Cingular – Anti-customer satifisfaction
A few days back we shared the news concerning Cingular’s methods of collecting additional profits from customers by using a profitability calculator. Not to be outdone, Cingular will begin to charge customers extra if they continue to use their older [legacy TDMA] mobile handsets.
The biggest U.S. wireless service, said the fee would apply to about 4.7 million subscribers, or about 8 percent, of its 57.3 million customer base unless these users upgrade their phones.
It is part of Cingular’s plan to phase out phones based on older TDMA and analog technology, the technical standard for the first cellphones produced more than 20 years ago
The $4.99 charge would be tacked on to an existing customers current monthly bills in an attempt to convince customers to move towards a single GSM network. Ridiculous!
Here’s an idea Cingular, if TDMA customers are not included in the greater picture, why not offer an incentive for users to switch? Maybe some of these customers continue to use TDMA because the GSM service isn’t quite up to snuff in their neck of the woods?
Educate customers about their options rather than forcing additional fees. A simple letter stating that the network is moving towards the future including the *advantages* of converting would suffice. The ideas could go on and on concerning methods of coercing customers into converting.
