We’re currently evaluating to give out a free trial period to new users for our flat-rate sms offer and let them test our service for some time before they get billed.
As you probably know we’re charging £3 / week using sms premium billing – we’re sending each user a text message each week which costs 3 pounds to receive. Instead, we could for example give each new user a trial period of for example a week or a month in which he’s not billed – and has the possiblity to stop the service at any time following the usual steps.
That would give each new user the possiblity to send texts for free for a limited time – and to see if all the features work as promised – like our automatic sms reminders. We’re uncertain if it’s worth the hassle and at this time, we’re definitely not sure how such a trial would look like.
What do you think – would a week be enough? Or would you need 14 days, a month? Let us know by sending an email to info@veage.com
UK phone-paid services regulator PhonepayPlus today revealed it has started to work on the 12th edition of it’s code of practice taking into consideration recommendations made by Ofcom in its recent PRS Scope Review. PhonepayPlus is aiming to reduce step-by-step guidance and instead defines desirable outcomes to allow businesses more freedom. On the other hand it aims to increase customer confidence.
We can’t help to wonder why they don’t target obvious problematic areas – such as network operators never issuing refunds while putting the burden on service providers who only get half the money but have to pay full. That’s something most service providers would consider unfair treatment.
Or think of mobile network operators effectively forestalling micro payment. As a service provider, you’ll roughly get 50% of what the end user has been charged – the rest stays with the network operator. Imagine what price we could offer you for your sms flat rate if network operators would change to a pay out scheme like credit card companies offer.
Don’t get us wrong – consumer protection is a good thing – we’re consumers ourselves at the end. We still think that most of the problems in the industry are largely due to ignorance on the network side of things (we’re getting unrequested sms from mobile networks on all new phones, and we never agreed to get them in the first place) – and it would certainly benefit consumers to take a closer look at that.
A recently conducted poll finds that students in average send 3 sms text message per class and a total of 440 texts per week. At average cost of 12p per message that’s text sms worth £150 per month – assuming each of them has a 500 free sms messages plan! Now that makes us look good 
The study also found that parents mostly don’t think their children would use the phone within school at all, while almost 65% of all students admitted to use the phone regularly within school hours. Some also use the phone for cheating – and only half of all the students polled believe this phone cheating to be a “serious offense.”
