Punishing Customers Won't Help You Keep Them

We've been saying for months that most of the wireless carriers are doing everything possible to make local number portability a pain for customers. They're basically doing this out of spite and fear (Verizon Wireless being the notable exception). Now, even USA Today is pointing out to carriers that "providers win by competing in a free market, not holding consumers captive". It's a lesson that they're all going to learn eventually. Instead of dragging their feet and causing problems, the carriers should be embracing the opportunity to show just how good they can be to consumers. Instead, most (with Cingular being the worst) are giving consumers every reason why they should switch. It's an incredibly shortsighted strategy that is bound to backfire.