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I'll believe it when I see it. It's one thing to check a box on a survey, but the outcome will be contingent upon a lot of factors, not the least of which is th

I'll believe it when I see it. It's one thing to check a box on a survey, but the outcome will be contingent upon a lot of factors, not the least of which is the contractual situation that each of these customers finds themselves in. Wireless carriers love contracts. More specifically, they love to keep customers under contract. Of the 26% that said they would switch, how many would do so if it cost them an additional $100 in early termination fees? How about $200? Add in a $199 iPhone, plus activation, and you're looking at over $400 in some cases.

potatolicious 16y ago
I don't think anyone believes that 26% will actually switch. Surely the actual conversion will be lower - but that's not the point. The point is that 26% of AT&T's iPhone customers are so displeased that they are itching to leave, and as you mentioned astutely, if they stay it's only because they've been effectively chained down by a contract. A business where a large portion of its customer base are involuntarily there is a severely sick one, and will either fail out of its own accord, or continue to hold back in the industry by propping itself up with monopolistic behavior and paid-for regulations.
- bradleyland 16y ago
  I don't necessarily disagree that ATT customers are grossly dissatisfied, but I don't think they're alone. Sadly, I don't have any more recent numbers, but the study linked below shows that 47% of all cell phone users would switch to a competing provider to get a lower price if they didn't have to pay ETF fees. At best, cell phone users feel no loyalty for their carrier. At worst, the hate them almost universally. http://www.uspirg.org/newsroom/financial/financial-privacy--security-news/survey-shows-nearly-half-of-cell-phone-users-would-switch-or-consider-switching-carriers-if-they-didnt-have-to-pay-contract-termination-penalties http://www.uspirg.org/newsroom/financial/financial-privacy--...

potatolicious 16y ago

I don't think anyone believes that 26% will actually switch. Surely the actual conversion will be lower - but that's not the point. The point is that 26% of AT&T's iPhone customers are so displeased that they are itching to leave, and as you mentioned astutely, if they stay it's only because they've been effectively chained down by a contract. A business where a large portion of its customer base are involuntarily there is a severely sick one, and will either fail out of its own accord, or continue to hold back in the industry by propping itself up with monopolistic behavior and paid-for regulations.

bradleyland 16y ago
I don't necessarily disagree that ATT customers are grossly dissatisfied, but I don't think they're alone. Sadly, I don't have any more recent numbers, but the study linked below shows that 47% of all cell phone users would switch to a competing provider to get a lower price if they didn't have to pay ETF fees. At best, cell phone users feel no loyalty for their carrier. At worst, the hate them almost universally. http://www.uspirg.org/newsroom/financial/financial-privacy--security-news/survey-shows-nearly-half-of-cell-phone-users-would-switch-or-consider-switching-carriers-if-they-didnt-have-to-pay-contract-termination-penalties http://www.uspirg.org/newsroom/financial/financial-privacy--...