Cell phones and young people in debt: The current situation (in French only)

Author

Maryse Guénette

Organization

Option consommateurs

Published

2009

Summary

In 2007, we published a research report on the advertising practices of cell phone companies and the information they give to young people who want to own a cell phone. We then accompanied six young people from 12 to 17 years of age as they went into a company's service outlet in order to purchase a cell phone. The 36 visits we made during this investigation clearly showed that young people are given very little information about the terms of the contract they are signing. In this research, we focussed on a slightly older clientele (15 to 21 years of age - newsgroups; 15 to 25 years of age - individual interviews). This time, we wanted to find out what happens once young people get their cell phone. Are they in for any surprises when they receive their bill? Why? Are they it able to pay it? What do they do if they can't? Do they have to go into debt to pay for their cell phones? Do they still want to have one just as much? How do they manage? Are they aware of the consequences of non payment on their credit file? To obtain answers to our questions, we first of all conducted three newsgroups made up of young people aged between 15 and 21 (a total of 19), then carried out individual interviews on young people aged from 15 to 25 (a total of 40). From what we learned, whatever their age, young consumers are attracted by relatively long package deals because these come with a free telephone. Also, they are unable to answer the salesman's standard question about the number of minutes they need. Consequently, they often find themselves with packages that are unsuited to their needs.

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French only

OCA Funded Research
This research received funding support through the Office of Consumer Affairs' Contributions Program.

Contact information

Source: Consumer Policy Research Database