Yes, you can now buy the iPhone from T-Mobile UK’s web site.
Still moving away from them in December and moving to O2 or possibly even Vodafone..
Tag: T-Mobile
T-Mobile UK: no early upgrade to iPhone. You must cancel contract and start from scratch.
Posted by – July 20, 2010
Regarding my earlier post about upgrading mid-contract to an iPhone (4 or 3GS), what the T-Mobile UK operator was telling me at the time (and also neglected to pass on the full details) was that I would have to completely terminate my existing contract, including my current phone number, and start entirely from scratch.
I have now been told that it is not possible to do early upgrades on T-Mobile to the iPhone due to the cost of the handsets. Normally you’d be able to upgrade your phone early (presumably without penalty) three months prior to your contract renewal. I’ve been told I could do this in November as my contract renewal is, apparently, due in December 2010.
What?!
I have now been told that my contract runs out in December 2010, not March 2011 as mentioned on the web site, not June 2011 as mentioned by the operator last week.
I’m not blaming the operators here, I don’t think they’re at fault as such. If anything it’s a complete lack of training and new upgrade policy regarding the iPhone. And everybody seems to be confused – least of all me.
I will most certainly be writing to T-Mobile customer service now and asking them, in writing, my exact date of contract expiry because I will will most definitely be cancelling and moving to another operator come December this year. I’m not surprised T-Mobile hasn’t had the iPhone yet – it seems absolutely incompetent as to what it’s going to do with them and is not going to be rewarding or helping long term customers as a consequence. If you’re thinking of T-Mobile as a new customer and wanting a iPhone – pick O2,3 or Vodaphone instead. Anyone else but T-Mobile.
Update: going back and tagging some of these posts, I’ve discovered that I last renewed in December 2009. This should mean that I am due for an early renewal in March. But I have no idea what that means as to cancelling the contract itself. The operator I spoke to today was most insistent that I could renew in November. I am still very confused and I don’t have anything in writing other than what’s on the T-Mobile web site as to what package and what my renewal options come into play. Argh.
This week, I’m hoping to get an iPhone 3GS – not the iPhone 4 – from T-Mobile..
Posted by – July 19, 2010
Update: Oh no I’m not! T-Mobile FAIL – see all posts relating to T-Mobile – click on link below article to get ‘em.
I’m caving in (I’m doing that a lot lately..) and, missus permitting, will hopefully selling my soul to T-Mobile for another two years in order to get a free iPhone 3GS 8Gb. I made the decision on the following accounts:
- Unlocked iPhone 4 (16Gb) is £499 direct from Apple, £189 from T-Mobile
- Unlocked iPhone 3GS is £419 direct from Apple, Free from T-Mobile
- iPhone 4 has a design flaw that requires Apple to give away free cases, and potentially dodgy gyro issues
- iPhone 3GS has been out a year – has been tried and tested, and most people I know are very happy with it
- iPhone 3GS runs iOS 4.x
- iPhone 3GS may have 8Gb storage, but I have a iPod Touch (3rd) gen with 64Gb for heavy multimedia doodads
- No need for 5 megapixel camera, 720p video (colour reproduction is meant to be quite a bit out from reviews I’ve been reading anyway), Facetime or even the higher resolution screen. I’m perfectly happy with the iPod Touch’s res.
- iPhone 4 is expensive for what it is
- iPhone 3GS is now being offered as the best ever value for money iPhone under contract
I’m happy to skip a generation of iPhone while Apple fix the iPhone 4 with new hardware – and providing T-Mobile would allow me to upgrade to the iPhone X as and when I am at a reasonable point in my contract to do so (and barring any further design faux pas) and at a reasonable price, I’d be happy to commit the two years with them and the cost of buying out my existing contract (£148 from what I’ve been told last week). An iPhone for £148? Bargin in my opinion.
Want to upgrade to iPhone on T-Mobile UK in mid-contract? It’ll cost you..
Posted by – July 14, 2010
Update (22nd July 2010): Cancelling contract in December 2010. Apparently T-Mobile mucked up my renewal last year and put me down for 12 months rather than 18. To my favour, yes – but it’s clearly confused T-Mobile operators and myself. To make matters worse, a cancellation I put in last month for mobile broadband was not actioned and consequently I still had the service enabled and will have to pay another month’s use. This gives T-Mobile a tiny loan in which they can make interest from the additional payment until they credit my account next month. This, along with draconian upgrade policies to the iPhone, have convinced me that T-Mobile are not serious about supporting the platform whereas their competitors who have been working with the iPhone much longer have better upgrade policies as well as price plans.
Since T-Mobile are being somewhat coy as to the availability of the iPhone 4/iPhone 3GS, I decided to give them a call. Apparently the availability will be sometime this month – but no date has been announced. From the sounds of things it may be as early as next week.
