#phone contract

A lot of people write up a phone contract with their tweens.  Here’s mine:

To My 11-Year Old, an iPhone Contract From Your Dad, With Love and Rules

Congratulations!  You are the recipient of a new iPhone.  It has ruined my life and it will ruin yours.  There will be moments of joy, however.  

I didn’t mean to start off negatively.  It’s just…hard.  This is a contract to help you understand the rules that will hopefully keep you a happy and healthy digital citizen!  

IT IS MY PHONE.  I mean, I have my own phone, so I won't ask for yours back.  I bought it for you, so in that sense it is *your* phone.  I also bought the clothes you wear and the food you eat and I never ask for any of that back.  Yes, sometimes I eat whatever you leave on your plate because I can't help myself.  It's a problem outside of the scope of our current phone contract, but I'll try to do better.  

ALWAYS ANSWER WHEN YOUR MOTHER OR I CALL.  Yes, I know that I nearly always send Nana and Papa’s calls to voicemail.  But that is because I am often busy when they call.  I still love them a lot, it's just that I can’t always talk when they call.  We have a different relationship though, right?

TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT.  And just like I don’t expect to buy a new bed for you each year, I won’t be buying you a new phone each year.  Oh sure, bed companies would have you believe that every year you need the newest bed technology; but I’m not going to pad Big Bed’s pockets every time they introduce some new bell or whistle or some kind of down pillow top.  Of course, at some point these new beds stop working suddenly, suspiciously around the time new bed operating systems come out.  You really can’t win.

I HAVE ACCESS TO IT.  I must have the password to your phone so I can access it at any time.  Make it something easy to remember so I don’t have to reset it all the time like I always have to do on mine.  Eventually, I will want you to have a hard-to-hack password - maybe I’ll even have to buy you a password manager.  I mean, that’s how they get you - could be that the people selling password manager apps are the same people hacking those who don’t use them!  Wouldn’t that be a thing?  These are just the sorts of things that you were blissfully unaware of, pre-phone.

SOMETIMES WE'LL HAVE TECHNOLOGY FREE ACTIVITIES.  Now that you're going on the grid, it's important to make sure you have time off the grid.  Yes, I'm putting you on the grid and asking you to get off the grid.  You'll see!

NO USING YOUR PHONE AFTER 9PM.  Hoo boy, do I wish I had someone to tell me that rule.  I can’t tell you the number of times that I’ve worked myself into a lather by checking Twitter right before bed.  I tell myself to read a book, but do I listen?  No.  And in the morning, what’s the first thing I do?  Check Twitter and see what kind of madness is erupting in the news.  All this before coffee!  Why do I do it?  And the weekend - want a guaranteed way to ruin your weekend?  Go ahead and check your phone - there's bound to be some work drama you need to deal with on your "day off."

NO SOCIAL MEDIA.  Speaking of Twitter, we’re not letting you join any social networks without our approval.  That includes Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and any others they come up with.  Trust me, once you get on these things you’ll wonder why the hell your great joke was only “liked” once and meanwhile some friend who isn’t nearly as funny has over 10,000 followers.  It’s maddening.  And Facebook?  Do you like having strong political opinions get nitpicked until you don’t care anymore?  Do you like Game of Thrones spoilers?  Do you like finding out someone you went to high school with is now a total racist?  Okay, I know you’re only going into middle school - but take a look at your current friends and you’ll be pretty surprised which ones of them become lunatics later in life.

IF IT BREAKS, WE MIGHT NOT REPLACE IT RIGHT AWAY.  But honestly we’d be doing you a favor.

When you sign up for a new mobile phone plan, you expect a fair deal. But what if your phone contract is stacked against you? Unfair phone contracts are more common than you think, and they can leave customers feeling trapped, frustrated, or out-of-pocket. If you’re wondering what happens if your phone contract is unfair, this comprehensive guide will give you the answers you need.

This situation happened with my husband and me, and I feel it's not an uncommon problem no matter which carrier you were using.

BACKGROUND: We switched from Verizon to T-Mobile. The manager at the store we went to baited and switched us so we cancelled our contract within 20 days or so of starting it (There were a few other resons, but that was the most significant one). We returned our phones in the original boxes with all the accessories included. We did everything on our end to end our contract and we ported our phone numbers over to a different carrier.

Then, we started getting bills from T-Mobile saying we had a credit. We called them to try and get that credit paid out to us, but they told us we had to go in person to the store to get that money. We didn't want to make that trip for a few reasons, half of them personal, half of them practical. Each time we tried to deal with customer service, the person we would speak to always had a script and wasn't deviating from it to save their life. Sound familiar?

Then, two whole years after canceling the contract, we got a notice last March that T-Mobile wanted ~$130 from us or they would contact a debt collection agency. I tried working with the T-Mobile helpdesk on Twitter to get to the bottom of this, but they claimed they couldn't access my account until I verified my number with them. That felt like a red flag to me and I refused to. Instead I did some digging to find out how legitimate this threat was and how to counteract it. Then I found the FCC (Federal Communications Commission)

Their man goal is to make sure you as a consumer are being treated fairly by your carrier, whether it be phone, internet, cable, or otherwise.

Here is the link that will help you: https://consumercomplaints.fcc.gov/hc/en-us

Submit the evidence you have. I submitted my account number, pictures of the conversations with the help desk, and a picture of the notice T-Mobile sent along with the information the FCC needed in the form. The FCC will contact you to let you know they're looking into the matter. If your former carrier doesn't contact you to resolve your issue, they will face hefty fines from the FCC. I received one last bill that I paid because that bill was for a SIM card my husband was using in his iPad that we had forgotten about. That also included the cancellation fee for that SIM card. It was less than half of what they were asking from us when they were issuing the debt collection notice.

So if you're ever caught like this, send your information to the FCC. It's 100% free to submit a complaint and it can resolve an issue that you may not have the time or resources to solve yourself.

Update:

They have refunded the check I sent along with a letter that basically says “we did nothing wrong and because we did nothing wrong, we’re sending the credit that was on your account when you canceled your contract with us that we’ve been keeping for two years.”

Finding a Phone Contract with No Upfront Cost

Renewing a phone contract can be pretty stressful as many factors come into play. First, you need to choose between an overwhelming number of providers, compare their rates and consider the additional perks they may be offering, among other features.

Comparison websites like Compare My Mobile make it easy for users to compare contract deals. They provide an overview of what the dealer offers,…

After feedback from David, he suggested adding more of a link to phone contracts in the scenario.

Simple Tips for Saving Money on Your Phone Contract Buying a mobile phone can be an expensive venture. It is even more costly if you sign a contract covering the cost of the phone. Although you do not need to pay upfront, the total cost of the phone ownership can be astonishing. Choosing a low-cost tariff and later using more than your monthly limits can elevate the prices too. Here are tips on…