[whatleydude]

Hi folks,

Ok - as most of you probably know - I'll be upgrading to the N70 in a matter of weeks.. This, is fine. I know where I am, what Network I'm with and what phone I'm getting.

What I don't know however, is what contract to get.

I've been flickin through the Vodafone Catalogue (that's who I'm with) and well - the offers are good.. But they all seem to be offered with 18mth contracts only.

Stop The Clock, Half Price Line Rental for 6 months.. the list goes on.

Stop the Clock is great value for money. As are the other promotions.
But if I sign up to an 18mth contract that means I can't really get a free upgrade until 16mths later.

I've always had 12mth contracts and I've got very used to upgrading every ten months.

What do you think?

Save money with Stop the Clock?
or
Keep going as I am and upgrade again in 10mths, ( not 16! ) ?




..thanks for reading.

[Ben]

Thread moved to General 3G discussion.

Well, I'm going to say on principal that you should stick to 12 month contracts if that's what you want. I don't agree with 18 month contracts but Vodafone are making it very clear that it's the way they want to go.

Will you definitely not be able to upgrade (for free or as-good-as) after 10 months on an 18 month contract?

It's also worth asking yourself how long your average phonecall normally is. Vodafone offer Stop the Clock because the vast majority of phonecalls are under 3 minutes. Also consider the times of day and time of the week when you normally make calls.

See what they'll offer you on 12 months - I'm sure they'll want to keep you as a customer!

[Hands0n]

Unless there is a compelling reason to go for a particular contract my advice is to stick with the 12-month contract. If enough people resist the 18-month'ers then the mobile ops may well go back to the 12-month as a standard offering. Otherwise I can forecast that the 12-month contract will disappear "through customer demand for the 18-month contract". Remember, you read it here :)

STC is an excellent promotion, and I am able to make good use of it out of business hours. I have it on a Vodafone PAYT and it is marvelous value to be able to talk for the next 57 mins effectively free. But the PAYT never gets used during prime time!

In the end, your own usage patterns should be used as a guide as to which way to go. Now I reckon that you're a bit of an "upgrade junkie" [like me and several others here] so maybe the 18-month would be six months too long for you? :D

[3GScottishUser]

I suspect it all depends on what handset you choose and whether you will be content with it for the contract duration.

I could understand a problem with an 18 month deal with an NEC or LG handset but not with the likes of a Nokia 6680/N70 or Samsung Z500. I have the latter and I dont think I'll be too bothered about keeping that until Dec 2006 as it seem to do just about everything i need presently and has some room to grow into. I could also get another toy by taking out a 'cheapie' contract with tons of cashback if needs be, but I doubt if that will necessary.

For my money the network reliability I now have is worth the charge and the 'stop the clock' option makes the deal pretty sweet. I am already saving £6/month as I no longer have to subscribe to a BT off-peak landline inclusive deal. Work out the sums and bearing in mind the above the 18 month deal seems to offer some real benefits.

[whatleydude]

Thanks folks.

I really appreciate your opinions.

I still don't know what I'm going to do.
The Wife wants me to think economically (18mth contract w/STC)
But Handson is correct in his "Techno Junkie" suspicion.. (16mths without an upgrade?! AAARGH!)

I dunno..

One thing is for sure - I'll definitely follow Ben's advice and see what they can offer me on a 12mth contract.. I mean - my monthly spend is often into treble figures and I've been with them for newarly 10yrs..

So maybe they'll make a concession for me?!
We'll see.

Thanks again for your help and opinions.
I'll keep checking back in case anyone else has anything to offer.
:)

[whatleydude]

Hey folks,

I've just got off the phone to Vodafone:

They've offered me an N70 with:

500 Anytime/Any Network Mins,
Plus their £40 worth of Texts & Data Bundle,
50mins Video Calls,
And Stop the Clock on an 18mth contract for £74pcm.
Handset price: £50.

They've offered the same thing minus the STC on a 12mth contract too.

What do you think?

[3GScottishUser]

The text and data bundle seems to go further than you think. I have the £14 bundle and have been using the Samsung as a modem and no charges have yet appeared.

STC is a great deal. It might be worth looking at a lower tariff (no of minutes) if your usage pattern means you use the phone after 7PM and at weekends. Even paying a little more for the handset might be worthwhile as the saving over 18 months could make it viable.

Vodafone's network is certainly worth a premium, it is a pleasure and delight to use, on-line billing etc is pretty good too.

[whatleydude]

Thanks for all the advice folks.

I plumped for the 12mth contract in the end.
STC is a great deal but I don't tend to go over my allocated mins each month anyway - and if I do its normally only by about 10 or 15 or so.

Plus - being a bit of an upgrade junkie, the thought of waiting 16mths for a new phone is just too much to bear thinking about.. lol.

Thanks again dudes.