Most telecom service providers charge an ‘Activation Fee’ when you sign up for a new internet subscription.
A young listener from canton St. Gallen recently switched to SRF and needs a new internet subscription at home. When comparing different offers, note that in addition to the monthly costs, most telecom providers charge a one-time “activation fee”.
Fees range from 0 to 111 francs
And the differences are big: while some providers charge absolutely nothing, activation costs more than 100 francs for others.
The SRF listener asks: “Is this activation fee justified? Or is this just indirect coding? He suspects that many providers are attracting new customers with low subscription prices, who don’t realize that the subscription is not that attractive due to the high one-time fees calculated over a year.
However, most customers care more about the monthly costs than they do about the activation fee. And service providers take advantage of this fact.
Telekom expert sees fees ‘relatively high’
Ralph Beller of the comparison service Moneyland confirms this assumption. The activation fee of around CHF100 was found to be “relatively high”. Of course, providers will get a certain amount of work if someone orders a new subscription. “However, most customers care more about the monthly costs than the activation fee. Providers take advantage of this fact”, says Beller to the consumer magazine SRF «Espresso». This can also be seen from the fact that activation fees have increased in the past.
Communications expert Oliver Zadori of the Forest Connection service compared internet activation fees for espresso providers (see table). Conclusion: There are indeed significant differences.
With Init7, the connection and router cost is 333 francs
« Everything is free with iWay. Yallo, Salt and formerly UPC are also the most in demand. I found the most expensive offer in Init7: the connection cost there is 111 francs and the router is also 222 francs: this gives only 333 francs to start,” explains Oliver Zadori. Swisscom and Sunrise waive fees for online applications.
How do fee providers justify fees?
salt He writes: “Activating and deactivating the connection requires an on-site intervention by one of our partners. So there are costs. The CHF 99.95 fee does not cover Salt costs. »
Swisscom, Wingo And the fast line Writing: The reason is shipping and service charges as well as the provision of the “free” modem/router.
Most expensive provider in comparison first letter 7 He writes: Fees do not cover costs. Unlike the competition, the company runs its own technology and customers can choose the router themselves.
Telephone inquiry can be helpful
In the end, the “Espresso” listener chose to sign up online with Wingo. He opted out over the phone and received an activation fee of CHF 99 as a gift.
Getting a quote over the phone can actually be helpful: at least with Sunrise and Salt, they say on demand that under certain conditions the fee will be waived in certain cases.
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