Officials at Virgin Mobile have announced what it calls a "Pink Slip Protection" plan. The company says it will waive up to three months of charges if a customer is laid off. The offer is only for monthly prepaid calling plans. The company says customers who use these plans tend to have lower incomes and are more affected by the downturn.
RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: NPR's business news starts with more pink-slip marketing.</s>RENEE MONTAGNE, Host: It started with Hyundai. Then GM and Ford also began offering help to cover car payments if customers lost their jobs. Now, a wireless phone company has jumped onto the recession-marketing bandwagon. Virgin Mobile has announced what it calls a pink slip protection plan. It will wave up to three months of charges if a customer is laid off. The offer is only for monthly prepaid calling plans. The company says customers who use these short-term plans tend to have lower incomes and are more affected by the downturn.