T-Mobile Writes The Best Press Release You'll Ever See From A Phone Company
from the someone-had-some-fun dept
Our general rule is that we ignore press releases, because they're fake news. People still send them to us sometimes, but I've got a pretty good email filter that filters them right into the trash. Every so often there's an interesting press release, but it's rare. It's even rarer from a large company. Rarer still: an interesting press release from a telco. And yet, here's T-Mobile with what may be the best press release you'll ever see from a phone company, outright ridiculing AT&T's plan to offer T-Mobile customers $450 to switch to AT&T. To be fair, T-Mobile, which has basically been the also-ran of the mobile world for years, has decided in the past year or so that the best strategy to change that is to basically do pretty much everything differently than mobile operators have done in the past, bucking lots of trends with concepts that are actually (gasp!) consumer friendly. It's kind of shocking to see a phone company come to the conclusion that, hey, perhaps treating customers right is a competitive advantage, but it does appear that T-Mobile has (to some extent) embraced that concept.And then there's this press release. At the beginning of January, AT&T directly began offering T-Mobile users $450 to switch. Apparently the company has realized that if it can't buy T-Mobile directly, it might as well just buy its customers. Now, most companies when targeted by a larger competitor in this manner might sort through a variety of responses, and I'm sure at some point, perhaps late at night under the influence of an extra alcoholic beverage or two, someone might suggest the following. But to actually go ahead with it... well... that's a bit bold. In short, T-Mobile flips the offer on its head, noting that since it only applies to T-Mobile users, AT&T users now have a "risk free" way to test out T-Mobile -- and they throw in hilarious fake quotes from AT&T Mobility's CEO, Ralph de la Vega, mock the "death star" and a variety of other things you don't normally see in a telco press release -- such as comparing de la Vega to Darth Vader.
T-Mobile US, Inc. (NYSE: TMUS) today announced that pretty much everyone at the company is overcome with emotion and still kind of processing the decision by now-ex-rival AT&T to leave the dark side, step into the light, and join hands in supporting the Un-carrier consumer revolution.Yes, T-Mobile also uses the press release to pitch its own deal for mobile phone users to switch to T-Mobile, but this is quite a press release. If other companies actually did press releases like this, I might have to actually adjust my email filters...
“Call it an awakening,” said Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO of AT&T Mobility, “but I felt it was time to really stir things up and put the customer first for a change. And by “customer” I’m referring to our former customers who switch to T-Mobile, because our current customers don’t really qualify.” De la Vega said that the new T-Mobile switching offer was custom designed to entice its millions of contract customers to go ahead and give T-Mobile a try. “If for any reason you don’t love T-Mobile’s 4G LTE network, which is now faster than ours[i], we’ll actually pay you up to $450 to come back to AT&T, I kid you not.”
Ok, De La Vega didn’t actually say that, but he might as well have. Thanks to AT&T’s apparent change-of-heart and incredibly generous $450 T-Mobile customer buy-back campaign, insane numbers of its very own customers and even families of AT&T employees are enjoying a risk-free, zero-cost opportunity to switch to the Un-carrier. If customers making the switch are not completely satisfied with T-Mobile and its state-of-the-art nationwide 4G LTE network (now fastest in the U.S.)i, AT&T will cover the costs for customers switching back to their own slower network, up to $450 with trade-in[ii]. Details of the new AT&T offer can be found at att.com/att/switcherpromo.
“Wow. I mean … wow,” breathed John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile. “I guess we all have moments of doubt. You know? Like, can the darkness ever be defeated? But that they’ve singled us out in this way is just so affirming. I guess we must be doing something right. I mean, if AT&T can change, it feels like anything’s possible.
“It’s kind of like that scene where Darth Vader’s lying there and Luke helps take off his helmet,” Legere continued, “and you see that, okay, sure, Darth Vader’s pretty ugly, but he’s human after all.”
[....] “Somebody pinch me,” said Mike Sievert, Chief Marketing Officer. “By offering a risk-free way for their millions of customers to come over to T-Mobile – AT&T has helped put this Un-carrier consumer movement into overdrive. At T-Mobile we stand for Contract Freedom, and I want to thank our friends at AT&T for helping us liberate their former customers. This isn’t just about switching offers -- it’s about T-Mobile giving customers the service, the network, and the wireless experience they deserve, without having to worry when they switch.”
Sievert noted that AT&T’s recent full-page ad in The New York Times had signaled a real turning point in his mind – that the former industry rival had truly stepped out of the darkness and was seeking to mend its ways and support the Un-carrier consumer movement.
