{"id":8221,"date":"2015-06-16T12:57:15","date_gmt":"2015-06-16T16:57:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=8221"},"modified":"2015-06-16T12:57:15","modified_gmt":"2015-06-16T16:57:15","slug":"are-bundled-features-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mhgoldberg.com\/blog\/?p=8221","title":{"rendered":"Are bundled features “free”?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Would you consider features that are sold as part of a bundle to be “free”?<\/p>\n

In the past month, twice I have told that a feature that isn’t working was free, perhaps to dissuade claims that a refund was in order. <\/p>\n

In the first instance, a bug in my anti-virus software (bundled with my internet services) was forcing me to reinstall it every time I rebooted the computer. Having had an open trouble ticket for 3 months, I suggested that I wasn’t getting a resolution because I was continuing to pay my full monthly bill. I was told by the service representative that their bundled software was free so it had no value. <\/p>\n

In the second instance, a billing system “enhancement” meant that my wireless bill no longer included call detail, despite “Billed Usage-Invoice Details” being listed as the first feature of the bundle to which my lines are subscribed. Apparently, someone thinks that it is an “enhancement” to take the extra pages out of my e-bill PDF file and instead I am supposed to do a couple of clicks on the website, find each wireless line, download a separate CSV file, import each line’s CSV file separately into Excel, save as a pdf and merge it into my bill summary, all while facing east under a full moon singing the national anthem in both official languages. This is an “enhancement.” I was told by a representative “It was a free feature given to you. We have not removed it just changed the way you get the info.” I disagree. To me, “Invoice details” means that I get details on the invoice. <\/p>\n

I don’t think that a capability that is listed as part of the service can be taken away at the service provider’s sole discretion. <\/p>\n

When I bought my last set of tires, Costco included a bunch of “Lifetime services”<\/a>, such as inflation pressure checks, tire balancing, tire rotations, and flat repairs. Those were part of the offer that I accepted when I paid for Costco to perform the installation. Were they free and could Costco unilaterally decide that they were no longer going to rotate my tires and balance them? If this fall, Costco handed me a pressure gauge and told me to check the pressure myself, is that satisfying their promise for lifetime inflation pressure checks?<\/p>\n

Once again, I have to wonder if executives are buying their company’s services and getting bills the same way their customers do. Let me suggest that executives in the telecom industry should be dealing with the front line representatives the same way you and I do. I have no problem with executives getting all their services for free, but they should buy them from a regular store, get a bill each month and deal with the same customer service, repair and tech support people. Don’t get a staff member to take care of their personal services. Call the number listed on the bill.<\/p>\n

I wonder how quickly we would see changes to the issues customers have to endure every month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Would you consider features that are sold as part of a bundle to be “free”? In the past month, twice I have told that a feature that isn’t working was free, perhaps to dissuade claims that a refund was in order. In the first instance, a bug in my anti-virus software (bundled with my internet …<\/p>\n

Are bundled features “free”?<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","two_page_speed":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nAre bundled features "free"? • Telecom Trends<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Would you consider features that are sold as part of a bundle to be "free"? 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