Mobile phone users 'overpaying by £200' per year

SlowRain · 04-11-2011, 01:08 AM

This does not surprise me at all. I use my phone mainly for reading e-books and as a secondary internet device at home using Wi-Fi--in addition to the phoning, sexting, camera, etc. I don't have a data plan because I know I don't really need it. I use prepaid phone cards/minutes because I know how much I actually use my phone. Too many people delude themselves about what and how much they need.

Quote:

Three-quarters of mobile phone subscribers are wasting an average of nearly £200 a year because they are on the wrong contract, research suggests.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12996175

Sweetpea · 04-11-2011, 01:52 AM

We pay about €270 a year for two phones... (about £230, give or take). And we really do call for more than that £30 a year (again for 2 phones), so I doubt we are wasting that much a year

But it's one reason I won't get a so-called data-plan. I know I'd pay for it, and not (or hardly) use it.

cgk · 04-11-2011, 05:00 AM

I pay orange £15 a month for 1000 minutes, unlimited text and 500mb of data, I've never paid over that but because I use it for business, I do about 800-900 minutes a month in calls - that's on a monthly rolling contract. My android phone cost me £70 and has no contract.

So for me it's a fantastic deal - as the article points out, most people are paying for capacity they never use.

EowynCarter · 04-11-2011, 05:07 AM

Yeah, i have more sms and communication time than I need. Because of the data plan.
I sometimes though about changing, but, data plan are either unlimited, or something like 100MB. And so so long ago, i realized i liked the "unlimited" data. Because I can use data without fear of going off limit, and finding myself paying $$$$ extra.
And because android played some nasty trick on me as far as data usage go.

grumpy3b · 04-11-2011, 02:09 PM

there is an infomercial over here in the US for one of the pay as you go phones we have over here. Their spiel is pretty much the same thing as the OP and links show. I know my friends are always getting horrid bills or they are forced to move to a more spendy plan that they will never use all the extra room.

It's no mistake the cell plans are positioned and priced the way they are. The companies use FUD to scare people into opting to spend more but less now rather than et hammered for any overages.

Anyway I feel it's arguable that overages should not simply automatically adjust the customer account to the proper plan for those months rather than charge the near usury fees for overages. I know the argument against that is the claim it's all about portioning bandwidth based on subscription commitments . Not really since it's not as if there is single bit of difference between the user who goes over plan in a given billing period vs. the a customer on a higher rate plan who uses the same bandwidth for the period but does not go over their plan. Basically there is no negative impact on the service provider in either situation which was the original argument for overages and such.

And this is why I just say no to cell phones. If I can't get only and use Skype I don't call or get calls. I really am thinking about a burner phone for like $9, not joking I saw a flip-phone of some sort at Radio Shack for just $9 the other day, and here in the US one can always dial 911 even with an unsubscribed phone.

GA Russell · 04-11-2011, 04:15 PM

I learned about a US phone company the other day called Sienna. Free phone, and 1,000 minutes is $15.50 a month.

I'm giving serious thought to signing up.

http://www.prolifecatholic.com/plans.html

grumpy3b · 04-11-2011, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

I learned about a US phone company the other day called Sienna. Free phone, and 1,000 minutes is $15.50 a month.

I'm giving serious thought to signing up.

http://www.prolifecatholic.com/plans.html

took a fast look and for a basic no frills service it's not bad. But they use the old tiered system of peak/off-peak/night/weekend/mobile-to-mobile scheme.

That $15.50 plan offers ZERO Anytime minutes and that 1000 minutes you are paying $5.50 for are only mobile-to-mobile. So when you add all the number it does not look as attractive. But for $15/mo I can manage with a bit of a restriction on when. Then again I hardly ever use a phone anymore.

At least the service looks honest without any bait 'n switch or marketing double talk. Then again the terms for the tiered pricing can confuse many but they need to call the different options by something, right?

I saved the link so thanks from at least one person.

GA Russell · 04-11-2011, 06:18 PM

Grumpy, now I'm confused! I'll give them a call and see.

Most of my calling is to landline phones. If they are not included in the 1,000 minutes, I don't know if I would be interested.

grumpy3b · 04-11-2011, 06:59 PM

GA,

That would be great if you find out direct from the source. For all anyone knows the site is somewhat out of date on the service. It really does look like service from a decade ago yet with much lower prices.

