Quote:
Originally Posted by PhotoJim
Prepaid SIM operators require no loyalty of us as customers. In exchange, they have no obligation of loyalty to us.
Prepaid operators that do not act fairly and consistently will not attract as many customers. Those that are fair and reasonable will attract more customers.
As with any product, vote with your dollars (or euros or pounds) and choose products in context with all the competitive options.
I hear the word "scam" bandied about as if every business in operation intends to defraud its customers. While a handful clearly do, most are honest. Changes in rates are due to economic necessity or market forces.
To avoid rate increases, use your minutes up. If you don't use many, use a provider that forces you to buy fewer prepaid minutes so that your risk is less. (Expect to pay more per minute, however.)
|
Fair enough, "scam" is too harsh. I can't speak about the intentions of these companies. However, I've been reading the comments in this forum, and there is very here little to inspire confidence in them. Many providers appear to be thinly capitalized, running on a shoestring, and operating from jurisdictions such as Isle of Man, Liechtenstein, Estonia, Jersey, Iceland or Monaco. Do they make their profit by taking advantage of some temporary regulatory anomaly available in those places? I don't claim to understand their business models, but their ability to operate seems extraordinarily subject to changes outside their control, witness the IoM providers or UM's +423 plan.
In this context, we are asked to "prepay" for a service the price of which can change without notice. I can't avoid rate increases by using my minutes up if the rate increases take place before the card even arrives in the mail. It's like paying in advance for ten pounds of potatoes, but then getting only seven because the price went up between the time of payment and the time of delivery. I'm not asking for loyalty; I'd just like to get what I paid for.