US Broadband industry, are you listening?
Our top 10 gripes - Number 8
(old news - 12:36PM Friday Mar 25 2005)
Over the next few days we're going to run a reverse countdown of what we believe to be the top 10 problems that beset the US broadband industry, one problem at a time. #8 Improved plans are not just for new customers Ever been in a situation where your ISP offers higher speed, a new price, or a new feature, but you only found out about it online on a message board? An improvement YOU have to call up to request? This nasty technique is a habit large ISPs have picked up from cellular companies who add minutes for new customers but "neglect" to tell existing ones. If you're going to improve a plan, even if it requires a new 12 month contract, then COMMUNICATE THE OPTION to your EXISTING customers! keeping mum about improvements in the hope the existing customer base won't notice is an unfortunate reminder that you really don't care much about customer service, only new customer marketing. We had an example of this problem just this week with Verizon: here. Previously in this series #10 : Get out of the slow lane!#9 : Stop hiding additional fees
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 pantelija
join:2004-10-04
East Lansing, MI
1 edit | is this worthed #8? is this really a problem?
as someone said for #9 - if this is really in top 10 then we are doing good... which we are not.
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neonhomer
Honoray Mythbuster
Premium
join:2004-01-27
Edgewater, FL
clubs:
 ·Earthlink Cable Mo..
| Re: is this worthed #8? Why should I pay $50 a month for 5mbps, when I can get the next plan lower which now offers 5mbps as well for only $40?
I haven't heard much of this, but I know it runs rampant w/ cellular companies (Nextel is really bad about this one)
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I support a boycott of Best Buy for poor customer service. I would ask that you do the same. Maybe losing a few million dollars will change their minds..."I reject your reality and subsitute my own!" - Adam Savage, Mythbusters | |
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kasperkpc7
join:2005-02-26
00000
| Re: is this worthed #8? This is a very common complaint, had at least 2 customers calling per day asking why they weren't informed of the price changes. I think these service providers need to send a letter to their customers informing that of newer plans, and let the customer choose whether to upgrade since some companies sometimes change prices for the plans...and nobody wants to be automatically put on a more expensive than agreed to plan (I hope)! | |
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diehardspeed
Premium
join:2003-05-14
Salt Lake City, UT
| Re: is this worthed #8? I was told by Comcast that I was on a List to be notified when there was a Faster Plan avalable to me.
Wasn't till I started reading on the forums that I found out they now had a 2-tier plan and for only $10 more you could double your UP and Down.
Did I ever get an email, phone call, flyer telling me I had the option to upgrade? NO
What happened to my name being in a database to call THE MOMENT faster service was avalable!
Off Topic: Comcast Still has not bumped me to 6000 / 768 like I was told they would back on the 13th of this month. | |
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RobMBOS
@169.152.x.x | Re: is this worthed #8? Hey DieHard,
I work at Comcast. Call to verify that you are being charged for the 6000. If you are, power cycle the modem and you should be up and running. | |
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blackjeep
join:2001-07-12
Atlanta, GA | a bit off topic Can I ask what you have against Best Buy Customer service? I've found they have some of the best customer service in the retail industry. Especially compared to their direct competitors such as Circuit City. | |
| | | | | ross
join:2000-08-16
 ·Digizip
| Re: a bit off topic said by blackjeep  :Can I ask what you have against Best Buy Customer service? I've found they have some of the best customer service in the retail industry. Especially compared to their direct competitors such as Circuit City. Yours would be a solitary experience. The Best Buy where I live has an recalcitrant miscreant idiot for a manager, trumping the general agreeability of his corporate masters and minions. | |
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aztecnology
O Rly?
Premium
join:2003-02-12
Murrieta, CA
 ·Verizon FIOS
| I think its a problem... If a company is going to enhance its products, performance, or price; the very first people it should be made available to are the company's current and loyal customers.
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.:|:.Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch it to be sure. .:|:. | |
| | | pantelija
join:2004-10-04
East Lansing, MI | Re: is this worthed #8? they should, but the fact that you are not aware about your surrounding/options/prices and capacities for broadband is your and nobody else's mistake.
what i tried to say is this doen't seem as top 10 problem, that's all. | |
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aztecnology
O Rly?
