I Sent Letter to VP and Chief Marketing Officer

hopmedic

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I Sent Letter to Verizon VP and Chief Marketing Officer

Here is the link to the about page for VP and Chief Marketing Officer, Marni Walden.

Executive Leadership

I sent her the following letter (click the link at the bottom of her page)

Ms. Walden,

I am contacting you as a very disgusted customer. Since last fall, I have been waiting for Verizon to release a Windows Phone 7 device. I learned in the fall that this device would not be available on the CDMA networks, and as a software developer, I understand how Microsoft had not yet implemented support for it. However, Verizon has been stringing its customers along for about five months now with the implied promise of a Windows Phone 7 device, yet has not delivered.

In December, VZW advertized to Microsoft employees the Trophy, and it promised an "Early 2011" delivery. That offer had an expiration date of 12/31/2010, although that delivery has been pushed back to March, April, and May, and the delivery time range has been removed from the flier.

On March 23 the CDMA Sprint HTC Arrive was released. CDMA support was finally here. But Verizon dragged its feet. An April launch was expected, because despite the tight lips at Verizon, pictures were leaked of a Verizon branded Trophy, as well as an April expiration date on the Microsoft employee offer. That came and went. Now two Thursdays in May have come and gone without the device that many of us are waiting for.

You are not doing anything but making customers angry by dragging your feet, not releasing the device, and not giving us a release date. You are holding on to a phone that was available in Europe last October, albeit without CDMA support. Which means if you wait much longer you will be releasing a year-old phone. Do you think it is all right to treat your customers like this? Are you that ticked off at Microsoft over the failure of the Kin that you are willing to drag your customers who want the Windows Phone through the mud like this?

It is high time for whomever at Verizon is throwing the temper tantrum about the Kin to get over it, and give us the phone we want. I don't want one of the 47 different Android phones you now carry. I don't want the iPhone. I and many well-informed consumers like me, want a Windows Phone 7 device. Please quit holding us hostage.

Sincerely,

Richard Hopkins
 
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hopmedic

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I did get two phone calls last night that googling the number says they came from the VZW offices in Alpharetta, just an hour from here, but the poetic justice in it is that both calls dropped before I could find out who it was.
 

hopmedic

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We'll see. The calls went to my wife's phone, as that one is first on the account. She's at work now, but I told her if she hears from them, give them my number. But this morning I ported my number to ATT because I need a phone to test with, as I'm hoping to publish an app from the WP7 Hack-a-thon Monday night in Atlanta. Hopefully, Verizon will have a phone within the 30 days that I have to take this one back for a refund. If not, in 30 days I'll be back to my TP2, cursing Verizon some more. Or maybe I'll try T-Mobile...

I had thought about not porting my number, just getting another number for the time being, and use 2 phones, but decided that porting over, if the Trophy comes out then I can use porting back as a bargaining chip to see if I can get the discounted pricing on the Trophy to get me back (my TP2 is still under contract). We'll see what happens... ;)
 

hopmedic

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I just had a nice chat with Lachelle at Verizon Wireless. I voiced all of the concerns I've had, blah blah blah.

Among the things she said:

1. We can't give out release dates for our phones because it affects our competitiveness. My response: You announced on Feb 11 that you were going to carry iPhone, release in a month. You gave a month notice, and you launched on time. How competitive are you on this platform if you're the only major carrier in the world (with supported language) that doesn't have a phone on the platform? You have like 47 different Android models, but not everyone wants Android.

2. I will pass your comments on to our marketing department so they can look into whether we should carry this phone. My response: You WILL be carrying this device. You have made a special offer to Microsoft employees, and have modified that offer at least 3 times that I can think of off the top of my head. A dummy device has been spotted in a Best Buy store, and I've seen pictures of it online (I forgot to tell her it is listed on bestbuy.com). Your store employees have been trained on it. Verizon branded devices have been seen in the wild (I forgot to tell her about the one on craigslist). You're on the edge of launching, and granted, all I've got are rumors, but the photographic evidence to back those rumors is overwhelming. You are frustrating your customers by keeping this so tightly under wraps. The whole world, except for Verizon employees it seems, knows that there is a device coming, and the lack of information is frustrating your customers. I stayed with Verizon, and gave you until the 12th, because the most powerful evidence of a launch seemed to point at the 12th, but I NEED the phone now, so today I became an ATT customer, and I'm talking to you on an ATT phone.

Anyway, she gave me the typical "I'm going to pass this up to marketing" blah blah blah and "thank you for your feedback because it helps us to keep our customers happy blah blah blah."

We'll see what happens. I'm kind of hoping, since there is a droid phone launching tomorrow, that it may be tomorrow, however that is just speculation on my part and I have no evidence to back it up whatsoever.
 

hopmedic

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Oh - she also said that the more they hear from their customers on this issue, and she has seen a few, the more attention they can give it.

