Not Enough Money to pay bill pay monthly installments!

Blink182rock

hello all,

I'm thinking of going bill pay except I'm afraid some month I will not have the amount to pay e.g. 40euro to whatever provider (not sure which to go for yet 02,Three,etc)

What happens if I don't ? Or if it happens more than once?

Thanks

Mimikyu

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Blink182rock

I just found with meteor I can get on for 25 euro so that would be bad!

Its only for the cheap or free phone that would sway me!

Would they cut me off straight away or give me a chance?

Mimikyu

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Blink182rock

o lordy !!

and say if i got the phone for whatever amount and sold it but kept the sim for any other phone of my own, that's okay is it ?

Dravokivich

Your contract overall will cover the cost of the phone, even if it appears to be less you are spending initially.

So if you are to sell it, to use another, in my opinion you're losing out on any value that may come with bill pay.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

Blink182rock

Dravokivich wrote: »

Your contract overall will cover the cost of the phone, even if it appears to be less you are spending initially.

So if you are to sell it, to use another, in my opinion you're losing out on any value that may come with bill pay.

yeah that's very true. I was only wondering was it okay to do so!

Blink182rock

Captain Morgan wrote: »

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A deposit ? Sh1t , is there always a deposit ? When do I get it back , etc ?

Blink182rock

If i got a phone with Meteor online with the following contract :...
18 months contract
200 minutes
200 texts
1 GB data
Free Meteor calls & texts.
...for 25euro...
...and get a free phone that I could sell for about 220 euro and buy an Iphone 4s on adverts.ie for around 250 beacuse a contract with Iphones are 40 euro min' and the Iphone on top of that.

Would this be sensible or can someone point out any stupidly by doing this ?

Is 1GB enough. I don't use the 3G much. It would be mostly WIFI.

djdunny

Blink182rock wrote: »

A deposit ? Sh1t , is there always a deposit ? When do I get it back , etc ?

If you think you will be able to pay your bill on time then NO you will not get back a deposit. Deposits are only returned if all payments are made on time. so be careful or you could end up wasting the money you pay for a deposit.

Blink182rock

djdunny wrote: »

If you think you will be able to pay your bill on time then NO you will not get back a deposit. Deposits are only returned if all payments are made on time. so be careful or you could end up wasting the money you pay for a deposit.

i thought that before I found one for 25euro.

Do you always have to pay a deposit?

ballooba

It sounds like your finances are not mature enough to be committing to an extended contract. It's dubious as to why you would want to sign a contract anyway. The cost of the phone is just built into the contract, usually with significant margin.

EDIT: There are no free phones that I can see on Meteor's EUR 25 a month plans. Never mind any that could sell for EUR 220.

Blink182rock

ballooba wrote: »

It sounds like your finances are not mature enough to be committing to an extended contract. It's dubious as to why you would want to sign a contract anyway. The cost of the phone is just built into the contract, usually with significant margin.

25 euro a month though... usually i'd be paying 20 for free texts and calls to meteor anyway and then iv extra mins' and 1GB web and a free phone.
That sounds pretty appealing to me ?

ballooba

Blink182rock wrote: »

25 euro a month though... usually i'd be paying 20 for free texts and calls to meteor anyway and then iv extra mins' and 1GB web and a free phone.
That sounds pretty appealing to me ?

Why not sign up to a SIM only plan then? You would only have a 30 day contract and it's only EUR 20.50 per month.

Blink182rock

Blink182rock wrote: »

If i got a phone with Meteor online with the following contract :...
18 months contract
200 minutes
200 texts
1 GB data
Free Meteor calls & texts.
...for 25euro...
...and get a free phone that I could sell for about 220 euro and buy an Iphone 4s on adverts.ie for around 250 beacuse a contract with Iphones are 40 euro min' and the Iphone on top of that.

Would this be sensible or can someone point out any stupidly by doing this ?

