EasyMobile Withdraw from uk Market

[2old4this]

Dear Customer,
First let us start by thanking you for your custom and loyalty to easyMobile.com over the last couple of years.
As you may recall, easyMobile.com in the UK was set up as a partnership between TDC (the telecom company from Denmark) and easyGroup (Stelios' investment vehicle). Due to a change of strategy at TDC, TDC have decided to withdraw from the UK market. Consequently you will not be able to use your easyMobile.com service in the UK from midnight (24:00) on 13th December 2006. Our agreement with you will then formally end on 20th December 2006. Further details on this are contained in the attached document.
If any top-ups you have made remain in your account at midnight (24:00) on 13th December 2006, we will fully re-fund you such amount, subject to any outstanding mobile telephone service charges which are due as at 20th December 2006 or on the closing of your account, which you will remain liable for. Details of the process for and calculation of such refund/outstanding amounts are contained in the attached document.
We have made an alternative arrangement available for you as a customer with Fresh Mobile from The Carphone Warehouse. As you know, The Carphone Warehouse is a reputable operator and if you choose this option we hope that you find their service useful. If you wish to proceed with this option, please login to My Account on www.easyMobile.com, where you will find details on how to take advantage of this offer.
If, as an alternative to the option set out above, you would prefer to move to an alternative service provider, then we will do our best to unlock your easyMobile phone or port your number to another service or operator at your request. Details of how you can arrange this can be found in the FAQs on thewww.easyMobile.comwebsite.
Please see the attached document for additional information in relation to the process going forward. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact Customer Services or visit our web-site www.easyMobile.com which will be updated from time to time if there is any additional information or changes you need to be aware of.
The easyMobile.com team

[Shaun]

I got a text about 30 min ago and looking on their site something here's fishy.

Originally Posted by Easymobile.com (aka TDC)

Due to a change of strategy at TDC, TDC have decided to withdraw from the UK market.

Originally Posted by easy.com (aka Stelios)

The easyGroup has today terminated its brand licence agreement with TDC, the operators of easyMobile in UK and Germany.

Originally Posted by easy.com (aka Stelios)

Despite lengthy negotiations between TDC and the easyGroup to find a way to continue the easyMobile service, the easyGroup has decided that its brand is at risk if it stays in the hands of TDC

Originally Posted by easy.com (aka Stelios)

"Simply put, TDC is no longer a worthy licensee of the easy brand and damages will be sought to compensate for any damage done to the brand in the past or in the future," said Stelios

Somethings not right. Either they withdrew or Easy pulled the plug on the association.

Originally Posted by easy.com (aka Stelios)

EasyMobile has been a profitable brand for the easyGroup since launch, collecting six figure royalty streams from TDC for the use of the 'easy' brand.

Makes me think there is more to this than meets the eye. Why sever a link that is bringing in 6 figure sums?

Suppose it's time to draw up a spreadsheet with the info on all the PAYG tariffs tomorrow so I can pick a new network.

---------- Post added at 19:37 ---------- Previous post was at 19:36 ----------

Oh and one other point. I think they've switched the phones off, they're just ringing engaged. Ho hum, at least it's only my phone and not my house.

[Stuart]

That's staggeringly bad service.

[littld]

Okay, so over to TescoMobile we go...

At least Tesco's on the O2 network which is way better than the TMobile one easy relied on.

[Xaccers]

Or the news article from easy.com in full:

easyGroup terminates brand license for easyMobile
posted: Nov 10, 2006

The easyGroup has today terminated its brand licence agreement with TDC, the operators of easyMobile in UK and Germany. TDC, originally the state owned telecoms company of Denmark, was a listed company on the Copenhagen stock exchange when it was licensed to operate the easyMobile brand by the easyGroup in the spring of 2005. The easyGroup took no financial risk in this licensing agreement and easyMobile has been a profitable brand for the easyGroup since launch, collecting six figure royalty streams from TDC for the use of the 'easy' brand.

However, in January 2006 TDC was purchased by a consortium of private equity houses including KKR, Perima, Providence Equity Partners, Blackstone and Apax. This was Europe's first 10 billion euro private equity deal and, as is standard practice with new owners of this type, ventures outside the core market of TDC (ie outside Denmark) were starved of funding and the management was purged.

Despite lengthy negotiations between TDC and the easyGroup to find a way to continue the easyMobile service, the easyGroup has decided that its brand is at risk if it stays in the hands of TDC and therefore today it has terminated its brand license of the easyMobile name to TDC for breaching the terms of the brand licence agreement.

"Simply put, TDC is no longer a worthy licensee of the easy brand and damages will be sought to compensate for any damage done to the brand in the past or in the future," said Stelios the easyGroup chairman and founder of easyMobile. "I will make sure that TDC understand that they must treat the customers and the staff well and I am already putting a new service in place with a new partner under the easyTelecom.com brand."

Under the terms of the brand license TDC are contractually obliged to relinquish use of the name easyMobile within one month , to organise an orderly transfer of the customers to another provider and to look after their staff and suppliers who were working on the easyMobile project.

The easyGroup will be regaining control of the easyMobile brand in due course and will be seeking new partners to commercialise it in the mobile telephony sector.

I think the bold bit is the important part.
Sounds like Stelios was worried the new owners of TDC would strip easyMobile and damage the easyCorporate image, and the easyNegotiators weren't able to resolve the issue so he called in the easyLawyers to terminate the license.

They have to stop using the easyMobile name within one month, and if they try to damage the easyCorporate image, or it has been found that they already have damaged it, then the easyLawyers will be seeking easyRecompense.

Remember, this is a company that believes it owns the word "easy" along with any combination of letters that sound similar.

[Shaun]

Originally Posted by Xaccers

Or the news article from easy.com in full:


I think the bold bit is the important part.
Sounds like Stelios was worried the new owners of TDC would strip easyMobile and damage the easyCorporate image, and the easyNegotiators weren't able to resolve the issue so he called in the easyLawyers to terminate the license.

They have to stop using the easyMobile name within one month, and if they try to damage the easyCorporate image, or it has been found that they already have damaged it, then the easyLawyers will be seeking easyRecompense.

Remember, this is a company that believes it owns the word "easy" along with any combination of letters that sound similar.

I think Stelios and the easyLawyers could have handled this better though.

For those of you affected I've drawn up a spread sheet of other providers. It's a bit of a mess I'm afraid as it was just a rough guide for me (and the friends and family I have on EM) but someone might find it helpful.

[Shaun]

Last day to get your port code if you intend to move your number over guys

[jrhnewark]

Shaun - thanks for that spreadsheet, it's really helpful. I've been looking at moving to a different provider from Three for sometime.

So which is best for a heavy texter like me? Free evenings and weekends on T-Mobile or 400 for a tenner on Orange?

I'm wondering if £10 a month would do me for daytime texts and calls...

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by jrhnewark

Shaun - thanks for that spreadsheet, it's really helpful. ...

I agree, very good. Just a minor point - I think some of the currency formats have gone awry. For example, the spreadsheet has T-mobile GPRS downlods at £0.0073
per kb - this should be £0.73

[Shaun]

73p per KB is extortionate £75 a MB?

jrhnewark, only you can decide. T-mobile seem to have the lowest call costs so that may sway you.

[TheNorm]

Originally Posted by Shaun

73p per KB is extortionate £75 a MB?
...

My mistake - the rate is 0.73p per KB (£0.73 per MB), capped at £1 per day, midnight to midnight.

Not a bad deal, I think!