HOW TO SWITCH

HAVE you ever considered ditching your current relationship and starting over? I thoroughly recommend it!

No, not that relationship! New rules kick in this month to help you reduce your mobile phone bills. Industry regulator OFCOM has been busy over the last year introducing changes like text alerts when your contract ends and simpler ways to switch provider. There’s never been a better time to end things!

IN YE olde days, you’d have to call your phone company and ask for a ‘PAC’ code (porting authorisation code) then jump through tons of complicated hoops to switch providers. Now you just need to send a text.

If you want to switch to another company and keep your phone number text PAC to 65075.

Your current service provider must respond asap.

The new rules ban some fees associated with switching but the hefty charges for getting out of your contract early still abound. If you feel you’ve been misled by the firm or they’ve failed to switch you in time, you can make a complaint.

LEAVING EARLIER THAN PLANNED

WHEN you enter into a contract with a mobile phone or broadband provider but you want to leave early, you’ll have to pay a fee for doing so.

These ‘early termination’ or ‘exit’ fees are standard across all contracts – sometimes even pay as you go.

The fees are calculated by working out how long you have left on your contact then billing a fee for the remaining months.

With most providers, you’ll need to pay a monthly charge too, though this will depend on your tariff and will vary.

Here’s a list of the main reasons to leave – and how to take advantage...

■ Things have changed – you’re not the same: The contract you signed binds the firm as much as it binds you.

So if the business has changed the way it operates, withdrawn services or introduced significant changes, you can ask to walk away and have the exit fees dropped.

You’ll need to prove that the relationship isn’t working, so explain why you feel that the firm has changed for the worse.

Remember you can go to the free ombudsman service if you’re unhappy.

■ Irreconcilable differences: Sometimes the love slips away and the relationship breaks down between you and your phone company.

If a business has treated you badly and refuses to listen, spell out why you feel the relationship isn’t working and why you want to walk away. List the things they’ve done wrong – and mention the ombudsman.

A business should not take any action against you because you’ve made a complaint, but if you owe money for a handset you’ll need to pay that off. A complaint doesn’t wipe out your obligations.

■ The distance is too much: If you’ve moved to another part of the country, you might not have the signal you need from your phone provider.

If your service isn’t available in your new home you shouldn’t have to pay an exit fee, yet some firms still dig their heels in. Don’t take no for an answer.

Where service is patchy, it’s a bit more complicated. If you’re signal is now poor, then tell the firm, take regular broadband and signal speed tests using a free app or screenshots of the bars of signal on your phone.

If you can demonstrate that there’s a problem the firm should let you go without charging you.

■ If you’re having a problem leaving your ex-mobile provider, then Resolver can help. Go to resolver.co.uk

If you move house and service is no longer available, you shouldn’t pay a contract exit fee