What's gone wrong with contracts?

The Running Man · 19 May 2015 at 17:36

When i got my s4 at launch, £32 for all you can eat data, voice and messages. For the s6 iys 49 quid! You can't even find many all you can eat data now. Who wants unlimited voice and texts that they bundle in. They can keep it . surely as infrastructure has been upgraded data should be cheaper not more expensive.

Who's with me?

Rant over

Clairvoyant · 19 May 2015 at 18:02

Im with ya. Its a joke, prices are all ways going up.

Kenai · 19 May 2015 at 18:11

The Running Man said:
When i got my s4 at launch, £32 for all you can eat data, voice and messages. For the s6 iys 49 quid! You can't even find many all you can eat data now. Who wants unlimited voice and texts that they bundle in. They can keep it . surely as infrastructure has been upgraded data should be cheaper not more expensive.

Who's with me?

Rant over

Apparently it's just because the S6 is a 'premium' phone and it's to be expected, that's what everyone in the S6 thread said when I too was amazed at quite how astronomically the cost had increased vs my release day S4. They can shove 'premium' up their backsides for those sorts of costs frankly. Even more so when the S6 thread reads like a big list of niggles and moans half the time.

I just went ahead and got a normal smartphone like the Z3 which was cheaper if anything.

cu3ed · 19 May 2015 at 18:14

Contacts have and always will be a scam.

Chris344 · 19 May 2015 at 18:24

Since the launch of he iPhone contracts went to 24 months and nearly doubled in price.

The Running Man · 19 May 2015 at 18:35

cu3ed said:
Contacts have and always will be a scam.

Not true. My s4 contract 32 pounds a month with free inteenet, mins and texts whatever.

Add the price of giffgaff and the cost of the handset outright and a contract works out better virtually every time.

why do the companies force voice and text bundles on those with data centric requirements?

Cost of a contract has risen dome 60-80% while the cost of the handset hadn't varied much...now these new contracts are a scam.

Rroff · 19 May 2015 at 18:39

Problem is as much as anything people taking "unlimited" literally instead of the high usage package they really were and running them almost flat out 24x7 - as usual the abusers ruin it for everyone.

Hyper · 19 May 2015 at 18:43

Contracts always seem the best way once a phone has been out for a few months.

Recently signed up for a iPhone 6 16gb for £23.50 a month plus £100 upfront.
1000mins, 2gb 4G data and unlimited texts over 24 months.
Works out at £664 over 24 months.

I was on a sim only 3G plan with virgin paying £12 per month.
Working out at £288

Works out far cheaper than buying the phone outright and i didn't have £500 upfront for the phone anyway.

PapaLazaru · 19 May 2015 at 22:35

Mobile companies don't really get discounts on the handsets so if the manufacturer wants to charge an astronomical fee for the handset, it has to get passed on to the consumer. Add on the cost of setting up 4g and it is of no surprise.

The S6 is ridiculously expensive.

smyth · 19 May 2015 at 23:00

Hyper said:
Contracts always seem the best way once a phone has been out for a few months.

Recently signed up for a iPhone 6 16gb for £23.50 a month plus £100 upfront.
1000mins, 2gb 4G data and unlimited texts over 24 months.
Works out at £664 over 24 months.

I was on a sim only 3G plan with virgin paying £12 per month.
Working out at £288

Works out far cheaper than buying the phone outright and i didn't have £500 upfront for the phone anyway.

How did you manage to get this deal mate?

mark43 · 19 May 2015 at 23:07

I think its the cost of rolling out 4G that has hit us, and its SIM only going up as well as contracts. The annoying thing is I'm not convinced that many people actually care about 4G speeds (despite what Kevin Bacon tells us), I'm sure a lot of people would be happy with unlimited 3G at the old prices (for now anyway)

Steve_bullockuk · 20 May 2015 at 07:45

mark43 said:
I think its the cost of rolling out 4G that has hit us, and its SIM only going up as well as contracts. The annoying thing is I'm not convinced that many people actually care about 4G speeds (despite what Kevin Bacon tells us), I'm sure a lot of people would be happy with unlimited 3G at the old prices (for now anyway)

The way the carriers are selling 4G really winds me up. They sell it to the uneducated consumer as a tool that downloads more data rather than the same amount of data as they would usually use just receiving it faster.

Akagi · 20 May 2015 at 07:49

I have a sim only contract with Three which I took out a few years ago. It is £15 a month for 600 minutes, 3000 texts and all-you-can-eat data (4G supported I believe)

I don't intend on taking out any new phone contracts, I'll just buy sim-free (possibly used) smartphones and put this sim in them. They pay for themselves.

I do wish there were more enticing contracts though...

The Running Man · 20 May 2015 at 09:00

Who needs 3000 texts though? In a month that's like 100 per day...have they ne'er heard of what's app?

Akagi · 20 May 2015 at 09:12

The Running Man said:
Who needs 3000 texts though? In a month that's like 100 per day...have they ne'er heard of what's app?

I used to get through them, but I don't anymore. On average now I use perhaps 200 minutes, 300 texts and 8GB of data in a month.

The Running Man · 20 May 2015 at 09:25

Thats it but i can't buy a contract that is 200 mins/300 txt / unlimited or even 15gb data for a reasonable price thede days. They want to force unlimited texts on me or some randomly high and unusable amount and most charge for mms not deduct 4 rexts..

rrgtgrrs.

Myshra · 20 May 2015 at 10:22

PapaLazaru said:
Mobile companies don't really get discounts on the handsets so if the manufacturer wants to charge an astronomical fee for the handset, it has to get passed on to the consumer. Add on the cost of setting up 4g and it is of no surprise.

The S6 is ridiculously expensive.

This is pretty much it, there is some discount due to ordering in the 7/8 figure volume range but an S6/edge costs a huge amount compared to an S4, prices have shot up almost as first as the first smartphone wave (circa Galaxy S2 era). Radio network is costing all networks at minimum £1M/day (our UK staff are saying they are spending £3M/day which is eye opening) due to upgrades/capacity/resiliency/rollouts etc... Progress comes at a high price

You're technical people, you're on OCUK, the texts are aimed to capture the widest audience and not yourselves

sanaxe1 · 20 May 2015 at 10:33

The Running Man said:
Thats it but i can't buy a contract that is 200 mins/300 txt / unlimited or even 15gb data for a reasonable price thede days. They want to force unlimited texts on me or some randomly high and unusable amount and most charge for mms not deduct 4 rexts..

rrgtgrrs.

Because texts cost them nothing, they want it to seem like your getting a better deal instead of being overcharged for the data.

spoffle · 20 May 2015 at 10:38

Rroff said:
Problem is as much as anything people taking "unlimited" literally instead of the high usage package they really were and running them almost flat out 24x7 - as usual the abusers ruin it for everyone.

You can't abuse an unlimited service. If they can't provide it, they shouldn't offer it.

spoffle · 20 May 2015 at 10:44

The Running Man said:
Thats it but i can't buy a contract that is 200 mins/300 txt / unlimited or even 15gb data for a reasonable price thede days. They want to force unlimited texts on me or some randomly high and unusable amount and most charge for mms not deduct 4 rexts..

rrgtgrrs.

If you want this you have to go SIM only. I've stopped buying phones by mainstream or major manufacturers because now you're just paying for the brand.

I picked up an Oppo find 7 last year for £260 delivered, and went SIM only. It hasn't even been a compromise. So from now on I'll be looking towards the high quality Chinese brands.