As I am on a 18 month contract with them I asked if I could upgrade in mid-contract to an iPhone and extend my contract from March 2011 for another two years (therefore I’d be tied to them until March 2013 which would see me stay with T-Mobile for an impressive eight years which in the telecoms game isn’t too shabby). In short: no. Apparently my account on the t-mobile.co.uk web site is wrong. My contract is due to expire in June of next year – not March. As I have not had any written confirmation of my contract when I renewed last year this is something that’s a bit difficult to prove either way. I go by the web site as I assume it is accurate. Well, apparently it isn’t.
In order for me to upgrade to the iPhone 4 or 3GS (which is free on the majority of plans) it would cost me the remainder of my contract and then committing to another two years to be able to get the iPhone. Apparently the operator said that he could override the system and move the contract date back to December this year and I’d only have to pay 5 months to release me from the current contract – £148 I was told.
It’s not exactly a terrible price for an iPhone 4 to pay given how much an unlocked 16Mb model would cost, but it’s still quite a bit pricey and you’re still locked into a two year contract. The other providers are much cheaper in comparison on brand new contracts. If T-Mobile is able to amend my contract and override the system, why don’t they offer me the phone at cost and just extend the contract as from next year. They’d keep me as a customer muh longer and make more money from me in the long wrong. I can’t see the logic as it is.
I really don’t think I’ll be renewing my T-Mobile contract next year now, and I’ll also be writing to customer services to complain about the accuracy of the web site – possibly CC’ing trading standards to ensure that T-Mobile are kept in check.
So .. the iPhone 4 is now here..
Posted by – June 24, 2010
And the queues are forming all around Apple Stores throughout the land. No wonder it’s called the Jesus Phone. But then again, I just went on Apple’s UK web site, saw the prices for the unlocked phone and exclaimed, “Jesus! HOW MUCH?!”. Yes..
I’m still hoping that T-Mobile can pull the rabbit out of the hat, but then again, given my experience with them just trying to upgrade an Android phone I am not expecting miracles from them in terms of pricing/extending existing contract.
T-Mobile UK: PhonesNot4U
Posted by – June 17, 2010
Having been persuaded by the PTB (i.e. my wife) that I do not need an iPhone (looks like the starving masses are desperate to get their hands on one and as such, Apple have moved back the date people are due to get them – screw that, it’s an Apple smartphone – not the second coming of the Great Prophet Zarquon), I had then considered going back to the HTC Android platform and thought about getting the successor to the Nexus One, the HTC Desire. So I decided to call T-Mobile UK. As I’d ironically forgotten to bring in my mobile, I had to call on their free 0800 number from the landline. It’s practically entirely automated and does not give you the option to speak to an advisor unless you repeatedly stab the * key hundreds of times. For a telecoms company, T-Mobile doesn’t want to talk to you.
After being cut off after choosing the wrong option, I called back and did the repeated * key pressing trick. I was then taken through to a real live human being not in the Philippines/India and explained that although I was eight months away from renewal, I’d still like to see about getting the HTC Desire. Apparently they don’t sell phones at trade prices anymore (they DID back when I lost my C905 and looked into replacing it with a Nokia E71) and was told that I should look at the Carphone Warehouse instead.
So, pray tell, what the hell are T-Mobile going to do when the iPhone 4 is released on their network? They won’t sell you a phone (given away free on most of their plans) in mid-term, but they’ll probably let you pay a reasonable sum AND lock you further in for another 2 years if you buy the iPhone. Hypocrites. So if you lost your phone (or have had it stolen) and wanted to buy a new one – forget about going to T-Mobile for a replacement as they won’t want to hear it.
T-Mobile have a decent enough network, but I can’t stand their customer service. They’re going the way of Orange, literally, and having been mis-sold a contract by one of Orange’s agents I can’t see myself staying with T-Mobile in March 2011. Time to think of Vodaphone or O2. I hate fighting T-Mobile – the last time was when I renewed my contract for 18 months when I got the LG Viewty. The Viewty had a battery life of a gnat and it went into repair 2 or 3 times before I told T-Mobile I wanted a replacement or release from their contract. They refused. I wrote to their customer services about this and got a call saying that they were not responsible for the phone. But they gave me the phone on the condition of being tied into a contract and the phone was not suitable for the purpose of which it was chosen. As a “goodwill gesture” they allowed me to switch to the SE C905. If they hadn’t, I would have taken the issue through trading standards.
Oh, and as I’ve had mobile broadband with T-Mobile for two years apparently I have to give a DEAD ON 30 days notice. I can’t give 31 days notice, or a 45 days notice and accept I have to pay until then – no, I have to call them dead on the 30 day deadline and cancel.
Update (27/06/2010): Have called them to cancel mobile broadband (which is now on PAYG, which could be handy). Have heavily hinted at interest in iPhone 4, although nothing escaped T-Mobile compound as to when or if I am even eligible to get one. Drat and curses! Hoping they might get a reprieve, otherwise come March 2011 it’s off to Vodaphone via work contract. P.S. – the missus likes the iPhone, so things have improved on that front..
