Phone contract - what can I get/ask for?

[Suzie and Faith]

My 18 month contract with t-mobile is up next month. At the moment I am on Flext and I pay £25 for £90 of 'credit'. This is just the right amount for me

I really want a Blackberry - with constant internet (i.e. web 'n' walk)

What are my chances of getting the same contract but with the blackberry and internet, or a different similar price deal that covers all I need...
Can I call them and ask them for certain things? Am I pushing my luck? At the moment t-mobile are doing a flext £35 plan for £31.60 a month with web'n'walk included and the blackberry at no extra cost...


Any ideas?

I have no idea what I am doing. Lol

 

[joj]

When my contract was up a couple of months ago I looked into what other companies were offering then phoned o2 told them what I wanted and said if they couldn't offer it I'd go to vodaphone, they gave me what I wanted which was a particular phone, unlimited calls to 02, unlimited texts to any uk mobile and 600 uk landline/mobile minutes for £25. I'd say give them a call an ask, the worst they can do is say no!

 

[muppetdaddy]

Hi,

After spending 6 years in the industry my advice is do your homework first

Shop around for deals and then call t-mobile telling them exactly what you want and what you're prepared to pay. When they tell you that they can't give you what you want (which is normally the case first off) tell them of the nearest deal to what you want that a competitor is offering and ask if they can match that.

If there's still no joy then ask for your Porting Authorisation Code (PAC) as you will be unlikely to renew your contract with them. They will either give you the PAC, tell you they will send it via post or transfer you through to 'the relevant department'.

This department is known in the business as the 'save team' and they usually have greater power to match deals, etc. than the normal telesales people. What they will offer is very much dependant on how much they want your business. If you don't make them much revenue they will not offer you much but if you earn them revenue they will want to keep you as a customer and will come up with their best offer.

Worse case scenario: they give you your PAC. This means that you can transfer your number to another network if you want to but it doesn't cancel your contract unless you use it so getting it doesn't mean to say you have to cancel.

Muppetmummy did this with my help and got free phone, free wii + wii fit and free text bundles. I did the same this year and got free phone and free internet and GPS.

HTH

 

[Suzie and Faith]

Hi,

After spending 6 years in the industry my advice is do your homework first

Shop around for deals and then call t-mobile telling them exactly what you want and what you're prepared to pay. When they tell you that they can't give you what you want (which is normally the case first off) tell them of the nearest deal to what you want that a competitor is offering and ask if they can match that.

If there's still no joy then ask for your Porting Authorisation Code (PAC) as you will be unlikely to renew your contract with them. They will either give you the PAC, tell you they will send it via post or transfer you through to 'the relevant department'.

This department is known in the business as the 'save team' and they usually have greater power to match deals, etc. than the normal telesales people. What they will offer is very much dependant on how much they want your business. If you don't make them much revenue they will not offer you much but if you earn them revenue they will want to keep you as a customer and will come up with their best offer.

Worse case scenario: they give you your PAC. This means that you can transfer your number to another network if you want to but it doesn't cancel your contract unless you use it so getting it doesn't mean to say you have to cancel.

Muppetmummy did this with my help and got free phone, free wii + wii fit and free text bundles. I did the same this year and got free phone and free internet and GPS.

HTH

Oooh thankyou Mr.Muppet
Wish you could sort it for me haha.

So am I better calling rather than going into the shop?

 

[muppetdaddy]

I personally would call the customer services team.

The staff in the stores are usually restricted as to what they can offer and invariably end up calling their customer services anyway (this is across the board, not just t-mobile).
Plus you don't have to queue in a store or talk to someone who really couldn't give a shit whether you get what you want as long as they get their commision (very generalised but the good ones are few and far between )
On the phone they won't really give a shit either but it's easier to escalate things if you don't get what you want.

Remember, be realistic, they won't give you a shiny new handset worth £400 if you earn them £20 revenue a year, they'd rather wave you goodbye than lose that much.

Sometimes it's worth noting what they will offer and then calling back another day. This gives you chance to see what 'value' they are offering and might give you a way to get what you want by modifying the deal. When you do call back it's always worth saying that the other person was seeing if they could offer you something better as a loyalty discount and told you to call back

Before agreeing to anything it's a good idea to go to a store and have a play with the handsets as some look good but are crap for day to day use. T-mobile are a pain in the arse when it comes to their contracts and returns, etc. so best to make sure before signing on the dotted line.