3 mobile need advice

[michaelkane]

Hi,

I have now a problem with 3 mobile as they changed the policy and started charging £25 administration fee for incremental downgrading of the mobile phone package. Before 16th Dec, 2006 there was no such policy and I ended up getting about 4 contracts with cashback wondering it would come off just fine by the end of the year.

But now the running costs are simply too high and I want to cancel at least 3 of the four contracts due to their highened fee. Can anyone of you tell me:

1. What address can I request-mail to end the contract?
2. Is there anyway I can get all these contracts cancelled? The fee is now being charged for about £35 per phone since the downgrade per phone already costs alot and I want it to end asap.

There should be something that I would be able to do if 3 increased their admin fee over the contracts. For example if a fee of £50 is forcefully imposed then we should have a right to either go with the contract or not. Its not up to 3 to charge a fee of their choice and not allowing us to end the contract, or is it??!!

According to 3 there is no change in the policy and I would definitely have to pay the fee if I want a downgrade.

Please do advise.

[Bigmac versus]

If you want a downgrade in relation to a lesser phone?

[buzby]

Your right, the change only came in at the end of last year, but was brought in primarily to stop you doing what you were doing, because it cost them too much and was a back-door way of buying a high-spec phone but not paying the price it was worth on the selected (final) tariff.

1) You can write to their Glasgow offices, but you'll find them unsympathetic, they are allowed to change T&C, and the contrract does stipulate this. The fee charged CAN be justified by them if challenged, as they can prove it costs them more to process the purchase because of the tariff downgrade (their anticipated revenue falls, as the phone is not used as much as originally indicated), this is something the banks cannot do, and why challenging them is relatively easy.

2. You'll not be able to have the contracts cancelled, but you CAN have them transferred to someone else who might take one (or two) off your hands, and there's no cost for doing this.

[michaelkane]

Thanks for a brief explanation. can you give details of the Glasgow office that I can write to?

thanks again.

[buzby]

Sure, it should also be printed on the reverse of your monthly bill;

Hutchison 3G UK, Glasgow (Head Office)
123 St Vincent Street,
Glasgow. G2 5EA.

Tel: 08707 330 295
Fax: 0141 204 8773 (this is not the call centre)