Mobiles and Contracts (3)

Hi, I was just wondering on a general question and a specific one..
In general, if you enter a pay monthly contract (18 or 24 months), and then, say for the reason that service/signal coverage is awful, you want/need to cancel the contract, can you?  Are there any fees, or is it just that you pay for the remainder of month's left for it.

Does anyone have 3 or know the specifics for 3?   If anyone has 3/Three, do you have any comments on their network/signal reliability?   I want to go with 3 because I've found a reasonable/fitting plan, cheaper than most(/all) other's I've checked.   You would think their service will be comparable to all other networks, and coverage should be fine within all or most of London... But I guess you never know...  just wanted to make sure.
Any positive/negative experiences shared would be greatly appreciated!

I know my husband had a two week window to cancel before fees and all that kicked in, but I am not sure about 3. 

3 also gives you a 14-day window... but if you read carefully it says you cannot use the phone to make calls or txts within those two weeks.  It's more like maybe if you dont like your phone... but it's not for using/testing it...   (unlike in the US?)

I know in the US if you call and complain enough they'll almost always eventually do whatever you want  (not that I do that )...   but I dont get the feeling that in the UK the customer is always right...  (which they're not, maybe the customer is overrated in the US, but still)

What if you have a contract for a service that does not deliver the service as reasonably promised?   That wont be the case most of the time, but its nice to have recourses..

SInce you have just moved here, you may not even be able to get a contract.  Have you checked?  Personally, I would get a PAYG phone for the time being.  I did that when I first moved here, with the intention of getting a contract once they allowed me too.  I never did, because the PAYG was so convenient.

sorry I didnt not specify about my current situation..
I just got a 3 Mobile Pay Monthly (~20GBP/mo. for 1100 minutes/texts {with 25% off, originally 27GBP).  The phone arrived   thankfully I got approved  
But now before I start using it, I was just hoping it works.  If it does, I won't need to cancel the contract at all.  I was just wondering about those stories from hell where you have to pay for a non-existent service...
I figured I'm getting a lot more minutes than a 10-15GBP or even 20-30GBP PAYG top-up... the only sad thing is I have no one to call     but I'm hoping that will change in the near future...
hopefully the coverage is decent in {Greater} London, east side and central for now...

Amazing that you got a contract without credit history here. Well done you. 

yes, right? too easy, not sure why...

   sounds fishy?  maybe they're so happy to give it away for a reason

I managed to get a contract right after I moved as well, I just had to pay a £75 deposit on the phone, and this was refunded to me after a year. I really wouldn't worry about the phone not working, mobile coverage in the UK is pretty good. It's only in parts of the tube, in some buildings and out in the middle of nowhere that you might lose signal at times, and that will happen with all companies.

If its to do with network coverage area it can be a bit tricky.  I know some networks give you the option to "test your coverage area" ie. home postcode, work postcode, place you spend the most time etc. before you sign the contract, that way if you stil have coverage issues you're covered & can return...  If you opt to not do the coverage area check before purchase you're SOL.     Did 3 offer anything like this to you before you "signed"?  You may want to just double check by calling their customer services department and have a chat & take down the details of the person you spoke to etc just in case.  As you could potentially cancel if you're not happy on coverage and *could* state that you're cancelling on the grounds that you were mis-sold your contract if you do find that coverage isn't that great.

I'm curious about how people got contracts for mobiles as everything I've read so far said it's impossible to get a contract and Pay as you Go was the main option.

Do you mind: what companies did the two of you use?

Mine was Orange. I got my contract in 2003, so it may have changed somewhat since then, but they seemed to be ok with giving me the contract if I paid a £75 deposit on the phone.

mine's with Three/3   
I applied online. (after having account with the same address as delivery address; bank account was 3months old, though UK address was ~2wks old)

I'm getting ony 2 out of 4 bars inside this flat...  I havent made/received any calls yet... though I've received two txts, which remain unread and I'm sure they're from 3, or who else would know to call me there?
maybe they send you a text message so that they can say you have alread used your phone to receive messages/calls... 
I guess I'll go around the block and check the signal as well.   Two bars is crappy, in'it?
As long as the calls can be made/received I wold be alright...

I have three and love it...used to have virgin and struggled with getting a good signal. I don't have a problem with three. If anyone is looking at going to three let me know because they rang and are giving an offer to people who are recommended to get 25%off their monthly contract rate for a year. They are ringing again next week to ask if we know anyone who would be interested in this offer. If you are interested drop me a PM.


The thing I also like with 3 is the free to three phone calls that come with part of my contract...DH and DD are with three so most calls are free  and don't towards my minutes.

should've told me
but I did get the one and only plan on their (3) site that had a 25% off....

I get two bars indoor... four bars on one side of the building/street, which is opposite of my flat, and two bars the other way... it seems I'm right on the border of a good/bad reception area... which hopefully should/will be enough...we'll give them a try...

(i did experience a moment of 'emergency calls only' signal right after leaving the building though, but then the signal quickly came back...

Does anyone know if 3 (or other mobile companies) will allow you to cancel your contract without having to pay it off if you move out of the UK?  The phone I am considering getting is free on a 24 month contract.  However, there is a good chance I will be moving back to the US in about 20 months.