At 21 Aug 2007 16:19:43 -0400 Nick Danger wrote:
> I figured out long ago that this whole myth of "best coverage" and
> "best
> customer service" was a case of mass delusion, probably brought on
by the
> "Can you hear me now?" campaign, which I actually do admire for its
> effectiveness.

To be fair, however, such a campaign couldn't overcome a rotten
network.

McDonald's could launch a "Big Mac- it's better than a steak dinner"
campaign, and no one's going to walk around thinking- "they're right-
it IS better than steak!"

While T-Mobile and Sprint work in my neighborhood much better than
AT&T or Verizon, that's certainly not the norm. In my travels, when
I'm in a lousy reception area and most of us are cursing at our phones,

it's usually (not always) the guy with the Verizon phone making a
call while the rest of us are staring at the lack of bars on our
phones.

I say this as a happy T-Mo customer- the situation I described above
doesn't happen often enough for me to trade a two phones with 1000
minutes and unlimited data for $72 for better reception and a
$150/month bill! We all have priorities. Mine are inexpensive voice
and data, and the freedom to choose any equipment I want to use.


> I'm sure there are a fair number of other people who are
> aware of this phenomenon. However, most of us are content to just
> go through
> life with a certain quiet smugness about our resistance to clever
> advertising.

Again, advertising often can change your predisposition to a product,
but rarely overcomes personal experience. The Verizon campaign is
only as successful as it is because it's essentially true. Verizon
coverage isn't necessarily leaps and bounds above the others, but
it's usually as good as anyone elses, and sometimes better.


--

"I don't need my cell phone to play video games or take pictures
or double as a Walkie-Talkie; I just need it to work. Thanks for
all the bells and whistles, but I could communicate better with
ACTUAL bells and whistles." -Bill Maher 9/25/2003