Pay monthly services

[daniel_93]

On the 15th august 2011 I took out an 18month contract as I like a new phone every year

and use to be on sim only which was paid by my dad as I was studying and living at college.

Once I've moved back I was like I'll get a contract for 18month as can update 6months early bargin.

So orignally I could upgrade my phone 8th August 12, then you changed it to 90days upgrade so then it was around the 12th nov 12.

Just logged onto my account to check my bills and check my upgrade date is still novemember, and suprise suprise its now december 26th 2012. My contract is up sometime before the 15th Feb 2013. So that is only 7weeks and 2days early I can upgrade (51 days early upgrade) how can that be possible when it is a 90day early upgrade policy!

Is it going to come to a point where my contract is just going to not be able to be upgraded early.

I have been with vodafone since i was ten years old and Im now 19 and a half.

I even had D2 (vodafone germany) when I was out there for 4.5years due to my dad being posted there with the army.

I just feel as though the service is getting worse over the years.

[Nabs]

Hi Daniel,

Your actual upgrade date is the day on which your contract ends, i.e. 18 or 24 months after you started the contract.

The early upgrade dates are Vodafone's offer to customers who want to recomit before the end of their existing contract and in turn get a new handset. No other UK network offers early upgrades.

For the full Vodafone statement around these changes please see the thread here.

These dates have been changed as the previous arrangements were generally misunderstood by customers who assumed that the remaining 6 months would just disapear rather than get added onto the end on the new contract, whats actually happened. This meant the deals available were, in a lot of cases, absolute rubbish and did not provide good value.

If the handset you are using is no longer working you may be able to upgrade a little earlier and add the remainder of your curent contract onto a new one. This could mean a lengthy commitment period and potentially higher monthly costs depending on the handset you were interested in.

EDIT:

the only way you can gauruntee a new handset every year is to go for a 12 month contract. Although the initial costs can be quite high, in a lot of cases they work out considerably cheaper than 18 month options.

[daniel_93]

Hi Nabs,

thanks for the reply I understand everything that you have said, I probably wouldnt even be offered a new contract because I am insured with them (If my phone was no longer working).

I do want to stay with them, but what I am asking is how can they say it is a 90day "early upgrade" when I am only being

offered 51 days and why does my date keep changing, I understood the fact of the 6month early upgrade being terminted and changed to a 90day and fees still inccur. But how come since I last checked a few weeks ago the date has moved from mid Novemeber to Boxing day that is absoloutely ridiculous! 

I know vodafone are the only networking providing this option but why are they stating a 90day policy and only giving me 51days thats what I want to know.

I would have loved to do a 12 month contract but when I looked online I could only see "sim-only" 12 month plans and was told instore

that 12 months plans no longer existed. And recently I seen on their website 12 months plans.

Is this something that has just begun again, if not to be very honest I will not be ammused as I would of preffered to do a 12 month contract. 

[Nabs · Accepted solution]

The 90 day option was also removed shortly after the removal of the 6 month option. If you really do want an upgrade the 90 day option will be honoured but it may incur an upgrade fee.

I'm interested to see where they are still advertising this as it is now out of date and should't be displayed anywhere?

The 12 month contracts have only recently been reintroduced (maybe the last 3 or 4 months) and they tend to be for higher end smartphones and as i mentioned before they carry a larger upfront fee hence they do not get the same advertising space that longer contracts do.

I was in the exact same position as you with my upgrade. I got tied into a 24 month contract (grrr) of which i had served 20 months so i was eligible for the 6 month early upgrade option. just as i started looking the policy changed. No big deal i thought, not far off my 90 day upgrade period i'll just wait, The date was then revised a second time to the 50 day option. I spoke with the extremely helpful web team who upgraded my handset and added the remaining 4 months to the end of a new contract for me! 

Obviously it's still a while before your upgrade period arrives but when it does your best contacting the @vodafoneukdeals twitter team. They are great at sorting out upgrade deals! 

[daniel_93]

Hello, Nabs

sorry I have been at work since my last post

and now finally able to reply.

I didnt realise they had changed it to a 50day upgrade until I click on the link apologises from myself.

The 12 months contracts are deffenitaly ideal for me! As I am wanting rid of my iphone 4, I wanted an iphone

for so long and was the biggest regret I made numerous amounts of errors and a replacement from apple, and,

I want a blackberry back and they do the blackberrys on the 12 month contracts. I'm glad I was not lied to as if i had been

that wouldn't have been very proffesional I just wish they had been ready available, I guess like all my friends and family say I'm

too picky with phones haha.

I have them on twitter I think I will have to give them a tweet or just wait, as when my dad comes back from overseas in October (armed forces) might take the iphone contract off me and pay the final few months on his number so I can take a whole new contract so if he does it will be very ideal otherwise I will just have to wait.

Thank you for your help Nabs.

Daniel

[daniel_93]

I can't edit my previous post?

But I forgot to mention that I wish Vodafone hadn't told me about the early upgrade option as it does get you thinking about it when you think in a few months I could upgrade then they change it and change it again! I wish they had sent an email or a text or something to let us know about the changes rather than just post it on their forum as I Hardley come on here to be honest!!

[Nabs]

---

daniel_93 wrote:
I can't edit my previous post? 

You can only edit your post for the first 20 minutes after posting it.

The early upgrades are not part of your contract and Vodafone don't have to offer them, similarly they were under no obligation to inform customers of change in dates, It would have just been nicer if they did.

I don't think we will see any further changes to the early upgrade dates now. I think 50 days is a realistic amount and probably one Vodafone will be sticking to.

I know what you mean about the iPhone, i'm not a fan. Hope you get the Blackberry you want on a tariff that suites you.

[Hordriss]

I would like to point out that this myth that Vodafone are apparently the only network to offer early upgrades is bull - O2, Orange and Three all allow upgrades 30 days before your contract ends.

[grolschuk]

An upgrade within 30 days is not technically an early upgrade

As you pay for the airtime a month before, you are no longer owing any money on the contract, apart from any unbundled usage that month.

[Nabs]

Grolschuk is Spot on! you pay a month in advance to technicallyou when you reach 30 days you have payed off your contract and hence you are not getting an 'early upgrade'

My Girlfriend  was in the last 30 days of her contract with O2 and they told her she couldn't until the end date for her contract. She now has to wait another 3 weeks before they will consider it, Though i'm trying to get her to change to Vodafon anyway, means free calls to her