Can't wait to read what they have to say.

astra · 04-12-2011, 05:50 AM

I have Pay-as-you-go with T-Mobile on mates-rates, which is 10p/min with other T-Mobile users, such as my wife.
I almost never call anybody else. So, I pay approximately £10 per 4-6 months? My wife pays about £10 every 2-3 months.
Mobile phone is still either an emergency thing or luxury for me.
It is handy to have, just in case. Also anybody can reach me at any time. For example, doctors, services, etc.

Richey79 · 04-12-2011, 05:24 PM

I was shocked to find that a colleague of mine was paying £60 a month on pay as you go for his mobile calls, whilst making calls that he could have had with a contract at £20 a month if he had shopped around. Works both ways. You just need to be aware of how many calls/texts and how much data you personally need each month and then seek out the cheapest suitable contract with a network that has decent coverage in your area.

carpetmojo · 04-12-2011, 05:43 PM

Yesterday I saw (in T-Mobile shop) PAYGo deal - £7-99 phone (no camera, just a phone, txt and calls) and £10 calls and of you go.
I don't know T-Mobile's tarriffs, but if you just want a phone, & the maths on call costs work out, a very good deal, I thought.
You could have quite a few scattered around the place !

GA Russell · 04-12-2011, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GA Russell

Grumpy, now I'm confused! I'll give them a call and see.

Most of my calling is to landline phones. If they are not included in the 1,000 minutes, I don't know if I would be interested.

I've just gotten off the phone with Sienna, and I can see that they are a non-starter for me. All calls to a landline phone are called "anytime minutes". I feel that their prices for those minutes are way too high.

CWatkinsNash · 04-12-2011, 06:30 PM

I have a prepaid plan through iWireless. The full rate is 20 cents/min but with the $5/mo (no contract) plan it's 10 cents, and it automatically adds $ to my account when it gets below a certain amount. Texts are the same price, and I only pay for outgoing texts, incoming texts are free. I also get free credits when I shop at Kroger. I rarely spend more than $10/month. I can also change my plan at any time, effective immediately, so if I go out of town or otherwise need a more cost effective plan for more usage for just one month, I can change it as needed. It's working out well.

I also like the fact that I was able to get an ordinary LG flip phone for $15 when I signed up. It's so hard to find normal phones these days.

GA Russell · 04-12-2011, 07:50 PM

Chirsta, you had me interested (!), but apparently iWireless is available only in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. So how can you get it in Nashville?

04-11-2011, 05:07 AM	#4
EowynCarter Wizard Posts: 4,337 Karma: 4000000 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Paris Device: Cybooks; Sony PRS-T1	Yeah, i have more sms and communication time than I need. Because of the data plan. I sometimes though about changing, but, data plan are either unlimited, or something like 100MB. And so so long ago, i realized i liked the "unlimited" data. Because I can use data without fear of going off limit, and finding myself paying $$$$ extra. And because android played some nasty trick on me as far as data usage go. Last edited by EowynCarter; 04-11-2011 at 05:10 AM.

04-12-2011, 07:50 PM	#15
GA Russell Stampeders are hot! Posts: 7,692 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	Chirsta, you had me interested (!), but apparently iWireless is available only in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. So how can you get it in Nashville? Last edited by GA Russell; 04-12-2011 at 07:53 PM.

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04-11-2011, 01:52 AM	#2
Sweetpea Grand Sorcerer Posts: 9,707 Karma: 32763414 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Krewerd Device: Pocketbook Inkpad 4 Color; Samsung Galaxy Tab S6	We pay about €270 a year for two phones... (about £230, give or take). And we really do call for more than that £30 a year (again for 2 phones), so I doubt we are wasting that much a year But it's one reason I won't get a so-called data-plan. I know I'd pay for it, and not (or hardly) use it.

04-11-2011, 05:00 AM	#3
cgk Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 480356 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: Paperwhite Signature	I pay orange £15 a month for 1000 minutes, unlimited text and 500mb of data, I've never paid over that but because I use it for business, I do about 800-900 minutes a month in calls - that's on a monthly rolling contract. My android phone cost me £70 and has no contract. So for me it's a fantastic deal - as the article points out, most people are paying for capacity they never use.

