Press Releases 2008 - Tesco Phone Shop

Press Releases 2008

Contents 

Tesco Mobile celebrates anniversary with two major launches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4 

Favourite Five Famous Friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6 

Tesco Mobile Launches New Tariff . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7-8 

Tesco Mobile Slashes Roaming Charges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 

Tesco Mobile ranked number one for Customer Satisfaction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 

Page

Tesco Mobile celebrates anniversary with two major launches 

(6 October 2008) 

• New Pay Monthly service launched 

• Innovative Pay as you go tariff announced 

• Flexible credit rewards for all 

Tesco Mobile today announces a move to broaden its appeal to millions of Tesco shoppers with the 

launch of its first ever Pay Monthly service and a brand new flat rate Pay as you go tariff . 

The new services offer customers radical alternatives to other tariffs available, providing flexible 

credit for customers to spend as they choose on calls, texts and browsing 1. 

Both tariffs also offer customers the same flat rates for calls and texts, half price calls and texts to 

five favourite numbers and 3 Clubcard points for every £1 spent on credit . 

Tesco Mobile Pay Monthly 

With Tesco Mobile’s new contract offering, a customer paying £15 per month, for example, will 

receive a bonus of £45, giving them a total of £60 credit . With just a one month pay monthly 

contract, the tariff offers maximum flexibility. 

Tesco Mobile Pay as you go 

With Tesco Mobile Pay as you go, a customer spending £15 a month on top-up, for example, will 

receive a bonus of £30 free airtime, giving them a total of £45 in credit to spend as they choose . 

Customers are free to move between tariffs as their phone use changes . Research carried out for 

Tesco Mobile shows that despite the tough economic climate, consumers see mobile phone use as 

essential, and aren’t cutting back on their calls . Allowing customers to swap between Pay Monthly 

and Pay as you go allows will give them maximum control of their budget. 

Lance Batchelor, Chief Executive Officer of Tesco Mobile said: 

“We believe that we now have the most flexible and the easiest to use tariffs in the market and are truly a 

genuine mobile choice for all. 

As a retailer, we know how people like to shop for their mobiles and with the launch of our first every pay 

monthly service and our new pay as you go tariff, we plan to be the number one choice for consumers by 

focusing on simplicity and great prices. 

Tesco Mobile’s success is based on listening to feedback from our customers. We aren’t going to force 

them to pick and choose from a huge number of complicated tariffs or limit them with bundles of calls 

and texts. 

We are simply going to give our customers unbeatable rewards of flexible credit which makes us a serious 

alternative to the traditional networks.” 

3

Editor’s Notes 

Pay as you go 

Calls 

(per min) 

Texts 

(each) 

5 favourite numbers 10p 5p 

Fat rate anytime 20p 10p 

Top-up and we’ll give you giving you 

£10 £10 free £20 

£15 £30 free £45 

£20 £40 free £60 

£15 

a month 

£20 

a month 

£25 

a month 

gives you £60 

flexible credit 





that’s enough to 

call for 600 mins or send 1200 texts 

but mix it up how you like 







About Tesco Mobile: Tesco Mobile is a 50:50 joint venture between Tesco and O2. The company 

sells exclusively Tesco Mobile branded services in Tesco stores across the UK using O2’s technology 

and network . The service gives Tesco Mobile customers value, simplicity and choice, offering 

them supermarket style offers and the chance to earn Clubcard points when buying handsets and 

call time . 

For further information please contact: Joanna Kinloch at joanna.kinloch@tescomobile.com 

or 07770 435943 

4

Favourite Five Famous Friends 

(23 July 2008) 

Fantasy Phonebook Poll Topped by British Alpha Males 

Chatting about pleasantries and the weather is a thing of the past, with Brits ready to swap PC 

chit-chat for a good old-fashioned rant, according to a new survey from Tesco Mobile . The poll 

reveals that the five celebrities Brits would most like to call from their mobile phone are strongheaded 

alpha males, famous for their opinionated views . 

Business tycoon Richard Branson tops the chart, with 21 .2 per cent of the vote, followed by 

no-nonsense TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson, with 20.8 per cent. 

And loud-mouth chef Gordon Ramsay was also in demand for a chat on the mobile, gaining 18 

percent of the vote . 

