Quickest, easiest way to cancel 24 month contract?

[zekeisaszekedoes]

I'll be brief.

I have BB Curve 8520 on 24 Month £10.21 contract. It isn't good enough (the RIM server WiFi issue clenched it) and sadly I want to cancel and get the £18.50 02 iPhone 3GS deal instead. Their service is quite poor even when fully working; browsing on the move via GPRS is so slow as to be useful, and it's not all the handsets fault.

Not sure of the quickest way to do this, and if it will incur charges (hope not) but as I see it, VM have breached the terms since WiFi doesn't work correctly and hasn't for several days. Any tips, for example how to do this through virginmobile.co.uk would be outstanding.

[Jimmy-J]

Does this help?

18 or 24 month contract. If you cancel during the contract you will incur an early disconnection fee.

VM Link

[PsyCrow]

Terms and conditions of service - Pay Monthly Contract

10.1 Cancellation for any reason: Either you or we may cancel this Agreement at any time for any reason by giving the other one months written notice.

10.2 Your right to cancel: You may end this Agreement immediately in the following circumstances:
(a) if we break this Agreement in any material way and do not put it right within seven days of you asking us to;
(b) if all of the Services are permanently no longer available to you;
(c) if you do not accept any change that we notify you about in accordance with clause 5.3 and you notify us in accordance with clause 5.4 that you do not accept such change.

10.3 Our right to cancel: We may cancel this Agreement immediately in the following circumstances:
(a) if we have the right to suspend your access to the Services for any of the reasons set out in clause 8.2. and we believe that the grounds are serious and have not been or are unlikely to be rectified;
(b) if you break this Agreement in any material way and do not put it right within seven days of us asking you to;
(c) if you do not pay the Charges in full or on time as set out in clause 6.7 or you become bankrupt or make any arrangement with your creditors; or
(d) if the Network owner no longer makes the Network available to us.

10.4 Effect of cancellation: If this Agreement is cancelled:
(a) your SIM will be disconnected from the Network;
(b) you will not be able to use our Services at all; and
(c) you will lose your phone number (unless you move to another network).

10.5 Payment on cancellation: If this Agreement is cancelled you will need to pay us on cancellation all unpaid call and other usage or administration Charges on your account. Unless you have cancelled this Agreement under clause 10.2 or we have cancelled this Agreement under clause 10.3 (d) then you must also pay on cancellation the monthly (or other periodic) Charges owed for each month of your Contract Allowance through to the end of your Minimum Term.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by zekeisaszekedoes

VM have breached the terms since WiFi doesn't work correctly and hasn't for several days.

You are aware that it's actually a RIM issue, not a VM one, and is affecting all networks?

Also:

2.4 Your handset: This Agreement only covers the provision of the Services by us to you. It does not cover any handsets or other devices you may have received with your SIM or as part of a package, either directly from us or through a third party retailer. Please see clause 4.8 if you need to return your handset or your SIM

Services means the mobile telephone services offered by Virgin Media including Additional Services and Messaging Services where appropriate, which we have agreed to provide to you

Additional Services means optional Services (for example Roaming, access to Services charged at premium rates or Content) which are likely to be supplied outside of a Contract Allowance and are chargeable at the rates set out in our Tariff Table.

Messaging Services means the voicemail storage and retrieval service and/or any other type of message storage and retrieval service that we may offer from time to time.

---------- Post added at 10:42 ---------- Previous post was at 10:35 ----------

As far as I can see WiFi not working on a handset due to the manufacturer's issue is outside of the 'get out free' cancellation terms so if you want to cancel you will have to pay any appropriate EDFs

[Charliedontsurf]

Who in there right mind signs a 24 month phone contract for a blackberry 8250.

Thats an old phone anyway an in 24 months it will be an embarrassment.

Just ebay the phone and put the difference to get out the contract.

But getting yourself into 24 months iphone 3gs contract is not a good idea either(iphone 5 is just round the corner), just ride out the VM and buy yourself a iphone 3gs sim free for cheap after iphone 5 is out..

[zekeisaszekedoes]

Originally Posted by Product 13

Does this help?

VM Link

How much is the EDF, typically?

Originally Posted by BenMcr

You are aware that it's actually a RIM issue, not a VM one, and is affecting all networks?

