Help Me Ditch My T-mobile Plan

[n0s]

Basically I need to get off my T-Mobile plan and get onto my company's Verizon business account.

T-Mobile still doesn't have 3G coverage where I live which makes using my blackberry painful. Not only that but I have 2-3 bars Max around town, in my house I usually have 1 bar which makes it almost impossible to get pages when i'm on-call. I have about 10 months left in my T-Mobile contract and I want to see if there's any way around paying the ~200 dollar termination fee. Does anyone have any hookups or tricks to get around this?

[RogueSmoker]

Not that I know of. I think that fee is your beat bet. Is your company paying for your new phone and service if so I'd just pay the 200.00 it would be worth it.

[Stuie]

Try going in to a T-Mobile Location at lunch and break down in tears and throw a hysterical fit about it when they tell you no. They will let you slide just so you won't scare away their store full of customers.

[RogueSmoker]

Try going in to a T-Mobile Location at lunch and break down in tears and throw a hysterical fit about it when they tell you no. They will let you slide just so you won't scare away their store full of customers.

I'll second this idea. Haha

[momatik]

I know a guy, he'll cancel your contract for $50. Only thing is he'll only do them if you go to his store in NYC.

Any chance you'll be making the trip?

[liquidglass]

You have three options

1) try to haggle with Tmobile

2) consider paying the $200 against the cost you'd pay in the long run for the contract and how much you'll save with your companies plan
- also many companies deduct $5-$10 every month (from the termination fee) you use their service after the first month or two

3) If you want try CelltradeUSA.com it's a place where you can essentially sign over your contract to someone else and they'll take the payments up. Completely legal and legit.


Lastly, PM me your plan details I might be interested myself lol my service sucks here but there's a tmobile tower nearby

[Jeff_T]

The options posted seem good, so I'd try them out and see what happens. Hope it all works out. On the other hand, verizon + blackberry = unstoppable. I just got my blackberry tour today and its incredible, I'd highly recommend one.

[bungiman]

Yeah I like the idea of sobbing. CelltradeUSA.com could be good too. If they don't pay is it still your bill and such??

[combs08]

I'm looking to do the same thing. Looks like I'll be on T-Mobile for another year...:/

[Imsomint]

- also many companies deduct $5-$10 every month (from the termination fee) you use their service after the first month or two

This.

Your cancellation fee is probably less than you expect. Go to a T-Mo store and ask how much your fee is.

[Zinite]

- also many companies deduct $5-$10 every month (from the termination fee) you use their service after the first month or two

This.

Your cancellation fee is probably less than you expect. Go to a T-Mo store and ask how much your fee is.

It's called proration of early termination fee. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electroni...ile-announ.html might give you some insight.

$200 fee, the highest among the three companies, doesn't actually drop at all for the first year-and-a-half of two-year contracts.

When it does, it drops to $100 from the nineteenth through twenty-first months.

Because you have 10 months left, you most likely cannot have your fee prorated. What you might be able to do is next time you get a notice with your bill that fees are changing (I think I just got one in my last bill), claim it as a materially adverse effect (http://consumerist.com/258943/materially-a...termination-fee).

Something like this might help: http://consumerist.com/consumer/tmobile/ca...ease-246264.php


Best of luck, let me know if any of this works or if I can be of any more assistance.

[Zinite]

Here is the most recent change in fees:

The Regulatory Program Fee (RPF) is increasing fro $.86 to $.1.21 per line per bill cycle as of June 10th, 2009. You might have luck claiming this as a materially adverse effect (check one of my above links for the exact quote from the T-Mobile contract with the materially adverse clause). They will probably say that approx. $.40 per line per bill cannot possibly have an effect on your finances - but argue with them and say that in this economy every penny counts and it's just too much to spare right now. Read them the materially adverse clause in the contract (again, above link).

[liquidglass]

Yeah I like the idea of sobbing. CelltradeUSA.com could be good too. If they don't pay is it still your bill and such??

Not legally. The process is sort of like subleting a lease, you sign a contract saying you're going to pay for the remainder of the proposed contract.

- also many companies deduct $5-$10 every month (from the termination fee) you use their service after the first month or two

This.

