When I was outlining the news post for T-Mobile’s Un-Carrier 11 announcement earlier today, I realized a couple of things. First of all, I realized that John Legere is the only telecom CEO whose name I know by heart. I don’t know who runs AT&T, Sprint, or Verizon without Googling their names, and that’s probably saying something because I currently use AT&T. I'm not sure whether it's his ability to relate to us normies by using harsh sailor language instead of overly technical speak, or the fact that he's been the forefront of this whole Un-Carrier thing since the beginning. Probably both. Second, I realize that T-Mobile has done a truly excellent job of turning the industry on its head over the past few of years. The industry we know today is absolutely nothing like the industry was when I first started writing for PhoneDog in 2012, and that’s a good thing.
Today’s announcement revealed T-Mobile’s next move to branch off from being your average mobile carrier, which includes a free T-Mobile share for customers (valued at $42.43 as of today), along with the ability to earn more shares – up to 100 per year - through referrals. T-Mobile also introduced their new T-Mobile Tuesdays app, which gives customers a free Domino’s pizza, free Wendy’s frosty, free VUDU movie rental, and a free “surprise” freebie every Tuesday, along with additional chances to win some really big prizes with giveaways and sweepstakes. Tomorrow’s “surprise” freebie was already announced to be a ticket to see the new Warcraft movie in theaters.
And I’m sitting here thinking, wow. That’s a pretty good deal. A free pizza, frosty, and movie every week? Plus something else that’s free? I don’t even care what it is, it’s free. Not only that, but this offer is apparently available both to postpaid and prepaid consumers, so there’s no extra hoops you have to jump through to be able to qualify other than downloading the app. To me that is a pretty sweet deal.
Now, I’m no stranger to the Internet, so I know that people will always find a way to complain about anything. I’m not entirely surprised to see that people feel so underwhelmed by this Un-Carrier move, especially considering what T-Mobile has done in the past. On the other hand, they’re still doing what they’ve been doing: turning the industry on its head, and causing a domino effect. Just recently AT&T unveiled AT&T Thanks, which includes Ticket Twosdays, Live Nation priority pre-sale, DIRECTV offers, and more. I imagine that Sprint and Verizon will be following suit shortly with their own renditions.
It’s still a nice change. It’s nice that T-Mobile - and other companies that opt to follow, original idea or not - are taking the initiative to thank their customers for being with them. As a consumer, it’s the companies that go the extra mile that leave a lasting impression for me, and the ones that I will ultimately recommend to other people. Don’t get me wrong – it’s also nice when a company does exactly as they say they will, too, because all too often you'll see companies take shortcuts. But it’s extra cool when this industry, which used to nickel and dime you for every reason under the sun (and sometimes still do), is at least giving off the impression that they do care about their customers beyond signing you up.
Readers, what are your thoughts about Un-Carrier 11? Are you impressed with their Tuesday freebies, or were you hoping for something more in line with fixing more “pain points” within the industry? Let us know in the comments below!