Check out the full size version of this sceen grab. Imagine you are planning on buying a new contract for your mobile phone. This deal looks good doesn’t it? 2000 minutes & 1000 SMS for only £25 a month, with a monthly not yearly contract – by UK standards that’s a truly amazing deal! So what’s the catch? In the small print it says these minutes can only be used at off peak times.
I don’t understand how anyone could see this as a good strategy. Sure, you may get a good sign up rate, but when the customers see their bills at the end of the month they are going to be seriously angry. I can only hope that this is a design mistake, not purposeful deceit.
Small print is nothing new, which is all this is – hiding informaiton by design is as old as the hills.
Most mobile phone users (and in fact most shoppers for services) put in lots of effort during comparison time and then never bother to check their bills.
The more you look, the more ‘corrupt’ it all seems – just get used to it!