Many consumers are spending more than they need to just to make sure they do not go over on the current limits set on the mobile plans. If a consumer wants to save money and buy a cheaper plan, the overage charges are outrageous and one slip up can cost you a fortune. With mobile carriers being faceless giants in the world of customer service, the need for a smaller, more fitted option is very important. Tucows says they will be providing the service next year when they launch Ting. Ting is going to be a more transparent, customer-friendly service model for cellular customers.
The Ting mobile service will run on the Sprint network and offer many mobile plans that you can choose from. Ting allows you to sign up for certain number of voice minutes, texts and data services and the overage policy seemingly disappeared. Instead, the company says that if you were to go over your monthly allowance in any of the three categories, you are automatically bumped up to the next highest monthly plan. This way you are not only charged one time, but you have the benefits of the increased limits for the rest of the month. If you are not using you service as much as you thought, you will be downgraded that month and the difference will be credited to your bill.
The options available from Ting appear to be more affordable than some competitors’ options and with no contract; Ting could really reel in consumers that hate having the two year contracts. The “bump up” option is a nice touch, but might only benefit you if you are going to go way over on your plan. If you only go over a couple minutes of talk time, you could be paying for the next tier, but not have time to enjoy the increased limits that month. So, if you know you are going to head over the limits, you might want to make sure you get your money worth and go way over.
Ting is going to joins the likes of companies including Virgin Mobile and Republic Wireless that offer cheaper, no-contract deals for smartphone users, but will they be a better option? It looks like if you have control over your smartphone usage you could save some money, if you don’t have control, you might want to stick with what you have.
