o2 discount
I very much enjoy getting one over on companies with poor customer service, and in my experience o2 are terrible, which makes them my target of choice.

I remember a time when I was battling with a shop assistant to get a new BlackBerry 9700 for a friend, trying to haggle it down to less than £30 a month (because we're cheap). o2 refused, saying there was absolutely no way they could do it for less than £35. So we went across the road to get a written quote from T-Mobile, who whilst also refusing to give us the phone for any less than £35, did write down all the information on a piece of T-Mobile paper for me. I simply borrowed the assistant's pen, crossed out '£35 a month' and wrote £25, crossed out '500 texts' and wrote 'unlimited' and then drew a big circle and wrote "new join offer!". I took this back across the road to o2 who immediately agreed to match it. I now do this whenever my friends' contracts are up for renewal.

The previously mentioned friend has just set off traveling. Whilst her travel-partner was effortlessly allowed to suspend her phone contract with Orange for nine months, there was no such joy from o2 who said there was "nothing they could do unless you're in the army". With this in mind I fired up Microsoft Word and, using some dubious military themed images I'd found on Google, knocked together a letter reminding 'Lieutenant Parker' to pack enough warm jumpers for her military service in Norway. o2 accepted this and suspended her contract - but why make your customers jump through hoops to get what they want?

Perhaps this is less 'sticking it to the man' and more 'casual fraud', but either way it feels delicious.
(foxx, Sun 20 Jun 2010, 21:24, 7 replies)

excellent
*click

This fits the question brief beautifully.
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Sun 20 Jun 2010, 21:39, closed)

Casual fraud?
More like obtaining goods and services through deception - section 1 1978 Theft Act

Only 5 years in jail

Well done anyhoo :-)
( Signify, Sun 20 Jun 2010, 22:20, closed)

This
Especially with the military stuff.
(Iggy Pop's Teeth, Sun 20 Jun 2010, 22:57, closed)

Not that I'm defending it
but it's not really obtaining goods and services - more like getting rid of services you no longer want whilst on holiday!
(foxx, Sun 20 Jun 2010, 23:00, closed)

Suspension of a contract is a service
And of course, forgery is in there too!
(Iggy Pop's Teeth, Sun 20 Jun 2010, 23:04, closed)

If
I had a contract that I no longer wanted (or wanted to start it again at a later date), I'd simply stop paying for it.

They'd stop the contract pretty quickly then.

As the option wasn't supplied to you as part of the original contract with that firm, then they breach the "Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts" regs - as you are not furnished with the same terms (i.e. cancelling the contract).

Not illegal, and you get the same result.
(dchurch bah, Mon 21 Jun 2010, 7:40, closed)

*Click*
For giving me the ammo to save money on my next contract.
(bROKEN aRROW PUA HVI Master, Mon 21 Jun 2010, 9:43, closed)