Mobile phone charges

padair

Ok, it may just be me, but does anyone else think we are getting screwed by the Mobile companys over here. Dont get me wrong, some of the price plans are ok but they are no where as close to any of the price plans from the UK.

Just getting started,
what about the price of the phones. Take the N97 from O2.ie,
the retail price will be starting at €345 and that is with an eighteen month contract. Crock of s*it.... or by getting it as a pay as you go you will say a grand €0.99 cents. Quite a cracking saving when the phone is €529.

Well that is my two cents.
Let me know you opinions. Do you mind paying over the odds, just because they charge us that price. What can be done about it.

P.

Mimikyu

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delop

Man I totally agree, but you will find there will be some apologists who will reply and say that Low population density, Large unpopulated areas to cover , and how the operators here are run as independent outfits... but you would have a hard time convincing me that when Say an operator like Vodafone UK buys devices in bulk that Vodafone ireland goes off and makes their own deal...

I was in spain not too long ago and loaded up independant.ie , just the main page... €4 cost... its just not right....

Mimikyu

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delop

Your not wrong, but not exactly right either, what Im about to say will sound stupid and annoying, but I work fairly close to the industry and the public have many misconceptions about mobile operators, misconceptions that the operators are happy for us to believe...

Mimikyu

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jimmycrackcorm

I disagree with the above posters. Compare two people living 50 metres across the border from each other.

NI side guys pays £60 for N97 and £30/month of 900 minutes
ROI guy pays €345 for phone and €80/month for 600 minutes.

Now of course the argument about the economies of scale apply for the UK, but not by taking NI as a territory in it's own right. Also the fact that ROI customers are more profitable than their UK counterparts also sinks the teeth in.

ardmacha

The networks are basically separate companies in each country so I'd imagine they buy their phones separately too.

Why wouldn't they do a deal with the phone providers for all networks and get better prices?

This economies of scale thing is overrated. Places like Singapore and Finland that have a similar population to the ROI have much better value telecoms.

speedscot

I have just moved here from the UK and compared to the cost of plans and subsidised cost of handsets there I would agree that you definitely are being shafted here by mobile phone companies. There are too many specific examples to give but if you check 02 or Voda or any of them's UK website you will get the picture.

padair

If we go away from telecoms for a second.
We were all getting screwed before with groceries. The perple spoke with their feet and the issue was highlighted by the press. The result, the prices have gradually started to come down.

That cannot happen in this case. If we want a phone in Ireland, we have to pay over the odds for it. . .

I am going to be like a kid but "Its not fair "

Dankoozy

I never, ever buy a phone through the network and I don't understand why anyone else would either

you end up paying over the odds for some locked, crippled piece of crap. just buy unlocked off ebay

just wish that the lads at the Crap phone warehouse would give up their lucrative 'kickbacks' from the networks and go back to selling unlocked phones at a reasonable price

Tom Dunne

Padair - please do not start a thread with a title like that again.

You can get your point across without reverting to such language.

padair

Sorry Tom..
No offence meant. Just frustrated with services provided by service providers and by their costs. It wont happen again.