Page 1 of 12 months free line rental 200xnet mins + choice of phones

OVP T-Mobile Relax 200 @ www.talkworldonline.co.uk

Nokia 3510i: FREE handset
(link down)

SE T610: FREE handset
www.talkworldonline.co.uk/phone_tariffs.cfm?phoneid=265&networkid=3&price_plan=monthly&tariffid=436

Nokia 6610: £19.99
www.talkworldonline.co.uk/phone_tariffs.cfm?phoneid=341&networkid=3&price_plan=monthly&tariffid=436

Orange SPV C500: £39.99
www.talkworldonline.co.uk/phone_tariffs.cfm?phoneid=355&networkid=3&price_plan=monthly&tariffid=436

But while it does say "free" at the top of the advert for the T610, the monthly rental is a high £32 pounds per month (£384 per year), yet the cash back is only £234 pounds. There is a missing £150 somewhere......

Any ideas?

It`s a strange one indeed. The first 3 months, you get half price line rental
=£48

the next 3 months, you pay the full whack:-
=£96

..then you switch to the cheapest tariff, £15 per month, for the remainder of the year
=£90

---

£234

It`s a trick that I`ve used before, as the cashbacks and kickbacks are based on the original tariff, whereas you`re only tied to it at the beginning. However, I`ve never seen a retailer advocating it before!

Sandy

Certainly the sums make sense, although I couldn`t see the half-price first three months for this phone.

I suppose the sting in the tail is partly with the risk of them going under, but also with their terms and conditions, which allow them to debit you if you move tarrifs before 180 days, or leave before twelve months, or charge you £250 if you fall behind with payment - and you authorise these charges when you take out the contract! :o :/

"For Monthly contract phones on the Vodafone, O2, Orange and T-Mobile networks your contract will be directly with the network. All tariffs on Pay Monthly are subject to a 12 month subscription. Whilst customers can change tariffs throughout the term of the agreement, at the discretion of the relevant network, you should be aware that any any tariff changes before this period are subject to additional charges from Talkworld Online Ltd. To be specific, if, within the first 180 days of the contract, a customer changes their tariff, then they will become liable to pay Talkworld Online Ltd for any loss of commission incurred from the change of tariff. Talkworld Online Ltd will have the right to charge to your credit/debit card for these additional costs, and by purchasing from us, you give Talkworld Online Ltd explicit authorisation for such payments to be taken in the event of a tariff change."

and

"If for any reason, payments on your airtime agreement are not kept up to date, you decide to disconnect before the contractual 12 month period or if your account suffers from any adverse financial difficulties where the airtime provider deems fit to bar your account, Talkworld Online Ltd will have the right to charge to your credit card a sum of least £250 (can be more) for each phone, and by purchasing from us, you give Talkworld Online Ltd explicit authorisation for such payments to be taken ..."

ive never used the company before so i cant vouch for them.

I suppose it is the thing about reading the small print (on click through links!) and then going into the contract with your eyes wide open.

Getting the Cashback refund is also very tricky - it is not automatic - it has to be claimed within specific limits with specified documentation.

"To redeem the "Cash Back" amount, you must send the claim form along with a copy of your sixth monthly airtime bill to us within 30 days of receiving your sixth bill"

Note that it says "copy" and not original of the sixth monthly airtime bill - don`t send the original..... It doesn`t match the terms and conditions and it may get sent back and you get no refund.

If your documents are not entirely correct and/or get sent back for extra bits of paper, you could well miss the time limits and you could be rejected and end up paying thirty two quid a month for this contract. Worse still, if the network refused to let you change tariff, you`d pay the £32 for all 12 months.....

Some of their "contract" may possibly be on the wrong side of the Unfair Contract Terms Act in certain circumstances, but if they go bust, your phone contract is with O2/orange/vodaphone/whoever and they aren`t liable - they will still seek the £32 a month....

This item was edited on Wednesday, 23rd February 2005, 20:50