Tuesday 31 July 2012

No customers please, we’re Telecom

Telecom were once the country’s largest company. They’ve been nobbled several times by big government, but their slow slide has also been due to manifest incompetence.

Take the way they’ve chosen to end their CDMA Network—a directive to 600,000 subscribers that as of tomorrow their expensive phones will no longer work, so get on and sign up for a new plan on their XT network.

Why would you stick with a company that treated you like that?

It’s not the first time. They’ve done it before. It’s an exact parallel to their decision a decade ago to end their 025 network—handled exactly the same, and then as now a direct invitation for all those customers to stampede (as I did) towards Telecom’s competitors. 

Who, naturally, are waiting with open arms.

Sometimes, you have to wonder whether there’s a brain upstairs at Telecom at all.  Or any interest in looking after their customers.

7 comments:

macdoctor said...

10 years ago Telecom was my provider for cell phones, landline, ISP - everything. Now I don't even get my land line through them. Not that any other provider is so much better. It's just that Telecom gives you no reason to stay with them.

I don't think they have ever got over being a government monopoly...

Peter Cresswell said...

Yes, that's it exactly. "Not that any other provider is so much better. It's just that Telecom gives you no reason to stay with them. I don't think they have ever got over being a government monopoly... "

Anonymous said...

Telecom has been shutting down this network for years - 2009 -and hasn't been actively selling 'expensive' phones on it for ages and been practicaly giving away new xt ones well before xmas. where's the drama? Do you have the same view of old fashioned infrastructure closures like railways? How curmudgeonly. I'm glad Tc are no longer calling and texting me with reminders.

insider

Berend de Boer said...

It's called creative destruction...

Libertyscott said...

Ten years ago the Clark regime handed off control of the market which had been entirely in the hands of providers to a regulator - went from the most liberalised to the most regulated telecommunications market in the OECD... all cheered on by the Greens, and indeed largely also by a certain popular blogger who supports the National Party.

Telecom was once the innovator because it had previously been told "compete", it took on Clear and won the battle on national and international calls by offering cheap deals.

It's been cauterised and I suspect is about to be bought out by Telstra.

Robin Capper said...

You could argue the same, wrong, decision is to blame for both moves. They backed the wrong system when dumping 025, now have to dump it for the curent one.

Tim Ng said...

All I can say is that Telecom treats some customers better than others. I've been a Telecom prepaid CDMA customer since 2002. A few months ago a Telecom salesman called to offer me a free upgrade to an XT phone and $65 credit, no strings attached. I accepted their offer.