Users still may not understand the risks of using an iPhone on T-Mobile
Share:
The leaked document looks like a training sheet for T-Mobile reps in order to make sure that anyone attempting to use the iPhone on the network understood that the iPhone is not compatible with T-Mobile's 3G bands. And, of course, T-Mobile is obligated by being a business to spin that as the iPhone offering a "poor" customer experience on the carrier, and using it to push customers towards Android phones which will offer far better speeds.
Calling the user experience "poor" on the iPhone, even with slower EDGE speeds, seems like a stretch, but then again T-Mobile has no reason to be fair, it's just trying to sell its own phones and the iPhone isn't one of them.
source: TMoNews via BGR
Share:
24 Comments
1. andro. posted on 24 Jan 2012, 19:39 6 3
the risks to any individual using an iphone anywhere in the world should never be underestimated........
3. Tux4g63 posted on 24 Jan 2012, 19:47 3 0
I think this is a fair assessment. A lot of consumers think that because the basic GSM technology underpins both T-Mobile and ATT, that an iphone would naturally work natively without any issues on T-Mobile. Edge speeds are basically "fast" 2G and a lot of consumers at the minimum want real 3G speeds. The gap in knowledge to the average user is a pretty big technical knowledge point because it speaks to the overall user experience that you would have. Then again, bringing over an unlocked iphone that was never designed to work on T-Mobile bands is a stretch by any consumer in the first place. They want to do it, that is there prerogative, just don't complain when the experience isn't all it could be if you were using something else designed to work from the get-go.
4. remixfa posted on 24 Jan 2012, 20:07 4 2
Michael,
Tmobile gains nothing by convincing a customer to go to an android phone over an iphone. If they bring their own equipment, it is pure service with no subsidy on equipment. There is no deficit to be made up like normal service. With the value plans being about the same as the prepaid plans now, there is no real financial gain to Tmobile by taking a deficit on the phone and risking a broken contract. As long as that iphone user is on tmobile, its "free money" so to speak.
Tmobile does have a focus on pushing their high end 4g phones though, so yea, comparatively the EDGE only iphone performance is going to be quite poor. I'd think they make that distinction to keep people from thinking that the iphone is going so slow because Tmobile is slow, and not because the phone isnt completely compatible.
I literally had a customer argue with me not 2 days ago that the 4 on his iphone4 meant it was 4g and that it shouldn't go so slow on the Tmobile network. It took me like 20 minutes to get him to realize it wasnt the network. I can just imagine how many times that conversation has happened. To the uneducated consumer, they equate that slow performance to the network not to the device.
14. thisiswang posted on 24 Jan 2012, 22:09 0 0
i disagree with this statement in many aspects
15. vmaster posted on 24 Jan 2012, 22:25 0 0
Completely agree!
"thisiswang" if you disagree especially in "many" aspects, then explain to validate yourself.
17. MichaelHeller posted on 24 Jan 2012, 23:34 1 1
As you said in the second half of your comment, T-Mobile has quite a bit to gain by pushing Android over iPhone, because it would cut down on those silly arguments with customers over the service that they are getting with the iPhone.
T-Mo also has ways to upsell users when they are pushed towards buying handsets from T-Mo instead of bringing their own, because there are extra options like phone insurance and such. That is on top of the higher cost of the service plan which more than offsets the subsidy (by adding $15 per month for 24 months = $360, which is more than most subsidies.) And, T-Mobile isn't "risking" any broken contracts because there are fees for breaking the contract.
20. remixfa posted on 25 Jan 2012, 11:47 0 1
Your thinking in generic cell carrier terms.
On Tmobile
Prepaid unlimited everything with 2gigs of 4G data = 60 bux
Contract Value unlimited everythng w/ 2gig of 4g data = 60 bux.
Contract value unlimted evrthng 2/gig of 4g data for family = 50 bux per line for the first 2 lines, 35 for each additional line.
So as you can see, tmobile makes the same or LESS on contract plans per line than comparable prepay which is what most iphones go on.
The only add ons are insurance (which cell companies get only a small portion of that $7.99 a month) and the rare TV and Tethering add on.
If a person comes in and buys an SGS2 which is almost $600 on the value plan, they pay a $230 down payment and the rest is put on the bill. Say they never pay a bill and the account is shut off. Tmobile isnt getting the ETF back,is never getting paid a dime for the service that was used until it was shut off, nor is it getting the other $470 for the phone. Tmobile just lost a lot of money.
ETFs are only paid by responsible customers. People that just let their service shut off (probably the majority of customers that churn) never pay their ETF and just let it hit their credit.
If a customer comes in with an iphone or any other GSM phone, gets on a prepaid plan and gets on a prepaid plan, they have to pay that first month up front (prepaid, duh). No matter what, the carrier is making money on them with zero risk. If the customer ever shuts off the phone, the carrier doesnt lose any money other than the monthly service charges.
The only real gripe I ever hear from people with an iphone on tmobile is exactly what is explained. they think the 4 means 4g and they dont understand why their phone runs so slow on Tombile, so it must be an issue with the Tmobile service... which its obviously not. Most are ecstatic with the price difference between ATT and Tmobile. We have quite a bit of iphone/ATT converts.
23. downphoenix posted on 25 Jan 2012, 15:43 0 0
agreed. Tmobile would push their "4g" androids because of higher customer satisfaction over a 2g iphone.
5. LandLockedPH posted on 24 Jan 2012, 20:08 1 0
I'd agree. Nice phone doesn't make up for "last year's" network speeds. Why not go for a current model instead?
6. topcat posted on 24 Jan 2012, 20:18 1 0
People that I know just wanted to use an iPhone but were, for whatever reason, "stuck" on T-Mobile. It didn't matter if it was slower. Lots of people like the "cool" factor (whatever that is) of an iPhone, regardless of anything else. Then again, I work with more tech oriented people.
7. InspectorGadget80 posted on 24 Jan 2012, 20:20 0 0
Also it will take away you re unlimited data if the iPhone launch on T Mobile. But when you buy a unlocked device like i did the phone was made for T MOBILE but i have at&t. put my SIM card in and read edge not 3g couldnt send data because the software was not compatible. You will have too pay extra 29.00$ for software send too tour phone so the data can work promtly on your unlocked device.
8. The_Miz posted on 24 Jan 2012, 20:24 4 6
Well customers want the best phone when they go to tmobile and well let's face it, the iPhone is better.
9. remixfa posted on 24 Jan 2012, 20:26 6 1
at least your avatar has his shirt on this time, mizzy. :)
12. biophone posted on 24 Jan 2012, 21:42 0 0
IDK its was funnier without the shirt. It really portrayed the miz better.
21. remixfa posted on 25 Jan 2012, 11:49 0 0
next up, 2 wrestlers oiling themselves as his avatar
10. -box- posted on 24 Jan 2012, 20:27 0 0
Aren't T-Mobile's EDGE speeds better than Verizon and Sprint's 3G speeds anyway? And thus, wouldn't that make Verizon & Sprint's iphone experience even poorer?
11. remixfa posted on 24 Jan 2012, 20:32 0 0
no. Edge runs around 300-500k. VZW/Sprint "3g" runs around 800k-1.5mb
But tmo is comparing it to them, where 3G runs up to 7.2m/bs and 4G runs up to 42mb/s
13. biophone posted on 24 Jan 2012, 21:43 0 0
My friend has a t-mobile iPhone its not that bad. Its slow but its not a poor experience at all.
