I've been perusing the various threads about Salt and early termination of contracts, trying to find whatever information I can about terminating early because you're permanently leaving Switzerland. We're not planning on leaving just yet, but life can change from one day to the next, and it's of course helpful to know what all of your contract termination requirements are in advance.

We have two 24 month contracts with Salt, both SIM only. The contracts mention the CHF 100 termination fee, but the language isn't very clear - "If the Contract is terminated before the end of the minimum period or any extension, the following amounts will be payable: CHF 100.- for administrative fees plus the monthly price of the subscriptions (including Multi Surf) until the end of the minimum contract period or any extension; CHF 100.– for Contracts without a device with a minimum period of 12 months." I assume the cancellation fee in my case would be CHF100 for each of our two contracts, even though they're 24 month contracts...

But the reason I'm posting is actually because each time we started a new subscription or renewed an existing one, we specifically asked - "if we have to leave Switzerland in the middle of the contract period, will we have to pay an early termination fee?" And the answer every time, in different Salt stores and over the phone, has been "no, there's no early termination fee as long as you prove you're leaving by showing your deregistration document."

Sooo...has anyone avoided paying early termination fees by showing the deregistration document?

And I assume you have to give your 60 day cancellation notice without the document, and then send it to them after you've deregistered? How smoothly has that gone, if anyone knows?

thanks in advance!

Hi - I am actually in the middle of trying to leave Switzerland and dealing with Salt. I rang their cancellation number and was told even though I am cancelling the contract because I am leaving the country I have to pay 800chf to leave the contract. I also have to pay off the money due on the handset. I have no issue with paying for the phone - I received it and want to keep it. But I do not understand why the 800chf penalty when other companies don't charge in these circumstances. I was also told that if I was cancelling the contract because I was leaving the country I wouldn't be charged anything. Am going to go further with Salt on the matter but not holding out much hope.

If saving money was your goal in the first place, you should have taken a prepaid.

I really don't understand the logic of people getting into such long running contracts with expensive monthly fees. Is this for the phone? Buying it even with a bank credit would probably be cheaper

At the time I had not intended to be leaving the country and prepaid did not suit my needs. I have no issue in paying what is required but I do have an issue when you are repeatedly told that you can terminate a contract in the event that you are departing the country officially but when you go to do that the story changes. If I had known this was the policy I would have signed with an alternate provider who do provide for departing the country. Buying with a loan might be cheaper in the long run but if you are only arrived in the country you may not have that option immediately and also you still need a service provider.

Prepaid is cheaper even if you don't intend to leave the country

I think requirements for a bank loan and mobile post-paid contract are the same. If you qualify for one, you can get the other as well. And didn't you have the phone before you came into country? So you really didnt have to buy it on abusive conditions

Prepaid can be cheaper depending on your requirements. I looked into it and bill pay was the better option for me at the time. No I didn't have a phone and required a handset. Each persons requirements and circumstances are different. Maybe I should have done things differently but it was 3 years ago now and unfortunately I decided to do it the easy way instead of foreseeing possible difficulties. Anyway I am where I am now - if I have to pay I will pay and take the lesson from it but I still have the view that if their policy is to charge when you leave under these circumstances that is what their staff should advise....but then maybe people won't get into contracts with them.

If your contract says you have to pay, you probably do! Regardless of what they told you in the shop when you signed up, unless you have that in writing or a recording. Yes, take it as a lesson. Don't enter long running contracts that you don't understand. And keep the phone for your next country - don't buy a new one if you don't have to, that's an easy way to burn money

I'm probably wrong since i'ts been 9 years since my experience and also it was orange, now Salt but still, I could tell you that when me and my then husband de-register to go to Mexico, he cancelled every contract by showing the de-register document and he didn't have an issue with any company. Cablecom, Orange, insurance are the ones I can remember. Actually when we came back to live in Switzerland 10 months later, he got new contracts with the above mentioned providers without an issue.
The best is still to call them or go directly to a store, as I assume there should be special exceptions for when you move countries.
in Any case, good luck and all the best for your move!

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If you don't have a clause about leaving switzerland in the contract, you're relying solely on the goodwill of the companies to cancel it prematurely. They don't have to let you go off the hook. Many do, yes, but they're not obliged by any law in general.

- verbal agreement is also binding, it's just harder to prove it, if one side suddenly forgets about it.

Not just harder, practically impossible. Get it writing if you seriously care about it and want to be able to enforce it.

Hi all,

Both my girlfriend and I had the same issue with Salt when we moved to the USA last month. We had 2-year contracts without phones (sim only) and we were asked to pay 800+ CHF to break them.

If you are not a resident you cannot hold such phone contract legally (that's why they want a residence permit for it). Therefore it is Salt and not you that have to break the contract. That's why there should be no fees (and all other companies give no fees).

After weeks of back and forth, we both solved it this way:

We replied to salt telling them what I just wrote above and threatening to start a litigation with Ombudscom if they would not let us off without fees.

As simple as that, as soon as we pointed this out they just let us go. This means that they are clearly in the wrong.

Hope it helps.

You voluntarily chose to act in a way that you no longer fulfill the requirements, that's your problem, it's you who's responsible for the consequences of your actions.
They realised you owed them only 100, assuming the same conditions applied to you as to the OP.