Is that desperation I smell?
Maybe we’re getting under someone’s skin? Exposing their deceptive ways to customers? Look, I’m all for healthy competition. But, I’ve noticed some changes over at Verizon, and I think they’re worth calling out!
I get it. Desperate times call for desperate measures. And man, things at Verizon seem to have gotten pretty damn desperate.
First, they’ve lost their network advantage. Poof. It’s gone. We more than doubled our LTE coverage over the last two years and now reach 99.7% as many people as Verizon covers—with a faster network according to FOUR different sources (Speedtest.net, OpenSignal, FCC, Twin Prime).
Second, Verizon just finished one of their WORST quarters ever, losing -36,000 postpaid phone customers, while +851,000 postpaid phone customers joined T-Mobile over the same period.
Things are looking pretty tough for Big Red. So, maybe I shouldn’t be surprised, but I am disappointed to see some of the desperate moves they are making. This has historically been a huge, proud brand. It seems to be sinking to new lows. Amazing how far the mighty Verizon has fallen.
Look, let’s be real….all brands promote and sell their products and services. But when you look at the BS that Verizon is spewing these days (some with millions in advertising)—sometimes you just can’t let them stand! Of course, there was a time when they didn’t bother to even include T-Mobile in their TV commercials and competitive marketing…. THAT has clearly changed! Now they customize spots to attack us. I suppose that is what happens when your customers start to run over to the Un-carrier. Check these ridiculous lies out:
1. “T-Mobile doesn’t offer unlimited high-speed data”
Well, that’s just a straight up lie. And to make it worse, Verizon will only let you buy unlimited high-speed data an hour at a time (ahem, an hourly limit means it’s not unlimited). If you wanted a full month of unlimited, it would cost you $2,880 per person 30 minutes at a time (or $2,160 per person 60 minutes at a time) with Verizon vs. $35 per line for a family of four on T-Mobile ONE.
2. “T-Mobile hasn’t won any awards”
This one is true … unless you count being named fastest by Ookla, OpenSignal, the FCC and Twin Prime; ranking highest in customer satisfaction, customer service satisfaction, Net Promoter Score, and likelihood to recommend by Nielsen; being named #1 by a certain consumer reporting agency. Our trophy case is busting. Meanwhile, Verizon touts awards from one firm they pay millions every year. Hmmmm, that doesn’t sound shady at all.
3. “Unlimited data is the same as a limited bucket of data.”
Have you seen the crazy ad they’re running comparing unlimited 4G LTE on T-Mobile to Verizon’s 20GB of shared data for four lines. Let that sink in—comparing their plan with a limited data bucket that they have to share to our Unlimited plan with no overages. That’s like comparing one apple with … well, a s***-ton of apples. No comparison!
4. “Verizon’s got the only next-gen network.”
What a load! That “next-gen” technology they rolled out in 2016? We rolled that out in 2014. And, we’ve rolled out a total of SEVEN LTE Advanced technologies—more than anyone in the US, including Verizon.
5. “Google Pixel—only on Verizon”
Anyone will tell you this is bullshit. The Pixel works great on T-Mobile—without limits. And, existing and new customers can cut the cost of the Pixel in half, up to $325, when they sign up for T-Mobile ONE.
6. “12GB is only $80”
Verizon LOVES to bury hidden fees. They tout this plan as $80 per month, but then you pay $20 for each device you want to use that data. Yes, you pay for the privilege to use the data you’ve already bought. So, for a family of four, this $80 plan costs $160. #VerizonMath.
7. “No surprise overages on Verizon.”
Bhahahahaha! Verizon just experienced an epic surge in complaints about overages. When I asked people to share their #VerizonHorrorStories, I saw a whopping 6,000 plus responses almost immediately! I’m talking ripped off grandmas, trashed credit, $6,000 for ‘international calls’! The top 10 most horrifying stories got a full year of T-Mobile ONE on me.
We all know who’s driving this industry forward. And it sure as hell isn’t Verizon. In fact, for the past four years, they’ve been standing on the brakes, fighting the change we’ve been bringing to US wireless.
When T-Mobile eliminated annual service contracts, Verizon said never. Eventually, after years of opposition, they followed our lead.
When T-Mobile abolished overages and called on the rest of the industry to follow suit, Verizon dug in their heels and refused to change for years. But guess what? Eventually, we forced them to follow our lead. (You’ve gotta go into an app and switch on ‘Safety Mode,’ but they’ve finally given you a back door out of paying overages.)
When we put an end to data buckets and made everything unlimited for everyone,Verizon actually said customers don’t need unlimited. No surprise there. How long do you give them to cave? Even I’m skeptical here, because their network can’t handle it.
The simple truth is that Verizon’s not only afraid of T-Mobile, they’re afraid of the future. Because the future has no room for old telecom utilities. Their time has come and gone. They know that. They’re getting desperate and resorting to using their massive ad budgets to spread half-truths and outright lies.
So, I’m calling BS. Time for us to push back even harder and run some ads of our own! Tell me which of the ads below we should run. You can vote now in Twitter or on Facebook. Go vote now!
And don’t forget to share you’re own stories if you’ve ever been “Verizoned” (you know – shafted, screwed, overbilled, etc) using #dontgetVerizoned. Let’s put a stop to Verizon’s BS.
