In today’s business world, mobile devices are indispensable tools for maintaining productivity, staying connected, and managing tasks on the go. However, businesses often overlook a critical aspect of mobile device management: ensuring that they are not paying for devices they already own. This oversight can lead to unnecessary costs and operational inefficiencies.
Here, we explore how businesses can identify and rectify this issue, ultimately optimising mobile expenses:
Many businesses implement mobile device policies that include purchasing, leasing, or reimbursing employees for their mobile phones. While these policies are designed to ensure that all employees have the necessary tools to perform their duties, they can sometimes lead to situations where companies are inadvertently paying for devices that employees already own.
Several scenarios can contribute to this issue:
- Device Upgrades: Companies may upgrade employees’ devices on a regular schedule, irrespective of whether the old devices are still functional and sufficient for the job.
- Employee Turnover: When employees leave, their devices might not be adequately tracked or returned, leading to the purchase of new devices for new hires unnecessarily.
- BYOD Policies: In Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies, employees use their personal devices for work. If not managed properly, companies might still end up reimbursing or funding devices that employees already possess.
- Lack of Inventory Management: Without a robust system to track mobile device inventory, companies may lose track of which devices are in use, resulting in redundant purchases
More than 2 million customers are paying the price for long contracts
Some of the largest mobile phone providers in the UK, including Vodafone and EE, charge customers up to £38 a month for phones they’ve already paid for. That’s according to the Citizens Advice Bureau.
Furthermore, new figures from Ofcom show that more than 2 million mobile users have fallen into this trap. On average, these 2 million customers are paying £22 a month more than they should be, which over the course of a lengthy contract can equate to paying for your phone twice or even three times over.
SIM only is the answer
Plans are in place to force operators to be clearer about what mobile users are paying for on their bills. But no formal date for any changes has been set, and in the meantime millions continue to be out of pocket. It doesn’t need to be this way.
First and foremost, check your bill. Work out how long you’ve been with your provider and look into any charges on your bill that you can’t account for. And if you’re out of contract and happy with your handset, put serious consideration into getting a SIM only deal. This will typically be vastly cheaper, but can also give you flexibility in case your phone does need to be replaced at any point – our SIM only deals, for example, all run on 30-day contracts.
Best of all, if you do want to switch to avoid these unnecessary costs, switching mobile provider recently got much easier. Now, all you have to do is text PAC for free to 65075, and you’re instantly sent the PAC number you need to give to your new provider. Once they have that number, the switch can happen within a day.
