easyEverything – except for the changing tariffs

easyEverything has changed its cybercafe tariffs to charge punters more in busier periods. Rates were previously £1 per hour to use one of the terminals in the company's rapidly expanding Internet cafe empire. But a representative of the company said demand had grown so strong that a "yield management" system was implemented last month. Customers still pay £1, but the time allotted at a computer varies on how full the cafe is. For example, if 90 per cent of the computers are being used, customers only get 15 minutes of Internet time for their pound. In quieter periods, the same amount buys one whole hour. From midnight to 6am users can still surf the Net for as long as they want for £1. According to Tony Anderson, easyEverything marketing manager, this system is imported from the airline business of its sister company easyJet, where seats are cheaper in quieter periods or if booked early. "In its early days, it was not uncommon to see queues of around 100 people outside Victoria -- the first easyEverything cybercafe. "People said they were willing to pay more -- they just wanted to get a seat. We needed some way of changing the price." Anderson said the rate was being dictated by the customers. "But we know we'll always be cheaper than other cybercafes," he said. Prices vary in each cybercafe -– easyEverything currently has three, with 1350 terminals in total, in London -- and customers are advised of computer availability in different locations. This means that if there is a queue at Victoria, customers are advised to go to a quieter venue. easyEverything also has stores at Tottenham Court Road and Trafalgar Square. It plans to open more soon, including Oxford Street and High Street Kensington, bringing the number of terminals in London to 2250. It also has plans to open a store in Edinburgh with 500 computers, and Amsterdam with 700. ®