Verizon Wireless's Walled Garden Grows, But Isn't Opening
from the still-has-walls dept
The WSJ has an article talking about how Verizon Wireless is giving more third-party mobile content providers access to its subscribers by signing individual deals with them, which allows them to sell their content to Verizon users in exchange for it taking a cut of around 30%. While there's some talk that this represents Verizon slowly opening its walled garden, is that really the case? Adding more sites and content providers to a garden seems like a far cry from actually opening it up. The walled garden is a pointless exercise that's bound to fail. There are so many internet services that users would like to be able to access from their mobile phones, and that's only going to grow. However, if access to those services is dependent on operators being able to come to some sort of commercial arrangement with each one, it's not going to work. No matter how good operators' lawyers are, they're not going to be able to keep up with the pace of innovation on the internet. Offering users access to just a selected subset of services -- specifically, those that have decided to pay up -- isn't going to work. Operators need to focus on building open systems that deliver users the services they want, regardless of who creates them, and focus on adding value where they're best placed to do so: by improving usability and integrating internet services with their mobile services.
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misleading advertising
If I bought a product or service pitched the way I see in those Verizon ads and found it was so crippled I would be terminating the contract immediately, something my statutary rights permit me to do in England under the Sale of Goods Act. It's blatent false advertising.
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I don't get it...
..maybe I should RTFA.
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I feel screwed by VZN
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no problems
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Content
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What keeps me with Verizon.
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They just don't get it..
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sony-ericcson z525a both IR and bluetooth
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I was kicked off Cingular after 2 years for 'usign too many roaming minutes' per month. They gave me 36hrs before the turned my phone off. I didn't want to leave, but they forced me too. Wanting to stick with a GSM provider I switched to TMobile. I have been nothing but surprised with the quality and profesionalism of their customer service. From chanigng rate plans, online billing, trading phones in etc. They even saved me $20 bucks a month, and I never would have considered switching to them if Cingular hadn't kicked me off. The great thing is TMobile now has very close to the same coverage as Cingular because they are roaming partners.
My opinion is that TMobile is choosing a corporate strategy to increase revenue by increasing customer satisfaction.
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Re: todd = TMobile employee?
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But when you are so used to cell phone companies jerking you around, and you find one that consistently provides good service, its something worth mentioning.
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locked down
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tmobile
I'm also on the TMobile Bandwagon. I've been with the pink T for two years now, and I couldn't be more satisfied with the experience. In some places the coverage can be crappy, but I don't have any problems where I live now. They also have great customer service and don't lock down anything on their phones (mine, at least). I use a plain ol' miniUSB cable to put my own ringtones, images, etc on my phone (no BT).
Here's the only problem I've ever had with TMobile: I'm set up with the EasyPay system for paying my bill monthly. Unfortunately, three times in the last year, the transaction has just not taken place automatically. It doesn't get rejected or denied - it just doesn't occur. It's supposed to happen on the 13th of every month. Each time this has happened, I get a bill the next month for two months worth of fees plus a $5 late fee. I call customer service and they make sure to remove the late fee and put my account in good standing. Last time this happened, I got a call back from a billing supervisor (after everything had already been resolved) apologizing for the inconvenience and offering me a credit on my next bill. TMobile really does care about their customers.
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Re: tmobile
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A walled garden, with regards to media content, refers to a closed set or exclusive set of information services provided for users (a method of creating a monopoly or securing an information system).
This relates to internet services, so if you don't use mobile internet it doesn't matter. With Verizon you can't enter a URL of your choice, only their approved sites. Cingular and Sprint are open. So is T-mobile, but their 3G network in the US is just being built
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the new KRZR
is there anyway to unlock it? or any thing to say to verizon about voiding my contract,
please email me freakedout911@yahoo.com
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Late Fees - Verizon Wireless
I work with a law firm that’s investigating Verizon Wireless’ practice of charging California consumers a flat $5 late fee and whether the practice violates California’s consumer rights laws.
Customers are charged a late fee if they don’t pay bills on time but according to California state law there may be some issues with charging a fixed late fee as a penalty. There may also be issues with charging all customers the same flat fee, regardless of the cost of monthly plans.
As part of the investigation, Hagens Berman wants to hear from any Verizon customer living in California who’s paid at least one late fee in the past four years.
You can contact the firm at info@hbsslaw.com or (206) 623-7292. More information on the investigation is on the firm’s Web site, www.hbsslaw.com.
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