls only a lot of the time.
 
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24 month contracts are evil as most phones are unreliable before then. Now and then you can find the odd contract which is actually cheaper than buying the phone in one go. I'd only go for those.

I'd sell the phone and some of her stuff/dock future pocket money to pay off the remainder of the contract. If she wants a phone then she can buy it herself and pay for usage out of her own pocket money. If you can make her pay any excess bill each month then that would be another way. I'd also see whether the contract she's on is actually suitable for her use too.

Unless the contract offers a way of capping bills then it isn't suitable for a teenager really. If she can pay off the contract then Giffgaff is probably better as it's payg and unlimited texts, internet is only £10 pm. Once she's burned her credit then she can't do anything else until you buy her more!
 
I look after mine. Might be a nokia issue though as the last two I've have had have been rubbish and started rebooting themselves all the time. Only reliable nokia I had recently was a sim free one. That was still fine after over 2 years of use.
 
They've gone windoze now so I won't be getting another. N8 has been unreliable garbage. If it weren't for the fantastic cameras and relatively decent battery life I wouldn't use them at all.
 
srichards said:
24 month contracts are evil as most phones are unreliable before then.
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My iphone 3G is 3 1/2 years old and still going fine, the little samsung (non-smartphone) thing I had before I'd had for four years and was still working when I got the iphone. The only phone I've ever had fail was a Philips C12 "brick", which needed a new battery.

I'd suggest that people concerned about long contracts should buy the phone outright and get a monthly or PAYG sim only deal.
 
Well as predicted I had no luck at all with O2! I accept that it is unreasonable to expect to be able to cancel but don't think it unreasonable that they couldn't cap it. How hard can it be to have a piece of software that shuts the phone calls off when the limit is reached? Other providers offer this why not O2?

In the meantime the phone stays off limits, I have told O2 [they trembled at the thought] that I will not renew any of our contracts when they come round!
 
Duncan.F said:
Well as predicted I had no luck at all with O2! I accept that it is unreasonable to expect to be able to cancel but don't think it unreasonable that they couldn't cap it. How hard can it be to have a piece of software that shuts the phone calls off when the limit is reached? Other providers offer this why not O2?

In the meantime the phone stays off limits, I have told O2 [they trembled at the thought] that I will not renew any of our contracts when they come round!
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O2 could do it they just make to much money off it. Tesco (O2) do capped contracts so its available on O2's systems.

O2 seem to have the worst customer service of all the networks I have had the pleasure of dealing with.
 
The best thing to do is wait the initial 9 months then each month afterwards drop the monthly contract cost until it is the lowest it can be. Then look at early cancelation.

The way O2 work now is looking at how much money they make off you. If you had a few contracts say at £30 per month but were actually spending £50 per month they are more flexible with you then someone that just sticks to their montly rental cost.
 
OFCOM have actually reported that O2 have the best CS and most satisfaction of all the networks. Worrying really. I've always found O2 reps to be pretty hopeless.

I'd write to the CEO office asking why it isn't possible to cap charges ie offer limited credit on each account.

I know you could cap data charges with them to £40 a month.

3 used to offer capping and you can set it to £0 credit so they can't use anything outside the bundle. They might still do.
 
02 are basically just BT for mobiles (was BT Cellnet) and considering how bad BT are that would surprise me. Perhaps BT have OFCOM around the neck...

actually scratch that, I've just read that 02 were acquired by telefonica... so BT probably have little to do with them now.
 
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srichards said:
OFCOM have actually reported that O2 have the best CS and most satisfaction of all the networks. Worrying really. I've always found O2 reps to be pretty hopeless.
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Since when did OFCOM conduct customer satisfaction surveys :thinking: I don't think its in their remit.

Try the consumer's association.
 
onomatopoeia said:
I'd suggest that people concerned about long contracts should buy the phone outright and get a monthly or PAYG sim only deal.
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joescrivens said:
and for nearly everyone who signs up for a 24 month contract - that's the same thing. People can't afford the handset price so have to go for the 24 month contract.

I can understand the appeal for getting the handset you want, but so many people regret it afterwards. For the majority of people you'd be better getting an interest free loan of £500 and paying it back over 12 months. Or buy on a credit card and do an interest free balance transfer onto another card, once you have a handset thats worth something you can sell it on when you are ready to upgrade and put the sale towards a new handset.
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i'm struggling with the maths on these theories...

i can get a brand new iphone 4s (i don't want one.. but i'm due for an upgrade and i looked into what was available) for £36 per month with a free handset. That includes all the calls i need (600 mins i think), unlimited texts and whatever the mb of data is. So that's £864 over 24 months.

If i buy a handset for £500, i would need to get the same PAYG or 30 day rolling contract for £15 a month to get exactly the same deal. Ok, i'm not tied in for 2 years... but then i've not dropped £500 in one hit either. There's a fine line between what represents the best value.

Obviously, getting tied into a 2 year contract for your kids is a situation you're not in control of... but for your own use i don't see a problem.
 
Duncan.F said:
How hard can it be to have a piece of software that shuts the phone calls off when the limit is reached? Other providers offer this why not O2?
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As has been said if tesco can offer capped contracts, why not one of the biggest players - perhaps that's the reason !!!

I enquired about capped contracts when sorting a phone out for our daughter, would you believe I got told yes, we can do it by one customer service bod at O2, rang back to query something else and just happen to mention about the capped contract to get told no we can't do it.

Just out of curiosity I phoned up 5 times more and still got 2 yes, 3 no responses ???
 
leftcurl said:
i'm struggling with the maths on these theories...

i can get a brand new iphone 4s (i don't want one.. but i'm due for an upgrade and i looked into what was available) for £36 per month with a free handset. That includes all the calls i need (600 mins i think), unlimited texts and whatever the mb of data is. So that's £864 over 24 months.

If i buy a handset for £500, i would need to get the same PAYG or 30 day rolling contract for £15 a month to get exactly the same deal. Ok, i'm not tied in for 2 years... but then i've not dropped £500 in one hit either. There's a fine line between what represents the best value.

Obviously, getting tied into a 2 year contract for your kids is a situation you're not in control of... but for your own use i don't see a problem.
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But that's the whole point. It's easy to get to deal you have just described on PAYG for £15 a month. So you value not having to put £500 up front more than being tied into a contract for 2 years! That's crazy, with the PAYG If your circumstances change you can sell the £500 phone for £400 on month 2 and that's the end of it. With the contract you are tied into £36 payments every month for the next 23 months.

Also you are banking on never going above your limit or rules and getting a higher monthly bill. The other thing is that on PAYG you might have a number of months during those 24 months where you don't use all the credit and can carry it over, with the contract you are paying the £36 every month no matter the usage.

I put £10 credit on every 2 months at a max, so over 24 months my mobile phone costs me £620 and I can stop it anytime I want.
 
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