TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·Comcast
|  Lefar marketing guru; Vonage needs a cust svc guru
Lefar bio: »www.ctiawireless.com/events/spea···rID=4533
Vonage is getting a long time big shot marketing expert as their new CEO. But what they really needed was a person with experience turning around an organizations customer service organization. Marketing was never Vonage's big problem. Keeping customers is their fatal flaw and that flaw is due to poor customer service and retention of existing customers.
I think they hired the wrong guy for CEO.
--
My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
Ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya punk? |
|
JohnA
Premium
join:2003-09-16
Pittsburgh, PA |
Lefar is credited with tripling subs and reducing churn by 50% at Cingular. |
|
mobbo
join:2005-04-13
Denton, TX
 ·Verizon FIOS
| reply to TKJunkMail
You are absolutely right. They have always done a great job at marketing and getting people to join... but as soon as the first problem hits and that customer has to call tech support, they are bound to leave.
Their customer service is sub-Charter Communications. Maybe even sub-Comcast.
And even if you try to leave, they torture you on the way out:
»consumerist.com/consumer/telepho···9404.php
»consumerist.com/consumer/cancell···4429.php |
|
KrK
Heavy Artillery For The Little Guy
Premium
join:2000-01-17
Tulsa, OK
 ·AT&T Yahoo
·AT&T DSL Service
·Cox HSI
| reply to TKJunkMail
Vonage is in a difficult situation, some of their making (customer service) and some not.
The fact they are an independant and operate their service via the 'Net means that service issues and outages are often in the hands of the incumbents who provide the broadband... and, since just about all the Telco/Cable incumbents now offer their own flavors of VOIP, I don't expect them to be doing anything that will help Vonage out.
In fact, things like caps and throttling, absent any kind of net neutrality regulations, could make the future for Vonage and similar companies bleak.
Still, they need to fix what they can fix. Customer service is all in their hands. Stop being jerks with the contracts, etc etc. Even if a customer does leave, say for a Cable Triple play deal, you want them to remember Vonage having good service. That way if the Cable company ever jerks their chain, they'll switch BACK.
Most reports I have read, people like their Vonage service while they have it--- but once they have left the trend seems to be saying "I won't be coming back" because of various customer service issues or hassles.
--
"Regulatory capitalism is when companies invest in lawyers, lobbyists, and politicians, instead of plant, people, and customer service." - former FCC Chairman William Kennard (A real FCC Chairman, unlike the current Corporate Spokesperson in the job!) |
|
dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| reply to mobbo
said by mobbo  :You are absolutely right. They have always done a great job at marketing and getting people to join... but as soon as the first problem hits and that customer has to call tech support, they are bound to leave. Cancelling vonage is about as easy as cancelling AOL.
--
When I gez aju zavateh na nalechoo more new yonooz tonigh molinigh - Ken Lee |
|
Smith6612
Premium
join:2008-02-01
united state | AOL was easy to cancel, but as soon as you do, they ask you for about a week to come back. Does Vonage do the same thing? |
|
Plattsburgh NY
@charter.com
| I cancelled my vonage very easily, I just told the rep that I was moving to the country and couldn't get broadband. A couple of months later I called to see about having my account re-activated since I already had the equipment I thought it would be easy to do, WRONG. First they wanted a $25.00 re-activation fee and a 2 year contract, that's 2 years for voip, what a joke. I can understand the re-activation fee but why another contract, I fulfilled my 1 year originally. With some companies not requiring a contract at all they are going to have quite a time getting people to commit to something this long if they have never tried it before. I finally settled with Phonepower much cheaper than vonage and no contract. I've had it now for about 6 months and am very happy with it. I would never even consider going back to vonage with their policies. |
|