The top five fantasy phonebook entries are: 

1 . Richard Branson (21 .2%) 

2. Jeremy Clarkson (20.8%) 

3 . Ant & Dec (19%) 

4 . Gordon Ramsay (18%) 

5 . Sean Connery (17%) 

But despite male TV presenters topping the poll, the research shows that people actually spend 

a lot of time on the phone to their mum (11 per cent) . Dads meanwhile are the least dialled 

numbers, with only 1 per cent of the vote . And despite living under the same roof, the most 

commonly dialled numbers are to other halves (21 percent) . 

Tesco Mobile has conducted the research to celebrate the launch of a new tariff, which offers 

half price calls and texts to customers’ five favourite numbers. Research from Tesco Mobile 

shows that existing customers make 80% of their calls to five numbers. So from now on these 

will cost just 10p per minute for most of their calls, and 5p for texts. 

Noel Burrows, Head of Marketing at Tesco Mobile, comments; “These results highlighting the 

popularity of male celebrities have really surprised us. Whether that’s because they want to hear more 

from them, or want the chance to challenge them to a debate, remains to be seen!” 

Editor’s Notes 

The survey was conducted for Tesco Mobile by YouGov, using a representative sample of 

2,551 participants . 

Further Research Findings: 

Overall Favourite Five: 

1 . Richard Branson (21 .2%) 

2. Jeremy Clarkson (20.8%) 

3 . Ant & Dec (19%) 



5

Favourite artists: 

1. Kylie Minogue (17%) 

2 . Paul McCartney (12%) 

3 . Charlotte Church (10%) 

4 . Cheryl Cole (8%) 

5 . Madonna (7%) 

6 .Lily Allen (7%) 

Favourite actors / actresses: 


2 . George Clooney (16%) 

3. Keira Knightley (14%) 

4 . Helen Mirren (13%) 

5 . Brad Pitt (12%) 

6. Angelina Jolie (12%) 

Favourite Royals: 

1 . Prince William (13%) 

2 . The Queen (12%) 

3 . Prince Harry (11%) 

4 . Prince Charles (7%) 

Favourite Politicians: 

1 . Nelson Mandela (17%) 

2 . Gordon Brown (9%) 

3 . David Cameron (8%) 

4 . Tony Blair (7%) 

5 . Margaret Thatcher (7%) 

Favourite Business people: 

1 . Richard Branson (21%) 

2 . Alan Sugar (16%) 

Favourite Sports people: 

1 . David Beckham (13%) 

2 . Lewis Hamilton (10%) 

3. Alex Ferguson (6%) 

4 . Tiger Woods (5%) 

5 . Cristiano Ronaldo (4%) 

Favourite TV personalities: 

1. Jeremy Clarkson (21%) 

2 . Ant & Dec (19%) 


4. Jonathan Ross (15%) 

5 . Simon Cowell (13%) 

6 . Terry Wogan (13%) 

7 . Davina McCall (13%) 

Top 5 numbers people call: 

1 . Partner or spouse (21%) 

2 . Best friend or mate (15%) 

3 . Children (15%) 

4 . Mother (11%) 

5 . Work colleagues (11%) 

6 . Boyfriend or girlfriend (6%) 

7 . Father (1%) 

8 . Boss (1%) 

9 . Mistress or male lover (1%) 





call time . 


or 07770 435943 

6

Tesco Mobile Launches New Tariff 


• One easy to understand pay-as-you-go tariff 

• Half price calls and texts to five favourite numbers - 

10p per minute calls and 5p texts to 5 favourite numbers 

• 150 free bonus minutes or 500 free bonus texts when you top up £15 in any month, 

in addition to top-up 

Tesco Mobile today announces the launch of an inflation-busting pay-as-you-go tariff, offering 

half-price calls and texts to five favourite friends. Existing Tesco Mobile customers make 80% of 

their calls to five numbers, so this means that they will pay just 10p per minute for most of their 

calls, and 5p for most of the texts they send. Other calls will cost 20p per minute and texts will 

be 10p each . 

The new tariff replaces the four existing call plans, in a bid to make life simpler for customers. 

However, existing customers can choose to remain on their current tariff if they wish. 

As an additional bonus, customers topping up by £15 or more in any month will receive 150 free 

minutes or 500 free texts - this is over and above their £15 top-up. 

