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Rip Off

I'm always surprised at how quickly my phone runs out of credit. I shouldn't be; I know how much AMC charge. But somehow I still can't get used to the extortionate costs of using a mobile phone here.

So it comes as no surprise that AMC increased their profits by more than 20% last year to nearly EUR 50 million.

It was also no surprise that the company has been fined for its anti-competitive practices, and that the Telecommunications Authority in Albania has declared that both AMC and Vodafone are 'non-competing companies'.

Let's hope that the government has the courage to do something about these companies who are ripping off me, Albanian citizens and the whole country.

Comments

ak said…
You should dump the number that works on recharge-cards and take one with a contract from the company. Then, and only then, you will realize what real theft looks like. However bad it might be, on a recharge-card you can always control your costs. If you decided you spent too much, you just stop recharging, but with a contract-number it's like a hole in your pocket. I calculated that if I stopped using my cellphone and payed the same sum on a bank loan every month, I would be able to buy an apartment in 5-7 years. Nice, huh?
12:41 pm
Anonymous said…
I dont like the way AMC or Vodafone behave in the market but their profits increased mostly due to the governments actions of lowering commercial taxes. Hopefully a third mobile operator will enter the market but it's been taking them a while to receive their license. It's the mobile division of albtelecom, eaglemobile.
12:45 am
Ll.T. said…
Alwyn, the cellphone market issue in Albania is a political one (like many others....); both carriers are owned by greek interests and the government can (or is willing to do) very little against them. I don't anticipate any changes soon; "Eagle Mobile", a third carrier to be owned by Albtelekom has been in the works for a long time but the state hasn't yet chosen to throw it in the market.
7:42 am
MPH said…
The government is the problem, not the answer. They create the regulations that block competition. Then the politicians who control the regulation essentially need to be bribed for any new action to happen in the marketplace. Its a mess...

What about Skype?
6:59 am
olli said…
Hi MPH. I use skype for all my international calls out of here. Partly because it is so expensive otherwise, partly because the land lines are unreliable.

Regarding government, I partly agree with you. Bad government is the problem. Good government would be the solution.

The key issue is when government's regulate, whose interests are served? Their own, the interests of their paymasters in the business community, or the interests of consumers?

Corrupt governments tend to regulate in their own interests, unfortunately western governments regulate far too much in the interests of business - because businesses give them money, which is just another form of corruption.
12:22 pm
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