It could be time to say goodbye to your mobile network, believes JAMES WALKER, of resolver.co.uk
Have you ever considered ditching your current relationship and starting over? I thoroughly recommend it! No, not relationship! New rules kick in this month to help you reduce your mobile phone bills. OFCOM has been busy over the last year introducing changes like text alerts when your contract ends and simpler ways to switch provider. So there’s never been a better time to say goodbye!
In ye olde days, you’d have to phone up your phone company and ask for a mysterious ‘PAC’ (porting authorisation code)’ 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 (a minute usually).
The new rules ban some fees associated with switching but the hefty charges for getting out of your contract early still abound. Of course, if you feel you’ve been misled or they’ve failed to switch you in time, you can make a complaint.
When you enter in to a contract with a mobile phone or broadband provider but you want to leave the contract 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.
Early termination 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.
Here’s a list of the main reasons to leave
– and how to take advantage
That contract that you signed – it 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 So if the business has changed the way it operates, withdrawn services or introduced significant changes, you can ask to walk away and have the exit fees dropped.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 though. 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.
Sometimes the love slips away and the relationship breaks down between you and your phone company. As with any relationship, it pays to be honest with yourself about where the blame lies. 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. Make sure you 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 bear in mind if you owe them money for a handset, you’ll need to pay that off. A complaint doesn’t wipe out your obligations.
If you’ve moved to another part of the country, you might not have the signal you need from your phone provider.
The fact of the matter is, if your service isn’t available in your new home you shouldn’t have to pay an exit fee. Yet some firms are still digging their heels in over this. Don’t take no for an answer.
Where service is patchy, it’s a bit more complicated. If you’re mobile phone signal is now poor, then tell the firm, take regular broadband and signal speed tests using one of the many free apps there are out there or screenshots of the bars of signal on your phone and if you can demonstrate that there’s a problem the firm should let you go without charging you.