What are my options? What would you do?

[Anonymous]

So a little background.

I am a year into what I belive was a two year contract for O2 4G wifi deal. That is a 40gb data allowance with a wifi dongle. I live in the remote contry side and there was no normal broadband available. O2 did get a weak 4G signal but to be honest it's been fine for general browsing.

I am now moving back to normality and the home I'm moving to has normal broadband and fibre available. I wanted to what the best thing to do is. I pay monthly for the contract and £3 for the device/dongle.

I see my options being:

1) Keep the dongle for the remainder of the contract and pay as normal. I might not use the device when I get normal broadband again but at least I have it if I go away somewhere. I'd still have to pay £28 a month though.

2) Write to o2 and cancel and pay whatever exit fees. This may end up costing the same as keeping it.

3) Ask O2 what if anything they can offer that I could swap to. For instance could I use O2 as my home broadband privider at my new home. I don't mind taking out a new contract if they will drop the exit fees on my current contract. (Do they even do normal broadband for houses?)

4) Ask friends or family if they could use 4g mobile broadband and let someone else use it and hopefully pay me something to offset the monthly cost.

That's the options I think I have, I'd really appreciate any advice. The 40gb data allowance has always been too litle for my family and most months we run out of data, so I'd really love to be back on a normal broadband with no data caps.

Thanks in advance.

[MI5]

You can do any of the above options apart from switching to o2 broadband as they don't do it anymore.
Staying as you are or cancelling will cost the same so your cheapest option is selling it on to a family member to use for the remainder of the contract.

[Wa10 · Accepted solution]

If it's an O2 Refresh contract, which the fact that you've quoted a separate monthly amount for the airtime and device suggests it is, then it wouldn't necessarily cost the same to cancel early as it would do to carry on paying each month - as with Refresh you only have to settle the device plan in full and give 1 months notice to end your airtime without penalty.

If the device only costs £3 per month, then potentially even if you'd only just taken the contract out, it would only cost £72 to pay off the device and you'd then be free to cancel the contract.

Give the re-contracts/cancellations guys a call - if you've got an O2 phone then just dial 202 and choose the option for thinking of leaving, or ask the CS advisor to pop you through. 

That said, a dongle can be a useful tool when out and about, so it may be worth considering settling the device plan and then looking at reducing your tariff (which you are free to do once the device is paid off) but keeping it active. 

[MI5]

Good point. I missed the refresh reference.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the replies. Just called them and it is a refresh deal so only £51 to pay off on the device and then I can cancel.

Really is such a relief (it would have been another £470 to keep paying till the end). And instead of a resentful feeling towards o2, which would in no way be justified seeing as i agreed to the contract, but you know 😄, they now will be my first call when my mobile contact is up soon.

Refresh is such a change from what I'm used to with mobile companies.

[MI5]

Good to hear

[jonsie]

Refresh is of real benefit to people who like to change devices before the two year length of the contract or whose circumstances change. Two years could be a long time with no get-out option. 

[Martin-O2]

Great work @Wa10, @MI5, @jonsie! @Anonymous I'm glad to hear that you got a satisfactory resolution to your issue