OPEN LETTER TO VERIZON WIRELESS C.E.O.

[Delta]

Sir,


As everyone here knows, I am one of the biggest Verizon "Cheerleaders" there is. Nobody was (is) more pumped about PTT than me. Nobody talks up Verizons service like I do. But...WHY IN THE WORLD, if we are going after Nextels business, would we not have $20 share plans, one of the most effective sales tools in the wireless industry??

I noticed on this forum, the VERY FIRST THING anyone complained about with our PTT was NO SHARES like the Americas Choice plan. That killed it for a lot of people. People with a 400 Minute Americas Choice plan on a share pay $60 a month. To have 2 PTT phones, they have to double it. Thats a hard pill to swallow for many people. The $20 higher on the rates is justifiable. But over $100 a month is a bit much for many people who would be happy with 2 phones.

BOTTOM LINE: IF VERIZON WIRELESS WOULD SIMPLY ADD THE $20 SHARE LINE ON THE PTT RATE PLAN GUIDE, SALES WOULD SKYROCKET. SALES ARE OUTSTANDING FOR PTT NOW....BUT MANY ARE ALIENATED BY THE PTT PRICES. I think (as just about every person I meet does) that the $20 shares should be there...then the VALUE would be more evident.


I fully believe VZW will get it straight.....They always do....hopefully sooner than later. I would bet the house SPRINT will have $20 share plans! And they aren't far behind!



Wireless Advisor Readers: WHAT DO YOU THINK????

[Craptain]

File 13.

A little more tact may be in order.

[Delta]

Point made, taken, and corrected, Craptain

[Craptain]

I think they would read it now [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] looks a lot better Delta!

[Delta]

Apparently, there ARE business share plans...however, it is still $20 for the extra line AND $10 per line for the push to talk. Hardly any Mobile to Mobile minutes and no Night and weekends. Plus a 5-line minimum.

I was talking to Customer Care and they said it was taking off....but I still think we are missing out on a LOT of customers.

[VdoMan]

The Plans you mention delta are VERY important but..they are NOT the only problem. Verizon hypes itself (justifyably) as the largest best coverage network in the country. Cellular YES......but when it comes to the PTT (which is my grip) its 1x dependant and THAT coverage sucks in comparison to cell svr. But they don't say that do they? Secondly, why? why? why? would the largest cellular company put all its apples in one (half-rotten) basket by coming out with a svr/product that is 'not ready for primetime'? PTT, right now, is a toy. Its fun (when it works) but it's by NO means a real viable communications alterative. And I don't want to hear people saying "oh it's new..give them time'. Thats bull and anyone w/half a brain would realize that THAT is no way to run a hugh company. VZW PTT right now is no threat to nextel or MATTEL for that matter. If they made it cheaper and told the truth that it COULD be an alternative for 'toy freaks' and people who want to 'play with a new technology' then (and only then) would I give them any credit for unvailing the svr so early in 'their' game. A business tool its not. A minimum investment of $60.00 per PTT phone for a service (better said would be a 'hit and miss' service at best) from a company that prides itself in doing the job right was and is a hugh mistake to unvail NOW! Us computer/phone/technology freaks 'accept' the fact that when we buy a product/software using the newest technology that it's a 'work in progress' and are usually suprised when it actually works! But for a multi-billion dollar company to sell me that product/service? They loose their benchmark of quality and J.D. Powers ain't going to like it. nuff said

[Supaman]

Im a perfect example, me and my mom are on a Family Share Plan, my mom pays 40.00 a month and my add-on is 20 bucks, so after all those taxes, Government and "other" charges its comes out to be an affordable 70.00 a month. So we want to switch to PTT, ok so my mom is able to upgrade phones to v60p, so theres 150, and im not able to upgrade phones theres 330 for me, and we would both have to have a minimum of 60.00 dollar plans. So we're talking almost 500.00 to switch equipment and then after that pay 120.00 a month? I dont think so, with that money we both could terminate our contracts early and still have money to get two Nextels. (Not that I ever would)

