this is one of those made up marketing words - take ANYTHING in the world and add "Lifestyle" and its hip and cool or whatever.
The Biker Lifestyle
The Beachfront LIfestyle
The Computing Lifestyle
I thought "lifestyle" had to do with ALL the choices you make throughout your day - and ALL the things you buy and experience and eat etc - the idea that there is a specific lifestyle surround some item or object I find absurd.
Even something like a "vegan lifestyle" is likely a misnomer - sure that might include a wide ranging set of philosophical ideas that guide all our choices but to me it sounds more like someone trying to sell me the idea that I somehow belong to a group and can identify with them and that for some reason that is meaningful and significant to how I should live my life.
An example: I personally tried yesterday to transition 2 lines that were on a family plan to a new account with a new family plan.
I had to agree to pay 18$s per line just for the transition. When the ATT person found that one of the lines had an iPhone with a contract that ended july 2010, they pretended to force me to extend the contract for 11 more months.
ATT blames Apple, but whatever agreement they have is not my concern.
Why should anyone be obligated to more contract time, just to move a line from one account to another within the same carrier ???
This is an example of the daily frustrations ATT customers have to go through every other day.
A change in image will never change their clients perception, only excellent customer oriented service will.
Go to Facebook and look up "AT&T's upgrade fee sucks." I had the same problem. They charge the $18 fee even if you're eligible for an upgrade and/or contract has run out (and you buy a new phone) They might as well call it the "Thanks For Staying With Us....Give Us $18 Fee." I got it refunded.
They also require any "web capable phone" to carry some sort of data plan, be it mobile web or a text plan.
As for the rebranding: LOL. That's all I can say. The minute the iPhone goes Verizon, I'm gone. PEACE!
Does nobody want to acknowledge that the millions AT&T has spent to upgrade their service, build more towers, and improve coverage?
What about the recent report of 75% improvement and fewer dropped calls?
How about their U-verse service which, IMHO, beats Comcast and Time Warner.
Give AT&T a break already. They are trying like hell to get better. What more do you expect? What would finally make you 'happy' with their service? Why don't you switch to Sprint or Verizon - those networks have their own problems too - but they haven't spent the money that AT&T has over the past two years to improve their networks.
(And no, I DON'T work for AT&T, but I used to work for Apple.)
Does nobody want to acknowledge that the millions AT&T has spent to upgrade their service, build more towers, and improve coverage?
What about the recent report of 75% improvement and fewer dropped calls?
How about their U-verse service which, IMHO, beats Comcast and Time Warner.
Give AT&T a break already. They are trying like hell to get better. What more do you expect? What would finally make you 'happy' with their service? Why don't you switch to Sprint or Verizon - those networks have their own problems too - but they haven't spent the money that AT&T has over the past two years to improve their networks.
(And no, I DON'T work for AT&T, but I used to work for Apple.)
I don't know if it had anything to do with it, but the last few days we have had record high temperatures. I have had no service in most areas, calls dropping, gurgling static and no data. If this is their idea of improvement, I would suggest they try again.
Sigh, just a few more months before I can get out of my contract with this ridiculous company and get a phone that can make a telephone call.
Whaaaaa AT&T has problems! Whaaaa!!! Just wait til Verizon has to deal with 10million smart phone users. Or they could keep selling unpopular phones and brag about how uncluttered their network is...
Whaaaaa AT&T has problems! Whaaaa!!! Just wait til Verizon has to deal with 10million smart phone users. Or they could keep selling unpopular phones and brag about how uncluttered their network is...
Ummm... Verizon Wireless has 91+ million customers. 10 million smartphone users is only a bit of 10% of their total customers. Since there's at least 1 million Droids running aorund, I'd bet Verizon has much more than just 10 million smartphone users.
Everybody has their favorite whipping boy don't they. Well, losers, at&t isn't going anywhere, isn't going bankrupt, isn't losing customers, will remain extremely profitable, pays dividends (unlike Apple), and pays its employees well. I've got 32 years under the belt with at&t and the company has made it possible for me to put three kids through college (without stundent loans), buy numerous Apple products since 1982, and build up my matching 401K + pension plan into a nice retirement package (in about two years). So excuse me if I thumb my nose at you while I pay cash for that new iPad.
Eh? You're defending a multi-billion dollar corporation that has marginalized their highest-paying and most-profitable accounts?
It's a business.
They either do the job right and provide world-class service at a reasonable cost - or they don't.
And right now, ATT doesn't.
I can't believe that I'm counting the days until when I can buy a microcell just so I don't have to look at "No Service" anymore at my office smack in the middle of downtown San Francisco.
