We have seen many
T-Cell subscribers complaining that the “un-carrier” is not particular and that it treats its subscribers no otherwise than
AT&T and
Verizon deal with theirs. For a lot of of those folks, there may be an occasion that occurred ensuing within the wi-fi agency turning into much less centered on subscribers and extra excited by caring for stockholders. That will be
the departure of CEO John Legere proper as
T-Cell was closing on its $26.5 billion buy of Dash.
T-Cell subscriber misses the times when John Legere was CEO
Issues have been totally different when
T-Cell was run by Legere who was the other of most CEOs in a great way. Together with his lengthy hair extending previous his shoulders, Legere regarded extra like a rock star than the manager named
the perfect CEO in wi-fi for 5 consecutive years. By no means one for carrying a swimsuit and a tie throughout his tenure at
T-Cell, John’s every day wardrobe consisted of a magenta
T-Cell tee shirt, a
T-Cell jacket, and sneakers.
“I used to be such a T-Cell fan boy again within the day with John and the good strikes they have been making. I imply I used to be one step away from carrying Magenta. It is so unhappy to see what they’ve turn into… as dangerous, or worse, than the dangerous guys AT&T and Verizon. Enhance wants to rent John… they’re out final hope.”-Reddit subscriber DazzlingAlfalfa3632
Legere might get away with dressing like this as a result of he helped take
T-Cell from useless final among the many 4 main U.S. carriers to turn into the quickest rising and most progressive amongst them. He consistently made enjoyable ofÂ
Verizon and
AT&T calling them “dumb and dumber” and he even
obtained right into a heated Twitter battle with Donald Trump earlier than the latter rode down the golden escalator to announce that he was operating for president.
Present T-Cell CEO Mike Sievert on the left together with his predecessor John Legere. | Picture credit-T-Cell
Legere additionally
gave the impression to be educated about telephones not like different CEOs within the wi-fi trade. And underneath Legere,
T-Cell removed backed cellphone gross sales and the two-year contract. He launched Music Freedom, free streaming music that was zero-rated (utilization did not rely towards subscribers’ information plans), free Netflix on Us, and launched the
T-Cell Tuesdays rewards program that’s arguably the perfect within the trade.
Beneath Legere’s management,
T-Cell recognized Dash’s 2.5GHz mid-range spectrum as a option to get a head begin on 5G.
AT&T and
Verizon have been constructing out their 5G networks utilizing mmWave airwaves earlier than coming to their senses.
Verizon and
AT&T ultimately spent a mint on C-band spectrum
to repeat T-Cell’s early 5G success.
I’ve spoken with a number of present and former T-Cell reps who inform me that issues modified for the more serious when T-Cell chosen Mike Sievert to exchange Legere as CEO. The main focus has shifted to the stockholders from subscribers and demanding that reps meet sure metrics is forcing a lot of them so as to add new traces, equipment, insurance coverage, and trackers to buyer’s accounts with out their permission. In different phrases, since Sievert changed Legere, there is no such thing as a extra un-carrier as T-Cell is now no totally different than AT&T and Verizon.
T-Cell has turn into one other “dumb and dumber”
What makes this variation so unusual is that Sievert spent years as Legere’s right-hand man. However it’s clear that at T-Cell the main target has modified. And it’s comprehensible to a degree. T-Cell‘s shares, at $223.21, are up almost 62% year-over-year in comparison with 43% and 39% for AT&T and Verizon respectively. However what occurred to the “un-carrier” the place the purchasers got here first?
Legere used to discuss developing with new concepts to present subscribers aid from their ache factors. Now, underneath Sievert, a
T-Cell buyer cannot stroll right into a retailer, third-party, or company
and simply purchase a cellphone with out having to listen to the gaslighting. Reps will say to the client that the mannequin he needs will not be in inventory. But when they comply with add a brand new line, a charger, a case, insurance coverage, and extra, lo and behold, the cellphone the client needs has been discovered buried within the again. There are too many circumstances the place these equipment have been added to an bill with out the client’s approval.Â
It was once enjoyable to put in writing about T-Cell underneath Legere since you by no means knew what pro-consumer improvements have been coming subsequent. However as Reddit subscriber DazzlingAlfalfa3632 famous, as of late T-Cell has turn into what Legere used to make enjoyable of. T-Cell is now a clone of “dumb and dumber” that’s not the client pleasant un-carrier that it was once.