04-11-2011, 02:09 PM	#5
grumpy3b Banned Posts: 246 Karma: 14967 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 2 (x2), Kindle 1, a couple old PDAs	there is an infomercial over here in the US for one of the pay as you go phones we have over here. Their spiel is pretty much the same thing as the OP and links show. I know my friends are always getting horrid bills or they are forced to move to a more spendy plan that they will never use all the extra room. It's no mistake the cell plans are positioned and priced the way they are. The companies use FUD to scare people into opting to spend more but less now rather than et hammered for any overages. Anyway I feel it's arguable that overages should not simply automatically adjust the customer account to the proper plan for those months rather than charge the near usury fees for overages. I know the argument against that is the claim it's all about portioning bandwidth based on subscription commitments . Not really since it's not as if there is single bit of difference between the user who goes over plan in a given billing period vs. the a customer on a higher rate plan who uses the same bandwidth for the period but does not go over their plan. Basically there is no negative impact on the service provider in either situation which was the original argument for overages and such. And this is why I just say no to cell phones. If I can't get only and use Skype I don't call or get calls. I really am thinking about a burner phone for like $9, not joking I saw a flip-phone of some sort at Radio Shack for just $9 the other day, and here in the US one can always dial 911 even with an unsubscribed phone.

04-11-2011, 04:15 PM	#6
GA Russell Stampeders are hot! Posts: 7,692 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	I learned about a US phone company the other day called Sienna. Free phone, and 1,000 minutes is $15.50 a month. I'm giving serious thought to signing up. http://www.prolifecatholic.com/plans.html

04-11-2011, 06:18 PM	#8
GA Russell Stampeders are hot! Posts: 7,692 Karma: 31487351 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Raleigh, NC Device: Paperwhite, Kindles 10 & 4 and jetBook Lite	Grumpy, now I'm confused! I'll give them a call and see. Most of my calling is to landline phones. If they are not included in the 1,000 minutes, I don't know if I would be interested.

04-11-2011, 06:59 PM	#9
grumpy3b Banned Posts: 246 Karma: 14967 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: Kindle 2 (x2), Kindle 1, a couple old PDAs	GA, That would be great if you find out direct from the source. For all anyone knows the site is somewhat out of date on the service. It really does look like service from a decade ago yet with much lower prices. Can't wait to read what they have to say.

04-12-2011, 05:50 AM	#10
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	I have Pay-as-you-go with T-Mobile on mates-rates, which is 10p/min with other T-Mobile users, such as my wife. I almost never call anybody else. So, I pay approximately £10 per 4-6 months? My wife pays about £10 every 2-3 months. Mobile phone is still either an emergency thing or luxury for me. It is handy to have, just in case. Also anybody can reach me at any time. For example, doctors, services, etc.

04-12-2011, 05:24 PM	#11
Richey79 mrkrgnao Posts: 241 Karma: 237248 Join Date: May 2010 Device: PRS650, K3 Wireless, Galaxy S3, iPad 3.	I was shocked to find that a colleague of mine was paying £60 a month on pay as you go for his mobile calls, whilst making calls that he could have had with a contract at £20 a month if he had shopped around. Works both ways. You just need to be aware of how many calls/texts and how much data you personally need each month and then seek out the cheapest suitable contract with a network that has decent coverage in your area.

04-12-2011, 05:43 PM	#12
carpetmojo Wizard Posts: 3,117 Karma: 9269999 Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: UK Device: Sony- T3, PRS650, 350, T1/2/3, Paperwhite, Fire 8.9,Samsung Tab S 10.5	Yesterday I saw (in T-Mobile shop) PAYGo deal - £7-99 phone (no camera, just a phone, txt and calls) and £10 calls and of you go. I don't know T-Mobile's tarriffs, but if you just want a phone, & the maths on call costs work out, a very good deal, I thought. You could have quite a few scattered around the place !

04-12-2011, 06:30 PM	#14
CWatkinsNash IOC Chief Archivist Posts: 3,950 Karma: 53868218 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Fruitland Park, FL, USA Device: Meebook M7, Paperwhite 2021, Fire HD 8+, Fire HD 10+, Lenovo Tab P12	I have a prepaid plan through iWireless. The full rate is 20 cents/min but with the $5/mo (no contract) plan it's 10 cents, and it automatically adds $ to my account when it gets below a certain amount. Texts are the same price, and I only pay for outgoing texts, incoming texts are free. I also get free credits when I shop at Kroger. I rarely spend more than $10/month. I can also change my plan at any time, effective immediately, so if I go out of town or otherwise need a more cost effective plan for more usage for just one month, I can change it as needed. It's working out well. I also like the fact that I was able to get an ordinary LG flip phone for $15 when I signed up. It's so hard to find normal phones these days.

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