"Schtop!" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>Hi there,
>
>I foolishly signed up to an 18 month contract with Orange on my last
>upgrade - Just cause I really wanted the phone and cause I'd been
>fairly happy with the service I had received.
>
>However, 9 months down the line I'm not particularly happy anymore
>with Orange.
>
>I called them to find out how much it would be to pay to get out of
>my
>contract and was told that it'd be about £300!
>

Which sounds about right if you multiply your current line rental by
the number of months remaining on the minimum contract term.

>This seems excessive but hey ho. I then asked how much the cheapest
>tariff I could change to would be and was told that I could change to
>a £30 tarrif in 3 months time. I currently pay £35 per month.
>
>Now, correct me if I'm wrong but this can't be the cheapest tarrif?
>

Correct, there is also a 25 pound tariff, but as I understand it, you
can now downgrade 1 step at a time, so in 3 months you can go to 30
pound per month, then the month after you can go down to 25 pound
tariff.


>Also, why do I have to renew my contract to change to a new tarrif?
>

Assuming you are referring back to 9 months ago, if you want to change
tariff at upgrade time (with or without new handset) and especially if
moving to an Animal tariff, you have to take out a new contract. You
can move up/down (subject to terms) during a contract without
insituting another 12/18 month period. But if you aren't on an Animal
tariff, you cant down/up grade onto an animal tariff.

>Am I being really naive and do other Mobile networks do this?
>

to a certain extent yes.... most of them now seem to restrict when you
can downgrade and by how much, and 3 even charge a 25 pound fee to
downgrade. The termination fee is always going to be in the region of
the monthly line rental multiplied by the number of months remaining
to complete the minimum term.


Matt




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