What’s the best way to get a new phone when I’m only 9 months into 18month contract?
I have an 18month contract wtih orange (35/month) but have an old tatty handset. I want to get a blackberry but i cant drop orange contract down until October!
Is there anyway Vodafone/phoens4u could buy me out or anything at this early stage, i dont mind paying a bit more but dont want to pay 35/month and another 30/month on top. I need to keep my number though as its for business.
Several options:
1 – talk to orange, they have their best plan reviews.
if you re-sign for another 18 months (from now), effectively renewing now, they normally provide a new phone etc now.
Orange do blackberry’s
(there is a replacement for the STORM comming soon, so don’t rush for that, and the HTC Hero is comming to Orange this month)
2 – Yes, Vodaphone etc will help you, but they do it by taking any discount that you could have had, to pay off the orange contract. i.e. PAC code your number across, and pay off/keep paying the remainder of the contract.
But at this point, orange ‘retentions’ department . the ‘thinking of leaving us’ people will talk to you… and give you offer (1)
If the handset is OK, but just needs refurbishment, I am sure that can be arranged also..
It may be cheaper to buy a phone off ebay, but beware Blackberry’s many are ex-corporate ones and have corporate config specific locks and certficates on them.. and a nightmare to get off without having a support contract. Oh, and blackberry needs a blackberry internet contract (not a normal one), its just the way blackberry works… so you would need orange to change that also.
Talk to orange, and tell them you need to leave/buy yourself out.. what can they offer… AND ask for a PAC code, even if you dont use it..(it is just an option) but it shows you are serious..
Eric Schmidt at Mobile World Congress
