Telkom Mobile Contract pricing a mess

[Aquiva]

Have any of you (especially iPhone users) noticed how messed up Telkom is pricing their Mobile contracts?

I took out an contract for my daughter in December (Hauwei P9 Lite on Freem 1GB) for R199, in January it costs R249!

My Iphone 6 64GB contract has now expired, but I was on the lookout from February to upgrade. The same contract/phone I took out 2 years ago (2+ years old model phone) is now only R50pm cheaper. I can go for a 6s 32GB, but it is still an almost 2 year old model with less storage for the same price I'm paying now.

So the next steps up are the 6s Plus 128GB (way too big and too much storage) @ R749! Also almost 2 year old model!
or... the iPhone 7 32GB (too little storage, and no headphone jack) for R699 (this is R150pm more than I'm paying currently)

So there is a R200pm gap in the model range!! (btw all phones compared are on the 1GB FreeMe package)

I know the exchange rate blah blah, but Apple has dropped all the 6 and 6s prices after the launch of the 7 AND so has other Service providers! I can't pay more 2-3 years later for a mobile phone than what it cost originally!

 

[Bundu]

that's why, for years now, I don't go for a contract phone - I buy the phone I want and get the sim only contract or go pay-as-you-go

 

[nicroets]

The data offerings have been stagnant for much longer: In 2011, you paid only R20 / GB if you had the i5promo. That was before LTE. Their equivalent offering now is 50 GB prepaid for R1800 i.e. R36 / GB.

Cell C's Giga data prices also increased this year.

I don't complain. It's part of the free market system.