Phone Contract Scam

[Orikoru]

I'm on EE, always have been, since I was Orange initially and they became EE at some point.

Phone contracts used to be 18 months. Every smartphone I've ever had has lasted about a year before the battery was totally knackered. You could string it out for another 4-5 months, get your early upgrade and it was all good. The last contract I got though (and this was in August 2016), suddenly they only do two year contracts. I got the Huawei P9 because I'm not really willing to pay extra for iPhone or Samsung when they do the same job.

As always, the battery was shagged by about July last year, but since I'm now on a two year contract, I'm still stringing this out and my next upgrade is not til June. It currently lasts about 7 hours from full charge to dead. Even if I pay early upgrade cost now (which is £148 - not cheap) - all the contracts now are two years. So in a year's time I'll be in exactly the same situation.

It's a bloody scam! Phones never last more than a year, yet they force you into two year contracts so you are forced to pay for early upgrades every time. What an absolute joke. I think on my next upgrade I'll just go for Sim only contract and buy a second hand handset from computer exchange or something. In the long run that'll probably be cheaper than shelling out 40 quid a month on a contract and then paying £150 for early upgrade in a year.

Everything is a bloody scam nowadays. Rant over!

 

[Crazyface]

Cheap Phone off the 'bay. £5 per month. Landline Gone!

 

[Orikoru]

Cheap Phone off the 'bay. £5 per month. Landline Gone!

I haven't had a landline since 2009.

 

[CliveW]

Surely there must be a fault with your phone or the way you're charging it? My current phone is at least 4 years old and I've never had any issues, nor with any previous phones. Fully charged the battery will last for 3-4 days but I plug in the charger before I go to bed every night.

 

[Orikoru]

Surely there must be a fault with your phone or the way you're charging it? My current phone is at least 4 years old and I've never had any issues, nor with any previous phones. Fully charged the battery will last for 3-4 days but I plug in the charger before I go to bed every night.

3 to 4 days!? What are you using, a Nokia 3210??

For clarity, I am talking about modern day smartphones - HTC, LG, Huawei etc.

 

[Andy]

3 to 4 days!? What are you using, a Nokia 3210??

For clarity, I am talking about modern day smartphones - HTC, LG, Huawei etc.

I can easily get a day out of my Google Pixel Xl and recharge the following day.

 

[CliveW]

Just a bog standard Moto G. £5 a month from Tesco Mobile.

 

[drdel]

Sony Xperia z3, does 3 days on a charge quite have use it is 3years old.

Check you are using a good power supply, voltage peaks will kill your battery.

 

[bobmac]

Maybe a new battery would help?

 

[upsidedown]

My Sony Xperia ZA has always been heavy on battery but you learn how to get around it, if you know you cant recharge for while turn off data and turn on battery saver etc.
Whilst skiing last week I wanted to use a tracking app and bought a battery pack to charge up at lunchtime and it charged within 25 mins from 45% to full level so very pleased.

 

[Rlburnside]

Surely there must be a fault with your phone or the way you're charging it? My current phone is at least 4 years old and I've never had any issues, nor with any previous phones. Fully charged the battery will last for 3-4 days but I plug in the charger before I go to bed every night.

I always thought it is advised that you should never charge phones overnight for fire risk.

 

[Orikoru]

I can easily get a day out of my Google Pixel Xl and recharge the following day.

You've not had a year though, or have you? I'm saying the batteries become knackered after a year or so. And I think it's because I have my phone on charge overnight - people say that this overcharges it (i.e. still on charge when at 100%) and this ruins your battery. But it's just the most convenient time to charge it.

Maybe a new battery would help?

I have contacted Huawei to enquire about this. It's not like the phones of a few years ago though, you can't just open the case easily yourself, I'd have to send it to Huawei or something other technician to do it for me, presumably at some cost.

 

[BTatHome]

I always thought it is advised that you should never charge phones overnight for fire risk.

You can say that with all electrical items.

 

[CliveW]

I always thought it is advised that you should never charge phones overnight for fire risk.

So is it better to have a fire during the day???

 

[Imurg]

Both me and the Mrs have had Moto Gs since they came out.
I had the first, a year later she got the V2, a year later I got the V3 etc.
I'm on the G5 now. Plenty of use, charge always lasted the day. The Boy takes over our old phones when we upgrade. My G3 lasted me 2 years and he's had it 6 months - going strong.

 

[TheDiablo]

Buy phone brand new and go SIM only.

As an example, Google Pixel 2 XL is £669 and easily as good as the latest iPhone and Samsung. £15 a month SIM only contract. 18 month cost is total £939 or roughly £52 per month, Then sell/recycle old phone, Google Pixel 1 is nearly 18 months old and you'd get £250 for one in good nick, knocking about £14 off averaged out monthly cost so for this option you're on about £38 a month for 18 months.

best 24 month deal for the same phone you'd find is £45ish with no upfront cost, and then you'd have early upgrade fee after 18 months if you needed to which would likely cancel out the recycle value.

 

[MegaSteve]

I turn my 'phone off between sending texts and I find the battery lasts forever...

 

[Orikoru]

Buy phone brand new and go SIM only.

As an example, Google Pixel 2 XL is £669 and easily as good as the latest iPhone and Samsung. £15 a month SIM only contract. 18 month cost is total £939 or roughly £52 per month, Then sell/recycle old phone, Google Pixel 1 is nearly 18 months old and you'd get £250 for one in good nick, knocking about £14 off averaged out monthly cost so for this option you're on about £38 a month for 18 months.

best 24 month deal for the same phone you'd find is £45ish with no upfront cost, and then you'd have early upgrade fee after 18 months if you needed to which would likely cancel out the recycle value.

I think I'll have to do this. I'm interested in the new OnePlus models and EE doesn't even offer them anyway. I did this once before when I got my LG G3 or whatever it was. Still, paying up front for a handset is a big whack in one go. For now I'm stuck with this current heap of junk anyway.

 

[GG26]

My last 3 or 4 contracts have all been two years. Never had an issue with the batteries.

 

[Dasit]

Sounds like you are doing something wrong with your battery.


My Iphone was 2 years old and was still going great. The screen smashed, and my bank offer me free insurance so I sent it away and they sent me a brand new Iphone as a free replacement.


Now I am sim only, £10 a month spot on.