Is 1GB enough. I don't use the 3G much. It would be mostly WIFI.

ballooba wrote: »

Why not sign up to a SIM only plan then? You would only have a 30 day contract and it's only EUR 20.50 per month.

yeah but read my first quote above.... that's only way I think ill be able to afford the Iphone at the min!

Kensington

Blink182rock wrote: »

25 euro a month though... usually i'd be paying 20 for free texts and calls to meteor anyway and then iv extra mins' and 1GB web and a free phone.
That sounds pretty appealing to me ?

Yeah but on pay as you go, you can just not top-up if you don't have the money for it this month.

On billpay, you're legally bound to the contract for however many months it is and they can (and will) pursue you if you can't/won't pay your monthly commitment for whatever reason.

Also - the billpay phone will be locked to the Meteor network and AFAIK, they won't unlock the handset until the contract is completed. So if you sell the phone on then whoever buys it will only be able to use it with a Meteor SIM which will inevitably de-value the phone resale value significantly.

Blink182rock wrote:

A deposit ? Sh1t , is there always a deposit ? When do I get it back , etc ?

They'll decide whether they want a deposit when you apply - they base it on the information you supply to them as part of the signup process.

You may not be asked for a deposit at all.
You may be asked for a deposit of anything up to €350 (from experience with Meteor).
You may be refused outright.

Deposit is usually credited back to your bill after 6 months - assuming you are fully up to date with your monthly payments.

Blink182rock

Kensington wrote: »

Yeah but on pay as you go, you can just not top-up if you don't have the money for it this month.

On billpay, you're legally bound to the contract for however many months it is and they can (and will) pursue you if you can't/won't pay your monthly commitment for whatever reason.

Also - the billpay phone will be locked to the Meteor network and AFAIK, they won't unlock the handset until the contract is completed. So if you sell the phone on then whoever buys it will only be able to use it with a Meteor SIM which will inevitably de-value the phone resale value significantly.


They'll decide whether they want a deposit when you apply - they base it on the information you supply to them as part of the signup process.

You may not be asked for a deposit at all.
You may be asked for a deposit of anything up to €350 (from experience with Meteor).
You may be refused outright.

Deposit is usually credited back to your bill after 6 months - assuming you are fully up to date with your monthly payments.

Can't I get it unlocked privately though ? Would only cost me about 20 euro!


O I understand about the deposit!!

Im really being encouraged not to sign a contract here so!

ballooba

Blink182rock wrote: »

Im really being encouraged not to sign a contract here so!

Not necessarily, it could be a harsh but valuable lesson in the rigours of consumer credit for you.

Blink182rock

ballooba wrote: »

Not necessarily, it could be a harsh but valuable lesson in the rigours of consumer credit for you.

Come again ?

mik_da_man

Let's start from the start.
1. What phone do u expect to get to sell on for 220?
2. Show me a 4s for 250 and ill buy it now!
3. If your not sure if you can afford a bill phone don't try.
4. What age are you? If under 18 you probably won't get a contract phone.

Blink182rock

mik_da_man wrote: »

Let's start from the start.
1. What phone do u expect to get to sell on for 220?
2. Show me a 4s for 250 and ill buy it now!
3. If your not sure if you can afford a bill phone don't try.
4. What age are you? If under 18 you probably won't get a contract phone.

1. HTC one V (on adverts for 200-230)
2. I meant Iphone 4 not 4s. My apologizes.
3. I know i can afford 25 a month, i'm only thinking will I regret it in college where I could be spending it on something else!
4. Yes I am over 18 so that should be no prob'.

plys

Blink182rock wrote: »

1. HTC one V (on adverts for 200-230)
2. I meant Iphone 4 not 4s. My apologizes.
3. I know i can afford 25 a month, i'm only thinking will I regret it in college where I could be spending it on something else!
4. Yes I am over 18 so that should be no prob'.

I think what other posters are trying to say is DO NOT SIGN A CONTRACT.
Reading between the lines, you are hoping to start college in September. This is quite a transitionary period in your life, and IMO you are trying to convince yourself that you can afford a bill phone, when you really have no clue what's ahead of you financially for the next 6 months nevermind 24!

