o2 contract can i cancel plz help

[h8contractphones]

hi all,
basically my problem is i went 2 get my son a payg mob but was talked into a contract by a sales advisor in the o2 shop. she told me my son would be better of on contract because of the amount he uses stupid me believed her. my son has only had the phone 10 days and has use 3/4 of his talk time and nearly all of his txts. is there anyway i can cancel this contract even though he has used the phone i can c its gonna cost me a fortune. also on payg he already had more free minutes than he has now was def caught off guard can anyone please help me cheers

[buzby]

It's not your son's phone - its yours. The salesperson was having a laugh, giving a youngster unrestricted access to handset with no controls is just asking for trouble. To be fair, usage when new is nearly always high until the 'gee wizz' aspect dies down, but if you cannot trust tim to keep his calls under control, you'll be held formally liable for them.

Box it all up and take it back, saying you're not happy with it and they MAY arrange cancellation if you do it in time, although you'll have to pay for the services already used. Don't delay, as time is critical in this.

[h8contractphones]

thanx for ur help have taken it back they took it no prob after trying to talk me into an alternative higher cost higher mins txt 18 month contract.I did get there simplicity sim card as its only 30 day contract then 30 day notice so i can cancel it whenever i want if its abused lol also it has 600 talk mins and unlimited text for less cost than original contract wish seems mad only prob now is that we put sim card in 3 diff o2 mobs and it says its inactive looks like another trip back to the o2 shop

[PrettyPaula]

Just to butt in slightly, there is an alternative out there.

There is a network who do a fixed contract designed for parents buying for kids, no big bills.

pm me for info, i dont wanna get in trouble for advertising or something

[buzby]

Actually, you are still not that much better off, as you say - it's 30 days notice to cancel after the 1st month, but there is a high credit limit on these, and if it is abused - you'll still get hit with a large bill. On PAYG, when the money runs out, the phone does too!

Paula, why would you want to be committed to a legally binding contract at all, when a kids phone with a pre-pay SIM does the business and no credit check or other ties once your credit runs out?

[h8contractphones]

i will b closely monitoring it and if he does abuse it i can take phone of him at least i only lose a months money instead of 16 on the contract assuming we can get the sim to work. he cant live without his phone so wud h8 to lose it and with a higher limit of calls and txt hopefully he wont over do it lol

[PrettyPaula]

Originally Posted by buzby

Actually, you are still not that much better off, as you say - it's 30 days notice to cancel after the 1st month, but there is a high credit limit on these, and if it is abused - you'll still get hit with a large bill. On PAYG, when the money runs out, the phone does too!

Paula, why would you want to be committed to a legally binding contract at all, when a kids phone with a pre-pay SIM does the business and no credit check or other ties once your credit runs out?

because all to often parents get stung for stupid amounts of top up every month because its payg customers that networks make the money from.
Not to mention expensive handsets.

contracts are far better off money wise if you spend over £10 per month. sorry but that is a fact. And fixed price ones are ideal as you cannot run up a huge bill and the phone is free. pound for pound they are the cheaper deal.

[buzby]

Originally Posted by PrettyPaula

because all to often parents get stung for stupid amounts of top up every month because its payg customers that networks make the money from.
Not to mention expensive handsets.

contracts are far better off money wise if you spend over £10 per month. sorry but that is a fact. And fixed price ones are ideal as you cannot run up a huge bill and the phone is free. pound for pound they are the cheaper deal.

You overlook the obvious - the person taking out the contract is LEGALLY OBLIGED to pay all monies due on the mobile, whether intentional or not, for Reverse Charge premium SMS, Theft of the handset, or just using it too much. Someone under 18 can have no idea what a liability a mobile phone can be to your finances, how could they? So - there's no argument from me that pre-pay users are charged more for their calls, but their security is once the credit runs out, they're SAFE from having to pay out any more.

On post-pay (contract) there's no such safety net. As a network employee, I'm surprised you are actively promoting the OP to take out a contract for a relative that is too young to sign a contract, as I understand it this is against most network's poliocies.

Perhaps when a youth is old enough to enter into their own contract they can take their own risks, but as aparent in no way would I give a contract phone to a minor, there is too much to go wrong, even if they themselves act responsibly.