Mobile Phone Blues

September 24, 2007 - 4:00 PM by

Rumor has it that in the very near future Israel’s mobile phone industry will get hit with a new law enabling consumers to switch back and forth between companies without switching cellphone numbers.

So, while in the past one had to switch and lose the old number those worries will soon disappear.

The concern plaguing competing “service providers” (sic) is that when the law goes into effect the average Joe Israel Citizen will be able to skip between companies painlessly – Ha ha. So currently there is a race on to secure customers. Incentives, incentives, incentives.

“Upgrade to a new model and get three months free!” “Turn in your old phone and upgrade for less!” “Free minutes for Signing onto this Package!”

Always, always read the fine print. Because if you upgrade or opt for the package or whatever else, you sign paperwork that locks you into your provider for 3 years. That or you pay a bunch of fines and fees if you go AWOL. Up to you.

I blogged about my own experience with one of the providers last week. One of life’s unpleasantries…*sigh*. A snippet:

So the cellphone company rep showed up this evening and pulled out the new model and displayed its bells and whistles. While I’m playing with the functions and he’s preparing to box my older model he pulls out the paperwork. And the grand total shown on their typed up invoice is double the amount I had agreed to less than twenty-four hours prior on the phone. I protested.

“Oh this happens about 70-80% of the time,” chuckles the delivery person. “But if you sign here and here, it says in the small print you have 48 hours to think things over. Don’t worry. The company will come around to the price you agreed on.”

And I’m thinking: Do I look like I live on ‘Asinine Alley’? Surely you don’t expect me to sign the inflated priced contract and then just hop on down to the Cellcom store to spend hours of my time and pounds of frustration and stress on getting my $ back. Nossiree Bob.

Oh but of course there’s mooooooorrrreee!!!! mwahahahaha!!!

Tags: • Category: Blogging, Business, Immigrant Moments, Israeliness 

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