Smart phones have got expensive

Due to renew at the end of a 2-year contract. Old phone well used and getting long in the tooth. Was paying £33/month for EU text and calls, 10GB data for a HTC M8 – top end at the time. Now looking at £40-45/month for half the data (in reality thats workable) for todays phones! Ouch! What happened? And yes I have tried suggesting to EE I want to leave, but they were struggling to drop prices.

Brexit…

EDIT: I left EE a few months ago when they refused to put me on their best tariff. Ended up switching to Three who offered more allowance for less money, and the coverage has been fine so far.

I have tried suggesting to EE I want to leave

So leave.
Better deals elsewhere.

EE are doing an unlimited/unlimited/7Gb deal for £4.50 pm (after rebate, otherwise £16.99 pm) at the moment on SIM only. Maybe buy a new handset if you really need one?

Three just sent me a letter to say that now my minimum contract period is up (ended jan 2016 actually) I’m being moved onto a new improved contract for an extra £8 per month.

B’stards.

Still unlimited data for £15 per month couldnt last forever I suppose. Looking at £12 for 12gb now, should just be able to squeak that, normally use about 10-11gb per month.

johnners,

got a link to that deal, I’m with EE paying more for less.

12 mth £18 Max plan
10GB data
Unlimited minutes
Unlimited texts
Euro data
Tethering
With EE reduced from £23 with customer discount

Similar with 3 is basically the same price.
Just go straight to retention and tell them the page on 3’s site your looking at.

Due to renew at the end of a 2-year contract.

Why? What’s wrong with the M8?

I’m still on my M7. My contract ended a year ago, shifted to a SIM only contract, something like £12/month I think.

normally use about 10-11gb per month.

How? Are you streaming Spotify or something?

normally use about 10-11gb per month.

How? Are you streaming Spotify or something? My typical data usage is about 3-400Mb, and I’m hardly shy with it.

No idea, been on unlimited for so long I just do whatever. Update apps OTA watch youtube vids/iplayer at lunch, I stream 6 music when I’m riding my bike to work.

I’ve been trying to work out how to pare it back a bit so I can save a bit of money. Looking at my data manager I’ve used over a GB just today 😯

Like the forks thread, you can get the *same* for a lot less.

If you’re an Apple person you can buy an SE or 6s for less than the 7, or a Samsung A7 for less than an S7 – it’s as good or maybe slightly better than a top of the range one from 2 years ago and costs about half as much.

A lot of Manufacturers are reacting to rising prices by selling the previous generation of their flagship thing under a sub-name for a big discount because the R&D is already been paid for. In bike terms look at the RS Yari, latest 35mm chassis, MoCo damper from the last gen forks – half price.

Like RS if Apple and Samsung (I know there are a lot of others) hadn’t updated their stuff, and just polished it a bit and took 50% off the price off – we’d be thinking prices were falling.

@ midlifecrashes –

link to EE SIM only £4.50

tbh they’re being a bit slippery headlining it at £4.50, that’s net after claiming rebates. If you’re no good at doing that sort of thing it’s £16.99. It was on HUKD earlier.

Why? What’s wrong with the M8?

Battery is dying with it just falling over with anything less than 20% left, phone has got very laggy (despite me constantly clearing out photos etc), cant store the Spotify music on it I want as it wont play ball with the external storage.

So leave.
Better deals elsewhere.

If required I will, if it is a contract i.e. non-EE, that I can move my mobile number to as use it too much for work. Vodafone however is off my list – customer service etc is just too bad.

Thanks for the Three heads up. Are people finding their coverage out in the hills ok these days? I need the tethering, so one of the higher end contracts.

Well so it turned out mobilephonesdirect could upgrade my EE contract, with a much better deal than I could get from EE directly. In fact the contract and phone I wanted at a sensible price and I keep my number! Win!

I guarantee you would get that or better off retentions at EE without forking out their commision on your payments

I got a great deal from mobilephonesdirect last week. iPhone 5s 16gb, 2 yr contract, 4gb data, 1000 mins, unlimited texts, £15/month.

Used to work in retentions myself. Frequently got battered by third party deals we just couldn’t match. Not usual on upgrades though as their commission on new connections tended to give them the wiggle room to undercut the networks. You sure they haven’t flogged you a new nconnection Op. wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened.

I’ve been trying to work out how to pare it back a bit so I can save a bit of money. Looking at my data manager I’ve used over a GB just today

Dude, Wi-Fi.

You sure they haven’t flogged you a new nconnection

Doesn’t that always mean a new number? Because,

and I keep my number! Win!

You can (almost?) always keep your number, even when changing networks. The notion that you need a new number is a lie to get you to sign a new contract => more commission for the salesweasel.

I noticed those 50gb contracts recently, must be for people without home wifi.
I use my phone for work and all the media stuff and still average 500mb p/m, it automatically switches to wifi at home, at work, hotels shops etc.
Contracts up for me too, iphone 6 with plenty of memory though so still all I need.

, that I can move my mobile number to

You can move your number wherever you want, within 24hrs. It’s law. Call them up, ask for your PAC, you don’t have to use it and they last a few weeks. Shop around.

People wondering how folk use data – I do about 4-6gb a month. As above, streaming music at work, watching the odd video, OTA updates and podcast downloads. I only have wifi at home.

@cougar – I chew through about 40gb of wifi data as well 😆

God knows what’s going on, my phone managed to use 300mb whilst I was walking round Tesco at lunch time, something isn’t right, will have to check my settings.

For comparison, that’s what I use in a month.

Have you got Play set to install updates on any connection rather than Wi-Fi only? That’ll do it. I maxed out my monthly allowance in a day a couple of months ago after disabling Wi-Fi and forgetting to re-enable it, then forcing an Update All.

How? Are you streaming Spotify or something? My typical data usage is about 3-400Mb, and I’m hardly shy with it.

I think you are being shy if you’re using less than half a gig a month.

I just use Wi-Fi for all the heavy lifting. Don’t stream anything on xG.

Think the way I have got round it is taking a HTC 10 which EE directly were no longer stocking. Google Pixel (v similar spec) is expensive by comparison.

Retentions were very apologetic and said they just couldn’t match the third party deals I found. Despite me being a Orange/EE customer for 15 years!!