I suspect that I know the answer to this but thought I’d run it past the hive.

We currently have a contract for our mobile phones with O2 through a third party. I’m looking to move and need to know exactly how long the current contract has to run. I should explain that I didn’t sign it and the details are a little sketchy. Someone told me that the best way to find out exactly how long is left and what the cost implications for early termination are would be to requests the PACs which I did directly from O2. Obviously they informed their dealer and he was straight onto me trying to sort things out. One thing he did say was that by requesting PACs ahead of the end of the contract I had signalled an intention to leave and O2 would apply a charge to my account regardless. I think he is bull shitting in an attempt to get me to let him “sort everything out”. So will I ger a charge merely be requesting PACs?

There is AFAIK no charge for a PAC

There will probably be charges for leaving a contract early

My parents requested a PAC the other day and were charged £20 for it (they were with vodafone but through some third party provider). Googled and it appears they are allowed to charge a “reasonable” amount as an admin charge to provide a PAC and £25 seems to be the limit of this.

They went to Carphone warehouse to sort a new phone and mentioned the fact that they had been charged. The salesperson said that in the 20yrs she had been in mobile sales this was the first time she had heard of a company charging domestic mobile users for a PAC code. I guess it might be more common in business but yes they can charge for PAC requests but maybe it’s only the scumbag providers that do.

Time to read the ‘terms and conditions’ of your contract.
It would be unusual to incur a charge for “indicating an intention” but it depends what you agreed to.

If you yourself didn’t sign the contract are you authorised to make changes to it?
If the contract is with a third party are you authorised to deal direct with O2?

scumbag providers

lemme guess – phones4you??

Rachel

I’m shocked that charging for a PAC is legal at all. Regardless, I’m not aware of anyone who does it (and I’d be surprised if O2 do).

Breaking the terms of your contract by ending it early is a different matter OFC.

As an aside, issuing a PAC does precisely -nothing at all- until you’ve given it to a new provider. If you get a PAC and then change your mind, it’ll quietly expire and that’s that.

My “supplier” hinted that it could be quite a sizeable sum but to let him know and he’d “sort things out?” Pity really as I quite like the guy. Shame he’s playing the ****.