Disqus
Bleeurgh. It’s not often O2 gets my back up – they are generally a pretty good and responsive network – but this time they’ve managed it. I got a rather perfunctory email from them yesterday, telling me that my bills were being moved online, because it would save them paper!
Hang on a minute, woah there, stop, ree-wind – at what point did I agree to this? Have they asked me if I’d like my bills solely online, rather than on paper? Are they making a big assumption? Well, I didn’t agree, I don’t want my bills just online, and yes, they’ve made a sweeping assumption.
Quite apart from the fact I like reviewing my bill on paper each month, I also have a reason for it – and that is that I need to itemise my call charges – something that’s easy to do with a tangible printout in front of me. Now, I get the extra hassle of having to print out the bill from the online portal, if I want this ‘privilege’ – and it’s a cost to me.
So, let’s sum up in one line: O2 are saving money by putting me to extra hassle, and my side of the bargain is that to get the same service I was previously receiving, I effectively have to pay more. Nice.
About The Author
Ben Robinson
Ben is a 10+ year veteran of the Mobile industry – starting his career when SMS was a still a relatively new concept for most people (!), he has now consulted on everything from bleeding-edge Mobile content, to the next-gen accessories you might view it on. As a result he has a broad and deep knowledge in numerous areas of Mobile – from network operators to device vendors, to infrastructure and middleware vendors (not to mention content delivery) – and has worked for companies in all of these areas! He is based in the UK, a hotbed of activity for mobile, and recently became a father for the second time – as oppose to in his younger years when he was happy spend time tweaking all manner of mobile devices to 'nth' degree, he now looks for services and hardware that provide the most efficient, compact, and reliable improvements to his already manic life! It’s his opinion that Mobile solutions should be there to help to make your life better – if a particular solution (be it service or device) isn’t doing this, he believes you need to ask the very important question of why you continue to use it... His focus at IntoMobile is mainly on Mobile content, services, and infrastructure, particularly as regards the UK market – and with the occasional look at devices. Additionally, using his extensive experience in the industry, he will provide commentary on the industry at large, with regular (and hopefully thought-provoking) articles.
