Why? (aka QR10 million for a mobile phone number)

mj
By mj

I was reading about an auction announcement in a news paper. The auction was for SIM card with a special number (6666666). The bidding openening price strated at 1,000,000 Riyals and ended at 10,000,000 Riyals!!

I don't know, but how many straving people could eat with 10 Million riyals?? What could this ammount do for a charity??

I remember someone told me that a car plate with special serial was sold for 3 million Riyals.

What a bloody waste ...

By anonymous• 28 May 2006 11:54
anonymous

so they say. Whether it is for charity or not it is just a fact that this kind of thing is auctioned for that amount of money.

By Beast666• 27 May 2006 23:20
Beast666

6666666 will only look good on me ...

Beast666

By mj• 27 May 2006 11:12
mj

Well, you could give charity and ask charity society not to announce your name.

By Qatarcat• 27 May 2006 11:03
Qatarcat

Bid for the cause? Why not just give money to charity, and stay out of the spotlight? Isn't it taught in Islam to give charity with your right hand in such a way that even your left doesn't know? So - I apologise, but I don't buy this "commended for the act" thing. The guy (and we know who he is) wanted the number for his own reasons, whatever they are.

By mj• 27 May 2006 09:57
mj

Well, if you think that the bidder bought that number just because he wanted to put some money for charity then sorry to say I don't agree with. The second thing, how much you think Q-TEl will add to its pocket from this ammount??

VOI LA :)

By teacher• 27 May 2006 02:17
teacher

Here's the article on the auction in the Peninsula:

http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=local_news&month=may2006&file=local_news2006052351121.xml

or just do a search "q-tel auction" in the local news section.

Key Quotes:

The amount will be utilised by Qtel to establish a health project in collaboration with Hamad Medical Corporation,

AND

Qtel holds regular such auctions for ETR mobile numbers and funds collected are donated to various local charities. “The successful bidder did not want to disclose his name or nationality,� Waleed, said.

Believe me I am no fan of Q-tel, but in this situation both the company and the bidder deserved to be commended rather than condenmed.

Honestly, who is going to use a phone number that the whole country already knows? Obviously the bid was for the cause and not the number.

By Safwany• 25 May 2006 21:54
Safwany

It seems that the owner of The Group (Majmouah), Hamad Al Ma'adadi like always the unique numbers, even his company The Group has the (4444444) number :)

Ayman

By smile_maker• 24 May 2006 22:09
smile_maker

You know qatari you realy make me loughing when you say that he didnt get free mobile with this sim card ...

By riy• 24 May 2006 14:12
riy

i say we bulk text the number from the net telling them what a waste it is :-p

By laudgi7• 24 May 2006 13:56
laudgi7

I would hate to have a number like that ... first think of the telephone spam .. imagine how many would cal this guy .. he wouldnt use it .. and its not a good number to dial once on the fourth or fith six you forget how much you put ... oblviously like everytrhing else its just for status

and qtel is such a ripoff .. they have a net profit margin of around 47%, i.e. for every 2 riyals one is clear profit, and that is depsite all the wastage and inneficency.

By Aisha• 24 May 2006 13:45
Aisha

This is so crazy and unfair...And they didn't announce before that it'll be for that hospital..SoOoOo does it count ?The man paid for the card ,apparently! ..I just find it too difficult to believe that Q-tel won't get any of the money! For the God sake ! see how much they paid for the publicity ..!

I personally think that the whole charity thing was done only for the public eye...

Q-hell!!

It just kills me to know that all that money went to a damn sim card...Sooo shallow sooo stupis soooooooooooooooo criminal!!! :-(

By getinandstayin• 24 May 2006 09:47
getinandstayin

Yes qatarcat, you are right. Apparently there were only about 8 bidders in the auction (you had to pay 3000 to get in). In the end it was down to the guy who bought it and the son of the toyota dealer (abdul ghanni i think). isnt a free market economy wonderful :)

Respect

GIASI

By Qatarcat• 24 May 2006 09:28
Qatarcat

Rumours have it that the owner of The Group (Majmouah), Hamad Al Ma'adadi, bought the number. That would expalin it... :p

I still think we could just dial 6666666 and ask :)

By mj• 24 May 2006 08:45
mj

Very well ...

By Qatarcat• 24 May 2006 08:40
Qatarcat

MJ, I don't know... I suppose at least half of that will never see anything charitable...

By mj• 24 May 2006 06:53
mj

Yes Qatarcat, I do know that this auction will be for charity. But how much of this ammount will be put into QTEL's account eh? :)

By dweller• 23 May 2006 23:07
dweller

A pound to a pinch of **** that it was an Al-Thani

By Qatarcat• 23 May 2006 20:16
Qatarcat

Yup the money went to Zakat Fund.

By riy• 23 May 2006 16:27
riy

read the article on www.gulf-times.com this morning

Gulf Times

the money was for charity and is going towards the building of a new hospital in a remote area of Qatar

By anonymous• 23 May 2006 16:19
anonymous

And to think he didn't even get a free phone with the number!

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