Rant Dispatches: The Mobile Phone Rip-Off

I'm just watching this on 4od at the moment and all i have been able to think about so far is:

How naive do you have to be to think that the shops, that makes money by selling you phones and contracts, aren't going to try and make you pay as much as possible.

They keep going on about people being misled but, not only do these sort of sales tactics happen everywhere, 5 minutes of research would solve virtually 90% of the problems they bring up.

When i went on contract i worked out how many minutes/txts i wanted picked a contract, worked out the cost of contract+handset then estimated how much i pay for pay as you go. My rough calculations told me that i'd make a small saving by being on contract, I went into the shop said "I want phone X on contract Y", i walked out with what i wanted.

If you don't have the common sense to plan ahead or the ability to stick to a discision (because some staff member says for £10 more.....) then you're more than likely being screwed over by more than just your mobile phone contract!

Am i the only person that thinks like this?! Please say i'm not....

 

Its ok, the world is full of idiots.

I went online got a £20 p/m contract from o2 400mins 1000texts, exactly what i wanted, in fact more.

I used to be on PAYG with the £10 topup- get 300texts free sims, allways spent over this, and topped up £10 halfway through the month, and possibly another 10 at the end.

Now ive changed and ive not reached my limits and i get minutes of call time to spend calling people rather than lamely texting them. Far happier.

Plus online bills, less paper used!

EDIT: also no contract, drop at any time! Win.

 

I must admit, the last three contracts I've had I have been a total muppet, instead of doing my own re-search I've been going into independant phone shops and taking contracts. Have all to easily been sucked into a contract that was made to sound really good and I felt I needed the minutes so signed up without really thinking that I could be getting a better deal elsewhere.

Twice this has happened to me, and twice I've had two contracts running at the same time. I've learnt by my own misstakes this time and when my current Orange contract is up for renewal I shall grab my PAC code and go direct to either Three or 02 who seem to have the best deals on at the moment.

I shan't tell you what I pay for my current Orange deal, all I can say is it's alot because when I got it I used it loads but not so much these days now.

 

I shop online most of the time, so research is necessary anyway. I'm not surprised that people are naive and believe everything a salesman tells them.

It's been a bit of writing in the local newspaper lately about people being fooled into buying gold from people driving around in cars. What they are really selling is brass jewelry. I just can't believe people actually fall for these tricks! One guy bought about 3000£ worth of "gold" from them. I mean, How stupid is it possible to get?

Am I surprised that people get "tricked" into buying expensive contracts? Absolutely not!

 

Just because people are idiots doesn't mean that it's acceptable for salescritters to take advantage of them

 

I dont use my phone enough yet to make use of it but both my brothers are with t-mobile. luckily my uncle works for them, there ment to be on a £35 contract but they get it for £17.50! not sure of the details though...will be sure to get it if i ever actually use my phone...

 

It's very easy to be misled by the people in the shop if you're not very good with numbers. Also, look at all the people who go for "buy now pay later" deals - the interest (or whatever you call it) on them is massive, and you can easily end up spending 20% more on the thing you're buying. I did see a news article saying that 70% of people in england have a phone contract that's too expensive for what they need. I think this may be because people have to go onto a certain tariff in order to get the phone they want though.

I have a friend who always argues that you don't really need to spend more than £10/month because you can just text people, and people only ring because they've got the minutes that they're paying too much for.. I disagree though; I'm very happy to pay the extra to be able to phone people. It's nice.

I know I'm not being conned though.. I managed to get 400mins, 1000 texts, 200MB internet and a Nokia N82 for £19/month on an 18 month O2 contract. I'm never going to use the texts, but everything else is worth it. If you consider an N82 would have been £300 at the start of the contract, that's £2.20/month for all my minutes/texts/internet usage They're clearly making a near loss on me because for the first month of the contract they rang me up three times to try and sell me extra text/minute bolt-ons and phone accessories!

 

I used to be in the same boat, hence having the 300 free texts when topping up 10£, but if you have more than 3 friends your gonna use them up so easily, plus like you said, coming from a text only tarriff, to be able to phone my friends when i want to say a couple of words, esp if trying to meet up with them is so much easier than waiting for reply texts!

 

Yes, it does.

Buyer beware + a fool and his money are easily parted.

 

Trust me, just about no-one does this when it comes to choosing a tariff, Its all about the phone for most people. I'd also like to point out that you should read the contract before you sign it, specifically the faulty handset section (If you are unsure of the handset get it replaced new for old inside 14 days of getting it - max 28 days with o2 or you may be stuck with a refurbished handset) and also the tariff change section. you may find out that you have to wait a minimum period before you can change your tariff to a lower one.

Behemoth i recommend you 'phone your CS and see if you can lower the tariff on your contract, with o2 its 9 months in then you can lower it 1 tariff level at a time although I'm not sure what oranges' specifics will be.

Have to say also that the Simplicity deals from o2 are pretty good, the allowances are that of tariffs generally 10-15 quid more expensive (including handset) and best of all only a 30day contract period.

 

For my orange contract its 8months.

And i know for lots of people its about which phone they want, but surely they realise, the only way to get that brand new expensive phone for free is to get a long/expensive contract..... Its extremely rare a shop gives you something for nothing.

 

for your orange contract it's nine months, half of 18 is 9.

I've got rent to pay so i need to make money, if you go along with what i say then shame on you... want a better deal then ask

 

The whole mobile phone culture in this country is pretty stupid. People pay obscene amounts of money for a little gadget they replace every 12-18months. It's pretty stupid if you ask me, but the Phone companies are taking advantage, as any company would. At the end of the day, if you don't like the deals, no one is forcing you to sign up.

 

it's better than in the states, pay to recieve a call?! no thanks

 

Half of 18 is indeed 9 but i have a contract that says 8

Anyway although i dont agree with agressive sales tactics. It really doesnt take much to just say "Thank you but thats not what i want". I believe most networks let you INCREASE your contract ie cost, anytime you want they only have restrictions on lowering it. (Orange certainly did last time i asked)

 

tbh if they give you a £400-500 mobile for free, then the contracts are understable.

They do make allot of money. I've been hugely annoyed with the networks Vodaphone, O2 and Orange. I'm on T-mobile and have been for 15 odd months, have to say. Both the tariff price and customer service beats any other provider in the market. Then you've got the massive 3G network

 

correct, spend more if you want... not going to stop you

 

Virgin £10 sim with 300mins and 300txts looks good.

 

This is why you should have a friend working in the business.