How to choose a new telecom supplier?
Why should you look for a new telecom suppler? A lot of people that still use KPN, the local incumbent, think about their telecom costs like they think about taxes or energy cost: Not a real possibility to change to another supplier. The facts are different. In our modern economy, also telecom services are free for competition. In the Netherlands the market is open for more that 10 years now. Competition always brings lower prices, higher quality and better service. It is simple. You chose your telecom supplier the same way that you chose any supplier: You compare quality, price, service, convenience and other aspects that are important to you. You chose for the supplier that offers you the best solution for your specific requirement. With telecom services, however, there are some extra points to evaluate: Security
Choose a telecom supplier that has been active for at least several years. You are better of with an experienced supplier and the chances are small that he will suddenly stop or go bankrupt. Contract length
Do not sign a 1 or 2 year contract. If you are not satisfied with your supplier you should be able to switch immediately to another one. Prices
Check prices. Claims of “low prices” are not always correct. Compare some prices to the destinations you regularly call.Ask if the prices are calculated per second, per 30 seconds or per 60 seconds.Ask what the start tariff is.Ask what the other costs are – subscription, cancellation fee etc. Control
How do you presently check your telephone bill? Few people do it. KPN, the local incumbent, does not offer any standard overview of calls made. You can ask for a complete specification but you have to pay for this. The problem is you are not going to check each call because it is too much work and also you forget which conversations you had 2 months ago. We decided that the best way for our clients to get an overview of their bill, is to show them each month not only the complete specifications of each call, but also their 10 most expensive calls and the 10 biggest destinations they called. Ask you supplier for such a checklist or any other list where you can see the important (expensive or long) calls and the important destinations. Service
Call several potential telecom suppliers and see how long it takes until somebody answers your phone call, how long it takes you to get to the person that can handle your question and how long until you have an answer. You will then know what to expect when you become a customer.
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