DISQUS

Mobile Industry Review: Parental Guidance

  • Samantha · 1 year ago
    My Grandparents have done the exact same thing. They were on a contract with O2 for three or more years, and every month they paid a stupid amount of money for texts (they can't even see their screens), and minutes every month. The ones they didn't use were rolled over.

    They ended up with thousnds of texts and minutes, which they never used. Then, by bad luck and finances they were unable to keep paying the contract, and guess what happened... All those minutes and texts gone! They had been loyal customers for over three years, paid far too much money for a service they barely used, and O2 just swiped them all off.

    I don't get why there is a proper phone (I know of one in Germany), and operator which soley focuses on the elderly, or weak-mobiled. I mean, selling plans which are simple to understand, with basic, but good phones (big screens with massive buttons, and really loud ringtones), to these people. I'm pretty sure there is a market for it, and I think the Germans once again have something along this line.
    Might I add, the there are more elderly people in the UK than there are under-21's! That is a massive market, and one that holds a lot of money.

    Ahh, ramble! I shall stop now.

    Samantha.
  • phoneboy · 1 year ago
    South of the Canadian border, T-Mobile and AT&T both address this problem with $100 cards that are good for 1 year. What's particularly sweet with T-Mobile is that once you've purchased one, or several totaling $100 in credit, even a $10 top-up card will give you a one-year expiration date.

    My in-laws use T-Mobile prepaid and it works fantastic for them. My mother-in-law makes reasonable use of the phone, my father-in-law hardly at all. When his phone has a huge balance that's about to expire, she uses his phone for a bit. They refresh their respective accounts as needed.

    My wife also uses T-Mobile prepaid and it works great for her as well. I probably have to refill it every 6-9 months or so, but it's cheaper than a postpaid plan.

    But let's face it, some people just don't get it, no matter how you try to explain it to them.
  • phoneboy · 1 year ago
    South of the Canadian border, T-Mobile and AT&T both address this problem with $100 cards that are good for 1 year. What's particularly sweet with T-Mobile is that once you've purchased one, or several totaling $100 in credit, even a $10 top-up card will give you a one-year expiration date.

    My in-laws use T-Mobile prepaid and it works fantastic for them. My mother-in-law makes reasonable use of the phone, my father-in-law hardly at all. When his phone has a huge balance that's about to expire, she uses his phone for a bit. They refresh their respective accounts as needed.

    My wife also uses T-Mobile prepaid and it works great for her as well. I probably have to refill it every 6-9 months or so, but it's cheaper than a postpaid plan.

    But let's face it, some people just don't get it, no matter how you try to explain it to them.