AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Last yesr I took out a phone (T68i) on a contract with Singlepoint on the Vodafone network. The contract has now almost expired.

I now need to sort out what I'm going to do for the next year, without being ripped off or sold some kind of 'package' that I don't need. Specifically:

- There's nothing wrong with my phone, so I certainly don't want to bin it and buy a new one as some operators seem to think I should.

- I don't want to change my number.

- I don't use it much, so I don't want or need 'free' minutes that I end up paying for under another name whether I use them or not.

- I don't need WAP, downloadable games, MMS capability or any other pointless frills. I want to make and receive phone calls, that's all. Is that really so hard?

I can't help but think that my situation must be pretty common - I just want my phone to keep on working, at minimum cost to myself.

Can anyone please advise who I should contact, when all I want is simple, cheap phone service?

Thanks
Andy.

Poor Guy

pay as you talk?

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

That's what Mrs C uses, but that involved changing number (which I don't want to do unless I can avoid it - mine's a nice, easy memorable one). It also means worrying about how much credit I have left on it, which I can't really be bothered with. I'd rather they just sent me a bill, just like my landline and every other service I use.

Mr.Cookie

Andy

I'm with vodafone through vodafone shop and if i want to i can change mine to pay as you go.

Si

ianmiller999

Orange do something called a virgin tarrif (or they used to, dont know if they still do) Calls are the same price as pay as you go but you get a bill at the end of every month, no line rental no free anything.

Call up your network provider and ask for a PAC code when you want to register for this tarrif provide them with the PAC code and you will be able to keep your number.

dba

My wife asked for the same thing,so she phoned Orange,and they gave her a "zero" contract.i.e she gets charged nowt,unless she makes a call,then its at standard rates

she only has it in her handbag for emergencies

last months bill was 6p (not kidding) and that was to tell me to put the oven on

imlach

I've been on Orange "Virgin tariff" for 2 years now. It is same as pay as you go in principle, but you still get billed by d/d.

First 3 mins of every day are 25p, and subsequent minutes are 5p....(I think that is the tariff!).

I barely use my mobile, so works well for me. Bills average about £1/month.

Edited to add that while first 3 mins are 25p/min, if you only call someone for 10secs, then it is only 6p as it is still charged by the second......10secs is more than long enough to convey a comprehensive message.

[Edited by imlach - 1/15/2004 8:36:17 PM]

bartmanuk

why dont you just carry on as normal?you dont need to do anything,everything will just stay as it is at the moment...

BM

imlach

bartman,

probably because he's paying £15/month or something for calls he doesn't use (ie, now he's paid off the phone subsidy of the first year)

Brit_in_Japan

When I got my first phone I walked into a high street phone shop with a handset and asked for a deal. I paid a 30 quid connection fee and then got leisure 250 with Vodafone. As they were desperate to get customers the deal was I paid nothing/month for the first 12 months and 250 mins off peak each month.

If you already have a handset you should be able to cut a deal with someone.

bartmanuk

imlach,he will still have to pay line rental if he changes it,the only way to get out of not paying line rental is to get a pay as you go,and he said he dont want that!!!!

BM

imlach

bartmanuk!

Please read the posts above about the Orange "Virgin tariff" - it is not PAYG in the strict sense of having to "top-up" your phone - it is a tariff that is still deducted by direct debit monthly, but has no line rental....and you don't have to worry about credit running out....you have unlimited (within reason - £250/month?) credit.


[Edited by imlach - 1/15/2004 11:02:10 PM]

imlach

OK, here's the link on the Orange webpage about the Orange Value Promise (OVP) tariffs (they match any competitor's tariffs).

You can transfer your number to Orange as well if you so desire.

description of OVP & how it works

..and the Virgin OVP tariff I am on :
the Virgin OVP tariff

I was wrong about costs - it is zero line rental, 15p/min for first 5 mins every day, and 5p/min for every minute thereafter.

Sprinterjk

Couple of friends of mine are on Vodafone with Singlepoint... their contracts were up for renewal last Christmas, they decided to cancel the contracts, and Singlepoint offered them a new contract with no line rental, and I think 1000 free minutes off peak a month. I think their bills were about £40 - £50 a month, so presumably Singlepoint were trying to keep them in order to capitalise on expensive calls that would be made that aren't included in the free minutes. Singlepoint are quite easy to bully into good deals, the best method is to write to them giving them notice of cancelling the contract, then wait for them to call you giving you increasingly better offers to stay with them.

You could be able to get a very competetive contract from Singlepoint based on you keeping your T68i, as line rental generally tends to to go towards the cost of the handset. Could well be worth giving them a call and seeing what they could offer you if you keep your T68i and get a new contract, but not a new phone. Beware though, if you do sign a new contract without a new phone, then your T68i dies or gets lost/stolen, you could end up paying a lot to replace it.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

Thanks everyone, it sounds like Orange might be worth a look. I should have explained that I'm paying a silly-money line rental at the moment because this included the cost of the handset - obviously now I've paid that for a year, the phone is now mine and I don't see any reason to pay for it over again.

It used to be the case that Orange needed a different handset from everyone else, with the little orange logo on it. Is that still the case? The T68i is tri-band after all.

Cheers
Andy

imlach

No, I've been using non-orange supplied phones with them for years.....they don't seem to care.

P1_BEN

Actually depends on the handset, newer phones are now coming locked to the network that supply them but t68 will be fine to use on orange,

Not 100% sure but you may be able to change your tariff to a lower one.

The other option although a lot of hassle is get a cheap upgrade on a decent phone, then sell it to someone for 2 - 300 quid... should cover a large chunk of your line rental and you keep the phone you want..

OllyK

Personally I would go with a Pay as you go scheme as it would seem that you are not using it enough to have a contract.

Then just get your number transferred, it is no great hassle to do even across networks, had my Voda number transferred to Orange from Pay as you go to my Works Mobile.

imlach

Argh!

None of you are getting it! The Virgin tariff on Orange is effectively PAYG, but you don't have the hassle of topping it up or running out of credit, which is what the original poster stated was a preference!!

Yes, some phones are locked to their networks these days, but Orange are more guilty of this in the phones they supply - O2 & Vodafone never used to bother sim-locking them....probably do now, but only recently.

AndyC_772

iTrader: (2)

I get it...

I've borrowed a couple of other peoples' SIM cards this morning and confirmed that my phone isn't locked to any particular network, so that's OK. Annoyingly the only network I haven't been able to try is Orange, so I don't know what their coverage is like in my office. Somewhat strangely, T-Mobile service seems very patchy and erratic (read useless) using my phone, whereas a colleague's phone has no problem at all pulling in a signal. My phone, on the other hand, is perfectly OK on O2 and Voda.

Thanks again
Andy