o2 stop 12 month contracts

[ROBIN50N]

they dont do them anymore, its 18 or 24 month now. pretty bad if you like upgradeing alot.

[MDX]

You sure ?

They just offered me a new 12month deal just about 40min ago.

I could not get any decent hands sets etc, they were just going to reduce my line rental by £100 per year...

Then the guy said he would offer me one of there 30 day deals, so now its £20 for 600 min, 1000 texts, Unlimted o2 to o2 AND Unlimited Web (extra Free bolt on)

All on a 30 day rolling contract, sounds good to me , i just hope they get the HTC Touch Diamon in soon ...

I will then take out a new 18 month deal if they offer me what i want :D

Funny thing is i am now not tied down, I am saving £80 more than they were willing to give me on a 12month deal and i am getting FAR FAR more then i was getting, seems a bit silly!!!

[ROBIN50N]

yeah have a look on there sites. maybe if its an upgrade theyd still do them, hope so as i wont be signing an 18 month one.

[jerryq7777]

Originally Posted by ROBIN50N

yeah have a look on there sites. maybe if its an upgrade theyd still do them, hope so as i wont be signing an 18 month one.

Me neither.

[weeman2]

Hi Mate

I got a samsung tocco today from phones4u on a 12months contract through o2.

£40 a month with 12 months half price line rental (redemption)+£50 Quidco.

Grand total £190 for phone and 600min and 500 texts,well happy.

George

[ROBIN50N]

its on the o2 site i ment. am guessing this will filter through to other retailers.

[RobM]

This is the way things are going, sadly.

24 month contracts are already the norm in the US, usually with less subsidising of handset prices too. We are very lucky over here.

It wont be long at all until 12 month contracts are a thing of the past. And no doubt in the future 18 month contracts will become the new 12 month contract... i.e. less favoured by the networks and with less good deals compared to 24 month contracts.

[Desmo]

We've had it too good basically. Too many handsets are being given away every 12 months and costs obviously aren't being covered.

[jimgee]

Originally Posted by Desmo

costs obviously aren't being covered.

Their vast profits must be coming from somewhere?

[Desmo]

Well yeah, I'm not saying they aren't making any money

But they must soon be reaching a saturation point for new customers. Most people these days who want a mobile must surely have one by now. So that just means they're constantly giving out handsets worth £100's every year for no real reason.

[chrism_scotland]

I've noticed with other networks notably Orange that even the cost of upgrading has gone up, was quoted £200 to upgrade to an N95, the days of free phones and upgrades certainly seem over.

[Sy1441]

Originally Posted by jimgee

Their vast profits must be coming from somewhere?

Some networks don't make profit at the moment, three loose millions for example.

[ROBIN50N]

even there prices have shot up. a 18month contract at £35 wont even get you a decent phone free anymore.

[kayzee]

Originally Posted by chrism_scotland

I've noticed with other networks notably Orange that even the cost of upgrading has gone up, was quoted £200 to upgrade to an N95, the days of free phones and upgrades certainly seem over.

Yes but you can fight this. When I rang up for my upgrade they wanted £99.99 from me for my new phone... I simply said I wasn't prepared to pay this and 02 are doing it for free so why can't you? 30 seconds later I had a free phone on the way...

[RobM]

Originally Posted by ROBIN50N

even there prices have shot up. a 18month contract at £35 wont even get you a decent phone free anymore.

This is what Desmo and I are saying above... for a long time the networks have been subsidising the cost of phones, including upgrades and this is slowly but surely coming to an end. Most other countries charge nearly the full price for a phone on top of a 24 month contract. On top of this, as phone manufacturers try and squeeze more and more tech into phones, there will be a natural price rise to deal with which somebody has to foot.

IMO, SIM Only deals will become increasingly popular as time goes on, with customers buying their phones separately from their contract.

I wouldn't mind paying more for a phone if I knew it would be unlocked and unbranded. But paying full price for something that's been bastardised by the network really doesn't appeal.