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Phone companies doing a services bait-and-switch?
Are service providers using low-end poor-quality services as a way to upsell customers on newer (i.e. more expensive, better ARPU) offerings? Over at Telephony, they're asking the question.
AT&T, Verizon, and Qwest are all cited for different sins along the same theme. AT&T is allegedly downgrading 2G signal strength to beef up its 3G network, leaving some customers either to be stuck with lower quality 2G service or upgrading to a 3G iPhone. Verizon is supposedly neglecting its DSL network as it puts in FiOS. And Qwest is accused of using interference with its fiber-to-the-node network as a "tool" to urge DSL customers to switch to FTTN.
In Little Rock, Ark., one customer trying to move his landline and DSL service to a new physical address encountered delays in his DSL installation. After three months, instead of getting DSL, he has received a suggestion to upgrade to U-verse VoIP.
Having personally suffered through some of Verizon's more, ahem, challenging customer "service" when moving to a house within the same zip code as the previous one, this reporter isn't sure if he would choose intentional malice over poor practices. Certainly, consumer customer service since the "bad old days" of monopoly has suffered.
For more:
- Telephony blogs on upgrading or else.
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Comments
Posted by Anonymous | January 9, 2009 - 1:21am
So Att is pulling an old Steal from 2G Peter to give to 3G Paul eh? Kind of a digital /bandwidth Ponzi scheme eh?
Let's do a comparison study.
T-Mobile : 1900 Mhz
Att: Was 850 and 1900mhz, but now for 2 G people, it's only gonna be 1900.
Score. Dead Heat.
T-Mobile: No iPhone but can run unlocked 2g ones at full speed on their 2g network.
Att. 2G iPhones were running full tilt on both bands but are gonna be cripple bringing it down to T-Mobile
Score: Dead Heat again. But Att is just a tad colder.
T-Mobile, doesn't have 3g yet, but is trying.
Att: Has sucky 3 g compared to long established 3G players like Verizon and Sprint.
They are degrading the stable 2g technology they have and pushing their (unstable) 3g stuff.
Edge: T-Mobile.
1900mhz? Check
iPhone (2g) Check.
Not ripping off customers. Check.
Ladies and Gentlemen, looks like we have a winnah!
Tmo!
If you want good gsm , get T-mobile. If you want good 3g , get Verizon.
Att can take a dive off a steep one.
Posted by Bradley | January 7, 2009 - 7:27am
I am in a FIOS area but still have DSL. Verizon is doing an awesome job on DSL I think, gave me a speed upgrade to 3MBPS without even asking, no price change. I hear good things about FIOS but can't switch just yet.
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