Yeah, that's the type of great coverage and service that'll be tempered with "lifestyle branding."
"ATT - As our customer, you'll pay us more - and we'll treat you less."
If you hadn't said that you don't work for ATT, I'd've sworn you were Ralph de la Vega - except he'd be blaming us all for ATT's woes and talking feature cuts and price increases.
Everybody has their favorite whipping boy don't they. Well, losers, at&t isn't going anywhere, isn't going bankrupt, isn't losing customers, will remain extremely profitable, pays dividends (unlike Apple), and pays its employees well. I've got 32 years under the belt with at&t and the company has made it possible for me to put three kids through college (without stundent loans), buy numerous Apple products since 1982, and build up my matching 401K + pension plan into a nice retirement package (in about two years). So excuse me if I thumb my nose at you while I pay cash for that new iPad.
Congrats on your success. Too bad you sound like a Chrysler middle-manager circa 1970.
If "Rethink Possible" is any sign of what's in the pipeline, I'd seriously be looking at early retirement. I hope your pension isn't overinvested in "T".
Yup... that's the new Verizon mantra going around the office. Next commerical may show a Verizon guy with coverage who says to the AT&T guy with no coverage "Maybe it's time to POSSIBLY RETHINK your network". This tag name is great. Thanks AT&T...
Congrats on your success. Too bad you sound like a Chrysler middle-manager circa 1970.
If "Rethink Possible" is any sign of what's in the pipeline, I'd seriously be looking at early retirement. I hope your pension isn't overinvested in "T".
No, I'm the guy who gets rousted out of bed at 03:00 because some drunk and texting-while-driving college kid took out a telephone pole. While you're cursing at&t because your porn stopped streaming while you were MOD EDIT: DOING THE LAUNDRY I'm out in the middle of the night trying to figure out how to put it all back together again and get that OC48 re-routed or patched off. Just so you can start MOD EDIT: DOING THE LAUNDRY AGAIN in your parent's basement.
No, I'm the guy who gets rousted out of bed at 03:00 because some drunk and texting-while-driving college kid took out a telephone pole. While you're cursing at&t because your porn stopped streaming while you were MOD EDIT: DOING THE LAUNDRY I'm out in the middle of the night trying to figure out how to put it all back together again and get that OC48 re-routed or patched off. Just so you can start MOD EDIT: DOING THE LAUNDRY AGAIN in your parent's basement.
Ah, but who's complaining, with a mess of a network like AT&T's to keep you employed into retirement? Call your union boss, if you got issues with customers.
Nice work ATT- rather than actually accomplishing something to fix your network, you re going to try to fix the perceptions of your network. Which will be accomplished, if you fix your network...
And then you could just spend money on fixing your network, instead of trying to fix your reparation and hoping no one notices the problems with your network.
don't charge extra for that 4g tethering Sprint- and you will have a customer here.
Comments
Post of the day!
(Had to repost the picture.)
this is one of those made up marketing words - take ANYTHING in the world and add "Lifestyle" and its hip and cool or whatever.
The Biker Lifestyle
The Beachfront LIfestyle
The Computing Lifestyle
I thought "lifestyle" had to do with ALL the choices you make throughout your day - and ALL the things you buy and experience and eat etc - the idea that there is a specific lifestyle surround some item or object I find absurd.
Even something like a "vegan lifestyle" is likely a misnomer - sure that might include a wide ranging set of philosophical ideas that guide all our choices but to me it sounds more like someone trying to sell me the idea that I somehow belong to a group and can identify with them and that for some reason that is meaningful and significant to how I should live my life.
An example: I personally tried yesterday to transition 2 lines that were on a family plan to a new account with a new family plan.
I had to agree to pay 18$s per line just for the transition. When the ATT person found that one of the lines had an iPhone with a contract that ended july 2010, they pretended to force me to extend the contract for 11 more months.
ATT blames Apple, but whatever agreement they have is not my concern.
Why should anyone be obligated to more contract time, just to move a line from one account to another within the same carrier ???
This is an example of the daily frustrations ATT customers have to go through every other day.
A change in image will never change their clients perception, only excellent customer oriented service will.
Go to Facebook and look up "AT&T's upgrade fee sucks." I had the same problem. They charge the $18 fee even if you're eligible for an upgrade and/or contract has run out (and you buy a new phone) They might as well call it the "Thanks For Staying With Us....Give Us $18 Fee." I got it refunded.
They also require any "web capable phone" to carry some sort of data plan, be it mobile web or a text plan.
As for the rebranding: LOL. That's all I can say. The minute the iPhone goes Verizon, I'm gone. PEACE!