[Frito]

I agree, i am very disapointed in Verizon and the launch of PTT. FOr me to upgrade to it ( 2 V60Ps) it would cost almost $700.00. Its almost as if they dont want to sell it! I must wait till Janurary 30th of 2004 to get promotional deals on the phones. Alos, the no share plan is bad. All this wating turned out to be a waste of time for me. I am over Verizon PTT, for now. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[Delta]

I can understand I guess the extra $10 to share. But even on the business share plan you pay the $30 to share, lose night and weekends, and get a teeny-little bit of Mobile to Mobile. And a 5-line minimum. For $30, customers should be able to either keep the mobile to mobile (the full lot) or the night and weekends.

I guess I'm just mad that the pricing is only competitive with Nextel on a single line basis. I expected more. It Literally is easier to sell a company on VZW's REGULAR Americas Choice than the PTT. Very easy to save them money.

On another note: My PTT works just fine where I am. No complaints on the service. I just want to see them make the rates more accessible to most people.

Till that happens, bring out some more camera phones!

[JJSeminole]

I for sure would be back on a PTT plan if they offered a shared plan. VZW can really make this service a hit if they offer lower prices than Nextel. See one of my biggest gripes about being a former Nextel customer is that they always had high rate plans. And if Verizon lowers the PTT rate plans then they will for sure make people open their eyes and see that more is out there rather than just Nextel with PTT.

[Delta]

WHY NOT UNLIMITED MOBILE-TO-MOBILE?

Now I want a Samsung A670.....

[DavidR]

I concur....

The pricing is not friendly at all. My girlfriend and I currently share 1500 anytime minutes, I have 1000 and she has 250 m2m, unlinited night and weekend for 79.99 + $20.

i switched us over to PTT at 59.99 each for only 400 anytime minutes each. And to top it off, connection times are very slow.

Nonetheless, i just returned my v60p and went back to v60i and now they are telling me my girlfriend has to stay on pTT until the end of our billing cycle b/c we already changed our plans twice in 1 month. I was very polite and told them i wwas soooooooooo excited about ptt but would like to wait until more phone are available, rates come down and the technology gets faster. Now they are telling me i can;t switch her's back...WHAT HAPPENED TO WORRY FREE GAURANTEE?????

[DannyLee312]

Delta....I totally agree with you......and I too must be one of the largest fans of Verizon Wireless.....even though I do not work for them anymore, I am still their number one fan.....believe me I have had every single single cellular provider that there is out there. I too truly agree with this no share line crap too....this should seriously change the way how people will buy into their system.....I REALLY think that they should inplement a share line price plan....hopefully they will catch on, and see that they are losing out on big revenue because not everyone wants to pay 120 bucks for two lines (especially if the 2nd line is only being used for like 20 mins a month by your mother) lol. So I too am on the same exact boat as you.

Cheers,

[Delta]

I am sure VZW PTT will grow into something great. And in areas like mine with excellent 1X coverage, it works fine. I am just used to regular calls. It's easier and faster. (I would say the same about using Nextel).

[Bitslap47]

I must be missing the point??? When I spoke with customer service the other day, they said I could have added another PTT line to my $69.99 plan for $20. They would share the 400 minutes, primary would get 1000 MTM, the secondary would get 250 MTM, unlimited N&W, unlimited PTT, and unlimited group PTT. My bill would have been $89.99 for 2 phones sharing 400 minutes.

I didn't do it because I need 400 minutes on one line and 500 on the other, and 1000 MTM on both.

What are you guys proposing?

[mcf04581]

The answer to this is very easy. PTT is marketed toward the business segment not the consumer segment. Consumer plans with be coming, but probably not for like a year. Verizon has one goal in mind with PTT and that is to boost ARPU and business accounts. And I dont remeber who said it but Verizon is a threat to Nextel. We have 30 line accounts coming over left and right from them and I have not heard one complaint about the service yet. People are just glad they can actually use cellular with the ptt as an option.

