earlhickey
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- May 19, 2009
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An open letter to Vodacom, South Africa
Dear Vodacom
YOU AND THE APPLE IPHONE 4
I feel obliged to write to you to voice my dissatisfaction with your failure to retain an erstwhile loyal client.
First, some background to my ownership of the iPhone 3G:-
1. I was a Vodacom contract customer since 1996 and stuck with Vodacom until 30 September 2010.
2. In all the years as a mobile phone user I owned Ericsson phones, Nokia phones, Siemens phones and a Blackberry or two.
3. I was usually introduced to new phones and the latest technologies through Vodacom as I went through my upgrades.
4. In April 2008 I bought my first Apple MacBook computer and as I got involved with Apple I was blown away by the way that they do things.
5. It was with anticipation that I followed the news regarding the original iPhone and the introduction of the iPhone 3G in July 2008.
6. As we all know it was announced that the iPhone will be coming to our shores and I was overjoyed that “my” mobile operator obtained the rights to provide this wonderful piece of technology.
7. On 27 September 2008, the date that it was released, I got my iPhone 3G on an upgrade. Oh what joy. A wonderful computing device.
8. I spent on average in excess of R1,000.00 per month on my Vodacom account (data and calls) with my iPhone 3G.
Apple is extremely good at sucking you into their world and I, like a lot of other followers, became a fan-boy. It is with this mindset that I again followed the release of the iPhone 3Gs and the iPhone 4. Due to my upgrade cycle I had to forgo on the 3Gs and since I qualified for my next upgrade in July 2010 I was ready and waiting when the iPhone 4 was announced. The waiting and excitement commenced and I picked up on the tweet of Mr. Uys end August 2010 that the iPhone 4 can be expected end September 2010. I immediately ordered my iPhone protective case from the USA. In the meantime I have submitted my details to the subscription services for the iPhone 4 on Vodacom’s website, seemingly without any consequences.
On 22 September 2010 when the phone was officially released I contacted my local Vodashop to enquire about the iPhone 4 as I eager to upgrade. I was however informed that the iPhone 4 is not available to upgrade customers but only on new Vodacom contracts. Unable to fathom this logic I phoned another Vodashop and they also told me that the iPhone 4 is currently on promotion and it is Vodacom company policy that it is not available to upgrade customers. I immediately visited MTN and applied for new MTN iPhone package. I started afresh and cancelled my Vodacom contract.
It seems to be clear that you lack understanding of a certain segment of your customers. In March this year Apple passed Microsoft in market capitalization value and it is still growing. The past two years you had a golden opportunity as the sole provider of the iPhone in South Africa to build and developed a Vodacom/Apple partnership brand, which I believe, would have stood you in good stead. In this regard you specifically missed the opportunity to really get into the iPhone phenomena by:-
1. making the iPhone available to more people rather than keeping it to a very exclusive portion of the market;
2. aggressively marketing the iPhone thereby pushing Apple to expand the South African iTunes store with the other forms of media, like games, that it is sorely missing, which again will increase your iPhone customers’ data usage (see stats for the amount of data used by AT&T iPhone customers in the USA);
3. looking after your loyal iPhone customers.
Your failure is blatantly clear in my single experience with Vodacom as iPhone supplier. All over the world iPhone users remain loyal to the device and Apple. I would have expected that you would harness this loyalty and at least “reward” your iPhone customers with a first option to upgrade to the next iPhone, when their upgrades are due, and a proper pre-ordering system. Speaking for myself I would have been more than willing and ready to sign my upgrade contract in July 2010 and still wait for the iPhone 4 until its release. But alas it seems that you have at the launch of the phone rather decided to chase a few new contracts.
I have, after conclusion of my brand new MTN iPhone 4 contract, been informed that you do provide the iPhone 4 on upgrade. Further proof that your initial “company policy decision” was a mistake or does this show a wholly inept marketing campaign and launch of the iPhone 4 by Vodacom?
Wishing you the best for the future.
