Free mobile phone contract - too good to be true?

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Ok here's the deal..... bought a Nokia N73 last August on a 12 month contract from the carphone whorehouse. I'm not using the phone enough now to warrant a contract and so called them yesterday to say that when my contract is up I want to go back onto pay as you go.
The mush on the phone said that if they lose a customer's contract, they get charged a by O2 (whose network I use) and so would like to offer me a free contract for 12 months. 50 mins a month and 100 texts. Call charges applicable if over these limits at 20p/min and 12p per text - fair enough I though. He said that as I would be due a new phone (but not receiving one) they would credit my account with £300 which would take care of the call charges.
I said that it seems a bit too good to be true to me but the guy on the phone reassured me that the contract was as he was describing. They're sending me details.
Anyone heard about this sort of thing?
 
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I have phoned my mobile provider in the past and told them i want to cancel. They will then do everything they can to keep you as a customer. They also KNOW you will be going to another provider if you quit them, and they dont want this.

What I hate is being sold something on the phone, I cant take in all the info they are telling me, but they often dont want to send info because it takes too long and i might cancel anyway in that time.
 
The mush on the phone said that if they lose a customer's contract, they get charged a by O2 (whose network I use)

There is a claw back option that at least one network does invoke on its sales agents if a contract is terminated. One tele-sales company selling for that network ignored this possiblity and was then bankrupted when the network did claw back on all contracts where the customer had terminated early or defaulted.

So yes it may be true.
 
Crafty said:
I have phoned my mobile provider in the past and told them i want to cancel. They will then do everything they can to keep you as a customer.

Unless you are with orange... I had a £25p/m contract with them for 2 years while I was at college. When it expired I phoned to do a bit of haggling. They said the cheapest package they offer is £25 (can't remember the stupid name they called that package. Womble or something :LOL:). I phone back 20 minutes later hoping to speak to someone who gave a damn, but no luck, they all said the same thing.

O2 gave me the same bullshit - 'can't deviate from the fixed packages too much', 'cheapest package £25' etc...

I finally rang virgin mobile and within 10 minutes I got a better contract with more free texts and minutes than orange, yet I pay just £10 p/m.
 
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gcol, by the way, I would never go with CPW ever again. Steer clear of them. I was on O2 with CPW for a year and was constantly hassled by telesales people from various companies trying to sell me insurance (which i bought from CPW), even a new tarrif on a different network, all sorts! Worst thing was none of the above spoke very good english. I had to write a letter to them in order to get my phone number removed from the calling lists it had been placed on. There was no option when purchasing the phone not to have it on calling lists. They did send the confirmation recorded delivery though. Nice touch. :rolleyes:

I got a new contract on O2 this year and a new number, and so far NO telesales at all. :D
 
davy_owen_88 said:
Crafty said:
I have phoned my mobile provider in the past and told them i want to cancel. They will then do everything they can to keep you as a customer.

Unless you are with orange... I had a £25p/m contract with them for 2 years while I was at college. When it expired I phoned to do a bit of haggling. They said the cheapest package they offer is £25 (can't remember the stupid name they called that package. Womble or something :LOL:). I phone back 20 minutes later hoping to speak to someone who gave a damn, but no luck, they all said the same thing.

O2 gave me the same bulls**t - 'can't deviate from the fixed packages too much', 'cheapest package £25' etc...

I finally rang virgin mobile and within 10 minutes I got a better contract with more free texts and minutes than orange, yet I pay just £10 p/m.

Yeah. I was with Orange on pay monthly when I was S/E. I wanted to keep my number & move to (Orange) PAYG. The person I spoke to asked me why I wanted to leave. I told her (politely) that it was not her business. She refused to swap me over!!

Result, I changed my number & moved to Virgin....

STUPID A*SES. :evil:
 
mobile phones d#actualy cost several hundred pound each, but to get / keep you they are subsidised, thatis why they do offer "silly" contracts to keep you
 
Be careful with the wording "free contract for 12 months" you're tie in period could be 24 or more and that's when they get their money back plus more with higher rates for the remaining contract period.
 
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