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> I personally do not believe it is old fashioned to have your business reachable by phone You can reach them by phone, but it's not the way things are commonl

> I personally do not believe it is old fashioned to have your business reachable by phone You can reach them by phone, but it's not the way things are commonly done, so you're going to get suboptimal results. You can also mail them a letter (the snail mail kind), but I expect you'll receive even poorer results than by phone doing so given that it is even less common to conduct business by mail. For better or worse there is only so much time in the day so you have to focus on what works for the 90% common case and just try your best for the remaining 10%. > Because I am a paying customer. That is why. You're paying for something, but apparently not phone support, else you would not be a paying customer anymore when they failed to provide what you thought you were paying for. What is in it for them to provide you something that you're not paying for?

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
A4ET8a8uTh0 4y ago
<< For better or worse there is only so much time in the day so you have to focus on what works for the 90% common case and just try your best for the remaining 10%. I did, eventually, and I am voicing my discontent over having to do so. << You're paying for something, but apparently not phone support, I received some support ( as flawed as it was, which reflects poorly on the company ) and that customer service number exists, therefore phone support exists and therefore I ,also apparently, pay for phone support. In other words, I think your argument is flawed. That said, I think you are wrong in a much grander sense. The question is not whether I pay for non-existent support. The question is why we allow oligopolies to run amok, because I am fairly certain if more options were available, this run towards the bottom would not be so awful from customer experience perspective, where CEOs are only focused on 'how to squeeze out more out of this rock' with the solution being: "I know. We will let them complain online and use that as our call center. Think of the savings." and NOT "How can we make our service better so that customers don't leave for greener pastures?". That is the question.
- randomdata 4y ago
  > therefore phone support exists and therefore I ,also apparently, pay for phone support. My misunderstanding. So, in that case, you got what you think you are paying for and are clearly happy with what you got in return for your money as you continue to pay for it going forward. What's your concern again? > I am fairly certain if more options were available, this run towards the bottom would not be so awful from customer experience perspective Perhaps there aren't more options because you're too price sensitive? I'll give you all the top quality telephone support you could ever want for $10,000,000 per year, but I strongly suspect already that your answer is "no thanks". If I had to offer you phone support at the same price as T-Mobile it would be unquestionably worse, not having the economies of scale they have. Since you are clearly happy with the product they offer, at least given the price they offer it at, how could any other options rise up? Anyone smaller trying to offer an alternative would have to charge more just to provide the same level of support, and a lot more to provide better support. Are you getting out your wallet to see that happen or is this one of those fake rants that "actions speak louder than words" was coined for?
  - A4ET8a8uTh0 4y ago
    << you got what you think you are paying for and are clearly happy with what you got in return for your money as you continue to pay for it going forward I will admit I am mildly concerned I am being willfully misunderstood, which goes against the spirit of HN conversations. I would not characterize me as happy. My issue was resolved, but that issue explicitly could and should have been resolved earlier ( as it clearly could have been ) without the need to of intermediaries in the form of Twitter. And what happens to all those poor folks, who were banned from Twitter? They can't get 'good' support now, because T-Mobile is saving a few bucks? How is that even in the realm of being acceptable business practice? << Since you are clearly happy with the product they offer, It is a stretch and it goes back to my lack of options "rant" above that include oligopoly position in nearly every industry in US. If I had 20 providers to choose from, somehow I do not think we would have this conversation. Instead, I get to choose, who will piss me off the least. That is not happy. That is merely not sufficiently angry yet. << "no thanks" You are right. The price is ridiculous for an individual and most businesses. << If I had to offer you phone support at the same price as T-Mobile it would be unquestionably worse, not having the economies of scale they have. Not necessarily. Virtual providers do exist ( and they don't seem to be doing badly ), but they happen to be running on the same network as the existing oligopolies giving the illusion of choice, which only hides the real issue here. << Anyone smaller trying to offer an alternative would have to charge more just to provide the same level of support, and a lot more to provide better support. Maybe? I certainly had no way to test that proposition. Ever since I was a little boy, there were only a handful of telecoms for some unfathomable reason. << Perhaps there aren't more options because you're too price sensitive? Maybe? What price range are you talking about specifically though? $100 for two lines with some silly 2gb cap? I frankly pay too much as it is compared to similar services in EU ( I can't readily compare to India or China, but I suspect those prices are even lower there ). If I am sensitive to price, it is because I like to get value for the money spent.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

