April 03, 2008, 10:34 AM — It seems that every time I talk to someone about cell phone service or overhear others discussing it, someone always says that all they want is a "good" service. And while I may sympathize with the logic, the very fact that someone even needs to ask what a "good" service is shows what little faith we have in cell phone carriers.
But the very fact that most cell phone carriers are awful doesn't make much sense. The cell phone industry is easily the most competitive in all of technology and the chances of any phone manufacturer turning a profit are slim.
Just ask Motorola.
But I don't fault cell phone carriers for the phones they offer because by and large, they don't really play a part in the success of those devices. Instead, I find fault with cell phone carriers for the inexcusable lack of reliable service in too many places across the country.
Don't believe me? Try checking each of the carriers' websites to see what kind of coverage they offer across the US. In no time, you'll surely find at least one person you know in a dead zone where coverage is practically unattainable. And sometimes, that one person may even be you.
But I digress. I may have a problem with service, but my distaste for cell phone carriers is rooted in the general lack of care they have for customers and their indefatigable desire to take us for all we're worth.
And while any decent person will realize what's wrong with that, isn't it ironic that the cell phone execs don't? I don't know about you, but when I ask to be let out of a cell phone contract and subsequently told that I owe the company $175 to do it, I think there's something wrong with that.
Contrary to popular belief among cell phone carrier executives, I'm not the only one.
But the real issue here is not that this is happening, but the fact that we can't do anything to stop it. Let's be honest - we need cell phone carriers much more than they need us. Sure, you can try to rant and rave on the phone tomorrow and threaten to leave to another carrier, but chances are, you probably won't get very far.
As it stands, the cell phone industry currently has about an 82 percent installed base of customers and that number is growing each day in the United States. In other words, even if Verizon Wireless loses your business, it will probably gain five more customers before you have the time to pay your $175 cancellation fee.
I'm always puzzled by cell phone carrier commercials. Every time I listen to the poorly worded musings of some marketing exec hidden in his dungeon of an office, I wonder what some of these hacks are thinking. calls"? "More reliable service"?"Can you hear me now?"
No!
Since when did it become acceptable to customers when a company's service was reliable only some of the time? And when did we enjoy a service that drops out fewer times than its competitors?
There's nothing quite like the cell phone industry. If your HDTV turned on only 80 percent of the time, would you keep it? If your cable service only worked in one room of your home, but not in another because of a "bad signal", would you keep it? I doubt it. And yet, we're content to keep our service going with Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and the rest because these companies have brainwashed us into believing that "most" and "fewer" means reliable
service.
It doesn't.
Every time you pick up your cell phone and place a call, you're being hoodwinked into believing that you're getting the very best service available and the sad fact is, you're not. Instead, the cell phone carrier fat cats are getting fatter and tossing us scraps as they see fit. And if you ask me, there's something terribly wrong with that equation.
