Comments on: Independent retailers must really wind up operators sometimes http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2007/09/independent_retailers_must_really_wind_up_operators_sometimes.html Daily news and opinion for 250,000 industry executives and mobile fanatics Wed, 15 Feb 2012 15:14:00 +0100 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: David Whitewood http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2007/09/independent_retailers_must_really_wind_up_operators_sometimes.html/comment-page-1#comment-102788 David Whitewood Sat, 08 Sep 2007 07:51:13 +0000 http://www.smstextnews.com/2007/09/independent_retailers_must_really_wind_up_operators_sometimes.html#comment-102788 A couple of points: 1 - CPW run my account including billing and support etc for O2, 2 - O2 willl pay CPW a commission for a contract renewal, but read on! I love my Nokia N73 and really don't need a new handset. "What else can you do for me?" "If don't want a new handset I can offer you £240 worth of rebates?" Sounds good I said but I am still trying to claim the last £75 rebate that you offered me (rebates are a clever retailer tactic common in the US that actually work because of "breakage" i..e. only a small percent ever claim, thus a retailer thus a $100 may only cost them $10). Is there anyway that I can get the rebate on my account today?" The result - a whopping £240 credit on my account in return for a 12 month £40 per month contract plus £10 for 20Mb of data offer. This is the equivalent of. 400 minutes and 500 texts for £20 a month on a network with great coverage. I had heard that operators were getting out of the handset subsidy business. That is good news for consumers and bad news for the handset manufacturers and of course you Ewan in your efforts to report on what kind of mobile that cool chick on the late train to Billericay has ! A couple of points: 1 – CPW run my account including billing and support etc for O2, 2 – O2 willl pay CPW a commission for a contract renewal, but read on!

I love my Nokia N73 and really don’t need a new handset. “What else can you do for me?”
“If don’t want a new handset I can offer you £240 worth of rebates?” Sounds good I said but I am still trying to claim the last £75 rebate that you offered me (rebates are a clever retailer tactic common in the US that actually work because of “breakage” i..e. only a small percent ever claim, thus a retailer thus a $100 may only cost them $10). Is there anyway that I can get the rebate on my account today?”

The result – a whopping £240 credit on my account in return for a 12 month £40 per month contract plus £10 for 20Mb of data offer. This is the equivalent of. 400 minutes and 500 texts for £20 a month on a network with great coverage.

I had heard that operators were getting out of the handset subsidy business. That is good news for consumers and bad news for the handset manufacturers and of course you Ewan in your efforts to report on what kind of mobile that cool chick on the late train to Billericay has !

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