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mr. bojangles
Joined: 23 Oct 2009
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:01 am Post subject: Canceling Cell Phone Contract |
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How much does it cost to cancel a contract half way through? What is the best thing to do if I am leaving the country next month? Try to find someone else to take over the contract?
Any advice would be much appreciated.
Thanks! |
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plchron
Joined: 26 Feb 2011 Location: Korea
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:55 pm Post subject: |
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depends which company you used. LG doesn't have a deposit on contracts, so you can just leave with it after emptying your bank account. The other companies are already holding onto some of your money through deposits, so the best bet is to stop paying 2 months in advance (or the maximum time that you can go without paying before they shut off your phone). Then just leave and they will have the deposit to reimburse them for the months you used your phone and didn't pay the bill.
I heard it is a big hassle with some companies to cancel contracts and that they try to charge exorbitant fees. |
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r122925
Joined: 02 Jun 2011
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:15 pm Post subject: |
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plchron wrote: |
depends which company you used. LG doesn't have a deposit on contracts, so you can just leave with it after emptying your bank account. The other companies are already holding onto some of your money through deposits, so the best bet is to stop paying 2 months in advance (or the maximum time that you can go without paying before they shut off your phone). Then just leave and they will have the deposit to reimburse them for the months you used your phone and didn't pay the bill.
I heard it is a big hassle with some companies to cancel contracts and that they try to charge exorbitant fees. |
Don't do this. These kind of suggestions are exactly the reason why it is so difficult for foreigners to get cell phones here in the first place. The fees you will pay will be no higher than what you agreed to when you signed the contract in the first place. You may not have read it or understood it, but that's your fault not theirs.
The exact amount of the fees you will depend on what kind of phone you had and what the terms of the contract were. Generally, if you had a 2 year contract and you cancel after only one year you would be liable for for half of the cost of the full-price (non-discounted) phone. This can be quite high, especially if you have a smart phone. Many phones have a list price in the 800,000-900,000 range. You probably got it for a massive discount on your contract, but when you cancel early you are liable for the full price, divided by the number of months on your contract, multiplied by the number of months left. If you just had a cheap phone it may be a lot lower. Plus you will also be charged a small cancellation fee (around 40,000 won or so). |
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travelnguy
Joined: 27 Sep 2007
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Posted: Wed Oct 19, 2011 3:48 pm Post subject: |
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I agree with the above poster. Don't just skip out with your phone. I am also leaving and have already arranged to have my phone canceled.
It was quite easy. I just walked into a SHOW store and told them my date of departure. They calculated 34,000KRW/month that I have left on my iPhone contract. On My last day here, I will have to pay 340,000 KRW for my iPhone 4 plus the last two months bills as they run one month late. They are not charging me a cancellation fee because I am leaving the country and have had the same service for quite a few years. |
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morrisonhotel
Joined: 18 Jul 2009 Location: Gyeonggi-do
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Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2011 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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Total n00b question, but I can't remember what SK said when I took the phone out. Will the deposit go to covering the last few months? I paid 200,000 for a deposit. I took the contract out a month after I arrived in Korea (December 2009). I am now leaving this month. My phone is not a smart-phone or anything similar. It's just a regular flip phone (Samsung SCH-W860). What will I be looking at in terms of how much I owe? |
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