People Struggle To Pay For Expensive Smartphone Deals
- 11 Nov
The Money Advice Trust (MAT) dealt with 17,766 calls to its National Debtline from people about telephone debt last year, compared with 5,830 in 2007, the year the iPhone was launched.
According to MSN, the trust also records 13,389 calls between January and August, a 15% increase on the same period a year ago.
It said that in 2007, one in 25 calls (4%) were about phone debt, but has increased to one in nine (11%).
The charity suggested that the rising use of smartphones is a factor behind the increased number of calls.
Many people see smartphones as a must-have product and according to Ofcom figures around two-fifths (39%) of UK adults own one.
Joanna Elson, chief executive of the MAT, said:
"Smartphones have in many ways revolutionised our lives, but we've certainly been made to pay for the privilege."
"A family of four with two parents and two teenagers could quite easily be paying around £140 a month for all four to have a smartphone - more than the average UK energy bill."
"For 42% of smartphone owners, the phone is their sole internet access point, so they are quite reliant on keeping it running."
Ms Elson said that when people take out a contract for a smartphone, they are "in effect taking out a loan to pay for the handset".
She also expressed her concern:
"When people fall foul of that monthly fee, they can find themselves with a growing debt problem. The figures suggest this is happening more often in line with more people taking out expensive smartphone contracts."
Ms Elson said there should be responsibility "on both sides" and people should only take on contracts after carefully considering whether they can afford them, while mobile phone companies should treat consumers in financial difficulty with understanding.
She said people can seek free advice on budgeting and prioritising their debts through the charity's online tool www.mymoneysteps.org.
Related articles
- 19 May
THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON THE MENTAL HEALTH OF YOUNG PEOPLE
The online survey posed questions to 1,479 people between ages 14 to 24 to rate which social media platform (of YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter) negatively impact their users.The...
- 25 Jul
SOCIAL MEDIA APPS FOR HOUSING ASSOCIATIONS
INSTAGRAMGOOGLE TRANSLATEHOMESWAPPER MATCHESFACEBOOK LIVEWHATSAPPTAWKYou can download these apps online and via Android or IOS devices as well. Enjoy!What do you think? Please tweet...
- 17 Jun
FREE DEVICES AND APPS FOR BETTER HEALTH
Some of such devices and apps which will be available in April 2017 are:AliveCor- A mobile heart monitor (strapped to the back of a smartphone) which will also save NHS money, reducing need for...
- 08 Jun
#UKHousingFast
The #UKHousingFast is a social media campaign which is led by people living and working in social housing to support the activities of Trussell Trust.This fast is in its third year and will take...
- 26 Jan
Twitter leads national campaign for compassionate care
#HelloMyNameIs is a social media based campaign created by one doctor, Kate Granger, in order to encourage healthcare professionals to introduce themselves to patients.The campaign is now being...
- 23 Jan
Social media for housing associations
Online engagement between many commercial and charitable organisations and their clients and users has become very popular. However, many housing organisations have not succeeded as well as they...
- 22 Jan
An effective social media strategy for your social organisation
It is important to reach a position on social media where the community feels comfortable in sharing the content that you post.Your content should reflect the trust and integrity your users have for...
- 15 Jan
The Social Media Presence of Social Organisations
However, there are still many organisations who are not taking full advantage of social media platforms by not regularly updating their users and followers with content, nor sharing links that their...
- 15 Jan
Charity urges homelessness to be put to an end
Homeless Link, in its manifesto to end homelessness, has urged the next Government to end rough sleeping, ensure employment and welfare support, provide more homes and protect the rights of tenants,...
- 13 Jan
Instagram for your Social Organisation
It has beat Twitter in terms of number of users, but it is currently outperforming in terms of engagement as well.Instagram's engagement is 50 times higher than Twitter. The difference is a large...
Exempt Accommodation, Welfare Reform and Vulnerable Tenants Everything was extremely useful. I like to hear about the updated case law and how things are changing. Also like to hear other delegates examples and the responses to their difficulties. Support solutions are excellent. K.B- Jephson Housing Association
