New cell phone rules

[canman]

So it seems as of February 1st, the cell phone game has completely changed. No more cash back programs, the all you can use data service is gone, and the phones cannot be offered for free anymore. How is this supposed to make it cheaper for customers, or am I missing something? This seems like a huge helping hand to the big three, since they won't have to really worry about customers jumping ship to another carrier. My contract is just ending with Softcrap, and I would like to switch to AU, but from what I can gather it will cost me a lot to change over, with no incentives at all. Any advice?

[wagyl]

Unless I am missing something, there has not been a change of rules, and certainly not something that changed from January to February. For example, the network providers are not prevented from offering unlimited data, they just choose not to offer it to new customers and changes of contract for smart phones. This has been so since they introduced the new plans. It may not be for all customers, but for some, the new plans are an improvement for their use model. There is nothing preventing offering free phones, and there are some gala-kei offered for free by docomo at least https://www.mydocomo.com/onlineshop/pro ... ml?cat=023 I have not looked at au.

Evidently, the three players in the market feel that they were not getting enough revenue per user, and that the incentives to encourage churn were costing them more than they were happy bearing. It only took one player to make a change before the other two did, but that is something which we are used to in that industry.

You do realise that a smartphone costs as much as a refrigerator, don't you. If you are expecting a free refrigerator every two years and still not pay much for your phone plan, I think you are asking too much.

http://mineo.jp/ is a MVNO on the au network, which may be a way to make the changeover a bit more comfortable cost-wise.

[FG Lurker]

You do realise that a smartphone costs as much as a refrigerator, don't you. If you are expecting a free refrigerator every two years and still not pay much for your phone plan, I think you are asking too much.

Monthly plans in Japan are priced to include the cost of a new phone every 2 years, and the big three providers have still been raking it in. If they wish to lower prices considerably and not include a "free" phone every 2 years that would be fine too. If they keep prices the same and eliminate the phone that seems like a massive scam.

[canman]

Wagyl, not sure what fridges your looking for these days, but they are out of this world expensive! Was pricing some and they averaged from ¥250000~¥400000!
Back to the cell phone question, it just seems that even though the Gov't had promised to try and control costs, the big three have prevailed in eliminating almost any competition. I think the cash back programs worked well. Just my two cents.

[chibaka]

Wagyl, not sure what fridges your looking for these days, but they are out of this world expensive! Was pricing some and they averaged from ¥250000~¥400000!
Back to the cell phone question, it just seems that even though the Gov't had promised to try and control costs, the big three have prevailed in eliminating almost any competition. I think the cash back programs worked well. Just my two cents.

Get a phone here http://www.expansys.jp/mobile-phones/sim-free-phones/

Get a SIM card from one of these suppliers http://ma-bank.net/word/92/

With the money you save from not being bent over by Docomo and others, buy a fridge here.........
￥250,000? What are you smoking?
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%A2%E3%82 ... rds=fridge

[Samurai_Jerk]

I'm sure there are some fridges that cost that much but that's certainly not typical for the consumer market.

[Coligny]

I'm sure there are some fridges that cost that much but that's certainly not typical for the consumer market.

It depends on the enclosure, stainless steel cost extra, this even moar:

image.jpeg

[Coligny]

With the money you save from not being bent over by Docomo and others, buy a fridge here.........
￥250,000? What are you smoking?
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%A2%E3%82 ... rds=fridge

That's a dollhouse fridge...
Small main
Ridiculously small freezer
Vegetable drawer big enough for cherry tomaytoeh.

And on, and on...

This one is not even the real stuff yet but 13 man already...

Front nationnal panasonic

[chibaka]

With the money you save from not being bent over by Docomo and others, buy a fridge here.........
￥250,000? What are you smoking?
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%A2%E3%82 ... rds=fridge

That's a dollhouse fridge...
Small main
Ridiculously small freezer
Vegetable drawer big enough for cherry tomaytoeh.

And on, and on...

This one is not even the real stuff yet but 13 man already...

Front nationnal panasonic

Considering the average Japanese kitchen doesn't have enough room to swing a cat, I'm not sure a fridge big enough to hide a corpse is really necessary

[wagyl]

swing a cat

When replying to Coligny, them's fightin' words!

