Getting yourself out of a Vodafone contract

Lostinspace

Has anyone any idea as to how one would get out of a vodafone contract. I've one signed for 18 months and about 4 of them used. I've been told by that i'd have to buy my way out. Any other ideas welcomed...

jrey1981

your options are limited. You could default on the remaining 14 months and cancel the direct debit if thats how you pay. You will get a few threatening letters but its nothing major.

If you sign up with another network, of course, your credit rating might be affected at a later date.

Or you could sell your phone to help cover the cost of paying the 14 months remaining and then get another phone at a discounted rate with a new network.

kensutz

I wanted to get out of the contract too but its €20 a month for each month remaining

Gillo

jrey1981 wrote:

your options are limited. You could default on the remaining 14 months and cancel the direct debit if thats how you pay. You will get a few threatening letters but its nothing major.
QUOTE]

AFAIK, they first write out to you if you default, then they get there solicitors to write to you, after that they sell the debt to a collection agency who will first write to you and then call out to you.

The time scale for this happening is relative to the amount you owe them, obviously this is going to increase each month in your case. It won't affect your credit rating with other mobile companies as they don't actually check your credit rating but depending on how far it goes it will affect your credit rating which you don't want (once you've got a bad rating, it's a nightmare trying to build it up again).

What I'd suggest is that you try passing the account on to someone else, it's called a change of ownership, there normally is no problem with doing that.

One question, why do you want to cancel it??
You've only had it for 4 months and you obviously wanted it otherwise you would not of bought the phone or signed the contract.

hobie

AFAIK, they first write out to you if you default, then they get there solicitors to write to you, after that they sell the debt to a collection agency who will first write to you and then call out to you.

Seems a hell of a lot of trouble and costs for Voda to get 280 euros but I suppose its the principle that counts with them

Someone should send them a glass of 'Polar Ice Cubes' and tell them to chill out

Lostinspace

gillo wrote:

jrey1981 wrote:

One question, why do you want to cancel it??
You've only had it for 4 months and you obviously wanted it otherwise you would not of bought the phone or signed the contract.

I've actually had a vodafone contract for the last few years and there's been no problem. I upgraded at the end of August to a 3G phone but i've been having serious problems with the network. I'm living in Glanmire in Cork and i've to go outside the house and up the road if i want to have a decent reception. Sometimes it's grand in the house but most of the time i'd have to go outside or else up to the top of the house if i want to send a txt or make a call. It's a disaster. I've been onto the vodafone support but they're absolutely no help, saying "We can never guarantee a proper connection indoors". As well as that, Meteor are much cheaper so they're the main reasons i want to cancle the contract. I'm thinking of writing to them.

Ruu_Old

Interesting topic here as there was a news story on this recently in the US. There are so many people trying to get out of their contracts with, a year left or a few months. A website (i cant remember the link) matches users who want to take the contract off the other persons hands and the people who run the website get $10 i think to sort it out, good idea i think everyone wins and no big penalties have to be paid by anyone and you get rid of your contract.

hobie

"matches users who want to take the contract off the other persons hands" etc .....

here you go ..... http://redtape.msnbc.com/2005/12/a_better_way_to.html

maidhc

Lostinspace wrote:

gillo wrote:

I've actually had a vodafone contract for the last few years and there's been no problem. I upgraded at the end of August to a 3G phone but i've been having serious problems with the network. I'm living in Glanmire in Cork and i've to go outside the house and up the road if i want to have a decent reception. Sometimes it's grand in the house but most of the time i'd have to go outside or else up to the top of the house if i want to send a txt or make a call. It's a disaster. I've been onto the vodafone support but they're absolutely no help, saying "We can never guarantee a proper connection indoors". As well as that, Meteor are much cheaper so they're the main reasons i want to cancle the contract. I'm thinking of writing to them.

There should be a fine reception in glanmire. Are you sure your phone isnt a bit dodgy?

jesus_thats_gre

You might be on the very edge of a 3G cell.. Set the phone to only use GSM and see if this helps...

Gillo

I don't live in Glanmire, don't have a vodafone phone, am very happy with my coverage and am not in contract.

Maidhc or Mods, can you edit Maidhc's quote so it's actually from Lostinspace.

Lostinspace, sounds like you are knackered from the 3G point of view, since it's a relatively new technology (from the roll-out and availability point of view) I'd bear with it for the moment as the coverage is constantly getting betting.

buddy

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

You might be on the very edge of a 3G cell.. Set the phone to only use GSM and see if this helps...

Good point.

Although the idea of transferring the ownership is mighty fine, the downside is that you lose your number. Can you handle that?

daiixi

Try writing a letter stating that the service that they provide with 3G isn't what you were lead to believe, that you have difficulty with reception even though you were told when you upgraded that you would have no problem with reception/quality of service (embellish a little if you have to).
Tell them that they aren't providing the service which you pay for and that if they cannot provide the service, then you will stop payment until that service is provided, or that they can cancel your contract.
I had problems cancelling my contract with Vodafone in the UK and they kept stuffing up my billing (pretty much they kept sending me demands for final payments instead of actually sending me out the final bill) and I complained (politely and in writing) enough and in the end they just wiped my account clean. Took about 4 months of emails. Vodafone suck.
Good luck!

Lostinspace

Era i'll try writing a letter and see what happens. The reception in Glanmire is generally fine. It's just my house is surrounded by trees so obviously that's not helping. My phone is grand too, i've sent it away twice to be serviced and the engineers report said it was fine. I've tried setting the phone to GSM before but there is still a problem with the coverage. I informed Vodafone support of this but again they "can't guarantee coverage". Anyway, thanks for your help. I'll get started on this letter and i'll let ye know how i get on. Cheers

Guy:Incognito

daiixi wrote:

Try writing a letter stating that the service that they provide with 3G isn't what you were lead to believe, that you have difficulty with reception even though you were told when you upgraded that you would have no problem with reception/quality of service (embellish a little if you have to).
Tell them that they aren't providing the service which you pay for and that if they cannot provide the service, then you will stop payment until that service is provided, or that they can cancel your contract.
I had problems cancelling my contract with Vodafone in the UK and they kept stuffing up my billing (pretty much they kept sending me demands for final payments instead of actually sending me out the final bill) and I complained (politely and in writing) enough and in the end they just wiped my account clean. Took about 4 months of emails. Vodafone suck.
Good luck!

I would imagine that they will direct him to their T&C (which you sign up to on the contract) where it states that they cannot guarentee uninteruppted 3g access and are not responsible.