Premium
join:2003-02-12
Murrieta, CA
·Verizon FIOS
| Re: is this worthed #8? said by pantelija :...but the fact that you are not aware about your surrounding/options/prices and capacities for broadband is your and nobody else's mistake. How can I be aware if they don't tell me? A crystal ball perhaps, maybe calling Verizon every Friday to see if anything has changed. The fact that I have to come to dslr to find out (many many times) any information regarding service is exactly why its on the list...
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.:|:.Tell a man there are 300 billion stars in the universe and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint on it and he'll have to touch it to be sure. .:|:. | |
| | | | bmn
? ? ?
Premium,ExMod 2003-06
join:2001-03-15
hiatus
1 edit | said by pantelija :they should, but the fact that you are not aware about your surrounding/options/prices and capacities for broadband is your and nobody else's mistake. That's the thing, how could you be aware if the companies are not telling you after you've become a customer ?
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64 bit CPUs and OSes? That's so 1996.
The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius. -Oscar Wilde | |
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tapeloop
1959. I try to kick the ball. I miss.
Premium
join:2004-06-27
Airstrip One
| Fortunately Speakeasy has a guarantee in their ToS when you sign up that, if the price drops for your current tier of service, your bill will automatically go down. Likewise, if the offer a faster rate for what you're already paying, they'll offer the upgrade for no extra cost. Gotta love those guys...:D | |
| | | russotto
join:2000-10-05
Collegeville, PA
| Re: is this worthed #8? said by tapeloop :Fortunately Speakeasy has a guarantee in their ToS when you sign up that, if the price drops for your current tier of service, your bill will automatically go down. Likewise, if the offer a faster rate for what you're already paying, they'll offer the upgrade for no extra cost. Gotta love those guys...:D This is true, but it doesn't apply to the many "special" rates they have. For instance, if you had the ADSL Sysadmin option (2 static IPs) at $90, they wouldn't tell you about the nor automatically give you the _better_ OSDN option (8 static IPs) at $80. And if you're still within your contract term, you _can't_ get those better options. | |
| | | biochemistry
join:2003-05-09
92361
| It really does suck What's really annoying is having to call in multiple times to get the new Verizon deals because the first couple people you talk to have never even heard of it. That's what I'm going through right now. Hopefully the next phone call will do the trick. | |
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thender2
Glamour Profession
Premium
join:2004-05-16
Staten Island, NY
| Verizon does this. I was at 768/128 for a month after they released 3000/768, which was months(perhaps a year) after they released 1.5/384, which was after they released 1.5/128, etc..
I don't pay attention to the ISP upgrades because there's always a catch such as $10-$20 more or something.
I hope unlimited transfer is on here. If not, they can raise speeds as much as they want. Any ISP can provide 10/1 mbit cable if they tell you you're not allowed to use it for more than twenty minutes.
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The Problem With Music.
Our Rationale
Time to rewrite the DMCA. | |
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Sunsetstrip
Go Kings
Premium,MVM
join:2000-07-08
West Hollywood, CA
clubs:
| Re: Verizon does this. So do most cable companies,As a 5 year subscriber to Adelphia HSI I got tired of seeing all these great deals for "new customers" while my bill,TV and and Internet went up $17 last year.I had enough of subsidizing these new people so I placed a call,explained my complaint,the rep didn't try to defend the Price increase,excused himself,most likely to talk to a supervisor and returned and took $20 per month off of my bill for the next 12 months.
Kudos to Adelphia for doing this and shame for sticking it to the rest of the subscriber base who for whatever reason are complacent with the amount they are being charged
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My Photo Gallery
"Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph, is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk." Edward Weston | |
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so stoned
| mostly DSL providers do that, IMO...
Ive had Time Warner Road Runner for 3 years, and everytime they had their tiers upgraded, i was upgraded automatically.
Same thing with Comcast now... They upgraded me to 6/768 automatically as soon as it became available.
And also, Everybody is whining about the Invisible Caps and such...
I have 4 machines hooked up, 2 of them are playing internet radio 24/7 in 128-192 kbps streams..My machine is mostly used for music production, and I often have to transfer pretty big WAV samples to my partner in Florida for mastering, editing, etc... and I have never ever got a letter from Comcast for abusing their network... Im not sure, if i ever hit their cap though, but I upload ALOT, especially now. | |
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thender2
Glamour Profession
Premium
join:2004-05-16
Staten Island, NY
| Re: Verizon does this. said by so stoned:
mostly DSL providers do that, IMO...