A4ET8a8uTh0 4y ago

<< For better or worse there is only so much time in the day so you have to focus on what works for the 90% common case and just try your best for the remaining 10%. I did, eventually, and I am voicing my discontent over having to do so. << You're paying for something, but apparently not phone support, I received some support ( as flawed as it was, which reflects poorly on the company ) and that customer service number exists, therefore phone support exists and therefore I ,also apparently, pay for phone support. In other words, I think your argument is flawed. That said, I think you are wrong in a much grander sense. The question is not whether I pay for non-existent support. The question is why we allow oligopolies to run amok, because I am fairly certain if more options were available, this run towards the bottom would not be so awful from customer experience perspective, where CEOs are only focused on 'how to squeeze out more out of this rock' with the solution being: "I know. We will let them complain online and use that as our call center. Think of the savings." and NOT "How can we make our service better so that customers don't leave for greener pastures?". That is the question.

randomdata 4y ago
> therefore phone support exists and therefore I ,also apparently, pay for phone support. My misunderstanding. So, in that case, you got what you think you are paying for and are clearly happy with what you got in return for your money as you continue to pay for it going forward. What's your concern again? > I am fairly certain if more options were available, this run towards the bottom would not be so awful from customer experience perspective Perhaps there aren't more options because you're too price sensitive? I'll give you all the top quality telephone support you could ever want for $10,000,000 per year, but I strongly suspect already that your answer is "no thanks". If I had to offer you phone support at the same price as T-Mobile it would be unquestionably worse, not having the economies of scale they have. Since you are clearly happy with the product they offer, at least given the price they offer it at, how could any other options rise up? Anyone smaller trying to offer an alternative would have to charge more just to provide the same level of support, and a lot more to provide better support. Are you getting out your wallet to see that happen or is this one of those fake rants that "actions speak louder than words" was coined for?
- A4ET8a8uTh0 4y ago
  << you got what you think you are paying for and are clearly happy with what you got in return for your money as you continue to pay for it going forward I will admit I am mildly concerned I am being willfully misunderstood, which goes against the spirit of HN conversations. I would not characterize me as happy. My issue was resolved, but that issue explicitly could and should have been resolved earlier ( as it clearly could have been ) without the need to of intermediaries in the form of Twitter. And what happens to all those poor folks, who were banned from Twitter? They can't get 'good' support now, because T-Mobile is saving a few bucks? How is that even in the realm of being acceptable business practice? << Since you are clearly happy with the product they offer, It is a stretch and it goes back to my lack of options "rant" above that include oligopoly position in nearly every industry in US. If I had 20 providers to choose from, somehow I do not think we would have this conversation. Instead, I get to choose, who will piss me off the least. That is not happy. That is merely not sufficiently angry yet. << "no thanks" You are right. The price is ridiculous for an individual and most businesses. << If I had to offer you phone support at the same price as T-Mobile it would be unquestionably worse, not having the economies of scale they have. Not necessarily. Virtual providers do exist ( and they don't seem to be doing badly ), but they happen to be running on the same network as the existing oligopolies giving the illusion of choice, which only hides the real issue here. << Anyone smaller trying to offer an alternative would have to charge more just to provide the same level of support, and a lot more to provide better support. Maybe? I certainly had no way to test that proposition. Ever since I was a little boy, there were only a handful of telecoms for some unfathomable reason. << Perhaps there aren't more options because you're too price sensitive? Maybe? What price range are you talking about specifically though? $100 for two lines with some silly 2gb cap? I frankly pay too much as it is compared to similar services in EU ( I can't readily compare to India or China, but I suspect those prices are even lower there ). If I am sensitive to price, it is because I like to get value for the money spent.