Switching phone networks is a pain, but these people are out to change that

We suspect most of you only have to hear the dreaded "PAC" word to get that icy chill down your spine; we all know how much of a faff jumping from one phone's network contract to another can be.

But Three and TalkTalk have formed an unusual alliance in the hope of changing things. The duo have come together and penned an open letter to Ofcom, asking for a shakeup to the rules that would make switching networks much more straightforward.

The aim is to get rid of the furore of dealing with salespeople trying to keep you hooked by offering you better deals based on a number of conditions, which is time consuming and, in many cases, just plain annoying.

PAC man

"At present there are several different processes dependant on which supplier you are leaving and which you are moving to, which causes confusion among consumers and leads to lower switching rates than other sectors," reads the letter, signed by the Chief Executives of Three, TalkTalk and the Federation of Communications Services, and LetsSaveMoney.com founder Sarah Willingham.

As it explains, providers are currently able to hide their best deals until a customer threatens to leave, so only a minority of people actually end up getting the best contracts.

"We welcome Ofcom's programme of work on switching, but ask that Ofcom delivers reform for the entire market, as soon as possible, rather than leaving whole sectors subject to further delays. It is time we delivered a switching system that puts the interests of all communications consumers first."

New measures would make for a more honest system, but who knows if Three's and TalkTalk's approach will prove to be successful.

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Via Gizmodo