This may go against the bare bones structure of the pay for what you use rate schedule, but I find that I am hesitant to call my wife (we are the two phones presently on our account) because I know that we will double our minutes for every phone call. It would be nice to have some sort of discount on these calls. This is the one issue that I have experienced so far (still first month) that is really a negative toward our enjoyment of the Ting service.
7
Comments
Agreed. I'm sure there has been talk of this. I'd like to know what Tings official stance on the matter would be.
I think about that sometimes, but have to remind myself that the per minute cost of about 2 cents is so much cheaper than other providers, that at the end of the month, I pay less overall.
This is good feedback, an we appreciate you taking the time to write.
Essentially, Michael has explained how we see this issue. We understand the reluctance to make call where usage is accelerated, but our entire model is based on the premise of being fair, no matter how much you use.
Traditionally in wireless, you either overpay and underuse for "unlimited" and have no concerns (but do not get a real value), or pay less and worry about overage fees if you break the barrier.
With Ting, we see it as you never really get nailed. Granted, it can be mildly frustrating to breach a usage bucket by 10% at the end of the month, but we would suggest that you be at peace with this as opposed to be frustrated by it. The rates are still good, and you can take solace in the fact that when you have a low usage month, you pay less automatically as well.
Thanks again for taking the time to write!
Calling a number not within the same Ting account costs .03 per minute while calling a number within the same ting account costs .06 per minute. I agree those are good rates. I think many are thinking of it in terms of time and not cost. Example: I call the other number on my ting account and talk for 20mins. The talk time will count as 40 mins against that ting account.
I'm sure you can understand why this would put some people off. I don't think any one is thinking they are getting nailed or punished but as Ting expands you may this model not so workable should enough people not see it from your perspective.
Honestly, I'm not sure how it could be adjusted to address the concern and be fair to Ting.
I'll chime in...
Think about the months, not the minutes.
The vast majority of customers we're hearing from are seeing major savings over what they paid with previous providers and what their friends are paying. And they're saying the lower price comes with more freedom and better service.
Yes, calls between phones sharing a Ting account cost more whereas they might cost less with a traditional plan. This may seem odd at first, but if at the end of the month you're paying less than before, I'd argue the way we calculated your smaller bill isn't that important - as long as we're up front about what we're charging you of course!
The months, not the minutes.
I doubt sprint charges itself termination fees, which is why they themselves offer in network calling. The question is do they pass any discount on to MVNO's?
If Ting's objective is to charge customers a fair price based on what they actually use then it makes sense to treat in-network calls the same as out of network calls. If you call a Ting device on your own account, you're charged for both ends of the conversation. If you call a Ting device on someone else's account, you pay for your end and they pay for theirs. It's the same cost. If you call someone outside of Ting, you pay for your end and they pay someone for theirs.
It's simple and fair.
Think about how in-network discounts might actually be implemented, too. I'd bet on out of network calls going up in price to produce the perception of savings. I'd almost be willing to bet that this tactic is a dirty trick used to attempt to increase a cellular company's subscriber base.
It's possible Ting is already charging the lowest rate that they think will sustain their business and choosing not to be prejudice against some of your calls because they're headed for a 3rd party.
Please sign in to leave a comment.