[Coligny]

With the money you save from not being bent over by Docomo and others, buy a fridge here.........
￥250,000? What are you smoking?
http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%82%A2%E3%82 ... rds=fridge

That's a dollhouse fridge...
Small main
Ridiculously small freezer
Vegetable drawer big enough for cherry tomaytoeh.

And on, and on...

This one is not even the real stuff yet but 13 man already...

Front nationnal panasonic

Considering the average Japanese kitchen doesn't have enough room to swing a cat, I'm not sure a fridge big enough to hide a corpse is really necessary

Well unless canman lives in a 1LDKS with cats... He might want a biggur fridge...
Plus even in a 1 ldks a fridge provide good aircooling (/not) and intimacy against the felines...

[chibaka]

swing a cat

When replying to Coligny, them's fightin' words!

He's an amateur, 9 cats in my house, and one of them is "up the duff" in English parlance. Needless to say not much swinging occurs, of the feline variety anyway

[wagyl]

If your cat is a slut, does that make you a pimp?

[chibaka]

If your cat is a slut, does that make you a pimp?

I didn't realise that pregnancy equals slut status. Wife is breeding cats, so she is a madame?

[Coligny]

If your cat is a slut, does that make you a pimp?

I didn't realise that pregnancy equals slut status. Wife is breeding cats, so she is a madame?

Well, did your cat marry in a church wearing a white dress first...

We are in a bizarro world, compounded by a bizarro country, compounded by the bizarro fauna of FG (and flora in some case, but you need to believe that triffids can also use keyboards first...)

Normalcy never existed anyway...

[chibaka]

So I made the decision to use an MVNO. I went to my provider, Ymobile, a division of Softwank, the conversation went something like this:

Moi- My contract is ending this month, what will the monthly cost be from next month?
Shop dude- Ah yes sir, thank you for your business so far, let me see. Well as of next month your bill will increase, in fact double
Moi- Really?
Shop dude- Yes, initial 2 year offer ends, new price is double.
Moi- OK, I'll take my business elsewhere, please give me an MNP number
Shop dude- Certainly sir, that will cost you 3000円

When I left the UK and cancelled my phone contract, the rep offered me almost anything short of a night with his wife for me to change my mind. Free calls, free texts (the old days), lower monthly fee. Here, nothing. It was the same on previous occasions when I changed provider, is this only in Japan? Of course shop dude is just a droid at the counter, and losing my business isn't going to bankrupt the company, but shit, weird business model.

My new monthly premium will be 30% of the cost Ymobile quoted, admittedly there are some minor extras I will lose like free wifi in macdonalds, I can live with that. New contract will only have a 1 year minimum period after which I can change anytime. Hate that 2 year lock in..

[canman]

I had exactly the same conversation with SoftBank. And, that is what I can't understand about this system. When I moved from AU two years ago, I knew that part of my monthly bill was the cost of the IPhone. But now that the two years was up and my phone was paid off, I was sure the bill would decrease if I stayed with SoftBank. But when I went to the shop, they informed me that my monthly bill would raise from ¥4950 to ¥7200, just to remain. So I asked for MNP, walked into the AU shop, got an iPhone 6S and a two year contract for ¥5200 per month. I just can't understand their business practice, if they make no effort to keep current customers!

[Coligny]

Feels like a paralympic game of musical chairs where there is always enough chairs for everyone

Not sure softbank can bleed too much customers for long though..,

[wagyl]

I had exactly the same conversation with SoftBank. And, that is what I can't understand about this system. When I moved from AU two years ago, I knew that part of my monthly bill was the cost of the IPhone. But now that the two years was up and my phone was paid off, I was sure the bill would decrease if I stayed with SoftBank. But when I went to the shop, they informed me that my monthly bill would raise from ¥4950 to ¥7200, just to remain. So I asked for MNP, walked into the AU shop, got an iPhone 6S and a two year contract for ¥5200 per month. I just can't understand their business practice, if they make no effort to keep current customers!

I think you have just answered your own question from the OP: "Why don't they offer incentives to encourage customers to churn from other providers?" It looks like they don't need to offer them, Softbank are encouraging customers to leave.

[FG Lurker]

I didn't realise that pregnancy equals slut status. Wife is breeding cats, so she is a madame?

Well it sounds like you live in a cathouse, so...