Chatel Mobile law: terminate a phone package before the end of commitment

To leave your operator while benefiting from the Chatel law, it’s simple: just subscribe to a new operator who will take care of terminating your old line. Once the operation is carried out, your former operator will send you a final invoice which will cost you a maximum of 25% of the remaining monthly payments, to which can be added any termination fees.

Mobile package termination with commitment

Châtel law: terminate its mobile package with commitment before its term

Two separate laws are hidden behind the “Châtel law”: the 2005 law tending to reinforce the confidence and the protection of the consumer, and the law of 2008 for the development of competition at the service of consumers. If the first mainly concerns contracts and in particular regulates the concept of “tacit renewal”, the second law of 2008 includes a significant number of provisions relating to mobile telephony, in particular on the termination of a package with commitment.

What is the Châtel law 2 ?

The “law for the development of competition at the service of consumers”, better known as “Law Châtel 2” intervenes within the framework of consumer law. His goal ? Promote free competition, A drop in prices and facilitate contracts between professionals and individuals (to the advantage of the latter), especially in the electronic communications sector and in general in the field of services. In addition to the telephony sector, the insurance world and the distribution field are therefore also concerned.

Regarding telephony, if the best known measure of the Châtel law concerns the termination of its package with commitment before its term, Other all as interesting provisions for consumers have appeared:

• The end of overlax telephone numbers for the technical supports of mobile operators. In other words, the waiting time to contact your customer service is in principle free since 2008. However, some operators continue to charge these numbers while offering a free line in parallel, but not very high.

• Operators can no longer offer packages with a commitment of more than 12 months without offering the possibility after the 12th month to terminate its subscription. Likewise the maximum commitment duration is 24 months old in all.

• The duration of the termination notice was lowered to 12 days. It is always possible to request a higher notice period, but the agreement must be included in the contract. It is still advisable to send your termination request enough to avoid any additional monthly payment.

• Operators cannot more tacitly renew a free offer who would then become paid. To be able to renew a free service, the operator must therefore first obtain the agreement of his client.

• During a new subscription, customers have a right of withdrawal of 7 clear days from the registration of the contract.

Terminate his subscription by anticipation thanks to the Châtel law

Principle of non -retroactivity obliges, the new provisions of the Châtel 2 law only apply to contracts concluded from June 1, 2008 or to modified contracts after June 1, 2008. Article L 121-84-6 of the law therefore provides that operators are required to offer the possibility of terminating your contract from the twelfth month By paying only 25% of the total monthly payments remaining Until the end of his commitment.

To better understand, let’s take an example: a customer has a 24 -month commitment package, at € 30/month. The latter can therefore terminate his subscription at the end of the 12th month. Imagine that he wants to change operator on the 15th month, he has in principle 9 months left to pay. Thanks to the Châtel law, it will only have to pay 25% of the remaining monthly payments, in other words: 30 × 9/4 = 67.5 euros for termination allowances. Before the Châtel law, he would have had to pay all of the 9 months, that is to say 270 euros.

How to terminate your subscription ?

To terminate its package with commitment before the end of the latter, two different ways exist. The first, the most obvious, is to Send a termination letter to his operator. Letter models are available on the Internet in this regard.

Second possibility, Operate a number portability request. It is only possible if the customer turns to a new operator. In this case, he will have to make a portability request to this new operator, who will then take care of the termination of the old contract in addition to the effective portage of his number.

Chatel Mobile law: terminate a phone package before the end of commitment

Effective since 2008, the Chatel law aims to develop competition at the service of consumers. As part of mobile telephony, it allows the subscriber to terminate a contract of more than 12 months at a lower cost at a lower cost. The mobiles.com explains to you how to benefit from it.

With the arrival of high -end smartphones whose price is now more than 500 euros without subscription, it has become tempting to subscribe to the subsidized offers of operators. These make it possible to considerably lower the price of the terminal, requiring in return a subscription with commitment on the part of the consumer.

