Many of the questions Consumer Protection BC gets from consumers are related to cell phone contracts.  Sometimes a consumer will decide to cancel a contract months, weeks or even minutes after signing on the dotted line.  To their surprise they find that they must pay out the remainder of their contract in order to cancel.  In some instances this can be very costly.

Please consider the following tips before signing a cell phone contract:

• Ask questions. Ask about plan options such as pay as you go versus entering into a contract.  Ask about the contract time commitment, billing details and replacement costs if you lose your phone. Find out if there is a charge to switch your plan part way through the contract and if there is a charge to have your bill mailed to you rather than receive it on line.

• Read the Contract Carefully. This includes reading the fine print.  Of all the terms and conditions included the information most important to you may be in small print near the end of the contract.

• Keep a copy of your contract. Always request a copy of your contract and keep it for future reference.

• Know your cancellation rights.  Educate yourself about your rights and responsibilities prior to entering into any contract. Always get the contract cancellation rights in writing and make sure you have proof of cancellation if you decide to terminate the contract.

• Find out which plan is best for you: Depending on how you use your phone, one plan may be better for you than another.  Some plans offer unlimited texting while others offer unlimited talk time.  When you do chose a plan, know what you will be paying for:  Some cell phone companies charge for incoming texts while others may offer free calls in the evening.  Make sure you are aware of what your cell phone company considers evening, is this 7:00 p.m. or 9:00 p.m?  . If you are considering data use for email, texting or web-browsing on your device, ask if the charges associated with data are higher than those of calling plans.

There's a lot to know about cell phone contracts.  Read more on this topic in our blog post "Calling All Consumers".  If you have a question, please call Consumer Protection BC toll free at 1-888-564-9963, via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . If we aren't able to help you directly, we will do our best to find out who can!

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