Do You Change Cell Carriers Every Two Years?

While not direct marketing advice, here is the letter I sent out today.

January 4, 2014

Terry Stenzel

AT&T Wireless

PO BOX 3597
San Ramon, CA 94583-8597

Dear Mr. Stenzel,

I recently received your computer generated letter and got a good laugh.  After spending years in the tech industry including contracting to Apple, AirTouch (Now Vopadhone-Verizon) and Stanford, your letter was so far off base I couldn’t ignore it.

Your letter closes with “I am glad you’ve chosen AT&T”, and I received it 54 days after I switched to Verizon. 

The third paragraph has “best value in wireless” highlighted, with your convoluted plans how would anyone really know.  $40 unlimited sounds like a pretty good value to me, and an easy plan to understand.

No one ever once called or asked why I left, or what it would take to switch back.  

When a customer switches carriers away from AT&T, you know.  You also know they have a 15 day or 30 day trial period.  Day 13, 14 and 15 are the key days to recover the client.  Breaking my contract now would cost over $700.  

Day 13, a femto cell for my house would have had me switch back even though AT&T was $35 a month more.  I really doesn’t matter what JD Power says about your customer service, if your marketing doesn’t understand your customer cycles and people churn away.

If I were running AT&T Wireless, I would have a very different mission than the one you are on.  My mission statement for AT&T would be “Make it easy.” 

Sincerely yours,

Scott Bourquin