Give AT&T a break already. They are trying like hell to get better. What more do you expect? What would finally make you 'happy' with their service? Why don't you switch to Sprint or Verizon - those networks have their own problems too - but they haven't spent the money that AT&T has over the past two years to improve their networks.
(And no, I DON'T work for AT&T, but I used to work for Apple.)
Seriously guys, this is a bit much.
Give AT&T a break already. They are trying like hell to get better. What more do you expect? What would finally make you 'happy' with their service? Why don't you switch to Sprint or Verizon - those networks have their own problems too - but they haven't spent the money that AT&T has over the past two years to improve their networks.
(And no, I DON'T work for AT&T, but I used to work for Apple.)
I don't know if it had anything to do with it, but the last few days we have had record high temperatures. I have had no service in most areas, calls dropping, gurgling static and no data. If this is their idea of improvement, I would suggest they try again.
Sigh, just a few more months before I can get out of my contract with this ridiculous company and get a phone that can make a telephone call.
Seriously guys, this is a bit much.
as do all the at&t apologists, you failed to mention the 12-13 Billion a year in net profit that at&t rakes in.
Whaaaaa AT&T has problems! Whaaaa!!! Just wait til Verizon has to deal with 10million smart phone users. Or they could keep selling unpopular phones and brag about how uncluttered their network is...
Ummm... Verizon Wireless has 91+ million customers. 10 million smartphone users is only a bit of 10% of their total customers. Since there's at least 1 million Droids running aorund, I'd bet Verizon has much more than just 10 million smartphone users.
Seems AT&T and Comcast have a lot in common...
You're right - surprising that it's not xpossible or something
Seriously guys, this is a bit much.
Eh? You're defending a multi-billion dollar corporation that has marginalized their highest-paying and most-profitable accounts?
It's a business.
They either do the job right and provide world-class service at a reasonable cost - or they don't.
And right now, ATT doesn't.
I can't believe that I'm counting the days until when I can buy a microcell just so I don't have to look at "No Service" anymore at my office smack in the middle of downtown San Francisco.
Yeah, that's the type of great coverage and service that'll be tempered with "lifestyle branding."
"ATT - As our customer, you'll pay us more - and we'll treat you less."
If you hadn't said that you don't work for ATT, I'd've sworn you were Ralph de la Vega - except he'd be blaming us all for ATT's woes and talking feature cuts and price increases.
All of this stuff is meaningless unless backed by real changes to their product/service. .
It's not the bits and the bytes. Raw horsepower counts for little in the tech world. It's all about the user experience.
Everybody has their favorite whipping boy don't they. Well, losers, at&t isn't going anywhere, isn't going bankrupt, isn't losing customers, will remain extremely profitable, pays dividends (unlike Apple), and pays its employees well. I've got 32 years under the belt with at&t and the company has made it possible for me to put three kids through college (without stundent loans), buy numerous Apple products since 1982, and build up my matching 401K + pension plan into a nice retirement package (in about two years). So excuse me if I thumb my nose at you while I pay cash for that new iPad.
Congrats on your success. Too bad you sound like a Chrysler middle-manager circa 1970.
If "Rethink Possible" is any sign of what's in the pipeline, I'd seriously be looking at early retirement. I hope your pension isn't overinvested in "T".
I don't care about what you look like but what's in the inside...
This is how PC users think about technology.
Congrats on your success. Too bad you sound like a Chrysler middle-manager circa 1970.
If "Rethink Possible" is any sign of what's in the pipeline, I'd seriously be looking at early retirement. I hope your pension isn't overinvested in "T".
No, I'm the guy who gets rousted out of bed at 03:00 because some drunk and texting-while-driving college kid took out a telephone pole. While you're cursing at&t because your porn stopped streaming while you were MOD EDIT: DOING THE LAUNDRY I'm out in the middle of the night trying to figure out how to put it all back together again and get that OC48 re-routed or patched off. Just so you can start MOD EDIT: DOING THE LAUNDRY AGAIN in your parent's basement.
No, I'm the guy who gets rousted out of bed at 03:00 because some drunk and texting-while-driving college kid took out a telephone pole. While you're cursing at&t because your porn stopped streaming while you were MOD EDIT: DOING THE LAUNDRY I'm out in the middle of the night trying to figure out how to put it all back together again and get that OC48 re-routed or patched off. Just so you can start MOD EDIT: DOING THE LAUNDRY AGAIN in your parent's basement.
Ah, but who's complaining, with a mess of a network like AT&T's to keep you employed into retirement? Call your union boss, if you got issues with customers.
And then you could just spend money on fixing your network, instead of trying to fix your reparation and hoping no one notices the problems with your network.
don't charge extra for that 4g tethering Sprint- and you will have a customer here.