Mobile plan backed by phone users

Marlon signed up without realising the signal was bad where he lived

People who sign up to long mobile phone contracts should be allowed a "try before they buy" option, it's claimed.

Watchdog the Communications Consumer Panel says people need the chance to check what their phone's reception is like before signing up.

It advises the government on consumer rights for the mobile industry and is writing to all the big mobile operators asking them to include the idea in all their contracts.

That's something that Deborah Tweed reckons is a great idea after getting her new phone three months ago.

She said: "I got a contract for 18 months. I got home and the signal was awful.

"I was using it and basically half way through the conversation I was like, 'Hello, hello, hello?'

"The person on the other end was exactly the same. Sometimes making important calls as well I'll just get cut off."

'Gutted'

By the time Deborah found out how bad her reception was it was too late.

"I found out how much it is to cancel the contract, about £300," she said.

"That's a lot of money, so basically I'm stuck with it for 18 months."

The same goes for 23-year-old Marlon who signed up for another long deal without realising how bad the signal is where he lives.

"I felt gutted. I know I'm now going to be wasting money on something that I don't want.

"It's by direct debit but you can't do anything about it because you don't want the police knocking on your door."

As for the idea of letting customers try before they buy, he reckons it's a great idea.

"I think that is perfect," he said. "You can have your phone, see what it's like, see what the network is like and then sign up if you want to."

Some mobile companies already give people a few days to cancel a contract.

Others have online checks where you type in your postcode to find out how strong the signal is where you live.

But none of that helped Deborah.

She said: "I feel really frustrated. A lot of people are experiencing this and something needs to be done about it."