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Should You Switch Your Wireless Carrier?
Author: Alyice Edrich
Looking to switch wireless carriers, but keep your current cell phone number? Before switching your wireless phone service, you need to ask yourself why you’re really switching carriers. Is it simply to get a better rate, or is it because:
- Customer service is poor;
- Your roaming fees are putting you in the poor house;
- You never get a good reception;
- Your calls are constantly being dropped;
- You are overcharged on a monthly basis and find yourself disputing your cell phone bill every month; or
- Another annoying matter?
Do Your Research
After you’ve determined why you’re dissatisfied with your current carrier and/or cell phone plan, it’s time to do your research. Search around for the best plan at the best rate, but make sure those plans actually meet your current and/or future needs. Then call your wireless carrier and ask to speak to the head supervisor.
Negotiate A Better Deal
Explain to the supervisor that you’ve done your homework and found a company that offers a wireless plan at a price you can afford and it meets all your current needs. Then ask the supervisor if he/she will match the offer you found. (Note: you’ll have a better chance of negotiating a better deal with your current carrier if you’re close to your contract deadline.)
Switching Your Cell Phone Service
If the supervisor will not match the best offer you’ve found, ask him/her what the procedures are for canceling your current contract—but don’t cancel your contract just yet. If the supervisor still won’t meet your request, thank him/her for the information, call up the new carrier and begin the transfer process. Once the transfer is complete, call your old carrier and cancel your contract.
Changing wireless carriers shouldn’t be taken lightly. Changing wireless carriers could mean:
An early termination fee.
If you signed up with a two year contract and you’re one year into your contract, you could be asked to pay an early termination fee. Fees range from one wireless carrier to another, but they can be as high as $200 per phone. Some carriers have a flat cancellation fee while other carriers use a scale based on how much time you have left on your contract.A double bill.
When you cancel your contract with your current wireless carrier, you’re still liable for any charges made during that billing cycle as well as the final monthly usage fee during that cycle. What that means is that you will have two cell phones bills in the same month: your final bill from your old carrier and your first bill from your new wireless carrier.An extended contract.
Switching to a new wireless carrier or simply switching cell phone plans within an existing carrier, means new contracts. And new contracts usually require a one to two year term.Buying or returning your current cell phone.
If you received a free cell phone when you signed up with your current wireless carrier, you could be asked to buy that cell phone or return it; depending on the contract you sign. If you’re required to purchase that cell phone and it can’t be used with your new carrier, you’ll not only be out the early termination fee (if you have one), you’ll also be out the fee for purchasing your old cell phone.Purchasing a new cell phone.
If your new carrier isn’t compatible with your old carrier, you could be required to purchase a new cell phone. Wireless carriers use a certain standard for delivering radio waves and those standards are not interchangeable (Global System for Mobile Communications and Code-Division Multiple Access). Therefore, depending on the wireless service you signed up with, you may be required to purchase a new cell phone. And if that’s the case, you may want to look into a carrier that offers a free cell phone with sign-up.Changing your cell phone number.
If you’re moving out of state or out of your local metropolitan area, you won’t be able to keep your current cell phone number. But if you’re simply changing carriers within your current calling area, you may have the option of keeping your current cell phone number. Many carriers now offer local number portability (the ability to take your phone number with you when you switch services).
So if you’d like to keep your current cell phone number, you need to make sure the new carrier has portability capabilities and how much that transfer is going to cost you. But wait! Don’t cancel your current carrier until you’ve transferred your cell phone number to the new carrier. Canceling your current carrier before the transfer of your cell phone number is complete could mean you lose your cell phone number, forever.Updating your address book.
If you don’t keep your old cell phone, you’ll need to retrieve every bit of information in your old cell phone; then delete that private information before discarding it. And if you can’t transfer the phone numbers in your old phone over to your new phone electronically, you’ll have the nightmare of transferring all the information manually.Updating everyone on your contact list.
If you opt to drop your current cell phone number, you’ll need to let everyone know what your new number is, and that includes: work, schools, credit card companies, banks, emergency contacts, medical institutions, friends, and family members.
Switching wireless carriers takes time, commitment, and money. So before you take the plunge and switch your wireless carrier, make sure you know the costs involved. Do your homework, make a well-educated decision, and don’t be afraid of change.
If the long-term savings in the new service, including hassle-free customer service, far outweighs the costs associated with terminating your current contract, do yourself a favor and make the switch. Just remember to give your new wireless carrier a chance to work before you jump to any conclusions about its service.
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