WRITE THOSE LETTERS!
 

jimski

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@hopmedic: Your responses were spot on. Priceless. It's sad that the bigger the company, the less nimble they become. They can't deviate from their process, but they don't know who created the process in the first place, or why.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express
 

Duvi

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I'm guessing after the 'Droid Charge' loses it's thunder, they'll release it. Verizon cares more about Android than they do WP7, whereas AT&T is focusing on everything more than the iPhone.

Which windows phone device did you choose on AT&T?


Also... good luck with your app =)
 
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Tjarren

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@hopmedic: It starts to feel like you're in an SNL skit after a while, doesn't it? You know you're speaking clearly understandable English and giving logical and sensible statements, but the response is the same as if you would've barked like a dog.

I have a quick story to share about why I rarely bother putting forth a formal effort to complain anymore. I went to McD's at about 10:26 one morn, beyond hungry, and ordered that big huge breakfast, the one with almost everything. When I got home, i opened it to only Hotcakes & sausage. aldfjl;dsajf;jgiaojf I was going to let it go but I was starving, so I hopped in the car and went back and complained. Well since breakfast was 'done', they could only give me a refund. So after all of that I went home, hungry and mad.

So mad I hopped online to their official site and lodged an official complaint. Almost a week later I got an email response apologizing for the incident. Some days later I got a note in the mail from the store manager apologizing for the incident. But never during all of this was I offered ANYTHING for my inconvenience or trouble.

You can't force a company to do the right thing. The only thing that matters to them is money in the end. So take your business elsewhere. It's the only way, sadly.
 

hopmedic

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@TJarren - I've done pretty well at complaining to companies, especially restaurants, when I get bad service. I go to facebook, like their page, and post my complaint for the public to see. State facts, don't get emotional (although I guess I did let emotion get me this time, with the comments about the temper tantrum over Kin). I've gotten several $20-$50 certificates from various restaurants. Companies are getting more and more conscious of their images.

I sent another message to Ms. Walden tonight. Here it is:

Ms. Walden,

I sent you a message yesterday expressing my disgust over Verizon's handling of the Windows Phone 7 platform. Today I spoke with an associate who called to follow-up on my feedback. That associate said that she would pass my feedback up to the marketing department, "to help them to determine whether this is a phone that you should offer.

I felt I should follow-up that conversation just to be sure that my feedback is properly relayed.

First, I was told they could not give out release dates because it would affect competitiveness. My response to that is that you announced the release date for the iPhone a month in advance. That didn't seem to affect competitiveness.

Additionally, I do not see how announcing a release date on Windows Phone 7 could affect your competitiveness, given that you are not only the only major carrier in the US that does not currently have a phone on this platform, but the only major carrier in the WORLD (among carriers whose language is supported by the platform) without a device. The Trophy is a phone that has been in Europe since last October, so it's not like you're releasing some cutting edge phone that no one has ever imagined before.

She told me that she would pass the information along to Marketing so that they could "determine if this is a phone that we should carry." My response to that is that practically the whole world of technical people knows that this phone has been coming, and has known it since December, when you made an offer to Microsoft employees. HTC Trophy with Windows Phone 7 coming to Verizon in 'early 2011' -- Engadget

We know that Verizon employees have been trained on the phone, starting two weeks ago. Verizon employees receiving Windows Phone 7 training, WP7 launch imminent? ? TechGeer. We know that on Wednesday there was a Verizon Trophy theme on XBox Live (it has since been pulled). We know that there was a dummy phone placed on display at a Best Buy store. IDC predicts Windows Phone 7 will be 2nd behind Android by 2015 | ZDNet. We know that the device is on bestbuy.com, and can be placed in the shopping cart, but the purchase cannot be completed. HTC - Trophy Mobile Phone - Black (Verizon Wireless) - MWP6985VW. We've even seen press shots. HTC Trophy on Verizon: First Press Shots. There was also a leaked document with a 3/24 date. Verizon HTC Trophy To Arrive On March-24?.

Given this mountain of evidence, it is obvious that there is a phone coming. I count 16 different Android models on your web site. Personally, I cannot understand needing that much diversity, while completely ignoring the platform that many people want. But not everyone wants Android or iPhone. There are many of us who want Windows Phone 7. We are well-informed consumers - we would have to be in order to want a phone so much that isn't available. We are aware of predictions that this platform will surpass Android in 2-4 years. Windows Phone 7 to be Number 1 OS by 2013, Not 2015 Thanks to Nokia.

My whole point is that there is a literal forest fire of rumors out there about this phone, and every day there's some new bit of "news" about it, but nothing from Verizon. This is causing a great deal of frustration among your customers. Personally, I left Verizon on March 25, when my Sprint Arrive Windows Phone 7 device arrived. Unfortunately, their coverage isn't good enough at my home, so I had to return to Verizon.

