Thursday, September 25, 2008

CellClients


If you’re drooling over the latest holiday handsets, but tied to a cell phone contract, CellClients offers a way out.

Post the details of your current cell phone contract at CellClients.com in the hopes of someone else taking it off your hands or browse posted contrasts to see if one interests you. Many users offer to include a cell phone for free (and sometimes a bonus cash incentive) along with the contract, and you aren’t required to pay any setup or activation fees. If you’re just looking for a new phone, CellClients also sells GSM and CDMA handsets and accessories. All the phones for sale come unlocked and taxes are included in the posted price.

You don’t pay anything to post a contract. However, you must pay a one-time $14.90 service fee in order to unlock your “mailbox,” which holds all your messages from prospective buyers. Those interested in taking over a contract don't pay any fees. According to CellClients, users are able to get rid of their contracts within 10 days of posting it on the site.

After finding someone who wants to take over your contract, all you do is call your wireless service provider to provide some basic details. Then it’s the other person’s turn to call your wireless service provider and provide the rest. The entire process is done over the phone and takes about 15 minutes. (In rare cases, says CellClients, the process might take one to two weeks and require signing some papers.) If your plan is no longer available and your provider does not want to transfer it, CellClients suggests you change your old plan to one currently available (this can be done free of charge) and then re-attempt the transfer.

To complete the transfer process, you must also pay an ownership transfer fee to your wireless provider. This fee varies, depending on your provider. Bell will charge you $20 to transfer your contract, while Telus charges $25. If you’re with Rogers or Fido, consider yourself lucky – they don’t charge any fee at all. When the transfer is complete, the new contract owner can change the phone number (again, free of charge) and will have a zero dollar balance on the account. Any outstanding fees remain the responsibility of the original contract owner.

CellClients is a Toronto-based company that works with Canadian wireless providers. To get started, visit http://www.cellclients.com/ .

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