Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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(NBC News) -- Is your cell phone reception bad? Do you think you're paying too much every month, but you have a long way to go on your contract?
Many have been stuck before, but there is a way to legally move away from the contract and pick up a new phone.
Ashley Siudmak, Cell Phone User: "I was going over my minutes a lot. I didn't have a lot of minutes. It was very costly."
Ashley Siudmak was not only unhappy with her cell phone reception, but her contract was costing her too much each month. It was going to cost Ashley 200 dollars to cancel her contract with T-Mobile.
Then she went to celltradeusa.com, which matches people wanting to get out of their cell phone contracts, with others willing to take them over.
Ashley Siudmak, Cell Phone User: "I thought it was too good to be true."
Celltrade found someone willing to take Ashley’s cell phone and her 600 minute, 70 dollar a month plan.
The cell phone company was told both parties wanted to make the transfer, and in a few days Ashley was free, contract gone.
Ashley Siudmak, Cell Phone User: "I love it, it's great. It saved me a lot of money."
Eric Wurtenberg is one of the founders of celltradeusa.com. He came up with the idea after seeing many frustrated phone users trying to leave their cell phone contracts.
Eric Wurtenberg, CELLTRADEUSA.COM: "The provider says we will charge you a termination fee of 150 to 200 dollars perhaps. What happened when the consumer had no one to take over the contract? So they would get stuck."
The website charges 19-99 to have your phone and service transferred to another party. Surprisingly, double the number of people are in the website LOOKING for phone service... not trying to get out of contracts. Why?
Eric Wurtenberg, CELLTRADEUSA.COM: "Instead of a year or two year, they can take over a contract with maybe five months or four months left on a contract and a lot of consumers like That. They can potentially get a free phone, maybe a free Bluetooth headset and maybe save themselves a 35 dollar activation fee if they had gotten a new phone."
Every company has different rules for transferring contracts.. so check with provider before you try to transfer your contract or buy someone else.
