You might not think of the world of mobile phones and mobile service as being shrouded in mystery, unless you count all the technical jargon that manufacturers and operators use to confuse us, but there are some secrets there to uncover. Today we’re talking about the hidden secrets in the mobile world, most of which are going to save you money. So if you’re looking to cut costs and get savings, then read on and discover some of the secrets of the mobile phone and operator world…
photos image source flick.com |
Secret #1: That Incentive Contract is Costing You More than it Should…
Signing an incentive contract with a mobile phone operator means that you get a brand new, shiny mobile phone for free, or for a significantly discounted price, right? Think again. That incentive contract is costing you far more than you’d pay if you just signed a SIM only contract and bought the phone yourself. You can test this out yourself. Find an incentive contract and a SIM only contract that have the same calling plan with the same operator. Notice how the incentive plan has more expensive monthly payments? That’s how you’re paying for that phone. Subtract the monthly payment for the SIM only contract from the monthly payment for the incentive contract, and then multiply that number by the number of months in the incentive contract. If there’s a down payment for the phone add this in too. The result is the total amount you’re paying for the phone. Now compare that number to the retail price of the phone in a normal electronics shop. You’ll see that you’re paying over the odds for your “free” phone. Avoid signing up for incentive contracts if you can, you’ll save money by buying your own phone…
Secret #2: Refurbished Phones Save You Cash…
If you haven’t heard of refurbished phones, then you’re not alone. These are a pretty well kept secret. What happens is that someone buys a phone, generally decides that they don’t like it or don’t want it, and returns the device. They probably haven’t even used it any more than switching it on and putting a SIM card in. But retailers can’t just sell the phones on, since they’d have to be sold for low, used phone prices. Instead the phone is returned to the factory, where it will be cleaned, rebooted and have to undergo a complete technical inspection. Then the phone is certified for resale. In appearance and functionality there will be no difference between refurbished phones and brand new models, your refurbished mobile will even come with a warranty. It might not be in its original box, or it might have a generic charger, but it will look and act like a new phone. The only difference is in price- you get big discounts on buying refurbished phones. Where do you find them? Some mobile operators sell refurbished models, and some manufacturers also sell them on their web sites. There’s no guarantee that you’ll find the model that you’re looking for, but it’s definitely worth checking.
Secret #3: Customer Service Reps Have Power…
In general, you can save money by switching operators at the end of your current contract. This is because most operators save their best deals to entice new customers into signing contracts, banking on the fact that once a customer is signed up he’ll stay with the operator to avoid the trouble of switching companies. If you finish a contract and move to a new operator, you can take advantage of new customer deals and get savings. However, that might not actually be necessary. By calling your current operator’s customer service line and telling them that you’re thinking about switching service providers then you might find that you get offered a better deal to stay. Whilst companies do save their best deals for new customers, that doesn’t mean that they don’t want to keep the customers that they already have. And customer service reps actually have a lot of flexibility when it comes to offering customers deals, discounts and better prices than most people realise. There’s no guarantee that they’ll offer you anything, of course, they’re not required to. But if you’re considering switching operators anyway, it’s definitely worth a try. They don’t have to give you a better deal, but it does help if you’re polite and non-aggressive on the phone…
Secret #4: Changing Operators is Easy, and You Can Keep Your Number…
Many people avoid changing operators because they think it’s too much trouble. And there’s also the idea of having to change your phone number and inform everyone you know of your new digits. But the truth is that switching operators is quick, easy, and you can, by law, keep your current number. All that you have to do is call your current operator’s customer service line and request your PAC code. You must do this before you cancel service, and the company must give you the code for free within a reasonable amount of time (usually three days). Once you have your PAC code, then you can call and cancel your current service. When you go to your new operator to sign a contract tell them that you want to keep your number, give them your PAC code, and they’ll take care of the rest. If you don’t want to keep your phone number, your new service usually starts within an hour or so of signing up. If you do want to keep your number you might find that your new service doesn’t start until the next business day. Also keep in mind that PAC codes have validity periods of only thirty days. After thirty days they will no longer work and you’ll have to ask for a new one. If you have already cancelled service with your operator at this point you might find that you have a problem, and won’t be able to get a PAC code. So if you’re going to keep your current phone number make sure that you switch operators within this thirty day period.
Sam Jones wanted to find out more about refurbished phones. A quick look on sites such as uSwitch helped him to find out what he needed to know in minutes.