Your cancellation fee is probably less than you expect. Go to a T-Mo store and ask how much your fee is.

It's called proration of early termination fee. http://blogs.consumerreports.org/electroni...ile-announ.html might give you some insight.

$200 fee, the highest among the three companies, doesn't actually drop at all for the first year-and-a-half of two-year contracts.

When it does, it drops to $100 from the nineteenth through twenty-first months.

Because you have 10 months left, you most likely cannot have your fee prorated. What you might be able to do is next time you get a notice with your bill that fees are changing (I think I just got one in my last bill), claim it as a materially adverse effect (http://consumerist.com/258943/materially-a...termination-fee).

Something like this might help: http://consumerist.com/consumer/tmobile/ca...ease-246264.php


Best of luck, let me know if any of this works or if I can be of any more assistance.

Sort of true. However, I know for a fact both AT&T and Sprint deduct $5 after the first 5 months of service. So check into it.

[Zinite]

Sort of true. However, I know for a fact both AT&T and Sprint deduct $5 after the first 5 months of service. So check into it.

You're correct, I believe Verizon did at one point too. T-Mobile no longer does it that way though. The fee is only prorated after 18 months with T-Mobile. Because he has 10 months left on his contract (putting him at month 14 if it's a standard 2 year contract), it is unlikely that his fee can be prorated.

[RingsMaster]

ive been with t-mobile since they were voicestream so basically 10 years. they pretty much give me whatever i want which is nice when i want to new phone but my contract isnt up lol. honestly the best way to do it is call there corporate office and talk to them they usually work with you to fix everything, most of the time you come out happy or at least you dont feel like you just bent over lol

[liquidglass]

Sort of true. However, I know for a fact both AT&T and Sprint deduct $5 after the first 5 months of service. So check into it.

You're correct, I believe Verizon did at one point too. T-Mobile no longer does it that way though. The fee is only prorated after 18 months with T-Mobile. Because he has 10 months left on his contract (putting him at month 14 if it's a standard 2 year contract), it is unlikely that his fee can be prorated.

Appreciate the new info!


Well then I'd suggest either just eating the cost which isn't that bad overall if you think about it or doing the cell trade thing.

[garykainz]

there is one thing you can do.

my wife was on sprint for a while, but after having to basically do their job for them (there was something wrong with EVERY SINGLE bill she got. they always fixed it, but it got to be to much of a hassle) she got fed up and wanted to switch.

so we poked around and found that they have to cancel for you with out the fee if you're moving to a place where they don't have coverage. for example, she told them she was moving (back, since its where she's from) to ecuador, where sprint obviously doesn't have coverage.

they asked for proof (the down side) which she provided (a copy of her license) and viola!

if you can figure out where tmobile doesn't have coverage and find a way to get "proof" (an address, documentation, etc...) you can get out of it.

it's possible! best of luck

[srawas89]

yea u can do what gary said. I know a family friend wanted out of a contract so he said he was moving ot liberia or some place where they had no service and they said ok cya. They didnt ask for proof or anything but than again that was a good 6 yrs ago i would say.

IF you do have a license or address in a country that does not have coverage you can easily provide documentation.

HOpe everything works out

[RingsMaster]

go to the store and yell at them for crappy service and how your phone doesnt get the service you pay for and tell them that they are basically screwing you for money, how they are cheaters of an earnest mans money and ect ect, just saw i guy do it today when i went to get a new phone. worked for him maybe it will work for you, worth a shot

[liquidglass]

another thing you can look into is suspending your line. Which I know you can do with Sprint or AT&T, but not many people realize it. It basically puts your plan on hold without canceling the contract. It's normally a feature built in for when people get deployed or have business trips they wont' be able to use their line for. It'd save you 200 bucks and you wouldn't have to pay for the plan if Tmobile does the same as everyone else in that area.

[Sonthert]

California's Supreme Court found Early Termination Fees to be unconstitutional. I heard that they were going to prorated fees, but I don;t the specifics. If they did abolish them, perhaps you can threaten to sue them?

[Sonthert]

California's Supreme Court found Early Termination Fees to be unconstitutional. I heard that they were going to prorated fees, but I don't know the specifics. If they did abolish them, perhaps you can threaten to sue them?