Tough financial times combined with a poor choice of plans have left 68% of consumers scrambling to pay their cell phone bills, according to a survey by CouponCodes4u.com.
Photo by Jebb Harris, The Orange County Register
The survey asked 1,623 Americans ages 18-35 about their cell phone use and spending. About 72% had monthly contracts with the remainder having pay-as-you-go plans.
Of those who said they had problems paying their cell phone bill, 51% said it was due to rising costs for phone plans and extra add-ons, such as activation fees, minutes and text packages, and smartphone costs.
About 34% were struggling to afford their monthly cell phone payment due to other financial commitments and bills that they had to pay.
Other findings:
- 24% had delayed upgrading to a smartphone, such as an iPhone or Android model, because they were unable to afford “to pay for the phone fees outright.”
- 37% admitted that they had gone into debt in order to keep paying to use their cell phone
- 46% had previously paid a cell contract late or missed a payment due to lack of funds
- 59% said they received an unexpectedly high bill
- 64% said they made a poor choice in selecting a plan either because it was more than they needed or not enough
Of those surveyed: 47% had a contract with Verizon, 28% AT&T, 15% Sprint and 10% T-Mobile.
“As we are continually interested in polling our customers to see what they spend their money on, I was not surprised to see the lack of enthusiasm that Americans feel about their cell phone providers and high monthly tariffs, which leave people struggling to make their payments each month,” said Mark Pearson, chairman of CouponCodes4u.com. “Many families with teenagers who use smart phones often feel that they are not getting the best value for money, with customers forced to pay for smart phones outright and expensive data and monthly tariffs.”
Pearson’s solution, of course, was to use his website to find cell phone deals.
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