The great telephone rip-off marches on. Following on from BT and Virgin Media, two mobile telephone providers now charge in whole minute intervals rather than per second.

One could understand it if everything was clockwork, but this nonsense happens because they are allowed to get away with it. Imagine what would happen if meat was rounded up to the nearest 500g; I'm sure trading standards would have something to say.

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Source: Mobile Marketing News

http://www.mobilemarketingnews.co.uk/Three_ends_pay_per_second_charges_18750386....

Three ends pay per second charges

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Pay-per-second charges will no longer be relevant to the mobile phone bills of 3 customers - but the new pay-per-minute charges could prove more costly.

Mobile Today website has revealed that 3 will round up (not down) to the nearest minute from 23 September.

The bad news does not stop there though - 3 are also going to introduce a new £4 monthly surcharge for customers who don't embrace modern life by paying their bills by direct debit.

An itemised 3 paper bill, instead of an electronic bill accessible through the 'My 3' portal, will also set you back £1-a-throw.

The moves seem to be an attempt to turn the clock back to the days before 1995, when Orange launched pay-per-second charges, saving pay-per-minute customers an estimated 20 per cent.


A spokesman for 3 seemed unrepentant, and was quoted by Mobile Today as saying: "Every business looks at its cost base and how best it can balance the need to fund its operations and serve its customers.

"Half of our customers already use (electronic bills) and use it regularly to get an up-to-the-minute view of their spending."

T-Mobile is the only other network to currently favour pay-per-minute charges.
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