This is where VZW has always had issues

[Joelist]

The whole Thunderbolt situation highlights a long standing problem Verizon has suffered from, namely inept PR.

It's really a pity, because they have the best network and in general their customer care works well. But their Public Relations people tend to not be the brightest.

For example, Verizon could have easily avoided this entire mess by simply communicating. Use both the Facebook site and a splash message on vzw.com and SAY SOMETHING. Give regular updates even if nothing changes. The kind of mess they are in now (and have gotten into in the past) is caused by silence.

Oh, and by "say something" I do mean say something of substance. If a phone is delayed say it is delayed and give at least a general reason why. This is a basic fundamental tenet of building customer goodwill - when you tell people about issues they are a LOT more patient and forgiving than when you say nothing.

 

[Secretagnt]

and it was only made worse when they signed the deal with the devil to get the Iphail ... Customers were screaming for the Iphail when it first came out not 3 years later when it is so outdated that its not even worth looking at anymore .... gotta love VZW on this one .... They are creating a HEADACHE .... for themselves and us included .... I don't look for any announcement just the phones to show up in stores on the 24th as they are tied up from Apple with the 14 day waiting period before and after ....

Here's a shot in the dark at deciphering an email address ..... anyone want to try it

lowell.mcadams@verizonwireless.com

Lowell is the president and CEO .... anybody else wanna give it a shot

 

[FatalErrorz]

Maybe they didn't announce the release date trying to squeeze a few more people into iPhones beforehand. Doubt it, but we haven't heard that conspiracy yet. Face it, if they release the phone, all will be well again, and VZW fans will sing VZW praises once again. They know that, and that's why they don't care about petitions, facebook pages, etc.

 

[Android 19]

yep-all that's necessary is a few kind words to keep the masses informed. Even if they gave us bad news (phone issues/delayed) i would gladly take it over being left in the dark. In the end it's the unknown that is driving us all mad, which sucks, but is perfectly understandable!

 

[FatalErrorz]

and it was only made worse when they signed the deal with the devil to get the Iphail ... Customers were screaming for the Iphail when it first came out not 3 years later when it is so outdated that its not even worth looking at anymore .... gotta love VZW on this one .... They are creating a HEADACHE .... for themselves and us included .... I don't look for any announcement just the phones to show up in stores on the 24th as they are tied up from Apple with the 14 day waiting period before and after ....

Here's a shot in the dark at deciphering an email address ..... anyone want to try it

lowell.mcadams@verizonwireless.com

Lowell is the president and CEO .... anybody else wanna give it a shot

Do you believe, even for a second that he opens his own email? I'll bet he has multiple filters, and what gets through those goes to an administrative assistant or 3.

 

[Chris Kerrigan]

Do you believe, even for a second that he opens his own email? I'll bet he has multiple filters, and what gets through those goes to an administrative assistant or 3.

People actually have had success emailing him before. Now, whether or not *he* actually responded or if it was an assistant is another story, but some sort of response is better than nothing.

Being vocal is the best thing you can do. It might not fix the situation now, but you never know what it could change going forward.

 

[SolidOrange]

people can say it is not about the iph*ne all they want, but i will never believe it. is it a coincidence that the VZ exchange policy changed from 30 days to 14 on iph*ne release day AND the t-bolt is (probably) coming out exactly 14 days later?? i would be willing to bet that Jobs put some sort of gag order on VZW preventing them from releasing or announcing a new device during the exchange period on the iph*ne. this would explain why we have heard nothing even though the 24th is looking to be the release date.

i have 0 proof to back that up, but i don't think anyone has proof to contradict it either.

 

[Joelist]

Like I said in the OP, it is not just announcing a release date. When they started seeing the frustration over the TB they needed to get out in front of it and speak. Delays are not necessarily bad things if they talk about them - it is when there is silence that the anger and frustration builds.

 

[danthman]

...Verizon could have easily avoided this entire mess by simply communicating...

What mess? Except for pissing off a few enthusiasts on Android forums, in what sense is this a mess? Ask the average Verizon customer what a Thunderbolt is, and they won't know. I haven't seen anything about delays outside the small population of people on the forums and rumor sites. There are no headlines on CNN's front page saying anything about Verizon.

That said, I agree with you completely that Verizon should communicate much better than they have with their customers. It would definitely create goodwill, and it would only help their business.

