T-Mobile USA: Would sir like a shitty phone?

By on March 10, 2008 in Devices

Got this illuminating email in from SMS Text News reader, Giff, this morning. He wasn’t entirely sure about my USA mobile phone bashing pieces — in fact I reckon he thought I was perhaps exaggerating. Well, have a read of his recent experience:

Hey Ewan,

Have to be honest here, but as I read about you bashing the US cell phones available, I understood what you were saying but didn’t really believe it…

Well, here I was sat last Friday and my cell goes on the blink. So I head to the closest T-Mobile store, (remember, I have a great plan with them and so far, great service with rarely being dropped). SHOCKED!!!

NO 3G phones what-so-ever. Only THREE wi-fi phones to choose between. But there were a ton of clam-shell and RAZRs…. I walked out disgusted and didn’t buy.

Really, I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to buy. It was truly a terrible experience. So, on my way home I happened by an ATT store. I popped in to take another look at the iPhone.

Look, it isn’t that the iPhone to the rest of the world is anything great. But after my experience inside the T-Mobile store it is obvious why Americans are going on and on about this phone. You can’t compare it to anything at all in the T-Mobile store…

Really, honestly now, our phones over here, just terrible…

Giff

This is the thing Giff. The iPhone really does transcend the standard American handset experience, particularly when new customers — NEW CUSTOMERS ON 24 MONTH CONTRACTS — are walking out cell phone stores with really old clam-shell RAZRs and RAZR copies that can do nothing more but text, call and function as alarm clocks.

About Ewan

Ewan is Founder and Editor of Mobile Industry Review. He writes about a wide variety of industry issues and is usually active on Twitter most days. You can read more about him or reach him with these details.
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  • Matt

    Certainly, phone options at a T-Mobile USA store are poor. But as a T-Mobile USA customer for the last 4 years., I’ve been able to get what nearly any phone I want on the internet, and excellent service from T-Mobile.

    Currently, I have a SonyEricsson K790a. And it is good. Certainly, 3G would be better. But why would I pay a premium for a 3G phone when T-Mobile doesn’t yet offer 3G service? That’s the real tragedy.

  • http://www.yahoo.com Giff

    Yes, indeed, they have great service and rates. I have been a happy T-Mobile customer for 8 years.

    However, when your phone goes on the blink, you need a new phone then and there. You do not have time to go surfing around the net for a new phone. You need one now. Your customers are calling you on it!

    So you must buy a new phone that they have available at their shop, knowing that their 3g services are to be rolled out in the next two quarters. So what you are forced to do is buy a phone that you know you will replace in 3-5 months. That is WHY you would pay a premium for a 3g phone…so you don’t have to buy 2 phones within 6 months of each other.

    You are missing the point here. Would you go buy a a new flat screen TV today because yours went on the blink even though you knew it would not work over the networks in a few months once digital came out? No, you would not. Yet this is what we have to do with phones. There are no converter boxes for mobile phones. That is what is frustrating! It is a waste of time and money to buy two phones so close in time.

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