Amp'd Mobile adds 25% surcharge to data services

Posted Jun 2nd 2006 5:01PM by Brian White
Filed under: Cellular, Business

After writing about Amp'd Mobile's new prepaid offering this week, here's a rather sneaky addition they've also added into Amp'd service: a 25% surcharge on all data features, both postpaid and prepaid. Even so, it continues to amaze me why wireless carriers and now MVNOs treat prepaid customers (and in this case, postpaid customers as well) like non-customers. Surcharges like this spell it out loud and clear.

I liked this article over at RCRNews.com because it injects some logic into the pithy marketing many of the wireless carriers continue to unfold on what they think are the most lucrative customers (where is the research that shows this?). I, too, and an "el cheapo bandito", as the article calls it.

Reader Comments

(Page 1)

1. Interesting article, but I wonder why wireless companies are doing this?

Posted at 10:03AM on Jun 3rd 2006 by Periph

2. I agree with you, the first company that treats prepaid customers like they’re worth a damn will make a lot of money.

Posted at 8:15PM on Jun 6th 2006 by JD Arney

3. I agree that prepay is unreasonable however I think it'd be difficult for wireless carriers to change pricing schemes to effectively to still make money on prepay customers. Customer retention rather than drawing consumers new to wireless business is the largest obstacle for wireless carriers now as majority of the US has some sort of wireless plan. Prepay does not ensure retention like postpay, so really, the main audience for prepay are consumers with bad credit -- and that group, unfortunatly, won't be able to afford paying more to be "treated like human beings".

Posted at 10:36AM on Jun 15th 2006 by D Simpson

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