Three - change of terms - right to cancel?

[gyzmo]

Hi all.

 

3 have just advised me that, as I have paper billing (I'm old fashioned), I will soon be charged £1 for the privilege.

 

Not happy so I'm pretty sure that such a change will trigger the ability to cancel the contract - I am about 6 months into an 18 month contract. Now here's the good (and rather cheeky) bit:D

 

If I do cancel, can i:

 

A: keep my number

B: use the same number with a new contract with three (I might be willing to do this if i get a spanky new phone)

[MARTIN3030]

Hmn well theres always the option of you adding your own terms.Since they are going to charge you a quid for having it-you should charge them a tenner for READING it.

[gyzmo]

Lol!

 

Well I have just called Three and was told there are two options: ebilling or view statement online.

 

There's a third, I said. cancelling my contract due to change in T&Cs.

 

Oh, they said, You can but there will be a fee to pay as there is no change to the T&Cs - they always have reserved the right to charge for itemised billing but have chosen not to do so until now (and, get this, the reason was stated as "going green").

 

At this point I hung up. Gonna toothcomb the T&Cs and call cancellations later.

 

Any opinions appreciated.

[moving on..]

Good morning Gyzmo

just offering moral support really..!lol

 

I was advised by 3 that I could only have ebilling or use online services if I paid by dd !¬ (which i refuse to do )...so now an extra £1.00 to view my bill..which through 3s errors..and numbers being charged which should be included in free mins. etc..if it had not been itemised i would have been overcharged £18.00 last month..viewing an itemised bill i proved my point......now thats deemed a luxury!.....also just to add one of my contract phones/coverage is 'random' (call dropping etc) to say the least...after about 50 hrs on the phone to 3...and finally a statement from them that there is/was an issue..they have agreed to terminate that contract..with no charge..and it had approx 12 months to run.

Not sure what is happening to 3.!

 

 

regards

moving on.

[MARTIN3030]

Lol!

 

Well I have just called Three and was told there are two options: ebilling or view statement online.

 

There's a third, I said. cancelling my contract due to change in T&Cs.

 

Oh, they said, You can but there will be a fee to pay as there is no change to the T&Cs - they always have reserved the right to charge for itemised billing but have chosen not to do so until now (and, get this, the reason was stated as "going green").

 

At this point I hung up. Gonna toothcomb the T&Cs and call cancellations later.

 

Any opinions appreciated.

 

 

Ha ha going green ?

You should tell them that if they are serious about conservation they should be cutting back on their own "hot air".........plus theres the carbon footprints-or real ones to consider if you are forced to take a walk down to the County Court.

[buzby]

The issue is about the supply of itemised billing - which is being charged, and they can do this if they wish. Switch to non itemised paper, if they say THIS costs more, you have a case to cancel, but not otherwise.

[gyzmo]

But surely being charged for something which I have hitherto received for free until now is a change of T&Cs? As far as I am concerned, that is a change. Though may be able to get the details free of charge online, I need not do so. What if I did not have internet connection? The fact that I do to me is irrelevant.

 

What I need to know is whether this is a change of terms that is detrimental to myself. As far as I can see, paying £12 per year for something that was free is detrimental (even if to a miniscule degree, but the contract did not specify this). And where a change that is detrimental to myself is made, I have the right to cancel on 30 days notice.

 

comments?

[buzby]

It;s called an avoidable price increase and NOT in detriment to the agreement. You simply modify your requirement, rather than accept the premium that will be charged if you don't.

 

If your usage was for services previously billed/charged calls per SECOND, then you were told they were now to round up to the minute, then that would be a material change affecting the use of their service to you. This would be a valid reason to terminate early. Charging for itemised billing is a value added service, therefore they are free to give it free ot charge from a set date.

 

If they wanted to retain good customer relations, they they could provide a credit if £1 x the number of months left of your minimum commitment, but there's no magical 'lock-in' for they way thing were when you joined.

[gyzmo]

But there comes the issue. Calling it a modification or otherwise still classes it as a change. The fact that the other party has to modify their agreement to avoid increased charges is surely not acceptable as a way of saying "tough". I also dispute that it is a value-added service - rather it is more of a necessity seeing as a statement is required to ensure that the bill is fair and accurate.

 

I appreciate the comments but still cannot agree with them. Any further comments are welcome.

[buzby]

But it is your definition you are attempting to support. I'm old enough to remember that itemised billing was an impossibility, as there was no mhchanism to store the numbers dialled, only 'tickets' to validate operator controlled calls. When technology allowed for it, itemisation was introduced (in Bristol) but not everybody wanted it - and it has always been an 'option', never mandatory.

 

Technology allowed BT to do away with charging for calls per 'unit' to offer calls billed by the second. Great! But now, BT and other networks are skinning the cat by rounding up to the next minute. Is that fair? I don't think so - so for your argument to work, these networks should be prohibited from trying to turn the clock back - but no government is going to legislate against this.

 

So we're back at the starting point - itemised billing IS a value added service, there if you want it. The value to you can be immeasurable, but they are allowed to set their own pricing.

 

The mobile service contract does not specifically address costs or tariffs during the initial period, so the measures I outlined earlier to keep the customer happy are used, but to expect an automatic release from an otherwise binding contract won't happen. The secret is not to get tied into any contract in the fist place, then you've got nothing to worry about.