[kranium007]

time for a VZW subscriber petition? i'm in.

i want PTT but i'd also like some sort of share plan for it.

$59.99 primary with 400-500min/ unlim n&w/ unlim PTT/ 500-1000 M to M min.
$20-25 secondary with 250-1000 M to M min/ unlim PTT

that would be perfect for me. i'd sign for a 10 yr plan for the right setup from verizon


also a lot more competitive.

as for the fact that its only on the 1x network, that fine by me. that network is more than where a nextell would actually work anyway.

[Cenobyte]

Originally posted by: mcf04581 The answer to this is very easy. PTT is marketed toward the business segment not the consumer segment. Consumer plans with be coming, but probably not for like a year. Verizon has one goal in mind with PTT and that is to boost ARPU and business accounts. And I dont remeber who said it but Verizon is a threat to Nextel. We have 30 line accounts coming over left and right from them and I have not heard one complaint about the service yet. People are just glad they can actually use cellular with the ptt as an option.

Exactly. I pointed out a long time ago that the pricing would at first be geared toward the business segment. More consumer-friendly pricing will be here later down the line, but right now, it IS all about bulking up the business segment.

[WirelessBeachBum]

The answer to this is very easy. PTT is marketed toward the business segment not the consumer segment. Consumer plans with be coming, but probably not for like a year. Verizon has one goal in mind with PTT and that is to boost ARPU and business accounts. And I dont remeber who said it but Verizon is a threat to Nextel. We have 30 line accounts coming over left and right from them and I have not heard one complaint about the service yet. People are just glad they can actually use cellular with the ptt as an option.

I agree, I would be silly to release consumer plans with a low price point now, PTT is a business product currently....Does Verizon want consumers buying it sure, but the entire point of launching PTT was to get at a higher average revenue customer.....

As far as the phone pricing, I for one am happy they are sticking to their principles and keeping upgrade policies in place, it makes it fair to the customer and keeps the profits in the organization. I wish we never started subsidizing the cost of the equipment, I mean do people really think that a device that can communicate in so many different ways should cost you any less?

Even a "good" cordless home phone would cost you more than $150!!!

And as for people with existing contracts, whining about having to pay $350 for a new V60p, don't try and come off as a victim, you signed your agreement and got the discount on your phone, either wait it out or shell out the bucks for your new PTT phone don't don't say the big bad corporation is doing you wrong.

If you lease a car for five years and one year into the lease the car maker releases a newer faster model do you expect them to turn in your current car and get the new one at half price?

[Delta]

My main gripe was, I don't thing the BUSINESS plans are good enough.

[Craptain]

I'm not trying to argue with you WirelessBeachBum and I do understand there are many other costs, (R&D, advertising, ect...) but do you really think it costs anything near $350 for Motorola to put together a phone in some third world country? VZW is passing on a bloated cost to the consumers instead of trimming the fat. I suppose it is all about the $. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

[MOTOMANIAC]

Who cares why the phones cost that much...the fact is they do. Verizon can't do anything about it, neither can any other carrier.

We as industry people have been absorbing the cost for our ungrateful customers for way too long.
Everyone thinks phones don't cost anything. Sure, we value our customers but would you give away half your commission and expect to make a living?TextText

[WirelessBeachBum]

I'm not trying to argue with you WirelessBeachBum and I do understand there are many other costs, (R&D, advertising, ect...) but do you really think it costs anything near $350 for Motorola to put together a phone in some third world country? VZW is passing on a bloated cost to the consumers instead of trimming the fat. I suppose it is all about the $.

Last time I checked it was only about $2.00 in materials to put together a pair of Air Jordans, Yet Foot Locker sells them for $150, do you think the sweat shop in vietnam that put that shoe together is getting paid the $148?

Wireless carriers would love to get out of the equipment business, it takes on average 11 months of a customer on line before the carrier makes anything.

[XprtCop]

there are 4 types of cell phone users.

