Well, I’ve recently talked about my experiments to cut cable and move to purely internet TV. Well, a couple weeks ago I made it official. Of course, that meant the obligatory call to AT&T to cancel my TV service. I had a pretty low package on U-Verse, but was still spending almost $90/month. That got me 200 channels. No movie channels, and about 10 channels that we ever watched. Well, I was able to get Playstation Vue for $30/month. That’s $60/month back in my pocket. Of course, AT&T asked the question “Why are you leaving?”
Well, my answer was pretty simple. I’m using internet TV, it’s cheaper and works better. Well, suddenly when I tell them I’m leaving, they have all these deals they offer to me. On of them was getting satellite TV for $60/month or something like that. I didn’t ask the rep, but the whole time I’m thinking, “why don’t you offer this before I threaten to leave?”. So, here’s how I look at the situation. AT&T makes a butt-load of money providing TV, internet & the hardware (DVR, Modems, Routers, etc…). So my question is why can they offer such great deals when you threaten to leave, and not just offer you the best deals outright???
You know as well as I do, the answer is the bottom line. If a customer is willing to pay more for the service, why not take their money??? The problem I have is that it’s easier to overcharge a customer and assume they will never complain. If you complain, you might get a deal. For example, I had to complain every 3-6 months to get the latest deal that AT&T could offer. They wouldn’t just give me the best deal, I had to be proactive and ask for it… This is why I’m happier with my Amazon Fire TV. I have my hardware, and now I just need to keep the internet running. I don’t have call every 3 months because my bill is too high. I just get to enjoy what I watch… and Playstation Vue is actively making the service better. I haven’t noticed that same for AT&T. They aren’t adding new features, they aren’t improving their UI. They just continue charging me for the same old tired service.
I suggest you take a look at internet TV. If you have questions, feel free to ask. I’ve played with a bunch of stuff and really like it. My wife is getting there… but it’s different. But I”m happy that the internet providers (Playstation, Sling, etc…) are improving to be competitive. I’m finally in a place where the providers will improve to keep me. Not just assume I’ll stay because of lack of options. And more importantly, learn from AT&T’s customer service. Always compete for your customers.
Thanks for reading,
As always, thanks for reading and don't forget to check out our SAP Service Management Products at my other company JaveLLin Solutions,Mike