Two years. I've been lusting after an iPhone for two years, but life got in the way - moving around meant the chance of breaking my contract was stupidly high, and I wasn't going to sell my left kidney to pay the full price (which is what any sensible person in my position would do).

Anyway, after spending some time in the US and developing a deep and profound hatred/suspicion anyone who would tell you nice things (ridiculously cheap iphone! Just sign up for 2 years!), because they would ultimately shaft you (...did we mention we will bankrupt you if you don't pretty much marry our company?), I decided to think 5 times before even thinking of signing up for any kind of contract while I was in CH. Until someone told me they won't shaft you. What?

To cut, what is turning into a very long story short, after extensive grilling of Orange shop minions, customer service monkeys and anyone who had anything to do with a phone/contract, I have written confirmation from Orange that there is no termination fee for both 12 & 24 month contracts providing you can have documented proof that you are leaving Switzerland and have been on the contract for 6 months.

If you leave before the 6 months is up, you have to pay the monthly bill - not the termination fee.

Just in case anyone is interested

I am with swisscom. In the contract they said I can change to another tariff after 6 months. I called them after 6 months to change and they said they have changed the rule. I have to stay in this expensive tariff for two years!

Thanks for the info! But after a couple of years on mobile phone contracts (that never worked in my favor) I switched to pre-paid. Pretty happy with it!

@ morrigana

They told me that in case if I want to leave switzerland aftre 1 Year I would have to submit one letter from the community and there would not be any extra charges for the contract termination, but they did not give me any written confirmation. would it be possible without written confirmation from orange ? Beside they said I would have to pay 100 chf if I want my iPhone to be unlocked.

a friend of mine just left Switzerland after 6 months - she was supposed to be here for 3 years so she had gotten a new phone on contract (with orange). I can confirm that she didn't have to pay anything for breaking the contract as long as she could present proof that she was leaving the country.

@ sparky101

thanksAlot !!

Sorry the OP had so much hassle finding that out. I walked into the Orange store and out in a few mins with the info.

Don't forget to get them to unlock the phone for you!! They did it for free.

You can order these codes online though be wary of fraudulent claims. The cost is a fraction of 100chf.

Orange do offer to unlock your phone when asked though initially I was told that I had to wait 6 months but then was told it could be done straight away.

if we leave before 6 months is up, the monthly bill to pay is for all the months remaining for the contract or just the months left to complete 6 months??

thanks for bringing this up morrigana.
after having the same problems with tyrannical two-year contracts in germany I, too, have decided that I will switch to prepaid, even if it means buying the iphone myself. and I am currently trying to find if the apple store is the cheapest place to buy it and which preparid is most convenient. I received some excellent advice in this thread (sorry, I don't know how to embed it):
"iphone 4 with prepaid SIM card - science fiction??"

by the way, german telecom also told me when signing the contract that I would be able to get out of it if I moved to another country. when it became concrete and I did move to switzerland, they completely forgot about that claiming that it was done on a "discretion" basis. so they seriously made me pay the monthly rate until the end of the contract.
NEVER AGAIN!

Hello everyone,

This TWO YEARS CONTRACT IS A TRAP. This is just their strategy to sell their iPhone.
I bought the iPhone 4 around one year ago on a two years contract and now as I am leaving Switzerland so I went to the orange shop to terminate my contract and they said they said they have changed the RULES. I think they just fooled me.
They have asked me to pay the termination fee of CHF 500 I'm a student and I can't afford this much money. I don't know what to do now. I want to sell it but I don't know anyone who can buy it.

Please beware !!

So you're a student who can't afford to pay out 500 in one go? Well, don't cancel the contract, just carry on paying month by month. Presumably, you can afford to do that?

But you could afford an iPhone 4 contract which ends up with the phone costing many times more than it's price when you buy it as is?

Thats why I got prepaid plans

Leave orange leave the country and dont use the phone . If they dont want to see it your way.. When you get to another country you can buy a phone and a new sim card . Pay as you go.. Without contracts.. They want only your money ok.. All this adverts on t.v is lies. Sometimes you cant even get emfang to call out .. So just pay up what u owe and leave and dont us it anymore.. G..luck

Although it looks as if this might work out OK, it's always a bit risky for a non-Swiss to take this sort of advice. We've had members on here before who have left the country with something or other outstanding and then been worried out of their minds when they get a job offer which will bring them back.

...and although we like folk to add to old Threads rather than constantly start new ones on the same subject, when deciding to follow advice in an early post, check that the advice still holds good.

I'm constantly trying to sort out the problem but, NOW THEY ARE ASKING ME TO PAY CHF 800

About one year ago, I went to the Orange shop in Bern to inquire about an iPhone on a one year contract as I knew that I will be in Switzerland at least for one year. For a one year contract the initial coast was very much for me and I almost dropped the idea of buying an iPhone.

But the salesman at the shop suggested me to buy the iPhone on a two years subscription and told me that in case if you leave Switzerland after SIX MONTHS you can bring the Abmeldebestätigung certificate from the local community, in order to terminate the contract without any termination fee.

Therefore I bought the two years subscription.

But now as I'm about to leave Switzerland, when I went to the orange shop they said that they can't tell me anything and asked me to contact at the customer care number.

When I'm talking to the person at the customer care service, they are asking me to pay CHF 800, even if I have the Abmeldebestätigung certificate. They said the company has changed this RULE.

IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY, IF I CAN SURRENDER THE PHONE ?

THANKS!

It's the terms you agreed to when you signed the contract.......

listen ask a freelance lawyer, take the paper work and show them, look its not possible to just change his words, he sold you on FALSE pretence. to get the sale.. most are LIARS .. if he still dont see it from your point of view jus leave , he'll be the looser in the end.. I'm with swisscom , Orange is cheap but there's always a catch! see it !tell the lawyer what he told U from DAY1..

I'm in the same boat having taken an Orange iPhone account in Feb of last year after the sales droid assured me up and down that, should I leave the country, that there wouldn't be a termination fee. Posts here also suggested that this was correct.

I went to cancel my contract 2 weeks ago and...bam, 800 CHF said the dude at the Orange office. Mobile operators are mobsters on any continent and, forever more, I will buy an untethered phone and a pay as you go SIM.

However, we both may be in luck as though I don't want to leave with a debt hanging over me, I also absolutely refuse to pay an 800CHF extortion fee.

See http://www1.orange.ch/en/support/bec...ustomer/expat/ and click on "useful tips" where you will find the following text;

"i am leaving Switzerland and need to cancel my subscription, how do I do it?
You're currently an Orange customer but getting ready for adventures outside Switzerland? No problem. You'll simply need to inform us (by calling Customer Care free on 0800 700 700) that you want to cancel your subscription and provide us with a document from your community confirming that you are leaving the country.

If you have been with us for less than 6 months or have benefited from a handset offer recently, you may have to pay a penalty fee."

We have legal insurance and, so, if they try to stick it to us tomorrow, I will just pursue it legally as a) I was lied to at the point of sale and b) their FAQ is ambiguous but also leads me to believe that I can cancel the contract after 6 months without penalty.

In contrast, Swisscom was a breeze and immediately changed to a pay as you go scheme for my husband's phone. Of course, their service sucked balls outside of Switzerland but...I guess you can't have it all.

I really hope there's a circle in Dante's hell for Mobile Operators. AT&T first into the fire. Never again will I trust these folks.

Best advice to those new to CH without an absolute certainty that they'll be around for more than a year - pay up front for the phone and get a pay as you go plan. Much less hassle.