“I mean, a full page ad in The New York Times,” said Sievert. “That says commitment to me.”
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Filed Under: darth vader, john legere, press releases, ralph de la vega, turning the tables
Companies: at&t, t-mobile
Reader Comments
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The best promotion is to offer what the consumer wants at affordable prices. Simple as that.
The question whether T can deliver the experience remains to be answered by people with more contact with the telco than me...
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The same people who get themselves trampled on black fridays. Who collect coupons and buy useless stuff because it's on sale etc etc.
Think of how stupid the average person is, and then this: half of the people is dumber then the average.
We'll see if it's really works out as you think, or as lord vader thinks.
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The main question I see here is how high the ratio of people may be who don't understand enough of statistics to comprehend the difference between average and median but are still confident enough to pretend otherwise.
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might be drawing the wrong kind of company.
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You can have your ego trip, and the rest of the commenters got my point, so it's no concern to me.
Also, try to reply to the others who explained why you're wrong and unnecessary in correcting me.
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I've heard this saying often enough from people whose first language is English.
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Average vs Median
So - what exactly are you complaining about in Anonymous Howard's statement? He's right.
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Re: Average vs Median
I am less than convinced. Since I don't consider it likely that the definition of IQ allows for negative values, the distribution is more likely to be lognormal or something else, but not a symmetrical distribution in the range (-∞,∞).
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Re: Re: Average vs Median
What? Except anything outside of 145 and 55 on a cog battery is beyond 3 SD and is so rare that it doesn't really have an effect. Cognitive assessments are normed on such a massive data set that, as others have mentioned, the average is essentially the same as the median. Just like any large data set that fits under a normal curve.
Source: This is my job
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Um...irony is a bitch, but that should read: "Half of the people ARE dumber THAN the average."
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(English as she is used.)
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One more thing, not just to whoever I am replying to here, you're all wrong.
About 50% will be average, leaving 25% each for above and below.
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With AT&T involved, we all know how it will really turn out.
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Are.
Than.
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-George Carlin
So no, it's "is".
And Mitchell, you're free to think whatever you want. Here's another quote for you:
"Opinions are like assholes. Everybody's got one and everyone thinks everyone else's stinks"
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It will help with comprehension. If I am offended by something you say, seeing that English is not your native language, it may give me pause to consider exactly what it is you are trying to say. Maybe I see that it was not your intent to offend and/or I can ask for clarification on what you meant.
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Ouch. That was painful.
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Re: average intelligence
Given the very small numbers that become politicians and/or CEO's, I am guessing that their ration numbers are even more skewed towards dumbness...
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Re: Re: average intelligence
Yeah, not everyone is going to be a rocket surgeon, but not everyone needs to be either.
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Re: Re: average intelligence
It's the old joke: you know how dumb the average person is? Well, half of everybody is even dumber than that.
But, putting on my pedant hat, that's not exactly so. It's confusing the average with the median! Also, it's a meaningless thing to say -- an IQ of 100 is the average by definition. People with an IQ of 100 now may or may not have the same level of intelligence as people with an IQ of 100 a hundred years ago, or a hundred years into the future. The "amount" of intelligence it represents changes to match the average. Also, it's so difficult to measure (or even define) intelligence that talking about it without a context is fundamentally meaningless. There are many kinds of intelligence.
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Re: Re: Re: average intelligence
Exactly what I was gonna say.
Also, it's a meaningless thing to say -- an IQ of 100 is the average by definition.
Now, let's not confuse IQ with intelligence.
But, for the sake of discussion, if we were going to do that, isn't the measurement of IQ fit to a Normal Distribution? In that case, the Median IQ is the same as the Average IQ, and so it is true that half the population is indeed below average IQ.
Though, again, that doesn't necessarily mean actual intelligence, by any definition more comprehensive than simply "IQ" fits the same distribution.
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Statistics is far to complicated...
Very. Like - take IQ of 4 persons: 90, 90, 90, 130. Average is 100. And of course half of them are below average, right?
Or is it that someone is lousy at statistics?
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Re: Statistics is far to complicated...
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TMobile
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Re: TMobile
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In any case, the economics still don't work in favor of buying a phone over time from the cell provider. You'll be paying far more than what you would have paid if you just bought the phone outright from the manufacturer.
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Of course, this is the string that's attached to T-Mobiles buyout plan: most people will opt for a newer phone, which they make payments on for 24 months, which increases the bill.
Get a lower-gen model phone, and this is a pretty good deal.
It's just a crock that it took someone until 2014 to actually implement it.
