Best way to get established on the phone ladder?

Shicky

Shicky

Shicky

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Joined
13 Jan 2007
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Belfast,Northern Ireland
My last phone was a samsung soul which I got over dialaphone I think and just chose to get cashback. I let my contract run out as I am currently in asia but will be returning in less than 2weeks and keen to get my phone scenario sorted in time for coming back.

I thought I was maybe wrong not to phone up a company, such as O2, get officially on their contract ladder and barter for better deals each year while getting phone upgrades?

Is the way I described above the way most people go about it?

Im just a casual phone user, dont need the latest tech so happy enough to stick with my current samsung for now, despite its stupidly low volume. Though I can see in the future wanting to upgrade to something more tech savvy once out of uni and working.

Thanks all
 
LOL ^^ what he said.. being a long-term/loyal customer does not bring many benefits.. so just stick to what you want/need at the time and not consider the future..

.. then again, we all prob have lazer guided super soaker phones embedded into our vocal box soon :s
 
shower of ******** lol

Well I saw a few threads around here and other places about bartering on the phone being the best way to get a good deal. I thought it was one of those progressive things where each year your contract improves slightly whereas someone like me who has used pay and go or dialaphone type contracts will be paying a few quid more each month. Therefore its better to get established with a company and build up loyalty....no?
 
No such thing I'm afraid.

As a newbie you look for the best deal and then try haggling.

As a current customer you look for the best deal and see if you can convince your network to give you a decent deal and not try to shaft you.
 
iirc voda give like 10% for every year you stay with them? also iirc this was a bit of a con because deals get better every year which meant that you ended up with the same if not worse deal and think you're getting something great.

could be wrong though but i'm sure one of the big guys did this.
 
Being an established customer doesn't always have any benefits.I was with o2 for quite a few years and I remember a couple of times having to threaten to terminate my contract with them because they wouldn't give me a new phone for free,even though people taking out new contracts got it for free:mad:
 
Getting a good deal with your existing provider isnt about getting a good deal, its about not getting screwed. At best it puts you on a par with new customers taking advantage of the plethora of new customer offers that are around.
 
Being an existing customer does get you some advantages though. I managed to get the Desire on a 12 month contract and for free from Vodafone, neither of which are availble from their website.

I think network proividers are all about retention these days as there are relatively few new customers about.
 
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So what would people recommend, become an existing customer through o2 for example or try and get the best deal I can on phones4u and the like? At least on face value the phones4u option looks MUCH cheaper
 
Basically you need to be prepared to go through the inconvenience of changing your number around (whether that's getting a new number or transferring it). If you're happy to do so, you can probably screw the best deal out of any network by threatening to leave and worst comes to worse you can leave to a PAYG number and come back on a new haggled contract, which is usually the best you'll get over being an existing customer.

At least that's how I understand things. :p
 
ive found by calling your operater up, simply quoting a deal by another, pretty much gets you a half decent deal. The main thing, is stick to your guns and set a limit to how much you want to pay a month. After this, its getting the best mins/text/net you can for that money. If your after a certain phone (like i was only just last week) i found it easier to state thats all i want, this is how much i wont go over , whats on offer ?. Voda who im with quoted some daft monthly tariff, and in turn said i no way, i`ll go with blah blah. At this point, they tend to go away , put you on hold, come back, and offer somethink better. Repeat this process untill your happy. If they dont, then quite simply go with a better deal with another provider (you already know what your after and how much your going to pay !) Ive been with voda 8 years, always got the phone i wanted, and a good deal. latest is a Desire (free).. £20 a month (ok this time its a 24 month) and unlimited net/text and 600 mins, and the passport thing. Less friendly offers tend , from my dealings as a new customer to come off voda ( i found saying that your already on a contract with someone is a lot better than saying your totally new to it !) have been with orange and O2. T-mobile and 3 always offer somethink basically the same as voda do, but my family is on voda, so that point is mewt.
 
get a deal with an operater that is ok, e.g. £35 per month for 18 months plus £6 p/m for insurance, plus £5 for internet etc, then once that's over you'll have something to bargain with as you'll be a fairly ok customer, so next year you may be able to get a contract with free insurance :)
 
Vodafone rang me up the other day to tell me I was a 'valued customer' and they had some 'special offers' for me because I had paid my bills on time for 4 years. The 'special offers' turned out to be the offer of an iPhone on £35/month. A tariff which anyone else could get, for the same amount.

The best deals on any network are only to be found by hunting around and haggling.
 
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