So, as promised in my 1/13/18 blog post, about my issues with Metro PCS’ customer service, I am writing this post to let my readers know about the response I got to my e-mail complaint, on 1/14/18, to Metro PCS President Tom Keys (President, T-Mobile Indirect Channels) and T-Mobile President and CEO John J. Legere. Believe it or not, I did hear back, only two days after my e-mail, from a Mr. Brian Terio (not sure of the spelling of his last name, so I will just refer to him as Brian).
In any case, Brian left me a voice mail, on January 16, asking me to call him back about the “issue” I had contacted Metro PCS about. On my third attempt, I did reach Brian, who identified himself as an operations manager with Metro in Boston. Brian was very pleasant and we spoke for probably about ten minutes.
Although I wasn’t entirely happy about the explanations I got, Brian was very professional and I feel his responses were genuine. With regard to the issues with the local Metro PCS stores, Brian said that, unfortunately, Metro PCS only has one corporate store in Connecticut, in the capitol city of Hartford, which is at least an hour away from me, although he also said that they are looking to open a second corporate store in Waterbury, the city in which I work. He clarified that, although all the Metro PCS stores should operate according to Metro’s corporate standards, the company does not have as much control over those locations which are not corporate stores.
With regard to the cell/internet service issues, he informed me that I would probably have a better “customer experience,” (I believe he was referring to the slowness issues), if I were to upgrade to a newer phone. I don’t remember his exact words about this, but I believe he said something to the extent that, as technology improves, the older phones don’t function as optimally.
I was able to confirm this through some independent research I did on the web, which serendipitously I first came across in researching new phones. According to one article I read, “Technology Explained; % Reasons Your Phone Slows Down Over Time,” by Joel Lee, 3/7/17, at make useof.com, one issue that leads to system slowness is that new versions of an OS [operating system] require more computing power and resources {which your older phone does not have] for a smooth experience.
Another issue identified by the above article is that newer versions of apps take up “more RAM and CPU,” so that they don’t run as well on the older phones. The above article goes on to say that “social network apps” [like Twitter] are a primary type of app which causes this issue.
Of course this does not even take into account the issues, recently uncovered, according to some other articles I read, in which Apple admitted to slowing down older versions of the iPhone, so as to preserve their batteries. I have an Android phone, so that does not apply to me, but I mention this as many people have iPhones and they are still, I believe, among the best-selling smartphones.
Perhaps most importantly to me was the fact that Brian told me to call him directly, if I experience any other problems with Metro. This to me is a sign that: 1) Metro is willing to stand behind and take responsibility for their service quality and 2) Metro takes customer complaints seriously. With regard to the latter point, I am, as they say, just an average Joe, and Metro could have easily dismissed my complaints as the ravings of a disgruntled smartphone user who just likes to complain (I actually hate having to complain, but have learned to advocate for myself as I have no one else to do so).
This is not to say I am recommending customers make a habit of contacting the Presidents or CEO’s of major corporations, at least not as a first resort, but this is the second time I have done so and received a quick response. In the other case, two or three years ago, I contacted the CEO of a major corporation that owns at least two elite brands of writing instruments, and got a rather expensive fountain pen from them, to make up for all my troubles (I plan to write about this in a later post). Obviously, in both cases I got the company’s attention and, as the saying goes, “The squeaky wheel gets the oil.”
However, as I detailed in my January 13 post, about Metro PCS, I went to considerable troubles to follow proper channels with them, as it were, and felt like my complaints fell on deaf ears. When you complain to the customer retention department of a company, and they do not seem willing or able to address your complaint, this may be a sign you have to take your complaint to a higher authority.
I remember, as an adolescent, hearing my father scream and complain on the phone, insisting, almost right away, to speak to a manager. As I get older, I understand there are cases where you might need to “go right to the top.”
So, for now, primarily as a result of talking to Brian (I also paid a visit to a third Metro location, also near where I work and owned by the same person who oversees one of the other locations where I had problems, and received better treatment there) I will likely stay with Metro. But I would also point out that one big area of opportunity for Metro is that, if they would take the time to explain to customers the real reasons why they should upgrade their phones, they might gain the customers’ trust and still sell more phones, a “win-win” situation.
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