Spring Break
Pay attention, be wise
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: Forum
By now the majority of us have some bills to pay, be it rent, cable, internet, cell phone, electricity or any of the many others.
You might have noticed when you subscribe for utilities you get some kind of "special" or a "deal" for a certain amount of time. Of course they keep up their end of the bargain for the time promised, and then they stop giving you the deal. This is fair because, hey, they gave you a "special." Right?
With other services like cell phone companies, you sign up for one plan and then the plan changes, rarely for the consumer's benefit and rarely do we notice. Marketing materials frequently hide or omit the actual cost of the service beyond their magic introductory period and this strategy drags in so many customers.
Same goes for cell phone companies. They take care of you when you are a new customer, then don't keep you up to date on new deals and continue to keep you on the plan you originally signed up for, even though new, better plans are now available.
Drawing in customers is the most important thing to companies - as long as their current customers aren't notified about new plans, the company makes more money.
There are the prepaid cell phones, which bill you for what you use instead of an entire plan, but you also have to pay fees, which are more often "hidden" than not.
This could be pure laziness on the part of college students - and all customers - but this could also be companies manipulating us. Is it right that these companies treat their new customers better than their long term loyal customers? Why do we stay loyal?
The average cell phone contract is two years. In those two years, who knows how many different "specials rates" will pop up.
How many people are aware of the different billing options for your electricity?
Some companies offer the option of paying what you use - like the prepaid cell phones - or the option of an amount that does not fluctuate. The latter is usually the better deal because during the winter you will probably use more electricity trying to keep your home warm, and in the summer you'll use pretty much no electricity. Having a fixed rate just averages it all out instead of leaving you short on cash in the winter.
These things are not things made readily known by companies, so part of the issue could be customers being lazy, but the other part could be companies using a "don't ask don't tell" policy.
Be forewarned - check your bill, and you might just want to opt for the paper bill. Having a bill that's viewable online is a great way to save paper, but can sometimes be deceiving. Check out your company's website. Look at what deals they have and read the fine print.
We are college students and need all the money we can get. Don't fall victim to companies taking advantage of you.
Editorials serve as a means for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale or diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board's majority.
You might have noticed when you subscribe for utilities you get some kind of "special" or a "deal" for a certain amount of time. Of course they keep up their end of the bargain for the time promised, and then they stop giving you the deal. This is fair because, hey, they gave you a "special." Right?
With other services like cell phone companies, you sign up for one plan and then the plan changes, rarely for the consumer's benefit and rarely do we notice. Marketing materials frequently hide or omit the actual cost of the service beyond their magic introductory period and this strategy drags in so many customers.
Same goes for cell phone companies. They take care of you when you are a new customer, then don't keep you up to date on new deals and continue to keep you on the plan you originally signed up for, even though new, better plans are now available.
Drawing in customers is the most important thing to companies - as long as their current customers aren't notified about new plans, the company makes more money.
There are the prepaid cell phones, which bill you for what you use instead of an entire plan, but you also have to pay fees, which are more often "hidden" than not.
This could be pure laziness on the part of college students - and all customers - but this could also be companies manipulating us. Is it right that these companies treat their new customers better than their long term loyal customers? Why do we stay loyal?
The average cell phone contract is two years. In those two years, who knows how many different "specials rates" will pop up.
How many people are aware of the different billing options for your electricity?
Some companies offer the option of paying what you use - like the prepaid cell phones - or the option of an amount that does not fluctuate. The latter is usually the better deal because during the winter you will probably use more electricity trying to keep your home warm, and in the summer you'll use pretty much no electricity. Having a fixed rate just averages it all out instead of leaving you short on cash in the winter.
These things are not things made readily known by companies, so part of the issue could be customers being lazy, but the other part could be companies using a "don't ask don't tell" policy.
Be forewarned - check your bill, and you might just want to opt for the paper bill. Having a bill that's viewable online is a great way to save paper, but can sometimes be deceiving. Check out your company's website. Look at what deals they have and read the fine print.
We are college students and need all the money we can get. Don't fall victim to companies taking advantage of you.
Editorials serve as a means for Barometer editors to offer commentary and opinions on issues both global and local, grand in scale or diminutive. The views expressed here are a reflection of the editorial board's majority.
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