But, from VZW's point of view, this is not a mess.

 

[clucernoni]

If the whole "iphone consipiracy" is true, then I'm sure VZ wasn't allowed to say anything about other phones coming out as well. Not allowing VZ to release phones during that 14 day period doesn't make sense unless you also restrict them from announcing phones coming out shortly after as well for that 14 day period. I'm still hoping for the 24th.

 

[ncbryan]

Could it possibly be a combination of the *phone being released and VZW screwing with us all? Someone said in an earlier post the the commercial doing the 1 MS, 2 MS, 3 MS the # of Mississippi's were getting shorter....I never counted them in the beginning so I have no clue......and don't really care. But Verizon's lack of feedback especially on their FB page, has me wondering if the launch is still on for Thursday and being how thunder and lightning is unpredictable, maybe VZW doesn't want anyone to really know? They have had soft launches before on new devices. Let it launch and then blow everyone out of the water with more of a media blitz? Heck I don't know and really don't care but wouldn't it be funny if old big red was sitting back with a smile on their face the entire time? LOL

 

[thedeceiver]

I sent him an e-mail and calmly laid out my concerns that there was no update.

 

[bkorver]

What mess? Except for pissing off a few enthusiasts on Android forums, in what sense is this a mess?

Have you seen their Facebook page in the last 24 hours? How much traffic do you thing that page gets? Probably slightly more than a few enthusiasts on Android forums...

 

[keepnitreel]

If the whole "iphone consipiracy" is true, then I'm sure VZ wasn't allowed to say anything about other phones coming out as well. Not allowing VZ to release phones during that 14 day period doesn't make sense unless you also restrict them from announcing phones coming out shortly after as well for that 14 day period. I'm still hoping for the 24th.

Didn't the Pre2 come out right after the iPhone without even being announced? It just showed up on Verizon's site one day outta nowhere.

Sent from my D1! But would rather send from a Xoom using Tapatalk!!!

 

[zenit#AC]

what issue with PR?

the only concrete thing i've seen verizon say was "Febrero" in their spanish thunderbolt commercial.

All the PR issues seems to be the premature date announcements generated by Best Buy.

 

[thedeceiver]

what issue with PR?

the only concrete thing i've seen verizon say was "Febrero" in their spanish thunderbolt commercial.

All the PR issues seems to be the premature date announcements generated by Best Buy.

The cat is out of the bag. The damage is done. However you want to put it... and saying BB started it, or didn't, but now it's out and VZW is getting hammered for a release date.

Their inept PR is obvious because they have not yet responded with ANYTHING other than cutsey, condescending remarks via their Twitter account.

That's how their PR has failed.

 

[thedeceiver]

Didn't the Pre2 come out right after the iPhone without even being announced? It just showed up on Verizon's site one day outta nowhere.

Sent from my D1! But would rather send from a Xoom using Tapatalk!!!

It was announced but like 2 days ahead of time.

 

[Joelist]

Effective PR is proactive not reactive.

VZW should be monitoring things like their FB page and also the main cellphone and smartphone sites. When they see something like this brewing the correct action is to get out in front of it by speaking up. That way the whole thing is preempted and you generate goodwill in the process.

 

[thedeceiver]

Effective PR is proactive not reactive.

VZW should be monitoring things like their FB page and also the main cellphone and smartphone sites. When they see something like this brewing the correct action is to get out in front of it by speaking up. That way the whole thing is preempted and you generate goodwill in the process.

Yup. When this started, no one was pissed that VZW didn't announce 2/14... or 2/24, or any date for that matter.. but when they saw what was going on in their customer (and prospective customer) base.. they have done nothing. It's incompetence or arrogance. Not sure which one yet.

 

[danthman]

Have you seen their Facebook page in the last 24 hours? How much traffic do you thing that page gets? Probably slightly more than a few enthusiasts on Android forums...

Yes, I've seen it. But who actually routinely visits the Verizon page (or any other business's Facebook page) unless they're waiting for something? People may see occasional updates in their news feed, but I know that I would never have clicked the "450 comments" link (or whatever the count is up to by now) if I hadn't read on this forum about what was going on. So, yes, there's a comment $hit storm going on right now, but I doubt anything close to a significant portion of Verizon's customer base has noticed or cares.