Why are mobile charges such a rip off?

bikeman

Is there some sort of gentleman's agreement in the UK which negates any real competition for the mobile operators? Surely we are being ripped off:

- All levy their standard call charges to call 0800 freephone numbers despite getting a share of the terminating charge levied against the number owner by BT.

- All charge extra just so you can see the detail of your bill - none of the landline operators do this.

- And here's the rub, how on earth can companies like MobileWorld charge 5ppm to call USA and Europe yet still charge 15ppm to call to the UK?

- All mobile operators sell through resellers such as the Link, Carphone warehouse etc yet every one of these sticks ridgedly to teh standard tariff lists. When are we going to get proper resale like we have for landlines?

Ofcom need to pull their finger out.

Comments?

gizmoleeds

Some of the new operators like Tesco, easyMobile and Fresh are offering us cheaper prices, but the brand-image brain-washing works - I don't want "tesco" written on my mobile.

Anyway, we may not be the cheapest in the world but look at what poor Americans have to put up with - they have to pay to receive calls!

gromituk

Bikeman, actually I belive that Orange contracts offer free calls to 0800 numbers, and when I recently took out a BT Mobile SIM-only deal (free with cashback - fingers crossed!) I was surprised to see that it includes free itemised billing.

I agree with you though. These calls are expensive, and part of the reason is the lack of competition. There's no such thing as local loop unbundling, cable mobile, or voice over IP mobile. One good development, though, is the increasing number of cross-network minutes offered - there's nothing more frustrating than not having any idea how much your calls are costing (and you can't work it out from the number, because it may have been ported to another network). Of course you still don't know when your free minutes have run out, and they'll do all they can to prevent you.

A couple of years ago I discovered that calls to mobiles in Malta were 5p from one of the cheap providers. As you say, ironic when it costs so much to call them in this country.

Gizmo, you won't have Tesco written on your mobile if you buy a Tesco SIM - or do you mean just on the display? These prices are still way above landline rates, but the new operators must help the situation slightly.

gizmoleeds

gromituk wrote:

Gizmo, you won't have Tesco written on your mobile if you buy a Tesco SIM - or do you mean just on the display? These prices are still way above landline rates, but the new operators must help the situation slightly.

I mean on the screen. I know it's a stupid little thing - what kind of idiot goes on money saving forums but only buys big brand names, hey??

I got a good deal from o2 though with the free texts (now switched to free texts and calls and it probably works out about the same).

The complexity of different tariffs is an issue in itself if you think about it - by making them hard to understand which is cheapest the market can't function as it should.

pin

I am in no way trying to defend the mobile operators, but all of them have had to build their operations from stratch and this costs money (and a lot of it).

They have to constantly develop new products and services.

To top it off all the operators have massive debt from the various 3g auctions.

lympus48

Yes its is a con; UK mobile rates are far too high. I will never forget nor forgive T-Mobile for their roaming charges when we were in Thailand two years ago. It was £1.40 a minute to UK and £1.30 a minute to receive local calls; if you received a local call from a friend there and say they spoke for 1 minute 1 second T-Mobile took £2.60. Imagine our bill after 4 weeks- over one thousand pounds! They had not told us about some of these charges nor did they warn us as the bill exceeded several hundred pounds. I could never go back to T-Mobile.

Now when we go abroad we buy a sim card (for example from any Thai phone shop with your passport as ID- it costs about £4 for a simcard and some free calls too) You can easily ring folk back in the UK and give them your temporary number so they can get you if needed

IF you go abroad the rule is Never take your mobile! Do not let them get away with it.

MarkyMarkD

The main reason that UK call rates are far too high is because of the ludicrous "I must have a new handset every 6 months" culture and the fact that the networks choose to subsidise this from call charges.

The newer entrants do do better deals than the older operators, but they are still caught up (in the main) with this daft approach to doing business.

Woby_Tide

are UK call rates that high?

On the roaming front, a Cingular US user would be paying £1.10+per minute in Thailand, a Netherlands T-Mobile customer would be paying £1.33+ per minute, so hardly rip-off Britain really

likewise as previous poster says, costs are mostly due to us wanting free new mobiles. Again using Dutch T-Mobile site, relax 200 tarrif there is only 13.25 Euros or under £10 compared to £29 in the UK, so £19 a month more.

Difference though? They pay £200 for a Samsung D500, we pay nil. Total cost for year

UK £348
NL £320

Mr_Skint_2

And why is it that when from a vodafone mobile the helpline 191 is 25p per call
on a PAYT scheme and free on contract, to me that says second rate customer.

Oh and when you do call there is no lady saying there will be a standard
charge of 25p for this call, well she didnt a week ago, stroppy cow.

She used to until they changed the announcer.

03022242

thats kate or infact "cate"

shes rubbish, hopefully theyll get rid of her and go back the way it used to about a year ago

pricefighter

Mr_Skint wrote:

And why is it that when from a vodafone mobile the helpline 191 is 25p per call
on a PAYT scheme and free on contract, to me that says second rate customer.

Oh and when you do call there is no lady saying there will be a standard
charge of 25p for this call, well she didnt a week ago, stroppy cow.

She used to until they changed the announcer.

You can avoid the 25p per call,or ringing the 0870 number,by calling
01635 33251 from your landline.Choose opt 1,then opt 1 again for payg.