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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU to think that my mobile phone provider

24 replies

Clossaintjacques · 30/11/2011 19:39

shouldn't just text me to inform me that my tariff will increase by nearly 5% by text.

I am on a contract and if I was to try and cancel I would be subject to penalties and yet they can just change the set price I agreed to by text.

AIBU to think that if they want to be rigid on me changing terms of an 18 month contract that they should stick to the agreement too.

OP posts:

ConnorCamden · 30/11/2011 19:51

5% is nothing. At 10p a text, it would go to 10.5p...

OldLadyKnowsSantaClaus · 30/11/2011 19:53

I suspect that somewhere in your contract they reserve the right to change things with x number of days notice, but Yanbu anyway.

Naoko · 30/11/2011 20:01

Orange, by any chance? I had an email from them this week about the same. Apparently there's a clause in the contract that lets them. Not happy, but what can you do...

Original poster

Clossaintjacques · 30/11/2011 20:10

Yes Orange indeed!

It's just the fact that we as customers are totally tied in but they can change the conditions with a bloody text!!

OP posts:

GreatBallsOfFluff · 30/11/2011 20:15

Yup same here. With Orange, and got a text today about it. Not happy either

confusedpixie · 30/11/2011 21:20

My DP got this today. He also got an email from Money Saving Expert saying that you can back out due to some loophole or another with no consequence. Apparently if it would cause financial or material detriment then you can back out without penalty. Double check MSE though for the full details.

rhondajean · 30/11/2011 21:22

I have warned you all before, but just to repeat, Orange are the devil's own company!!!

LotteryWinnersOnAcid · 30/11/2011 22:24

I got this too. Thought it was rather cheeky but as I didn't check the smallprint at the time of taking out the contract (8 week old baby at the time) I assumed they were probably ok to do it legally etc. Might check out MSE now...

Moodykat · 30/11/2011 22:27

Here

IWannaBeTheMinority · 30/11/2011 22:30

I have just signed up to a contract with Orange with 3000 free texts a month. Are your texts etc not free?

SquigglePigs · 01/12/2011 22:27

Yea, I got this yesterday. Apparently as they're raising it by less than inflation you can't claim the material hardship thing. Not impressed!

dancingmustard · 02/12/2011 01:38

YANBU Orange should have the courtesy to put that change in writing.

Agree that Orange is shit not great and advise you to try 3 instead :)

redlac · 02/12/2011 07:17

Don't go to 3. They changed my contract half way through but thanks to MSE a loop hole was found. I did spend nearly an hour on the phone to a poor chap who was trying to persuade me to stay while I repeated "please give me my PAC code" over and over again. 3 were awful

ToBeFair · 02/12/2011 09:20

I also got the same text yesterday. I'm planning to crawl through my contract terms and also the Ofcom regulations over the weekend. I think that it may be possible to dispute the increase because, if you have had the contract for much less than a year, the 4.5% increase will actually be higher than the RPI rate of inflation over the same time period. Which is not the same as the annual inflation rate at, say November 2011.

(Disclaimer, I am not a lawyer, but am very annoyed by this and don't want to let them get away with it.)

ecclesvet · 02/12/2011 09:50

Move to Giffgaff, they're cheaper and don't pull this kind of shit nonsense.

1Catherine1 · 02/12/2011 10:20

I'm glad you posted this. My OH's phone (which is in my name) received this text yesterday and I am furious about it. How dare they not even have the common decency to send a letter. I tried to call them but was told I would be on hold for 30 minutes. I assume I'm not the only unhappy customer. This is insult to injury as I pay £10 a month less for my contract with T-mobile which is pretty much the same.

Agree 3 are awful - worst customer service ever. Every time I get a sales call from them the operator quickly regrets phoning me as I go into a rant over the many reasons I dislike their company. I liked O2 and was with them for 8 years but since they couldn't reward my loyalty with a free shiny Samsung Galaxy S II when I told them T-mobile could they lost me.

Mandy2003 · 02/12/2011 10:41

Can you not change to a contract with inclusive minutes and texts OP? I am with 3 and for £13 per month as a longstanding (2 yrs!) customer, I get something like 8,000 minutes and unlimited data. Don't have any problem with them but luckily haven't needed to ring customer services very often.

I believe the loophole people are talking about to get out of contracts is to tell the phone company that you can't get any signal in the place you need the phone most ie home or work. Not so sure that would be accepted now, unless you moved to the middle of the countryside or Scottish Highlands.

BeyondTheLimitsOfAcceptability · 02/12/2011 10:55

I'm not bothered tbh (I am on Orange) It's less than 75p a month for me. I'm sure my food bill has snuck up a lot more than that over the past few months!

I wouldnt change to 3 btw, they were awful when I was with them and my mum and dad both are now and their signal randomly disappears for hours at a time!

BeyondTheLimitsOfAcceptability · 02/12/2011 10:58

Btw, regarding anyone complaining that they are not letting people know "in writing" I think (I'm not positive, but I'm sure I've read it somewhere before) that a text is letting you know in writing...?

Chocolategirl3 · 02/12/2011 13:18

You may think Orange is the devil, but DO NOT under any circumstances think for one second that its a good idea to go with Virgin. They are the shittest of the shit and still after 15 months of an 18 month contract overcharge me each and every month. I am on first name terms with their staff ffs!

rant over.

BarmyBiscuit · 02/12/2011 13:26

I wasn't happy but it's only adding £3 odd onto my bill a month. I wouldn't leave Orange over it as they have been good to us in the past as my DH has been with them a long time. I did check the terms and conditions to see if they were allowed to do this in the middle of a contract though.

Oh, and avoid 3 like the plague!

Chocolategirl3 · 02/12/2011 13:27

o2 lost me too as they wouldn't give me the world when I asked for it, now I cant wait to go back to them with my tail between my legs!

shakemyhead · 02/12/2011 13:31

I have got said text. If I remember correctly they didn't increase tarif when vat increased ( remained at a round fig) tho they did reduce it when it went to 15%.

1Catherine1 · 02/12/2011 13:44

That was very nice of them shakemyhead as they did increase mine when the VAT increased. Mine is now £30.64 per month rather than the 30 I signed up to - I accepted this without complaint as it was the VAT that changed which was out of their control.

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