The Cool House: We never stop working for you....

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

We never stop working for you....

...and we send out our direct marketing bumpf via UPS so we are sure it gets to you.
Honestly what would you think when you arrived back after canceling your mini vacation because of a colleague's death, to find a UPS package in the mailbox? I thought it must be a vitally important document that I needed to open immediately. When I tore open the envelope and pulled out a letter from Verizon introducing their FIOS fiber optic internet service I was irritated on so many levels.
Firstly, because it was marketing disguised as an urgent mail.
Secondly, because it costs more money to send out direct mail via UPS and the consumer will be the one who ultimately foots the bill.
Thirdly, because I was so fed up with the awful customer service that Verizon provided that I dumped them in favour of Vonage more than two years ago for the home phone and for T-mobile for the cell phone last year.
Nowhere in the two page letter did it explain why I should switch my cable-access broadband to FIOS although it did let me know that I only had until October 31st to take advantage of their special offer. One thing I've learnt living in the US for six years is that if you miss a special offer there will be another, even better one along straight after.
At the moment they don't even offer Fibre Optic TV in my area so I'd have a different provider for my internet, tv and phones. That would be even more inconvenient than the present set-up, so I see no reason to change. And I'm sure when FIOS TV becomes available they will announce it by sending me another expensive direct mail.

1 comment:

Bonk at Home said...

Oh man! That kind of stuff burns my butt. Like the junk mail with "Important Information about your mortgage" or the people that called me after my car accident with "important information" and left 1-800 numbers. I had 19 messages after I got home that day.

Once I got one of those certified mails where I had to go down to the post office to pick up. Turns out it was from a local realtor wanting business. I personally called him and gave him my $.02 about having to stand inline for 20 minutes at the post office and being late to work. Dip Wuad!