Hi All, I posted this on my journal, but thought it might be a warning that could fit here:
Yesterday my "clown phone" contract expired. What a circus.
It turns out that my wife has the contract, and I am not an authorised person on her account. Therefore I cannot change the terms of the contract. This is in spite of me signing the paperwork without her being in the shop.
The phone is a lease phone. I took out the lease when they were new, just before I found MMM. The terms of the contract were not made clear to me at the time, and I was misled on some terms.
I was told that to keep my phone, I would pay a nominal fee, "probably $1". Well, no. I was quoted $183 yesterday.
I was also told yesterday that my phone is permanently locked to the lease contract and can never be put on prepaid. This was news to me, as I am sure it will be to many others as these leases expire. There will be some pain over these I believe for the telco in question.
We have used this telco for over 25 years. I told them I would take our business, and our families elsewhere. In 10 minutes I received a call. It could all be sorted out for a one off fee of $110. No more lease contract and I keep my phone.
Incidentally, along the way they tried to call their franchise branch that I bought the phone from, in rural WA. The number was not connected. I thought it summed up their business.