Posted: 9/15/2010 10:57:28 PM EDT
|
Primarily in the context of wireless communication providers, but could also count for land-line service, DSL, cable internet, etc.. I think activation fees are total bullshit. That being said, privately run companies have every right to charge them. As a consumer in the same market, I have every right to complain about them until I lose my voice. If all companies are going to charge $35 to do a small amount of paperwork to get you into their system, they need to make it known upfront in the advertising. Perhaps the damn-near deceptive pricing practices would change if their commercials had to state: "You'll only pay $79.99 (plus roughly 8-10% in sales tax) per month for unlimited voice and text (within reasonable usage limitations that aren't clearly defined) for up to 2 lines, and the 3rd through 5th lines (which will cost an additional $15 per line) will share 200 minutes of anytime minutes (meaning no free nights and weekends) and no text and no data, and we'll tack on a $30 data plan for each "smart phone" you assign to your account (but we won't make it obvious how we determine what qualifies as a smart phone, and what isn't (phones which only incur a $10/month data plan charge for the exact same internet)) and charge you $35 per line for activation when you first sign up and don't try to get out of your Early Termination Fee by claiming we increased the rates on text messaging to $0.75 per text message when you decide that paying more for your cellphone bill than for your electricity bill 5 months down the road is abso-fucking-lutely-ridiculous. We do appreciate your business and hope you'll refer us to your friends and family. Kthxbye." Oh and by the way, I wasn't recently screwed over by a cellular company (because I flat out refuse to go in on any contract-based business with any of them after having sold my soul to one for a year, a few years back). I WAS looking at the plan options available on letstalk.com, though, and thats when I started to rage. Now to the point of the thread: Someone make a definite and clear justification for an activation fee. I know someone here can do it, because frankly this is ARFCOM. Help me raise my blood pressure a few more points because I know you can do it |
|
I don't necessarily have a problem with them. Lets say you're buying a service that has a high churn rate. As a consumer would you rather pay an extra $x a month for the service as part of the monthly service rate or a one time fee? I feel like I generally make informed purchase decisions and stick with the people I chose to get services from a decent length of time. I think I generally come out ahead than if it was part of every month's bill.
I would also argue that I see someone who ports a phone number into a cellular provider and back out within a few months is less profitable than someone who stays with the service for years. Such a fee might be a way to ensure that every customer, even short term customers, are profitable. The real thing that gets me is when a service provider is unwilling to raise their monthly service fees but happily add on additional "recovery fees" as a way of hiding rate hikes. As long as someone is up front up what they're charging me I have few complaints. |
|
As far as activation fees and upgrade fees they are used industry wide not as a screwing to you but as a way to cover the cost of manpower, software and network. If you want to rage rage on the company pulling the strings on the backbone of it all, AMDOCS. They charge a huge fee to every company for every activation and account and yes even the prepaid.
Not only are you paying this rip off company but all your information is also stored in a terrorist state. SO that 79.99 cell phone you have just bought with a contract is a subsidized price, the real cost for lets say a shitty run of the mill phone is about 169 bucks to the company selling it. Not a bunch of recoup if any on the companies part, where they make the money is the services rendered. IF you want text and data good some recoup cost there if not even better for when you kid rolls a 6 grand overage bill on you. Now what you also not considering is roaming, yep costs to roam and most providers pay each other for said servicing now toss in data and woo you got some money going out there. See the tower over yonder on that piece of real estate? they do not come cheap in fact the company rents the space for several thousand a year for the privilege to have the tower there. Add in electric and more money out of pocket for the company to provide you a service. That tax is not sales but a federal tax and tariff for services like 911 and providing a cell phone to the fucking worthless welfare trash as a reduced or free rate. Read the fine print it is for a pay for use of the company, yep a business not a utility that means it is for profit. I did see you mention the letstalk mvo or prepaid which is owned buy a major wireless carrier, it is like anything else you get what you pay for. Even better are the third party companies with lax hiring standards like wirefly. Oh good luck getting that shit unfucked when they hose the shit out of you, and if you can anyone good luck with haji johnny not taking your credit and account out for the royal ass raping. now the real kickin the nuts about those hidden fees are this...you fucking agreeded to them. pull your contract up read it over they happen to fall in there something to the effect of the company reserves the right to change its fee structture with or withbout your consent. Please do not get me started on ports those are a whole pile of shit and disaster with a few kernals of heartache thrown in. Yes I work in the industryand have heard it all day in and day out. why people think they are entitled to free shit, should not have to pay for something they did blah blah. guess what man the fuck up and take some god damned responsibility for the contract you signed all your personal info on. and the next time you feel like showing the entitled bitchy red ass to that shlub behind the counter trying to help you don't we have all the info we need to fucking make your life hell for a really long time. oh like setting your email uo for every gay zoo porn nambla mailing we can find. getting a burner phone and forwarding your address and phone number to craigslist for m4m bareback tranny fun no strings attached. or better yet after weeks of shit like that an add saying moving come take it all when you are at work. good luck finding a trace back on that ip with a hacked and cloned cell phone. |