Amaysim’s extra data comes with a sneaky catch

Dana McCauley
MARCH 3, 2016
news.com.au
Amaysim customers have been handed an extra billing month, and they’re not happy.
WHEN I got Amaysim’s email about changes to my phone plan yesterday, my eyes narrowed in on a single line.
“Your included data will be increasing from 8GB to 9GB,” the note read. “You don’t need to do a thing. These changes will take effect on your next renewal.”
Sounds great, right?
Like many of the sim-only carrier’s 764,000 customers, I chose it for its generous data packs, affordable pricing and flexibility.
But Amaysim’s updated plans come with a sneaky price hike — which will reap the company millions of extra dollars each year.
“You’ll also get unlimited standard international calls to the top 10 countries in addition to your 300 standard international minutes to selected countries,” the email continued.
(Cue: zoning out, as this is irrelevant to me).
“As well as this, plan expiry will be changing from 30 days to 28 days. You’ll still pay $49.90 per renewal and all your other inclusions will stay the same.”
Wait — what? What about the other two days?
It might not sound like a lot, but it’s essentially an extra payment every year — meaning I’ll be paying 10 per cent more on my phone bill this year.
Customers voiced their displeasure on the Amaysim Facebook page, with Phillip Weiss writing: “Who are the PR people writing this BS? This is plain and simple a price increase and no amount of spin doctoring is going to change that.”
Karen Barvis Mocha wrote: “This is low, even by Amaysim standards! So now I have to pay the same amount for two less days per month and all I get for it is more data (which I don’t need) and international calls (redundant in 2016!)
“This is also about the third time you’ve changed this plan (to the customer’s disadvantage) in the last 12 months which is appalling, and it’s really poor value for money.”
Lauren Stanislao agreed, telling Amaysim: “You’ve become incredibly effective at screwing your existing customers. Your past few changes began to make Telstra and Optus look so much more appealing and this one’s just about to put the final nail in the coffin for my continued loyalty to your service.”
Amaysim, which listed on the Australian Stock Exchange last year, saw its share price plummet last month after posting a disappointing half year result and admitting it was under pressure from competitors.
Net profit dropped 96 per cent to $681,000 due to costs from listing on the ASX, and the acquisition of prepaid rival Vaya, sending Amaysim shares tumbling by 37 per cent to $1.55.
If the carrier wants to achieve its goal of having a million customers, Amaysim might want to rethink its latest move.
The changes, which come into effect on March 31, apply to Amaysim’s unlimited talk and text plans, which range in price from $24.90 to $49.90 per billing cycle.