Consumers Still Hate Mobile Phone Carriers
from the no-surprise-there dept
The latest Consumer Reports research on mobile phone operators in the US suggests that, well, people still aren’t that happy with their provider, they experience plenty of dropped calls and many are hoping that the grass is greener (signal is stronger?) on the other side of the fence (next tower over?). The dropped call issue may be the biggest — as that’s often how people judge the quality of the service they receive. Finding out that 70% of users experienced at least one dropped call in the week prior to the study being done is not a good sign for the industry at all. About the only thing that keeps these rates acceptable is the fact that everyone else is equally as bad, so there’s really no where else to go. In the meantime, I don’t know if I’ve just been lucky, but it’s pretty rare that my mobile phone drops a call (though, I should admit that it did so three times in the course of one conversation this past weekend).
Comments on “Consumers Still Hate Mobile Phone Carriers”
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Thanks for producing such a great blog in 2004.
I look forward to your 2005 edition.
Regards
Ed Keay-Smith
AdWords Marketing, The Google AdWords
Pay-Per-Click Campaign Management Specialists.
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I once heard a comedian say “how about instead of making a phone into a camera/video camera/gaming console/juke box, how ’bout you make it a good frickin’ phone?!”
Nextel: Beep. Beep. Done….don’t think so. They advertise across the country connection- yeah sorta true, but i can sit in my office and not get service. I can be driving in my home town and be able to only hear garbledee gook from someone 1 hour away. Thank goodness my employer foots the bill.
Extra hardware/shadows
It’s relevant, too, to what kind of phones people have. It helps alot to do research on a specific model before buying one. Sure, you can “test drive” a phone at most places for 30 days, but nobody wants to go through the hassle of taking it back for another one, especially when they’ve picked out one with the features they want. But, too much hardware in a tiny phone is going to ultimately reduce your antennae size. Cameras cramp out space that could be used for a larger antennae, but I guess it’s cool to take pictures of people with your phone. Never understood the purpose of those.
Too, it depends on where you live. I used to live in a very hilly area. Hills mean (ready for this?) shadows! Your signal isn’t going to go straight through massive piles of rock/dirt/walls of your house to give you the best signal ever imaginable. Now, I live on the side of a hill, which must be the “sunny” side because I get great reception from wherever I am in my house. My phone also has a nicely sized antennae and no camera (but still internet/email/messaging features). I personally haven’t had too many issues, but people have to be realistic. There isn’t going to be a tower conviniently located for every person.
Re: Extra hardware/shadows
Realistic ?
I pay for a freakin’ service.
I expect the service.
THAT my friend is realism !
Re: Re: Extra hardware/shadows
Acutally, “realistic” today is more like greed, corruption, and not caring. That is realistic. But, it’s what we have to accept, live with, and deem realistic because that’s the way it is. You pay for the service, yes. If you’re unhappy with it, then go to another provider. If you’re unhappy with them, another. If you’re unhappy with all, that is realistic. Until then, the companies say, “too bad,” because “realistically” there isn’t going to be full coverage for a long long time.
Mobile phone carriers - what about the price?
In my view, they’re overpriced. Competition continues to be eliminated, so I don’t see that getting any better.
I hear from friends in Eastern Europe that the prices are much too high. A lot of them use text messaging because it’s free – my carrier charges $.10 a message, which I won’t use, for the same reason I won’t pay $15 for a music CD – I’m not contributing to such profit centers.
there is somewhere else to go
I have had verizon for three years now and have only dropped three calls. I freak out when i drop a call. it shocks me. all of my friends have verizon as well. I can drive 300 miles in one phone conversation and never hear static or drop a call. Why do the other carriers have such a problem? Obviously someone is doing something right