This week was the biggest week for the speculations. Many indications listed above pointed at a May 12 release date. But May 12 came and went with no phone. So today, I became an AT&T customer. Now I have 30 days to determine whether their coverage will be adequate for my needs. If Verizon releases a Windows Phone 7 device before that 30 days is up, there is a good chance I will return. But if there is no Windows Phone 7 device on Verizon, there is no need for me to return.

All your customers are asking for is a bit of information. All you are doing by keeping the lid on this is upsetting people. I know several people myself who have left Verizon, myself included, for this reason. Give us a bone. And since the devices are close enough that a dummy device has been spotted at Best Buy, release the phone. At this point, the technology in it is approaching a year old anyway.
 

Duvi

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I agree, never give up and to always voice your concerns. Why not? The least you'll be is back to square one if they don't respond or respond in the way you'd like.

I have a similar story in which I went to a Buffalo Wild Wings with a friend for unlimited wing night (Mondays during football season). We normally go to a mutual BWW, but he did not want to drive, so I chose to go pick him up and hit the one by his home... first time going there, never having an issue at our normal spot.

So after waiting what seemed like forever (game was already at half), we sat down and waited another 20 minutes before our waitress came. So to speed up the story, when she came back to bring the drinks, she chose to come next to me (versus going to the center of both of us as my friend suspected she liked me) and as she went to get my drink, everything spilled, all the beer, juice and liquor. Landed on my right side, getting my iPhone 4 (a few months old) and my BlackBerry Torch (had gotten it a couple weeks before that day).

Fast forwarding... I filed out an incident report with a manager, then received a call from the general manager. He offered to give me the money for the devices, but would have to take the two. The Torch had sentimental value, so I told him I wanted the money and that phone and he could keep the iPhone 4 because it still turned on. He did not want to and we went back and forth for half a year!

So I decided to email the CEO and a few under that were directly under her. I got a call (missed it) and an email a week later. I got the checked mailed to me and the device. It was shipped priority.

Honestly, I didn't think I was going to get the device back and was really losing hope. Not all companies will give you a result you want, but it's always worth a shot.
 

Pack34

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It may also help to include a threat to leave the company for a competitor citing that it isn't just this specific phone but their treatment and attitude towards this platform. That the amount of times this phone was delayed impacts their credibility that we'll see timely updates on the device. If it took them months longer for us to see a phone on Verizon than Sprint it's probably likely that we'll see updates months after Sprint's customers do.

I really want to stay and hold out for this phone but it's a very big concern of mine.
 

Adiliyo

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That's good to hear that she would respond. I like choices for systems, not types of the same system. Hoping they offer WebOS and WP7.

the pre3 seems to have cleared the FCC with verizon bands, so it looks like at some point in the future verizon will have support for all the major platforms.

sucks that they always have to be the last one to bring anything interesting to the table.
 

Duvi

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It may also help to include a threat to leave the company for a competitor citing that it isn't just this specific phone but their treatment and attitude towards this platform. That the amount of times this phone was delayed impacts their credibility that we'll see timely updates on the device. If it took them months longer for us to see a phone on Verizon than Sprint it's probably likely that we'll see updates months after Sprint's customers do.

I really want to stay and hold out for this phone but it's a very big concern of mine.
Honestly, I found threats do the opposite most of the time. I find it better to make them feel sorry for you and show how much you're going through just to stay with the company that you "love so much". Put them in your shoes and ask them how they'd feel if they were you.
 

Adiliyo

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Honestly, I found threats do the opposite most of the time. I find it better to make them feel sorry for you and show how much you're going through just to stay with the company that you "love so much". Put them in your shoes and ask them how they'd feel if they were you.

i find it works well to combine the two, and threaten to leave out of desperation and sadness in the company that you "love so much"

not that verizon cares if you leave though, they have consistently shown their arrogance and indifference towards their loyal customers time and time again in recent months/years.

in some ways, i really wish apple had decided not to go with verizon for their iphone and went with sprint or tmob instead.
 

jdunn

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i find it works well to combine the two, and threaten to leave out of desperation and sadness in the company that you "love so much"

not that verizon cares if you leave though, they have consistently shown their arrogance and indifference towards their loyal customers time and time again in recent months/years.

in some ways, i really wish apple had decided not to go with verizon for their iphone and went with sprint or tmob instead.

I left Verizon a few years ago and have not been happier with my AT&T service, although I am itching to get my hands on an HTC HD7S.

On a side note I am sure the only reason that Verizon got the iPhone second is because they have a bigger install base and Apple stands to gain alot more profit from them as opposed to Sprint or T-Mobile.
 

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