Okay so having finally decided when I can get an upgrade I'll go for an i phone I phone my current company to find out when that can be!

Now you have a 1 year contract which ends in December. They phone you October and say "Hey you can upgrade 2 months early as long as you sign up for 18 months"! Okay that's fine. So look at when that 18 months runs out and would be say April, however they say you can upgrade 2 months early (February). However they are saying that as I updgraded 2 months early even though I had a new tariff and phone I was still 2 months on my OLD contract and that the new 18 month contract ONLY starts when that 2 months runs out! Hey .. is that right? Is it the norm? And I've just missed something? I don't mind too much but to me that seems like a scam! They encourage you to upgrade early so they push your tariff up again but you're actually now on a 20 months contract …. seems wierd?

maybe I'm just being a thickie adder .. just wondered if it was the norm and has ALWAYS been like that! You know these phone companies always ready to scam unsuspecting customers!

always wait till your contract has expired to negotiate – they offer better deals.

Or go pay as you go, which is what I did, bought the iPhone outright (wanted a new iPod anyway). Now I'm only paying for what I use, before I had loads of unused contract minutes yet was getting charged for other things on top of my contract. For me I'll be better off in a year or so.

Tariffs and contracts are different things. I've changed tariff within my mobile phone contract before.

You see out your old contract on the new tariff and then have a new 18 month contract on the new tariff. You are in exactly the same situation as if you had waited for 2 months then renewed your contract. I'm failing to see where the scam is.