984 Phone rip off

concur with your complaint...every five euro worth of top up costs e1.00 so it doesnt even matter if you try and buy a big amount of time to cut the costs.... it is a rip off..... it is unfair...... you cannot even get a contract here... and the problem only gets worse with your land line costs.... if you do ever find out who to complain to add me to the list... meanwhile i will have another glass of wine

I'm with the TIM netowrk and find that the charges are not so dear if you do the top-up by SMS.

With TIM, you send RIC (secret, scratch-off-number-thing) to their special number & it's quicker, cheaper & easier than letting the stores do it.

my (quite incomplete) understanding of the situation is that the top-up difference is because the price plans offered in Italy for pay-as-you-go phones are often as good or more competitive when compared to contract phones.

In fact, I know very few people who are on a contract in Italy because everyone aims for the pre-paid option. However, since there is no monthly fixed fee what the companies do is take off some money from the top-up.

We're living in Italy, not the UK, this situation is one of the differences, errrm, how many of us would like to take on the Council tax bills from the UK, and if being in the rain makes you grumpy, I can think of many worse places to be than Italy, sorry, but the sun is shining, I can't cope... ;)

George....time to lay down with the damp cloth on your head !!!!

You have me in hysterics !!!!!!

are u in Torino?
I am from Torino as well...

I know it is a total nonsens this fee you pay when you charge your phone...

Paola

I have a TIM phone when in Italy and 20 euro buys 15 euro of air-time, when I questioned it I was told it was a Government tax, is this not so?

:D Wakes up, stretches, can't see AAArrgghh, ahh, the now dry cloth slips... Nope, probably not a government tax, the phone company /bar, tabac's need to make more money out of you for selling you the priviledge of using their wondrous telephonic service, where would we be without it, writing long letters, getting replies weeks later, and, probably complaining about the cost of stamps...Do you know, if it wasn't for the food, the people the coffee, the weather the cost of living and the lifestyle, I'd go back to England tomorrow (Only Joking!)

Hi
I obviously was having a bad moment when I posted this morning ! George, I know perfectly well that I'm not in the UK and not to compare here with the UK - I've been with my hubby for 25yrs now and am used to a bit of "UK versus Italy" ....... it makes our marriage more interesting (well thats one way of putting it I s'pose ).
Also, I don't mean to whinge - I really dont - cos I love my life here and would not go back to my previous life for anything ! I was simply wondering why thats all ! I admit as well, that I cannot really compare the UK
as I come from Guernsey, which is obviously completely different - so I bow and apologise. (dont even know what council tax is......) And you have to remember - I am a lightweight - I actually admit to liking the Branston Sandwich Spread ..........
LaToCa: Ciao, mi trovo nel Pinerolese e ti saluto li a Glasgow ! Come fai a sopportare il tempo in Inghilterra ? Ti manca L'Italia?
Anyway, I'm off now to savour the rest of the red (a nice Raboso from Veneto) and look at the huge rainbow thats appeared outside !
Karen

:D Errrm, words fail me, I, I, no, I just can't...

I think you have this the wrong way round Karen, yes you do pay for buying the top up, the bar owner etc has to have some incentive to sell them, but the rip off is in the UK, using a mobile in Italy is CHEAP unlike in the uk.

Susi