AT&T: You’re on notice
AT&T just announced in an investor’s conference that smart phone users are using too much of its network for data and that something is going to have to be done to curb their usage since their network isn’t able to handle it. All I can say is WAH-WAH-WAH.
Let me get this straight. AT&T has an issue that their network is slow, which clearly is not the fault of the network but is the fault of the users of the network. So, instead of upgrading their network or preparing for the introduction of more smart phones which are going to cripple their network further, they are going to do something punitive to get smart phone users to download less data. And is their plan to do this while still continuing to charge $40/month for data service? They could offer tiered pricing to people so that some can opt into a lower price plan for more limited data, but charging users who are already paying $40 for apparently subpar unlimited service doesn’t seem fair.
As you can tell, as a user advocate, I think this is absurd. Problems with your product are never the fault of the customer. They are your fault. And, most importantly, if you are AT&T and ACTIVELY PROMOTING all the awesome apps and great things you can do with the iPhone while then complaining that people are using them too much, you don’t have a leg to stand on.
This behavior is not acceptable for an organization with a lot of competitors (rumored to be losing its iPhone exclusivity soon) that sells a service. Your goal as a product manager, engineer, designer, CEO, etc… is to make your users happy and not think of ways to save money by pissing them off. It may save money in the short term, but if your business is selling a service, there should be a high level of service involved.
This is a new announcement from AT&T but I predict it is going to lose them customers in the long run. In the words of Stephen Colbert, AT&T you’re on notice.
This is sort of funny to me given the push in other articles for conservation of energy by customers because there is too much “bandwidth” for the utility system and generation systems to handle. Which also makes me think that people who work on conservation products sort of “drink the koolaid” and are blind to the truth that customers have no interest in using less of something and we will only want more and more of something. Just interesting to see… I like your posts though, don’t get me wrong.
I live in GA… data cards here are $60/mo with a 5G limit!!! wtf?? And yes! Anything to pass the problems along and make the profit margin… long term optimization never seems to have been an interest. My contracts are up on both my cell and my data card pretty soon!!