Anyone that gets passed for paying too much, morally, must also be concerned that we allow profit for the company.
So, I talk 100 to 1000 minutes, text 10 to 100 times, use under a megs.
What do mnvo pay? . Google forum member obfuscate. I just want a hard number. Then, we know if a company will survive or not.
Text and voice are cheap, one will never get an exact answer as they are buried in contracts between MVNO and the backbone carrier, and they are not public contacts. There may be a few users that cost Republic mo y on the $10 plan but there more than enough that don’t use much to make up for it and add on the 3.0 $15 cost voice and text are not taking a service down [data is a whole different can of worms]
Text and voice are cheap…
This and that cell data is ridiculously expensive is the conventional wisdom and to some extent wireless pricing reinforces that wisdom. I’m going to throw out two pieces of anecdotal evidence that makes me question that conventional wisdom.
In addition to service with Republic, I have a phone on T-Mobile proper. My plan there is 100 minutes talk, unlimited text and 5GB of LTE data. If voice is cheap and data expensive, I need someone to explain why TMO maintains this plan though they certainly don’t advertise it.
In Europe, talk and text are routinely metered and cell data allowances (even roaming) are typically much more generous than in the U.S.
Text is indeed cheap, voice I’m not so sure about. Anyway as we move to VoLTE, it all just becomes data doesn’t it?
It’s much more complicated than wholesale costs. Customer acquisition costs, customer maintenance costs, the constant struggle to remain competitive and relevant. It’s a tough business and we have seen much consolidation over the years. Sprint is a very popular partner, and they haven’t been profitable for 10 years.
Luckily I don’t have to worry about the company’s profitability. I just shop, consume, and if a company folds, move on.
I don’t agree. Firstly, this is a very shallow view, which forces companies to ultimately over charged, lie, promise the sky, deliver little, create more churn, hide costs like in forcing a new phone each jump. The end consumer cannot rest, cannot focus on other pursuits other than looking for next ship. Ultimately, this leads to consolidation, dualopolies. . My guess, is Sprint will sell out. You will have 3 majors, they will politically flip it so mvno will be more expensive than contract, probably through phone price control. You will be screwed. There is no good that comes from disloyalty that results from taking a good company for granted. Problem is, is that without knowing a company’s true cost, it is hard to appreciate them. Often we consumers may not realize that half the companies are operating below cost, and many don’t know it themselves.
The end consumer cannot rest, cannot focus on other pursuits other than looking for next ship.
Really? Texting doesn’t cause accidents, it’s plan shopping? And the end of the world is coming soon.
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I feel a real need to obfuscate. But alas it is 1 AM. Good night.
I don’t think you are understanding the underlying principles. I see this every day for last 30 years… Roughly 20 percent of customers will be loyal and appreciate a good job. This leads to cost for any company: advertising, sales, packaging, collection, renegotiations, back massaging, superficial infrastructure like being vehicle, fancy clothing, store fronts. . None of the money goes into the product, not a dime. Instead, the successful companies are the ones that can posture, puff, etc. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the surviving companies must sell a 32 oz bottle of colored, inexpensive filtered tap water in packaging for several dollars a bottle. So to speak. It wasn’t cheap labor or usable products that over took American products. In 2003, everything made in China had very nice packaging, one product in three on the shelves was real, the other two were bogus. France, a decade earlier, ran into this truffle problem, where the China truffles looked the same but tasted like rubber. So, left at that, no one would buy the Chinese truffles. But they learned that by mixing in as little as a third french truffles in, people would keep buying the China truffles, as long as half the price. At the other end of spectrum, I have seen people pay $150 an hour for one guy and a snake, because the guy drove a $50,000 box truck, while quibbling about $35 an hour for skilled labor that take 10 years to master.
The result of this consumer ingratitude is higher costs, high failures, rise of inferior companies with bigger advertising and superficial infrastructure. And most importantly, need to lobby the government for regulations that only large companies can comply. This allows consolidation. They goal is always to consolidate to 2 to 4 big companies. Once consolidation complete, quality can drop and prices rise. The consumer treated like dog poop.
Ideally, the consumer dealing with small companies need to be educated on what is smoke and mirrors, vs what is real product, vs what is simply unsustainable.
Ultimately, customer greed, stupidity, obsessive compulsiveness, leads to higher prices, and more smoke and mirrors.
The 20 percent loyalty is a number that several advertising companies have cited as a real study. Probably, roughly correct, I would recon.
You are certainly free to practice brand loyalty, as I am free to be rather brand agnostic.
Brand loyalty is a 2 way street a company should not expect customer loyalty of they are not loyal to their customers (reasonable cost, reasonable customer service, a good product and or service)
Most of the Wireless industry has not provided all this. so right there is no real customer loyalty in the industry (Republic comes pretty close and as such still has me as a customer (though this board has a lot to do with it)
Ultimately, customer greed, stupidity, obsessive compulsiveness, leads to higher prices, and more smoke and mirrors.
Kris Kristofferson - Blame it on the Stones - YouTube
At least you’re not blaming your pending higher price for mobile phone service on China or RW…
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Actually, the greed that results in higher prices is on the part of providers, not customers. THEY set the prices – we only decide wheter or not to pay them. And the less real competition there is, the less choice we have, especially for a commodity that hase become a near-necessity in today’s modern world.
old.man wrote:
I feel a real need to obfuscate.
Hey! Watch your language - this is a “G” rated forum.