"How can a mobile phone company increase my contract price?" This is one of the most common questions, an owner of a smart phone is faced with. Smart phones have come a long way in a very short period of time. It seems that every six months or so, a new device is introduced to the market. Manufacturers are trying to create new and exciting features for their devices, while also introducing better technology to keep up with the competition. As a result, many companies are left wondering how they can possibly continue to provide services at current prices.
The short answer is: "It depends." There is no single formula that will apply to all companies. In fact, there are so many variables involved that only a true expert will be able to tell you what will happen next time around. In general, the two things that tend to affect contract prices are the number of years left on the contract and the number of minutes left on the plan. Many phone providers try to increase the contract price by reducing the number of years left on the deal or increasing the number of minutes included in the plan.
Sometimes they can successfully sell you an extra year on your contract, but in the end, you may find that your contract is a lot shorter than you originally thought it was going to be. This happens because each provider plans on selling enough units to make their money back. With fewer users, the company doesn't make as much money off of each handset sold, so the phones they buy tend to have fewer features. Plus, most consumers aren't interested in buying a brand-new handset when they get an extra year added onto the contract. So in the end, you don't get the extra year that you thought you were getting, but instead have to accept less than you originally had.
In addition to wanting to save money, some people just want to take an extra year off of their contract. This is actually good for you and the company, because it means you can go longer between contracts, meaning you won't have to sell a new handset and get another one installed. This allows you to use up all the minutes that you're going to need before your contract expires. In most cases, you won't get an extra year off of your contract price, but it never hurts to ask.
Most providers have different plans available and some are better than others. A common complaint among consumers is that they don't always get an extra year, which means they have to cancel their current plan and move to a new one, or move to a cheaper phone. Sometimes you can negotiate an extension with the phone company, but it's not always easy. There are professionals that can do this for you.
A lot of companies have a certain amount of "unlimited minutes" available to you, so there's no reason why you can't make a claim for an extra year on your contract. Usually, the price increase is in the area of five percent. This means if you have three hundred thousand minutes, you'll have to pay ten percent more for the same service. Sometimes you can negotiate an even lower price depending on your current contract. If you're not satisfied with the price that is charged to you though, you can always go online and look for other options.
You can also ask your phone company about network roaming. Often, your contract will specify a set number of miles that your phone can call on. If you travel a lot, you may find yourself out of contract in a place without a signal. Your phone company may be able to give you a roaming discount, or put you on a special plan that will let you use your mobile when traveling within certain areas. You may be able to roll your service so that you get free talk time wherever you go, without having to pay extra for it.
As you can see, there are quite a few things that you can do to avoid your mobile phone provider from increasing your contract price. Try asking directly about things like contract length or network roaming. Don't sign up for anything until you've read every word and checked on the internet. It's never to early to start making phone changes, especially with an already established relationship with a mobile phone company. The longer you hold a contract, the more likely you are to get better rates and more benefits. So get the best deal you can by shopping around.