As hair-band frontman and reality TV super-stud Bret Michaels sang, "Every rose has its thorn." Telcos may soon be singing this, too, not because they lost at love, as Michaels did before penning his power ballad, but because even as they succeed with new services, they may be losing their reputations for efficient customer service and repairs.
USA Today reports that the average wait for landline phone repairs rose more than 5 percent between 2000 and 2005, according to data from the Federal Communications Commission. Several states also have proposed record fines against telcos for slow response to customer problems. The discrepancy isn't that surprising, given that the landline voice business continues to decline, while TV services are becoming an important new source of revenue. Telcos may be putting their money where there is more money to be made. Is the lag in landline repairs an acceptable cost of doing business on the cutting edge?
For more:
- check out this piece in USA Today