I personally had a terrible experience in my first year of college, where I accumulated a mobile bill of over €800 in three months. At the time I was immature and did not really think through the consequences of my actions etc. Ended up getting listed in Stubbs Gazette and even to this day (12 years later), O2 won't touch me with a bargepole (unless I pay them a €300 deposit, which i simply refuse to do... )

Sounds ridiculous and completely stupid, and it was... but the point is that IF you don't have to reach into your pocket and pay cash out for phone credit, then there is no mechanism to STOP you making calls, texting or whatever. If you don't have the required self control, then you should simply avoid signing a contract!!

And I think you know this, but are choosing to ignore it!!





/my tuppence

Blink182rock

plys wrote: »

I think what other posters are trying to say is DO NOT SIGN A CONTRACT.
Reading between the lines, you are hoping to start college in September. This is quite a transitionary period in your life, and IMO you are trying to convince yourself that you can afford a bill phone, when you really have no clue what's ahead of you financially for the next 6 months nevermind 24!

I personally had a terrible experience in my first year of college, where I accumulated a mobile bill of over €800 in three months. At the time I was immature and did not really think through the consequences of my actions etc. Ended up getting listed in Stubbs Gazette and even to this day (12 years later), O2 won't touch me with a bargepole (unless I pay them a €300 deposit, which i simply refuse to do... )

Sounds ridiculous and completely stupid, and it was... but the point is that IF you don't have to reach into your pocket and pay cash out for phone credit, then there is no mechanism to STOP you making calls, texting or whatever. If you don't have the required self control, then you should simply avoid signing a contract!!

And I think you know this, but are choosing to ignore it!!





/my tuppence

That is a extremely helpful reply there.

Everything you said was true. I knew it all I was just convincing myself that it wasn't. The new phone was louring me in!!

Your experience is very helpful to me now that I can relate to it, not to let it happen to me! But ,whats Stubbs Gazette may I ask ? :P


Thank you very much for you detailed and helpful reply. Some man!!

ballooba

Blink182rock wrote: »

But ,whats Stubbs Gazette may I ask ? :P

It's where people who don't pay their debts are listed. It makes it very difficult for you to borrow money again.

Matt Bauer

I was on a contract for 10 years. Now I'm on prepay as I think it works out cheaper, even if it means paying more upfront for phones.

plys

Matt Bauer wrote: »

I was on a contract for 10 years. Now I'm on prepay as I think it works out cheaper, even if it means paying more upfront for phones.

I agreed with you to a certain extent, but I think, like the OP, people are easily lured by the idea of a shiny new phone for relatively little initial cost.

Many (me included) just don't have the cashflow to allow them to fork out upwards of €500 at once for a new handset, hence the appeal of signing a contract.

When you measure it in absolute terms ie cash now = cash later, then in most cases the way price plans are structured, the pay as you go option will work out cheaper. But most people prefer to keep cash in their pocket now and pay later.

ballooba

plys wrote: »

When you measure it in absolute terms ie cash now = cash later, then in most cases the way price plans are structured, the pay as you go option will work out cheaper. But most people prefer to keep cash in their pocket now and pay later.

Which, no disrespect, is why finance companies make money and debtors end up in Stubbs Gazette. Relying on finance makes you poorer.

Oracle

Matt Bauer wrote: »

I was on a contract for 10 years. Now I'm on prepay as I think it works out cheaper, even if it means paying more upfront for phones.

Yes and it gives far more flexibility. I can buy the phone I want, when I want, and save by buying secondhand as well. Plus I can switch networks any time for a cheaper deal. Then again I don't want or need the latest smartphone.

P.S. To the OP. If you are in any doubt at all that you can afford to pay your mobile phone bill don't sign a contract. Choose SIM only pay monthly (Tesco Mobile or Meteor are best value I think) or Prepay. Not only will your credit record stay clean, you'll also sleep better at night. Good luck