Cancelling a mobile phone contract with Orange
Koopa_Coffee
Posts: 4 Forum Member
Hello all, I'm hoping that someone can give me the best possible advice for my current situation.
I took out a 24 month mobile phone contract with Orange for the Blackberry Bold 9700 in January 2010 so there are 6 months remaining on the contract. At the time I didn't take out insuarance (not the greatest idea but I've always been careful with my possessions)
This morning I noticed that the screen has completely died - only showing a white screen and a black ink spot rendering the phone useless.
Orange will not give me a replacement as apparently this damage is not under Manufacturers warranty even though I have not applied any external pressure to the phone and the clerk in the store said it was in very good shape considering I've had it for 18 months notwithstanding the damaged screen.
So now I'm in the unenviable position of having no mobile phone but still having to pay £30 a month for the privelige of possessing an unusable phone.
I do not really wish to take out another contract with another network as I cannot afford £60+ a month for 2 mobile phones (one being unusable).
Is it possible that I can cancel my contract with Orange (I don't mind paying an amount upfront to do this provided it's not stupid money) so I can then get a new phone with a new network provider (obviously I'll be mindful to take insuarance out considering Orange's behaviour).
A cheap throwaway on PAYG is not really an acceptable solution as I would easily bypass the amount I pay a month on contract (indeed it was one of the reasons I got a contract phone in the first place).
Many thanks in your advance for your advice.
I took out a 24 month mobile phone contract with Orange for the Blackberry Bold 9700 in January 2010 so there are 6 months remaining on the contract. At the time I didn't take out insuarance (not the greatest idea but I've always been careful with my possessions)
This morning I noticed that the screen has completely died - only showing a white screen and a black ink spot rendering the phone useless.
Orange will not give me a replacement as apparently this damage is not under Manufacturers warranty even though I have not applied any external pressure to the phone and the clerk in the store said it was in very good shape considering I've had it for 18 months notwithstanding the damaged screen.
So now I'm in the unenviable position of having no mobile phone but still having to pay £30 a month for the privelige of possessing an unusable phone.
I do not really wish to take out another contract with another network as I cannot afford £60+ a month for 2 mobile phones (one being unusable).
Is it possible that I can cancel my contract with Orange (I don't mind paying an amount upfront to do this provided it's not stupid money) so I can then get a new phone with a new network provider (obviously I'll be mindful to take insuarance out considering Orange's behaviour).
A cheap throwaway on PAYG is not really an acceptable solution as I would easily bypass the amount I pay a month on contract (indeed it was one of the reasons I got a contract phone in the first place).
Many thanks in your advance for your advice.
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Comments
Then you have your usual allowance, and your same number etc.
Can you not just buy a cheap phone for the next month or so and switch sims.
Orange will contact you with about 3 months to go offering you an upgrade so you can get an even better phone than you now have at that point
If you call Orange they will let you cancel, but you'll have to pay the remainder of your contract (£30 x 6 months = £180.00)
If so that might be a decent solution...
Edit - you will still have the same amount of minutes/texts
Only 3 months before the end of the contract date, the OP is 6 months until the end of his
Yeah, go to carphone warehouse, they are all unlocked, so you can put your Orange sim-card in.
Now, sim-free phones are more expensive, so you may as well buy a cheap one on orange, which you have to top-up £10, then remove that sim-card and insert your own. Easy peasy.
How about a blackberry curve? Perhaps not as good as your current phone but from the same family if you prefer to stick with a blackberry, you can buy one brand new for £100.
Or what about the Orange San Francisco android phone, have heard some great things about this phone in it's price bracket (about £75).
Obviously being an orange sim you would have to make sure you buy an orange phone or one that's unlocked.
Edit: Or of course can buy something even cheaper if it's just to tie you over if it's only for 3 months and you can get a "free" upgrade.
If you take on a new contract with them and hand in your mobile phone (doesn't matter that it's broken, as long as the battery works if I remember correctly..) then they will give you cash to put towards buying out of your current contract, as well as starting a new one for you.
For instance,
I wanted to upgrade with O2 but I still had 11 months left on my contract. I chose a new HTC Desire S on Orange and was given a £30 pm contract and around £130 cash (into my bank) for my old phone to use as I wished (most sensible option - use to pay off old contract).
I didn't even give them my decent phone, as I couldn't transfer all my photos etc over via bluetooth in the store at the time.
So I popped back home, found the most awful pay as you go spare mobile in my house and then handed that it.
I would have got more cash from them if I had picked a cheaper mobile. So it depends on what you go for really.
Afterwards, I contacted 02 to tell them that I wanted to pay off my contract. Explained the situation. Now instead of doing so, I instead reduced my O2 contract to £15 pm and have gave this to my brother to use, with my mum paying me the tariff for it each month.
So I then had the cash to use as I wish. Of course, my suggestion to you would be clear off your old tarrif.
I hope that made sense. It's a fair bit to read through. It's an alternative to just putting your old sim in a pay as you go (which I originally had planned on doing too). Gives you a new phone and a new contract right away.
(p.s. Other phone shops may offer cash too, I'm not sure. I just know that Phones4U definitely do).