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Mobile phone contracts

 
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Shaman



Joined: 06 Apr 2003
Posts: 446
Location: Hammertown
PostPosted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 12:14 am    Post subject: Mobile phone contracts Reply with quote
Has anyone had to cancel a mobile phone subscription midway through their contract? I know there's always the possibility of transferring it to another person. I'm just curious as to any experiences out there.

Thanks in advance.

Shaman
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fat_chris



Joined: 10 Sep 2003
Posts: 3198
Location: Beijing
PostPosted: Mon Apr 19, 2004 12:29 am    Post subject: What do you think is the best provider? Reply with quote
To piggyback off of this, what cell phone providers do you all use when in the States? What have you found to be the advantages and disadvantages of the major providers? I have heard that Verizon is good. I absolutely refuse to work with Sprint for personal reasons.

I will be moving to NYC next month and buying my first cell phone in America. I don't know how to approach this major purchase yet.
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juzstylin



Joined: 28 Mar 2004
Posts: 11
Location: Queens, NY
PostPosted: Sun May 16, 2004 11:36 pm    Post subject: NYC Reply with quote
Chris,

I can maybe shed some light on your question.
I came to NYC two years ago and made getting a cell phone one of my top priorities. I'll tell you right now, not being a local or a US citizen is going to make your life difficult. For one, since you do not have a Social Security Number, it will be next to impossible to sign up for any plans. Therefore, you are left with pre-paid phone plans.

In terms of cell-phone providers, Verizon has the best coverage in NYC, but the knock on them is there out of date phones. If you are looking for top knotch phones, you might want to go with AT&T.
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Gordon



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
PostPosted: Mon May 17, 2004 10:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Shaman,
I had a contract with Fido and had to try and cancel it before I came to Japan. I had 2 choices: pay the entire amount of the contract in full or transfer it to someone else. I gave my sister $100 to take it off my hands. It was a pain in the @ss.
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Shaman



Joined: 06 Apr 2003
Posts: 446
Location: Hammertown
PostPosted: Thu May 20, 2004 7:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks Gordon. I'm on contract with (Ma) Bell. Hopefully, they will prove a little more flexible about the contract. Yeah - who am I kidding? Wink

Shaman
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juzstylin



Joined: 28 Mar 2004
Posts: 11
Location: Queens, NY
PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2004 12:23 am    Post subject: An option with Bell Mobility... Reply with quote
...you might want to consider is downgrading your service plan.

I'm going to face the same problem when I leave this September. Basically, I was told I can downgrade to the cheapest service plan, or completely take everything off except voice mail.

In most cases, this is a cheaper alternative to paying the surcharge for breaking a contract
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Gordon



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2004 1:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I thought of that, but my cheapest option was still about $40/month when you include the $15 or so in taxes you pay. What kind of a system is it when the taxes amount to about 30% of the cost?
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Shaman



Joined: 06 Apr 2003
Posts: 446
Location: Hammertown
PostPosted: Fri May 21, 2004 11:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Conversely, there is always the possibilty of negotiation. Upon stating that one is leaving the country for reasons of employment, some leniency may be afforded. Ummm - yeah, right.

Otherwise:

"Would you like some money out of this situation or none whatsoever? The choice is yours. I'm not coming back."

A gamble to be sure, yet worth considering. I'll let you know soon.

Shaman
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Gordon



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Posts: 5309
Location: Japan
PostPosted: Sat May 22, 2004 12:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Shaman wrote:
Conversely, there is always the possibilty of negotiation. Upon stating that one is leaving the country for reasons of employment, some leniency may be afforded. Ummm - yeah, right.

Otherwise:

"Would you like some money out of this situation or none whatsoever? The choice is yours. I'm not coming back."

A gamble to be sure, yet worth considering. I'll let you know soon.

Shaman