End of Contract in September... What should I do?

Ian,

All you need to do is find the cheapest deal you can. Phone up 02 and say you would like your PAC code. This allows you to transfer your number to another provider. They will then probably put you through to the retention department. If you say you want to keep your old phone then it will be cheaper.

I am pretty sure you can put Virgin sim in 02 phones, so that is another option. Asda are claiming to be the cheapest - ASDA Mobile Phones | ASDA PAYG Mobile | Contract Phones | FREE Gifts

I am pretty sure that they are a virtual provider on the 02 network too, so an Asda sim may work in your 02 Sony phone.

Let s know how you get on

Tony

This is a great question. Few people actually take the time to shop around when their contract expires; especially when your current network insists of shoving offers down your throat to keep you on board.

My previous contract was £45.00 month, and when the contract expired, the network - I shall mention no names! - offered £5 off the contract with text and web bundles thrown in. If I wasn't the proactive person that I am ;-), that would have sounded like a great offer - even though I didn't use my full allowance.

Try MoneySupermarket. Considering these comparison sites are heavily advertised in light of the credit crunch, It's suprising that more people don't try them. I now pay £32.50, got a brand spanking new phone, and the right allowance for my usage; that's over 25% saved - marvellous.

I also tried some other features too; saved a bit on my utilities too.

Highly recommended!

See if 02 will match any offer you find it will save you a lot of hassle

Damn, you made me sign up to respond before I'd read that you'd already chosen!

Your choice is a good one given that you can have the convenience of adjusting your monthly spend depending on how much you use your phone I really (REALLY) had to barter hard with T-Mobile when my last contract came up for renewal, but I ended up getting a really good deal. The icing on the cake was that they (separately) resolved an ongoing issue I'd been having with Web 'n Walk and exceeded my expectations - the fact their resolution included an increase in the value of the services provided to me at no extra cost to myself made the resolution even better, but the deal I eventually agreed on was pretty competitive even then.


I had to go out of my comfort zone when bartering and it took a couple of goes, but it was well worth it in the end (the first time I rang Retentions, I got a surly bloke who really couldn't have given a toss as to whether I stayed or went to another network - so no joy - the second time I got a nice woman who was far more receptive).


I wrote about it in more detail on the Mobiholics forums (can't be bothered to link to it, it's too late to be sniffing out links! but it's on there anyway if you decide to go snooping ) I guess my key tips for others are:

1) if you are keeping your old handset, use this as a bargaining chip. As the network won't have to subsidise a new handset, what can they give you in return, given that it won't be costing them as much to provide you with service?

2) Be polite but firm. For the best deals, you will have to commit to another 12/18 month contract (I recommitted to another 18 months to secure my deal).

3) Point out your continued loyalty and previous loyalty up to this point. If you've paid every bill by Direct Debit, emphasise this willingness to ensure that bills are paid on time and that you are a good and reliable customer etc... and therefore it'd be nice to be rewarded for your continued loyalty by getting a little something extra in return, on top of the standard discount offered to all customers.

4) Sweat for it a bit! I found that after 40 minutes of receiving "that's the most I can offer you answers", it was almost like a door was opened and she was green-lit to offer me just an extra couple of pounds a month discount on top. It might not seem that much but an extra £2 a month discount adds up to £36 extra over 18 months... Plus they've secured my guaranteed loyalty for the next 18 months and quite probably far beyond that.


5) Don't take any bollocks or be fobbed off when it comes to deals offered, you're the customer deciding to keep your custom with the network provided you're offered a good enough deal - and you control your bank account. If you're not offered a good deal, back away in a non-committal manner and live to fight another day (don't forget to still be nice of course, they're still human beings - and no doubt if you're nasty you'll have something nasty written about you in your Customer Notes after you hang up!)


6) If you have had some big bills in your previous contract (I had a couple of £60+ bills and one £85+ bill when I was abroad one month), use this to your advantage. Make the point that you have had some big spends including out of allowance calls, if you've used up all your inclusive minutes, as this is where they make their big money.


What can it get you? I was initially offered a one-tier upgrade, and a meagre £5 discount on my tariff - but I countered that every new customer would receive that anyway. After some back and forth, an extra discount was offered and with a little gentle push I was offered a pretty good deal. In the end, £27.50 became £21 per month, with an upgrade from Flext 25 to Flext 30 (and I rang up after they upped the allowances for new customers and was immediately given the higher allowance too). Depending on which financial quarter, and how close to their targets they are, you may not be able to get as good a deal (or indeed, you may be able to get a better one!) but this depends also on your existing spend and how big your previous bills have been.


I had to compromise, too - they want security and guaranteed revenue so sometimes you have to agree to commit to another contract to ensure this. I wanted to go SIM-only and have a one month contract, but they were absolutely insistent that they would not match SIM-only contracts. In the end though, I was more than happy to give them my money for another 18 months.




My final note - be careful with the free laptop deals, often you have to sign a 2 year contract for a 3G dongle, and aside from that lock-in, you might have awful service in your house (I can get five 3G bars on my other handset, a 3 phone, outside of my house - but as soon as I go inside I have to stand on one leg and say 'alakazoom' to get one bar of signal... and I'm in the middle of Brum!). Also sometimes the laptops they're offering might be a little on the 'lean' side when it comes to specifications, or they might be the lower-end of the range. Caveat Emptor of course, they obviously cost less than the amount of subsidy the shops get for each new customer they sign up, so that should give you some idea of the quality of the laptops!