Mobile Rage
AP has a story about the love/hate relationship people have with their mobile phone providers.
In the spirit of Martin Luther, Five Theses that I'd like to nail to the door of my cell provider are:
1. Put the total price of the contract in your advertisement. This should include a best estimate of fees, taxes, levies and tarriffs that I will be charged over the course of the contract. I hate my bill, not because of the total price, but because of all the non-disclosed items that appear on it.
2. Make it work. I don't care much about pictures or texting or any of that. I want my phone to work as a phone first and foremost. To be fair, Verizon (my carrier) is pretty good, but there are lots of places where coverage is advertised but not delivered well (my house for example).
3. Give me the option of a really simple phone. For the most part, I just want to make and recieve calls. Can I get a phone that excels at just that?
4. Get real with the contract durations. Offer me an option to have a 90 or 120 contract option when I'm first signing up. I'll pay for the phone and all of that but I want a reasonable amount of time to kick the tires before signing up for a year or two. The typical 15 day money back doesn't quite do it.
5. Stop charging me $1.50 for directory assistance. Directory assistance is very useful from a cell phone because you often don't have a directory at hand or familiarity with the area. Maybe there could be a tiered service that is strictly automated for a lesser price and then if you can't find what you need there you would pay a higher price to speak to a human being.