# Best/cheap way to cancel cell contract?



## bean438 (Jul 18, 2009)

Not sure if this was the right forum but....

I have 2 cell phone plans. They have different features but are the same monthly fee. (40). 

I am now divorced and do not need the second phone. 

There are 2 years left on each contract with Telus. 

So what are my options? What I understand so far is:

1. I can buy out 24 mths on the contract @20 per month. 

2. I can drop the data portion and opt for a 15-20 rate plan and give the phone to my parents. (More money than option 1 but less than what I pay now. 

3. Not verified but I heard I can go "inactive" @15 per month for the duration with no access fee. 

Do I hav any other alternatives?

I will contact Telus customer retention and propose to cancel 1-2 years off one contract and add it to my plan. Would this work?

I know when I renewed with Telus they bent over to keep me as a customer. 

I understand I signed a 3 year deal for the cheap phone but I am trying to figure out my best plan of attack here would be. 

I welcome all suggestions.


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## Dr_V (Oct 27, 2009)

bean438 said:


> I welcome all suggestions.


http://www.cellout.ca/Faq.php


(Disclaimer: Although I work in the semiconductor industry, I really am a neophyte when it comes to cellphones. I don't use one, I don't carry one, and have never used the above service... _caveat emptor_ I guess.  )


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## CanadianCapitalist (Mar 31, 2009)

Call Telus and ask about your options. I have pre-paid phones, so I'm unfamiliar with what to do with a contract.


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## OhGreatGuru (May 24, 2009)

As others have suggested:
1. Talk to Telus; and 
2. Look into Cellout (and Telus) to see if someone can buy your plan from you.

It's likely too late now, but if you had a 2nd cell phone plan because you were married, this should have been included in the financial negotiations over your divorce settlement. Your spouse might have taken over one of the plans, or been required to compensate you for getting out of the contract.


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## bean438 (Jul 18, 2009)

Too late to negotiate settlment with the ex. 
I will try Telus. Hopefully they will let me combine plans or something. 

I signed a contract and I don't mind paying I would rather tack 2 more years onto my plan rather than pay for something I don't need. 

Either way Telus still gets their money in the end.


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## avocado (Nov 22, 2009)

> 3. Not verified but I heard I can go "inactive" @15 per month for the duration with no access fee.


Doing this extends the existing contract by the number of months you inactivate it (this is a good option if you are experiencing short-term financial stress or will be out of town for an extended period.) You must have a regular-priced plan for the duration of the contract to fulfil it.

I'm not sure if they have the capability to extend your current contract to 4 years (I would expect their systems are not built to do this, since 3 years is the typical max.) 

Your best option is to try to find someone to take over the contract. You can sweeten the pot by offering $100 or so (you still come out well ahead.) Good luck!


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

I believe you can tell them to cancel it entirely and they charge you $200 to cancel your contract


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## bean438 (Jul 18, 2009)

Berubeland, Telus is 20/month to cancel with no cap, but I believe Bell has a cap of 200.


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## FrugalTrader (Oct 13, 2008)

As other have mentioned, I would:

1. Contact Telus to see what they can do for a regular customer like yourself.
2. Post on classifeds (or other) to see if anyone is interested in taking over your contract.


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## cmackie (Nov 22, 2009)

When I moved away from the country a few years ago, Rogers let me cancel my contract at no cost. I don't know if they still allow that though.


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## avocado (Nov 22, 2009)

bean438 said:


> Berubeland, Telus is 20/month to cancel with no cap, but I believe Bell has a cap of 200.


Telus used to be 200 also. I think all the big cell companies changed to the $20/mo policy a while ago. The free or subsidized phones cost them so much more these days than they used to (as much as $600 for some smartphones), so they need to guarantee breaking even. 

I'm not sure about moving and how that affects your contract. Doesn't hurt to ask.


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## Berubeland (Sep 6, 2009)

http://www.telusmobility.com/en/ON/Billing/changerateplan.shtml

Cancelling your service
If you choose to terminate your service before the end of your contract term, you will be required to pay (as liquidated damages and not as a penalty) a cancellation charge in addition to all other amounts you owe on your bill.

The cancellation charge will be the greater of:

1. $20 multiplied by the number of months remaining in the contract term, or
2. $100

If you subscribe to a data service with an email feature and cancel that service within the first 12 months of a 36 month contract term, an additional cancellation charge of $100 will apply.

Cancellation charges must be paid whether the service is terminated by TELUS or you.

If you are not on a contract term with us, there is no cancellation fee.


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## Mockingbird (Apr 29, 2009)

Or you can wait till there is a "contract change" from the service provider.

Cellphone users get to reject contract changes


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## bean438 (Jul 18, 2009)

Looks like I am SOL with the cell contract. Telus couldn't wrap their heads around a blending or merging of 2 contracts. They said a contract couldnt be changed, except to change your rate plan.

SO, for now I dropped the data off the phone, saving me 20 + tax per month.

It is 20 per month to but it out, so 480 bucks. They said no tax.

So I will just pay the 20 per month + 7.2 access fee. This will cost me 251 more over the next 2 years than if I just buy it out right.

Moral of the story, dont sign a 3 year deal and then get divorced!


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## dauphin (Apr 4, 2009)

I used to live in the States and found a website called CelltradeUSA. It allowed people to get out of their contract by giving it to other people. I found similar websites when I came back to Canada. These may take a long time if nobody wants your plan/incentives that you give them, but it may be worth a shot. I can't remember which Canadian sites I've seen, but I'm sure they can be googled.


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## bean438 (Jul 18, 2009)

I just got an email from Telus saying they are raising the local/long distance overage charge by 5 cents a minute. Is this considered a material change tio my contract?

I cant see this working. Telus let me drop the data off one phone, saving me 20 per month, now I am allowed to cancel over 5 cents, that i have never actually been charged.

Has anyone actually done this?
I am refering to Mockingbirds link.


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## Y&T2010 (Dec 29, 2009)

Here's an idea that hasn't been suggested yet..

You can sell your contract (e.g. on craigslist) and pay to transfer it to another person.

I remember back in the day CityFido was a hot commodity and people regularly sold their contracts then.

Check out Howard Forums, they have a lot of good information for cell phone contracts/ strategies.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

AND for future, don't sign up for new cell phones!

Folks, cell phones are a luxury item. Unless you need your phone to work as fire, police or ambulance (most of which have their own radio systems) there is no reason the average person needs to have one of these devices. They are costly and empty your pockets and fill theirs. All so people don't have to wait until they get home or to work to place their calls.

These are a creature of the past 10-12 years. By not having such a device, I have saved approx $50 per month x 12 months x 12 years. That's $7200. Far better in my pocket than theirs. I'll place my calls in the privacy and safety of my home, thanks.

There are millions of phones in the landfills and tens of thousands being added every day. Their average lifespan is 18 months. FYI.


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## Jungle (Feb 17, 2010)

^

Good points. However, if you are looking for a good cell phone, the 711 speak out can't be beat. Every card you purchase expires in 365 days. Lowest card is $25. That's only $2 month. So you can truely use it only when you have to. 

Now to contribute to this thread, I once transfered my cell phone contract (2 years) and sold my Iphone 3G for $100. Roger's let me transfer it over the phone. They did a credit check on the new buyer. I went through a couple of flakes before someone was actually able to do it. Did this by posting on kijij.


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## chrisrich (Dec 17, 2009)

Nice find on the contract change. I have a wealthy friend in BC with 9 contracts after going through all the latest phones and getting phones for his family. He has been reducing the unused plans to minimums but he still pays a lot per month for phones he doesn't use.

Please reply if this works out for you as I'd be very keen to know.


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