Les Hatton

A case study in complex systems evolution: consumer price obfuscation and mobile/cell phone tariff charging

Applies global optimisation techniques to consumer price areas characterised by extreme complexity and obfuscation. Shows how a relatively simple architecture can find cheaper solutions in a matter of seconds and shows the results of around 1600 users in a year long experiment which show just how much the consumer is over-paying for mobile phone usage because of the complication with which tariffs are presented.

Such technologies will become more and more important as society and consumer pricing becomes ever more competitive.

This is one of my favourite papers. Its novel, solves an important problem in a multi-disciplinary way and does a careful statistical analysis on the results to prove how much the consumer is disadvantaged and that things are getting worse. I think we should all worry about this.

As well as being one of my favourites, it is the most rejected paper I have ever written. Five journals have said 'jolly interesting, try another journal'. I've given up. The site is still running, the rip-off is still continuing, but I've had a lot of nice letters from people thanking me, so it was worthwhile after all :-).