The free texts and call-time can be used to contact any UK mobile or standard fixed landline 

number, regardless of network or time of day . So users won’t face any restrictions on when 

they use their bonus time or which networks they call or send texts to, as is the case with some 

other providers . 

The new tariff has been designed with help from customers, who told Tesco Mobile that they 

wanted simple, relevant benefits that represent real value for money . Listening to its customers 

has earned Tesco Mobile its prized status as No . 1 Pay as you go Mobile Provider for Customer 

Satisfaction in the UK.* 

Customers will also earn 4 Tesco Clubcard points for every £1 they top up . The points can be 

redeemed in vouchers for anything from discounts on the weekly shop, to days out with the 

family at theme parks and attractions, or even Airmiles . 

David Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer at Tesco Mobile, comments; “Right now, everyone wants to 

make their money go further, so we’ve been looking for ways to help our customers save. 

While many of us have a long list of contacts in our phones, the reality is that we only call five of them on 

a very regular basis. Half-price calls to five favourite contacts will make a big difference to the amount 

customers spend on their phone calls.” 

Customers can join Tesco Mobile by visiting their local Tesco store or buying online at 

www .tescomobile .com . Top-ups can be made at checkouts in Tesco stores, over the phone, 

online or at over 100,000 further locations in the UK that carry the top-up logo. 

7

Notes to Editors 

J.D. Power and Associates 2008 United Kingdom Mobile Telephone Customer Study, based on 

3,340 consumer responses, measuring 7 providers about opinions of wireless service subscribers 

surveyed in February 2008. Your experiences may vary. Find out more at www.jdpower.com 





call time . 


or 07770 435943 

8

Tesco Mobile Slashes Roaming Charges 


Tesco Mobile has announced it is reducing charges for customers sending texts or browsing the 

internet from abroad in time for those taking a summer holiday overseas . 

From 7th July, data roaming charges from within the EU will be reduced to £4 per megabyte. 

Customers outside the EU will pay £8 per megabyte. 

On 28th July, the price of sending a text message back to the UK from within the EU will fall to 

25p from 40p . 

Customers will be advised of the new rates by SMS . However, they will not have to opt-in to 

receive the price cuts as the new benefits will immediately be made for all . 

Noel Burrows, head of marketing for Tesco Mobile, commented: 

“Last year, Tesco Mobile was the first operator to reduce the price of making mobile calls from abroad. 

By reducing rates for texting and browsing the internet from abroad before the end of July we’re making 

sure that customers will automatically get the benefit in time for their summer holidays.” 






call time . 


or 07770 435943 

9

Tesco Mobile ranked number one for Customer Satisfaction 

(7th May 2008) 

J.D. Power and Associates 2008 UK Mobile Telephone Customer Satisfaction Study 

It’s official - Tesco Mobile is the number one pre-pay mobile telephone provider for customer 

satisfaction, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 UK Mobile Telephone Customer 

Satisfaction Study 

Now in its 11th year, the authoritative industry study measures customer satisfaction with prepay 

and contract plans among the leading UK mobile network providers. 

Tesco Mobile scored particularly high scores for call quality and coverage, cost, handsets and 

customer service . The study also found that Tesco performs well in satisfying customers through 

“green” initiatives, such as efficient handset recycling. 

The J.D. Power and Associates study backs up other industry polls that also show Tesco Mobile 

leading the industry. For example, CFI Group has ranked Tesco Mobile as number one for overall 

customer satisfaction and telephone customer service for two years running . 

A spokesperson for Tesco Mobile commented: “Tesco Mobile is all about great value and exemplary 

customer service, so it’s great news to have such a powerful endorsement to show we’re getting it right 

for customers.” 

The J.D. Power and Associates 2008 UK Mobile Telephone Customer Satisfaction StudySM is 

based on responses from 3,340 pre-pay and contract mobile phone customers throughout the 

UK. The study was fielded in February 2008. 






call time . 

About J.D. Power and Associates: The European headquarters of J.D. Power and Associates 

is located in Guildford, UK. With world headquarters in Westlake Village, California, U.S.A., J.D. 

Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key 

business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training 

and customer satisfaction . The company’s quality and satisfaction measurements are based on 

responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The 

McGraw-Hill Companies . 

About The McGraw-Hill Companies: Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: 

MHP) is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial 

services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard 

& Poor’s, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation 

has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information 

is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com. 

10

Press Releases 2008 - Tesco Phone Shop

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