phone deposit?!

[r32]

When do you have to pay deposit for a mobile phone line? Just curious...

[interleukin]

When you do not have a good (or any) credit history. For someone moving to Finland, this means the first two years. I have heard of exceptions, but that is the general rule. Of course if you go for prepaid there is no deposit. I do know of a Finnish citizen who got a gsm contract on the first day after moving back after ten years abroad. The same rule should apply in that case, but I guess the gsm company feels more secure if they see that it is a Finn (and thus unlikely to flee the country with unpaid bills).

[Pursuivant]

When they don't like your credit profile.

[r32]

When you do not have a good (or any) credit history. For someone moving to Finland, this means the first two years. I have heard of exceptions, but that is the general rule. Of course if you go for prepaid there is no deposit. I do know of a Finnish citizen who got a gsm contract on the first day after moving back after ten years abroad. The same rule should apply in that case, but I guess the gsm company feels more secure if they see that it is a Finn (and thus unlikely to flee the country with unpaid bills).

I've asked because I want to switch from dna to saunalahti and saunalahti told me that they need to check my credit background. As I remember, if you have social nr then they don't ask for any deposit.
The rule should apply to everybody not only to foreigners, at least this is what the consumer agency told me.

[interleukin]

As I remember, if you have social nr then they don't ask for any deposit.

No, it is the credit history that matters. You can get the id number straight away but you have no credit history. You can also be born and bred Finnish but not pay your bills on time.

[Pursuivant]

Saunalahtis been uptight with new contracts lately. I guess they got more than enough of people calling Lady Time in Japan.

[r32]

Saunalahtis been uptight with new contracts lately. I guess they got more than enough of people calling Lady Time in Japan.

Really? Now I start to understand why they are digging so much

[jas_rho]

It used to be saunalahti who was the place to go to when the other companies were asking for the deposit. Are you signing up for the service online or at some elisa shop? What would happen if you tried doing it online and just put your finnish ss# when they ask for it. Does it then say you need to pay some deposit?

You could also try GSM Suomi, I think they might be a little desperate for customers

[abg]

It used to be saunalahti who was the place to go to when the other companies were asking for the deposit. Are you signing up for the service online or at some elisa shop? What would happen if you tried doing it online and just put your finnish ss# when they ask for it. Does it then say you need to pay some deposit?

It does not say anything like that but later you'll receive nice invoice for 300 euros like I received. When I called their credit investigations department, I've been told to pay or to shut down, literally. I asked whether Saunalahti does not want customers and they reiterated that it is company policy: they don't want people with no credit history or being in country less than two years.

I decided to keep with prepaids for wife and kids as my employer pays for my phone number with Elisa.

I've heard also about kind of nice trick when you get Stockmann's loyal customer card combined with Nordea credit card and _then_ turn to mobile phone shop in Stockmann. At least in Helsinki's Stockmann people were claiming to get Elisa/Saunalahti SIM-cards when showing those Stockmann loyal customer/credit card combination card during the process. I didn't try this way yet.

[r32]

It used to be saunalahti who was the place to go to when the other companies were asking for the deposit. Are you signing up for the service online or at some elisa shop? What would happen if you tried doing it online and just put your finnish ss# when they ask for it. Does it then say you need to pay some deposit?

You could also try GSM Suomi, I think they might be a little desperate for customers

They didn't ask anything now, they just told me that every new contract goes there...I guess I am a bit paranoid Probably I shouldn't be worried because I am living on a permanent basis in Finland for more the 2 years and I don't have any credit issues.
If they will ask for deposit then I will keep my Dna.

[donald]

When you do not have a good (or any) credit history. For someone moving to Finland, this means the first two years. I have heard of exceptions, but that is the general rule. Of course if you go for prepaid there is no deposit. I do know of a Finnish citizen who got a gsm contract on the first day after moving back after ten years abroad. The same rule should apply in that case, but I guess the gsm company feels more secure if they see that it is a Finn (and thus unlikely to flee the country with unpaid bills).

I've asked because I want to switch from dna to saunalahti and saunalahti told me that they need to check my credit background. As I remember, if you have social nr then they don't ask for any deposit.
The rule should apply to everybody not only to foreigners, at least this is what the consumer agency told me.

That's how it should be, unfortunately too many salesman simply fail to understand that citizenship does not necessarily equal the country where you live or where you come from. I think most salespeople would accept a phone contract for a person with a Finnish passport, who just moved to Finland after being raised in another country.