1-Business Users
2-Casual Users
3-Power Users
4-Old people.

Who does VZW target as their main PTT account?
A: Business Users
Who does VZW target for family share plans?
A: Casual users, power users
Who does VZW target for FREEUP?
A: people with bad credit and old people.

We are Power users, meaning that we exploit the phones and the network.
Cellular companies could give a hOOts ____ about us as a whole because simply we know TOO MUCH to try and SELL us stuff that we knew about even before it was publicly available.
Yes, we are a bunch of picky modern truckers and theyre not going to give in to the "special bunch"
, why? cause no matter what they do, were just never happy.
I am disgusted <spits>

[Cenobyte]

Originally posted by: WirelessBeachBum I'm not trying to argue with you WirelessBeachBum and I do understand there are many other costs, (R&D, advertising, ect...) but do you really think it costs anything near $350 for Motorola to put together a phone in some third world country? VZW is passing on a bloated cost to the consumers instead of trimming the fat. I suppose it is all about the $. Last time I checked it was only about $2.00 in materials to put together a pair of Air Jordans, Yet Foot Locker sells them for $150, do you think the sweat shop in vietnam that put that shoe together is getting paid the $148? Wireless carriers would love to get out of the equipment business, it takes on average 11 months of a customer on line before the carrier makes anything.

I completely agree. It's ridiculous to expect a company that has already taken a hit subsidizing equipment to do it again for the same customer before they've even had a chance to make their money back on the equipment. It DOES take close to a year for a wireless carrier to break even on the investment of gaining a new customer. Aside from discounting the phone, there are also commisions that have to be paid out, plus you have to figure in the costs of marketing and activating and maintaining a customer on the network and in the billing system. It costs a wireless carrier approximately $20 a month to maintain a customer. You figure that average ARPU is maybe $40 a month, then it's going to take a company 10 months to make back a $200 discount that they gave you on the phone up front. That's not even considering the cost of paying the sales reps commision, of the costs of advertising. Wireless carriers are in the business of making money, not giving away equipment everytime a new service or phone comes out. I'm honestly quite sick of people wanting freebies all the time. I'm glad Verizon is upholding the upgrade policy.

<joins Cop in spitting>

[Cenobyte]

Originally posted by: XprtCop there are 4 types of cell phone users. 1-Business Users 2-Casual Users 3-Power Users 4-Old people.

You forgot crack heads. Alot of VZW customers seem to fall under this category.

[Craptain]

I agree with you guys, I am just saying that I feel as though VZW is allowing Motorola and other companies to price gouge. I could be wrong, very wrong, but from what I read, that is how I feel.

[Craptain]

Oh yeah, crack heads aren't so bad... when they pay their bills.

Hey Ceno,
I'm not questioning your knowlege, but how do you determine that "It costs a wireless carrier approximately $20 a month to maintain a customer." 34.6 million x $20 per month sound like a high number to me?

And I doubt that Verizon wants to get out of the equipment business, since they claim a quarterly profit of 426 million dollars from "Equipment and other revenue."

[mlsberman]

Hola All!

I believe there's a PTT promo available through 11/2/03 that offers the following:

Unlimited N&W
Unlimited 1-2-1 PTT
Unlimited Group PTT

The difference for Group PTT is that with the promo, PTT groups can only be 10 users; the non-promo plans allows for 20 PTT users to conference in (@ $0.15 per user).

Here's food for thought. If weekends start at 0001 on Saturday, and end at 2359 on Sunday, then how is 0001 Monday to 0559 Monday calculated? Is it still weekend rate, or considered to be anytime minutes.

Ciao,

MLB

[SPRINTPCSGUY2002]

Why does everyone complain so much about stuff on here?? Give the company time. Its a NEW service for them, they want to see how well it will do first. The PTT wasnt specifically geared towards consumers anyways, it was meant to attract more business customers that anything. Just give them some time.. they wanted to come out with this stuff before WLNP so more people would leave nextel and come to them when they were able to.