A PCWorld article proclaimed ?Fancy Phones Sell, but Services Lag?. It discussed the fact that we, the consumers, are all getting the super duper advanced thin phones, but we are not spending our money on the added services offered by the cell phone company, such as ringtones, wallpaper, songs, Internet access and games. So, we’re cheap, and given that we all got those fancy phones for free (with two year subscription) in the first place, perhaps that should not come as too big a surprise.
I had a firsthand experience with this phenomenon today: a couple of times a year, I get to spend some time sitting outside a fitting room in a department store, and what better way to while away the time than to play a little game on my fancy cellphone ($49.99 after rebate)? On the phone, I find a demo version of a game called Bejeweled: swap out adjacent colored jewels, and get points for creating columns or rows of three identicals. Very cute, great replayability. The demo lets you play one level, then presents you with an Exit or Purchase choice. The cheap choice has you back in the game after about four clicks.
So, after a couple of go-arounds I think what the heck, this is cute, let’s spend the money. So I click Purchase. It’s $5.99, which is fine for something with this replayability value. But then I hit the next screen: the purchase expires after 60 days. Fortunately there is a Cancel link. If that $6 had bought me unlimited access, or even just until the phone is replaced, we would have had a sale. A 60 day expiration would not take me to the next shopping expedition, so rather than spending $6 now, and $6 the next time around I remain, a somewhat sad, disappointed consumer with that money still in my pocket. Services lag, indeed.