Yours frustrated and disappointed former Vodacom customer
BENNIE RHEEDER
Dear Vodacom
YOU AND THE APPLE IPHONE 4
I feel obliged to write to you to voice my dissatisfaction with your failure to retain an erstwhile loyal client.
First, some background to my ownership of the iPhone 3G:-
1. I was a Vodacom contract customer since 1996 and stuck with Vodacom until 30 September 2010.
2. In all the years as a mobile phone user I owned Ericsson phones, Nokia phones, Siemens phones and a Blackberry or two.
3. I was usually introduced to new phones and the latest technologies through Vodacom as I went through my upgrades.
4. In April 2008 I bought my first Apple MacBook computer and as I got involved with Apple I was blown away by the way that they do things.
5. It was with anticipation that I followed the news regarding the original iPhone and the introduction of the iPhone 3G in July 2008.
6. As we all know it was announced that the iPhone will be coming to our shores and I was overjoyed that “my” mobile operator obtained the rights to provide this wonderful piece of technology.
7. On 27 September 2008, the date that it was released, I got my iPhone 3G on an upgrade. Oh what joy. A wonderful computing device.
8. I spent on average in excess of R1,000.00 per month on my Vodacom account (data and calls) with my iPhone 3G.
Apple is extremely good at sucking you into their world and I, like a lot of other followers, became a fan-boy. It is with this mindset that I again followed the release of the iPhone 3Gs and the iPhone 4. Due to my upgrade cycle I had to forgo on the 3Gs and since I qualified for my next upgrade in July 2010 I was ready and waiting when the iPhone 4 was announced. The waiting and excitement commenced and I picked up on the tweet of Mr. Uys end August 2010 that the iPhone 4 can be expected end September 2010. I immediately ordered my iPhone protective case from the USA. In the meantime I have submitted my details to the subscription services for the iPhone 4 on Vodacom’s website, seemingly without any consequences.
On 22 September 2010 when the phone was officially released I contacted my local Vodashop to enquire about the iPhone 4 as I eager to upgrade. I was however informed that the iPhone 4 is not available to upgrade customers but only on new Vodacom contracts. Unable to fathom this logic I phoned another Vodashop and they also told me that the iPhone 4 is currently on promotion and it is Vodacom company policy that it is not available to upgrade customers. I immediately visited MTN and applied for new MTN iPhone package. I started afresh and cancelled my Vodacom contract.
It seems to be clear that you lack understanding of a certain segment of your customers. In March this year Apple passed Microsoft in market capitalization value and it is still growing. The past two years you had a golden opportunity as the sole provider of the iPhone in South Africa to build and developed a Vodacom/Apple partnership brand, which I believe, would have stood you in good stead. In this regard you specifically missed the opportunity to really get into the iPhone phenomena by:-
1. making the iPhone available to more people rather than keeping it to a very exclusive portion of the market;
2. aggressively marketing the iPhone thereby pushing Apple to expand the South African iTunes store with the other forms of media, like games, that it is sorely missing, which again will increase your iPhone customers’ data usage (see stats for the amount of data used by AT&T iPhone customers in the USA);
3. looking after your loyal iPhone customers.
Your failure is blatantly clear in my single experience with Vodacom as iPhone supplier. All over the world iPhone users remain loyal to the device and Apple. I would have expected that you would harness this loyalty and at least “reward” your iPhone customers with a first option to upgrade to the next iPhone, when their upgrades are due, and a proper pre-ordering system. Speaking for myself I would have been more than willing and ready to sign my upgrade contract in July 2010 and still wait for the iPhone 4 until its release. But alas it seems that you have at the launch of the phone rather decided to chase a few new contracts.
I have, after conclusion of my brand new MTN iPhone 4 contract, been informed that you do provide the iPhone 4 on upgrade. Further proof that your initial “company policy decision” was a mistake or does this show a wholly inept marketing campaign and launch of the iPhone 4 by Vodacom?
Wishing you the best for the future.
Yours frustrated and disappointed former Vodacom customer
BENNIE RHEEDER
