Many subscribers overpay between 120 and 180 euros per year for their mobile phone plan. But their operator is careful not to tell them how they could spend less by simply canceling an option.
Many mobile phone users in France unknowingly pay for a service they no longer use. A situation which seems profitable for mobile operators, but which weighs heavily on the wallets of millions of French people. Among the offers offered by mobile giants, such as Bouygues, Orange and SFR, is an offer called “bundled”. In this offer, the user obtains a phone at a very favorable price in exchange for a subscription lasting generally two years. Each month, a portion of the subscription, generally between 10 and 15 euros, is dedicated to paying off the phone at a reduced price. After two years, logically, the phone is fully paid for.
However, Arcep (the Electronic Communications Regulatory Authority) has noted a worrying phenomenon. Nearly a third of users who subscribed to such an offer do not change their phone after two years. They continue to use their device, often for more than three years. However, their monthly bill remains unchanged.
To put it simply: while these subscribers have fully reimbursed their device, they continue to pay as if they were still buying it, without their operator informing them. The financial impact is considerable. Over a year, this represents between 120 and 180 euros in overpayments per subscriber, or the equivalent of four to six months of full package without getting anything in return.
This surplus represents a gain of around 500 million euros per year for these operators, or almost 10% of their profits. An astronomical sum that companies do not seem ready to let slip away. If legally, these operators are covered since the contracts stipulate that it is up to the subscriber to change their package at the end of their contract, the situation nevertheless raises important ethical questions. Is it moral to continue charging for a service that is no longer provided?
Ultimately, it is the consumer who pays unnecessary additional costs. It is therefore essential for every mobile phone user to regularly check their contract and ensure that they are not paying for services that they no longer use. Collective awareness is necessary to put an end to this practice and guarantee a transparent and equitable relationship between operators and subscribers.
