mobile phone bill :-(

cookie365

I repeat: nobody has to buy mobile phone usage in a bundle.

NFH

cookie365 wrote: »

I repeat: nobody has to buy mobile phone usage in a bundle.

They do, otherwise they pay an unreasonable price for their usage.

Imagine if you had to pay 50p/kWh for gas and electricity unless you bought a bundle which worked out at around 16p/kWh provided that you use exactly the amount of energy in the bundle. If you use less energy than the bundle's allowance, then you still pay the full amount of the bundle and if you use more, then you pay 50p/kWh.

We wouldn't tolerate such a ridiculous usage prediction game with energy, so why do we tolerate it with mobile phones? People complain about the energy companies' complicated tariffs, but they're relatively simple compared to this bundle nonsense.

cookie365

So your complaint is actually about the rates charged for pay as you go usage, and nothing to do with bundles?

grumbler

cookie365 wrote: »

So your complaint is actually about the rates charged for pay as you go usage, and nothing to do with bundles?

Orange charge 30p/min on PAYG and 40p/min on Pay Monthly for out of plan minutes. Is this fair/reasonable/justified/...?

Even with a limited bundle 1 minute costs just 1.7p with unlimited texts and 1Gb of data thrown in.

cookie365

Fair/reasonable/justified: yes, because you can look at the prices before you sign up and choose another option if you don't like them.

Eyewateringly poor value? That too.

NFH

cookie365 wrote: »

Fair/reasonable/justified: yes, because you can look at the prices before you sign up and choose another option if you don't like them.

You can't. Almost all the networks have jumped on the bundle bandwagon. It is almost impossible to pay a reasonable price for any type of usage without buying a bundle, unless you're lucky enough to get a corporate tariff.

You still haven't answered my point about why consumers accept bundles on mobile phone usage but they wouldn't accept them on energy supply.

Nice_Weather_For_Ducks

NFH wrote: »

It should be mandatory for telecommunications companies to charge for any usage over the allowance of a bundle at the pro-rata rate of the bundle. These punitive charges are designed only to catch out those who cannot precisely predict their usage in advance and it is an unfair commercial practice.

It should be mandatory for customers to understand at least the basic features of a legal contract before they agree to it and use the services!!

Herongull

There are very good deals for PAYG for those that want it, such as Three 3 2 1.

But if you need lots of minutes, texts, data, it is cheaper to buy a bundle even if you don't use all of it.

So consumers just choose whichever is right for them.

What's the problem?

gjchester

NFH wrote: »

Why should we all have to buy bundles? Why can't we all pay something like Three's 3-2-1 prices on a postpaid contract basis? .

That would probably up peoples bills.


Using my total allowance on my tariff at 3,2,1 prices would be £42, whereas I pay £10 a month. My plan is Sim Only so remember in many cases you'd also need to add more on to pay back the handset subsidy (and that's a different matter if that's good or bad)


I never use more than 1/4 to 1/2 my allowance for calls and text but usually 1/2 to 3/4 my data allowance but generally I'm better off with my bundle that PAYG each month.


What we need is people to realise what they use, pick the right tariff and monitor their use, not buy whatever they think is cheapest to get the shiny new phone they have their eye on.

gjchester

NFH wrote: »

I don't understand why everyone is so accepting of bundles for mobile phone usage when they wouldn't accept it for energy.

Its been tried, E-On's Staywarm tarrif for OAPS was a fixed per month cost allowing unlimited power use.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24363796


My mother was on it and I think it was around £90 a month regardless of how much was used. Mum has a 3 bed bungalow and her bills were lower on the tarriff, I have a 3 bed town house (and I wasn't old enough to qualify) but my bills at the time were around £80 a month.

Remember this was back in 2012 or so, even at the time there was the comments that in some cases people were better off on a regular tarrif depending on their use.

Why did it go, usual reasons, political manoevering and risings costs, and the fact if you tell someone somethings unlimited they are more likley to be careless in its use.