Migrant Tales got in touch today with two telephone operators: DNA and Saunalahti. Both companies said that the minimum residence requirement of two years in Finland for an immigrant to get a mobile phone line or contract. Everything got complicated, however, when I asked them to tell me what they said in writing.
When I asked a DNA employee over the phone about a hypothetical friend who was a foreigner who has lived in Finland for a year, she said that there is a two-year minimum residence requirement and that the deposit could be anywhere from 300 to over 500 euros depending who was applying.
I did get a prompt SMS message from DNA: “Costumer service cannot determine beforehand the amount of the deposit to be paid. The customer will receive a personal letter stating if he has the possibility to get a contract [with DNA]. If a deposit is asked, we’ll tell the person why this is required. Greetings from DNA”
The Saunalahti employee couldn’t find on the company’s website any mention of a two-year residence requirement never mind any mention of a deposit.
Both operators offered a quick solution: Why not get a prepaid phone line or a friend to open a mobile phone line for you?
One of the valid questions that we could ask concerning these requirements is why they are required in the first place.
Is this the way DNA and Saunalahti build customer relations and mutual trust?