Ive had Time Warner Road Runner for 3 years, and everytime they had their tiers upgraded, i was upgraded automatically.
Same thing with Comcast now... They upgraded me to 6/768 automatically as soon as it became available.
And also, Everybody is whining about the Invisible Caps and such...
I have 4 machines hooked up, 2 of them are playing internet radio 24/7 in 128-192 kbps streams..My machine is mostly used for music production, and I often have to transfer pretty big WAV samples to my partner in Florida for mastering, editing, etc... and I have never ever got a letter from Comcast for abusing their network... Im not sure, if i ever hit their cap though, but I upload ALOT, especially now.
It doesn't go for everyone. Some ISPs only do this on overloaded nodes.
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The Problem With Music.
Our Rationale
Time to rewrite the DMCA. | |
| WangFubar
join:2003-10-02
Paradise, CA
| Nodding in agreement So far your right on the mark. Customer service "reforms" in the broadband market (and the pretty much any technology service such as cellular and cable) would benefit all of us. I am eagerly waiting to see where my personal pet peeves show up 
I certainly hope the suits are listening
:slaps self:
sorry, I can dream cant I? | |
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cdru
Go Colts
Premium,MVM
join:2003-05-14
Fort Wayne, IN
| This isn't that bad. Yeah you have to call to request the change, but usually it happens without a hitch. Compare this to the DBS industry. New customers get the best new equipment at the best prices (often free or nearly free) while current customers, even long time supporters, frequently get the shaft. Until recently, if you wanted a HD receiver with Dish and were an existing customer, you had to pay the couple hundred for the 811. Same thing for the 522 DVR. It was only available as a new customer lease unless you wanted to buy from the grey/offwhite market on eBay.
Remember that the broadband market is typically for-profit. They are under no obligation to tell you of the best price when a different plan is introduced that may save you a buck or two.
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Win some of $250 in prizes. Try your luck with The Amazing Race Contest. | |
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insomniac
Oh Yeah
Premium
join:2002-09-22
Naperville, IL
clubs:
·AT&T Midwest
| Re: This isn't that bad. said by cdru :Remember that the broadband market is typically for-profit. They are under no obligation to tell you of the best price when a different plan is introduced that may save you a buck or two. Of course they're not under any obligation. It simply makes good customer service sense and could do a lot for gaining customer loyalty.
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If everything seems to be going well, you've obviously overlooked something. | |
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ReVeLaTeD
Premium
join:2001-11-10
San Diego, CA
| The companies could really make a killing... If they marketed it right. Picture (and no, it's not illegal):
Joe Customer is on a $40/month plan for 1.5/256 DSL with SBC. SBC cuts a promo for $35 for 3.0/256 DSL. Lower price, slightly faster speed. SBC sends out a mailer to all customers that states something along the lines of:
"Here's this new promo, you can get it if you want it and SAVE SAVE SAVE!!!!!!!!! remember you will need to pay $150 early termination fee to take advantage of this promo Minimum 1 week to reply Must not be delinquent on account Upgrade fee will apply
Then, if Joe wants it to save money in the long run, so be it - he'll have to increase his bill by about $175 - but he'll have a lower monthly price point for faster speed. So it'll be up to Joe what's more important - lower price every month or not having to pay a bulk charge up front?
That way, it discourages consumers from taking advantage of the lower prices/faster speeds, but does not exclude them from being notified of these promos. | |
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FTCXtreme
join:2005-03-14
New Braintree, MA
| Re: Agree with this one It amy be bad but it.s not top ten worthy If this is number eight number 7 will be somethign like, Why is Verizons logo red and not Green  | |
| xm4yh3mx
join:2005-01-11
Princeton, NJ
·Verizon FIOS
·EarthLink
| yea those *ssholes! THAT IS SO TRUE. I'm with Earthlink and recently they upped their service to 3000 MBPS download. I was still stuck with the regular service! (in addition to that they had put me to 928kbps for some reason) I had checked out their website one day and saw on the front page that they were offering better speeds and cheaper (40/month instead of 50) to new customers! I didnt even know i was still getting billed 50/month and stuck with the shitty regular service. So i called them up and notified them to change my monthly service and they agreed with a 12month contract. They never upped my speeds though. I had to talk to one of the awesome Earthlink techs here at BBreports, the tech upped my speeds to 3000. All this should have been done immediately! Pleasing your existing customers is just as important as marketing for new ones! | |
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