And this commitment may seem long, 24 months being a period more than enough to make an obsolete smartphone, not to mention the wear linked to its use. But in recent years the Chatel law has given the subscriber an escape, allowing him to terminate his mobile contract by anticipation from the 13th month, by regulating only a quarter of the remaining amounts due.

What is the Chatel law ?

As part of mobile telephony, the Chatel law allows a subscriber engaged over a 24 -month period to terminate its mobile plan at a lower cost, from the 13th month of the current contract.

Thanks to this Chatel law, the subscriber will only have to pay 25% of the remaining monthly payments (to which can be added any termination costs) to his operator.

Take the case of a client to concretely explain the application of this law:

Mr Martin has just entered the 13th month of his mobile contract which engages him for 24 months with his operator. His mobile plan comes to him at 29.90 euros per month. So he has 12 months left to pay, but thanks to the Chatel law, it will cost him only the equivalent of 4 months of package if he wants to terminate his mobile subscription and take advantage of a promotion at Free Mobile, i.e. the Sum of 89.70 euros:

• 12 (remaining monthly payments) x € 29.90 x 25% = € 89.70

Chatel law: Tips to follow to avoid unpleasant surprises

Before initiating the approach to benefit from this Chatel law, here are some details to take into account:

• Do not contact your operator, and above all do not terminate your package. This would result in making you lose your number and complexify the procedure. The new operator you have chosen will take care of the termination of the line with your former operator.
• If you plan to leave your operator to subscribe to an associated mobile offer with a new operator, make sure that your phone is unlocked, so that it can work on the network of your new operator.
• If you do not wish to keep your mobile number to go to another operator, in this case you will have to send a letter of termination in AR or contact customer service directly to terminate your line. The termination procedures are today simplified, you can in fact in most cases do so by phone.

Chatel law: how to benefit from it ?

To leave your operator while benefiting from the Chatel law, it’s simple: just subscribe to a new operator who will take care of terminating your old line. Once the operation is carried out, your former operator will send you a final invoice which will cost you a maximum of 25% of the remaining monthly payments, to which can be added any termination fees.

Here is the procedure to subscribe to your new operator, without changing the number, and thus benefit from the Chatel law:

1. Get your Rio number

First, you will have to request your RIO number (operator identity statement), a unique identifier composed of 12 characters (letters or numbers), which your new operator will ask you during your subscription.

To do this, simply call the 3179. A vocal server will then tell you your end date of engagement, as well as the Rio number. At the end of this call, an SMS will be automatically sent to you, including all the information communicated by the voice server.

Please note: Take note of the end date of commitment to you: this will allow you to know whether you are eligible or not to the Chatel law. This date will also give you the possibility of assessing the sum of the remaining amounts due to your former operator.

2. Subscribe to his new operator

Go to the store or on the merchant site of your choice to subscribe to the offer of your choice. On this occasion, your new operator will ask you to communicate your Rio number to him. This approach is important, it will therefore be necessary to communicate your RIO code composed of 12 characters in the field provided for this purpose during your registration. Thanks to this Rio code, the new operator takes care of everything.

You will also have to indicate a portability date. This can take at least 7 working days and no later than two months (deadlines may depend depending on the operator chosen). To find out more about portability, click here.

3. Reception of the SIM card and activation of the new line

Following this subscription, you will receive a letter in which you can find your identifiers at your new operator, as well as your new SIM card. But you will still have to wait until the day of portability, which you had defined during your subscription.

Portability day, your line may be cut for a while, but that shouldn’t take more than four hours. Your new operator will have previously sent you an SMS to keep you informed of the time at which this interruption should take place.

4. Take advantage of your new line !

Following the interruption of your old line, insert your new SIM card. All you have to do is enjoy your new offer.

If you have any questions about the Chatel law, do not hesitate to ask them in the comments.