How not to do business - The Reward Mobile way!

by: Lance Chambers

Today I received a letter from my cell/mobile phone carrier - Reward Mobile. They were very polite in the letter and mentioned that keeping me informed and up to date on their "latest improvements for providing me with a better customer service experience." The basic message was that I either stop receiving paper-based statements every month and go and have a look at them on Reward Mobile's site (they don't offer to e-mail them) or pay a fee of $1.50 plus taxes instead. Admittedly they are offering me a sweetener of $5 off my next bill to transfer and the chance of winning a new phone as well. Very kind of them - NOT! I believe the reason is that they will save significant amounts of money in transferring to electronic processes. But how does all this help ME? The reality is that it doesn't! Reward Mobile increase profits (or reduce losses if that's the way the business is going). I don't have paper-based records for tax purposes unless I print them out myself. I have to pay $1.50 plus taxes if I need an invoice directly from them, I have to spend my time going to the site to check on my account, etc., etc. In other words I have to use my time to save them money. Does all this sound familiar? The letter, as I have already said, is very polite and tells me all about the great things they are doing for me. But how stupid do these people think we are? This is obviously just another way of trying to make me feel good about them making more money from me. The least they and others like them can do is to tell the truth! The letter could have been honest with me. It could have told me that the company, in it's attempts to save money, would prefer me to use their on-line systems and that a fee would be levied if I didn't. And to make it worse before I can change over to their on-line system I need one of their posted out paper-based invoices so I can input my account number and other details - so they do admit that the paper-based forms have some value at least even ifg it's only so I can avoid their $1.50 plus taxes fee. Reward Mobile now have an angry customer and I hope I'm not the only one. My contract is up with them and I have stayed because of the problems (small I admit) involved with changing my carrier but I think I will now start looking. What about those customers who are not on-line? I'm sure that this is, in some way, discriminatory and if it's not it should be. Honesty is ALWAYS the best policy in business. Do NOT attempt to put sugar on a bitter pill. This is NOT something that Reward Mobile is doing for MY benefit, it's for theirs. Be honest in all your dealings. I call this an example of deceptive behavior.