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Very pleased.
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I think this is the key. If you're starting new OR you have an older phone, T-Mobile is more expensive. As structured, you end up paying full retail price even for phones like the Galaxy S4 over two years, which could be acquired from Best Buy / Amazon for a cent on sale not so long ago -- it might be $50 now. So you might as well take the subsidy from Verizon built into the contract and pay less overall during the first two years. If the phone you acquire is decent enough, it probably makes sense to switch to T-Mobile at the end of the subsidy. (Also, the issue is magnified with multiple lines)
The economics clearly don't work out to start with T-Mobile. Even the "we'll pay your early termination fee" offer sucks when you realize that you now have to buy a phone from them. So you might as well wait out the subsidy and bring your phone.
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I bought my phone from Amazon, at a significantly cheaper price than what T-Mobile or Best Buy wanted for the phone, and had no problem bringing it in to T-Mobile. I already was using them for a data card so I already had an account. The only problem is that AT&T phones and T-Mobile phones aren't entirely compatible, so you have to be real careful to buy a phone that is compatible with T-Mobile (they use different frequencies for their high speed data, but the phone and 2G frequencies are shared.)
If the phone you acquire is decent enough, it probably makes sense to switch to T-Mobile at the end of the subsidy.
It is NEVER cheaper to buy the phone, either on subsidy or otherwise, directly from the vendor. This is basic capitalism. When dealing with a monopoly, you will lose every time.
The economics clearly don't work out to start with T-Mobile.
I disagree. The cost of their service is half of what I paid for AT&T. I had a bill for one phone, discounted through my employer, for $130 a month (for 4GB of data, voice and text.) I am now paying exactly the same for a cell phone (unlimited everything* - but they do cap high speed, though I've never seen it) AND a data device (4.5GB per month.) Several surveys have shown that the average price for T-Mobile is below AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.
I don't have anything to do with T-Mobile other than being their customer (and I have contracts with their competitors too,) and I've been quite happy with them.
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But in my area, T-Mobile's service is just awful. It's a nonstarter.
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e.g.
Verizon - Bring a phone: $80
Verizon - Subsidized phone: $80
T-Mobile - Bring a phone: $60
T-Mobile - Subsidized phone: $80
I brought my own phone, so I pay less per month than Verizon.
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"which has basically been the also-ran of the mobile world for years"
I think that should read "also-ran of the mobile world in the USA".
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In other news
iWireless uses T-Mobile for roaming. The momentum is building, but very, very slowly.
And iWireless is a GSM carrier. SIM cards are awesome. YMMV.
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It is nice to finally see some real competition in the telco space though. I was apathetic about the T-Mobile merger being blocked a few years back, now I'm ecstatic. Whoever starts offering true unlimited data again is probably going to get my business, just so I can get off my grandfathered Verizon plan.
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Is T-Mobile offering people money to switch from a specific competitor?
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T-Mobile >>> ATT
Then they rolled out unlimited international roaming text & data and I was even more glad I switched.
The only downside is their coverage is not quite as good. But for me it's good enough. If they had ATT's coverage with their increasingly customer-friendly attitude, they'd mop the floor with ATT.
Regardless, ATT can still suck it.
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Re: T-Mobile >>> ATT
I'm currently using Simple Mobile (an MVNO that uses T-Mobile)... the only thing I miss is the conditional call forwarding, but T-Mobile pre-pay doesn't offer it either, only their subsidized accounts.
I've also been buying my cell phones outright for a few years now... T-Mobile is much more transparent than most of the other carriers on pricing, and really doesn't gouge like the others.
I'm currently using a Nexus 4, and after 2 years of use, the end of this year, and using an mvno, I'll have saved $720 on the cost of service, more than paying for the phone, and that's just comparing to T-Mobile's subsidized pricing, not to mention AT&T or Verizon. I will say when I travel a couple times a year, I wouldn't mind having Verizon's coverage, but prefer a GSM carrier.
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IQ = the ability to complete a written test devised by a fallible human being and thats it.
There are MANY types of intelligence from creative to analytical and a single IQ test may make some people shine but others not.
Professor gets 160 IQ but the guy round the corner capable of dismantling a car and re-assembling every single component from memory and repairing any and all faults scores only 90....
Who's the best one to have when your car breaks down in the snow?
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AT&T couldn't pay me enough
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All they have to do is have a little asterisk next to their offer and in fine print write that it is not valid if the customer has been on AT&T in the past year
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"T-Mobile Writes The Best Press Release You'll Ever See From A Phone Company"
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T-mobile is great
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