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Video: Darn 13th Month: Do You Think We're Completely Stupid?
2024 Author: Sheila Hailey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:42
The other day I walked past a Vodafone shop and almost freaked out when I looked into the shop window (again). The tariff "Red Internet & Phone Cable" was advertised there with a fabulous 1000 Mbit / s for a much more fabulous 19.99 euros per month - so much speed for so little money, so of course the provider first gets the attention of Passers-by. The catch of the matter can be found in a slightly smaller font below. It says that the 19.99 euros per month only apply in the first 12 months, after which the fee increases to 69.99 euros per month - three and a half times the "entry fee". According to the product information sheet, the minimum contract term is 24 months - this means that the increased fee for the second year cannot be avoided (** see addendum at the bottom).
Yes folks, blatant marketing move - but do you really think we couldn't calculate? That's 12 × 19.99 euros and then 12 × 69.99 euros, making a total of 1,079.76 euros. Or an average of 44.99 euros per month over two years. Hey Vodafone, please just write that down. And hey, Telekom and o2 - you also mean that you are doing the same nonsense in a similar form elsewhere. Stop, preferably immediately.
View bestseller in the Calculators category on Amazon
A lot of damage to the image, just to fool a few fools
This way of disguising actual price structures is legal - and comes from the same drawer of peasant tricks as “the new chips pack”. Yes, exactly - the big one with less content. The responsible customer quickly gets to the bottom of the truth in the supermarket and on the website of the provider and takes the opportunity to do so. Even with a subscription to grade 5 in math lessons, you can easily unravel the price knot with the small print of the 13th month - in case of doubt using the calculator app on your smartphone.
I can understand the calculation of the providers: If you are convinced that a certain fraction of the (potential) clientele is completely stupid and resigned to the simplest computing tasks - then you could quickly "bag" this target group with such methods before the competition did it does. A shame that this is common practice. Possibly the weak willingness to change here in Germany is also exploited, because whoever you “have” will also be kept:
On the other hand, what I cannot understand at all: When painting price tags in the marketing departments of the providers, does nobody think of the "rest" of the customers? So normal people who think for a moment before buying - I say from the gut, that's 90 percent. They are all sold for stupid with such stitches. A certain image damage is conceivable. In other words, if I have two offers of equal value and one of the two providers comes with "the first X months only cost very little, but from month Y we want to triple", I would rather look at the other offer. Because you might have the decency not to think the customer is simple-minded. Just make fairly worded offers, which automatically leads to satisfied customers. Damn it again.
A little ray of hope: the
federal government wants to reduce the contract period to 12 months
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the position of the GIGA editorial team.
** Addendum: A reader pointed out to us that with the "Red Internet & Phone 1000 Cable" tariff mentioned above, a switch to a cheaper tariff (eg Red Internet & Phone 500 Cable for 49.99 euros / month at half speed) 12 months is possible. This can be read in the fine print on a Vodafone supply page. However, this does not change the basic requirement of the author outlined here.
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