I wasn't when I posted, but was soon after.

Originally Posted by BenMcr

As far as I can see WiFi not working on a handset due to the manufacturer's issue is outside of the 'get out free' cancellation terms so if you want to cancel you will have to pay any appropriate EDFs

I was afraid of that.

Originally Posted by Charliedontsurf

Who in there right mind signs a 24 month phone contract for a blackberry 8250.

Someone who really doesn't care for smartphones, thinks they are overrated, and got the cheapest one he/she could get away with.

Originally Posted by Charliedontsurf

Thats an old phone anyway an in 24 months it will be an embarrassment.

It's an embarrassment now. I'd be better off with the only slightly more expensive iPhone on 02 contract even though I despise touchscreens and Apple in general.

Originally Posted by Charliedontsurf

But getting yourself into 24 months iphone 3gs contract is not a good idea either(iphone 5 is just round the corner), just ride out the VM and buy yourself a iphone 3gs sim free for cheap after iphone 5 is out..

Considering my use of smartphones is very, very modest (I'd much rather use a proper non-tablet laptop at any opportunity) a 3GS would be fine 90% of the time. I don't have money to waste on the latest smartphone that does a bunch of things I don't care for and will never use.

[smcaul]

So why are you wanting to get another smartphone at all?? If as you say you will not use hardly any of the features? Would not a normal phone be better for you? if thats the case just buy a cheap PAYG or sim free one and chuck your virgin sim in it, job done, you dont have to break your contract and you get the phone you want!!

Failing that, turn off wifi and bluetooth on the BB, delete the email account on it, ignore the calendar function on it as well and there you have it, a basic phone to make calls and send texts from, even better it will cost you nothing extra!!

Simplez!!

[zekeisaszekedoes]

What I mean when I say I don't use most of the features is, i.e. playing music and games plus all the other piffling crap smartphones get used for these days in place of a proper computer.

I still need email/basic browser functionality for business use, which would no doubt be faster on an iPhone 3GS or good-quality Android. It's not always practical to pull out the laptop, especially in an area which probably doesn't have WiFi. What I don't need is a device that'll attempt to replace my laptop, with tiny screen/keyboard. That might be fine for people who didn't really get comfortable with computers in the first place, but not for someone like me who has multiple things on the go at once and can type at 60-75 words per minute on a full-size keyboard.

[smcaul]

Looks like you just got your wish, as VM are putting the price of calls up, which is a detrimental change to the terms and conditions that you agreed to.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by smcaul

Looks like you just got your wish, as VM are putting the price of calls up, which is a detrimental change to the terms and conditions that you agreed to.

Except I think that the right to cancel in the terms only applies to the Contract Allowance and Charge:

5.3 Significant changes: We will notify you at least one month in advance of any change coming into effect that (in our reasonable opinion):
(a) will increase the monthly or other periodic Charges for your Contract Allowance by an amount which is more than the percentage increase in the previous twelve month period in the Retail Prices Index (or any future equivalent) published by the Office for National Statistics; or
(b) is a change to your Agreement, your Contract Allowance, the Services or any Additional Services you are using, or to the Charges for any Services or Additional Services you are using, which is likely to be of material detriment to you.

Not out of allowance charges, but I'm not 100% sure. It would be up to Virgin Mobile to confirm that or not

[smcaul]

As you point out, 5.3b, it is a change to your agreement! I have sent an email tonight cancelling 2 of my phone contracts - there will be a bit of an argument, there always is, I did the same with VM about 18 months ago, I have also done it with O2 and t-mobile, both of whom tried to weedle their way out of it, but once you get as far as taking them to the small claims court they soon see the light!!!

[zekeisaszekedoes]

Originally Posted by smcaul

As you point out, 5.3b, it is a change to your agreement! I have sent an email tonight cancelling 2 of my phone contracts - there will be a bit of an argument, there always is, I did the same with VM about 18 months ago, I have also done it with O2 and t-mobile, both of whom tried to weedle their way out of it, but once you get as far as taking them to the small claims court they soon see the light!!!

Lovely stuff, here comes an iPhone or Android if I can get it done!

How do I go about wording the cancelling email or letter I have to send? I thought I'd ask as you obviously know the best way to do it having successfully done it before.