Mad at your monstrous monthly mobile bills? Steaming at the substandard service from your supplier? You aren’t alone in wanting to switch mobile providers. With competition between suppliers increasing, new mobile phone deals are constantly appearing, so it makes sense to keep your eyes on the market to see if there is a cheaper deal that better suits your needs.
Before diving for the first deal, it’s important to ask yourself a few questions. How often do you make calls and at what time of day? How many texts do you send per month? Do you want/need a new handset? Do you use the Internet? Which additional features are important to you? Once you know your usage, you can find the cheapest tariff to match it.
Online you’ll find some great price comparison sites that allow you to compare handsets, tariffs and services across networks according to your requirements. Once you have decided on the network you wish to move to, call your existing provider and tell them you want to switch. They may be thunderstruck at your threats and promise to match the deal you’ve found, in which case, happy days. Or perhaps they don’t mind losing your loyal custom, so you can look elsewhere. Moving from one contract to another can take time, so bear the following in mind:
1. How much will it cost to change supplier?
You may be charged a fee for cancelling your current contract. You probably agreed to this without realising it when you signed your contract. How much you pay usually depends on the point at which you wish you terminate – if it’s one month into a two year deal then you’re likely to be penalised, but if you have a giant bone to pick about the company’s customer service or products you could talk to a supervisor and may be let off.
2. Can I keep my number?
To many of us, our mobile number is sacred and the prospect of losing it is out of the question. No matter which supplier you are switching to, they should be able to help transfer your old phone number, particularly if you inform your new network while the number is active. It can take around seven days, and some networks will give you a temporary number while you wait. Check to see if your current provider charges for the release of a number.
3. Will I need to buy a new phone?
Alas, not all mobile phones are compatible with all service providers. If your phone cannot be used on a new network, you will be required to buy one when you sign your contract, but if you sign an 18 month or 2 year contract you should be entitled to a new phone.
4. And finally
Once you’ve chosen a new provider, make absolutely sure you find the most cost-effective tariff to suit your needs. Remember that there are many other ways of keeping your mobile costs to a minimum such as choosing cheaper insurance, recycling your mobile for money, taking advantage of free Wifi hotspots and spurning pricey premium rate numbers.
So do your research and you may well find that if you switch, you’ll save.
In most cases it only occurs to us to back up our data when it’s too late. Losing all your important documents, pictures and videos when you least expect it can be a heart-breaking experience. By making sure you back up your data using one of these methods, you can help protect yourself from any unforeseen disasters.
External hard drives:
Using an external hard drive is the most common method for backing up your data. Hard drives vary in capacity so be sure to buy a hard drive that will be able to store all your data. If your computer contains lots of multimedia files and you wish to back these up, opting for a 1tb hard drive is recommended. If you only intend to backup important documents, a small capacity USB drive will do the job, as well as saving you a considerable amount of money.
The problem with using an external hard drive to back up your data is that inevitably hard drives can stop working. Hard drives can be extremely delicate and prone to corrupting if not looked after with great care. The best way to make sure your data will not be lost is to either to have a backup for your backup or use cloud based storage.
Cloud based Storage:
Cloud based storage means that your data is backed up on a remote server as opposed to being stored on your computer. There are many advantages to using cloud based storage, namely the fact that your data is securely stored elsewhere so even if your hard drives fail, your data will be safe.
The main disadvantage of using cloud based storage as a method of backup is the cost, although as using online storage becomes more popular, we will see a decrease in prices for large amounts of storage space. Backing up data using online storage is considerably slower and less convenient than using a hard drive. If you intend to back up large files it can often take hours and so leaving your computer on overnight is recommended. If you have a slow internet connection, using cloud based storage is not advised, so before investing in lots of cloud storage, be sure to take an internet speed test to determine whether your connection can handle it.
Many reputable cloud storage companies offer small amounts of storage for free, ranging from around 2gb to 5gb. For most people this is only sufficient for backing up important documents. If you intend to back up the entire content of your computer, you will be required to pay a monthly cost that will vary according to how much space you require, as well as the which service provider you choose to use.
If you plan to create a foolproof backup system, using a mixture of external hard drives and cloud based storage is definitely a good option. If spending lots of money on large capacity hard drives and online storage is not feasible, using a hard drive as your main backup is fine, using free cloud storage to back up important smaller documents. Employing these back up routines will inevitably save you a lot of time in the long run. If you do decide to purchase more online space, be sure to shop around and compare the features that each provider is offering to get the best deal.