I wasn't going to post but after reading the whole way through the thread I thought I'd weigh in my two cents/pence
I've been playing neopets on and off for about 4 1/2 years. I can't remember the totems to get into the ice caves or mystery island and yes, I subscribe to premium because at about £4 a month I can afford it. (Personally I don't feel that paying for premium is unfair as everyone
does have the option to access it as it is internet based and thus worldwide. Like all things in life circumstances/timing/funds may make you unable to partake in the service but you are still given the opportunity to access it... but that's life I'm afraid and although you may try to give everyone a fair chance some things just don't turn out that way, plus it is still in beta test phase so eventually there will be unlimited spaces to sign up.)
That aside the point I am trying to make is that the cell phone service (as is premium sort of) is currently in a
trial period this means that it is still full of bugs (as evidenced by the user with 5 pets, three of which are lutaris) and definately not in its final version. We simply do not know what will happen with the service, which new carriers will be added, which countries will have it available, if the no access from phone and computer simultaneously will continue, how the charging system will work... the list goes on. So really complaining about a service which is still in its infancy seems a little silly when we don't know how it will actually function.
As far as paying for a service goes I'm not bothered about it, parents have the responsiblity of policing their childrens' cell phone usage and if they want to let their kids run up bills or subscribe for a (what is to me or an earning adult) fairly inexpensive service that is their choice. And if they want to say no to the demands then its up to them to teach their children that they can't always have everything. As someone who pays her own bills and doesn't have any children it's not really my area of interest
I won't reiterate the points made about "paying to play" and the site still being "completely free" but I do agree that you are not
required to pay to access the site and you can still have an enjoyable experience so they are well within their rights to say the site is free.
I personally have no moral or financial objections to paying and getting extra perks, in the end that's just how the world works. It's not a charity, the site exists to generate income, they have a huge number of staff to pay and shareholders to please (I assume) turning a profit is important and they need to keep up with what makes one. Their "target audience" is moving away from the internet and into a more mobile environment and they need to keep pace with that or be left behind.
Wow, for someone who wasn't going to post that's very long. Sorry if it's a little disjointed, I kept getting distracted by food and cats.
EDIT: added some stuff, wow this really is a rant!