Profitable Humpty Dumpty English

Stand Up For Your Rights

We should all learn this marketing lesson from Digicel TT, one of the two cell phone providers in Trinidad & Tobago. This company spends millions wooing customers then they enforce operating policies that recoups insignificant investments in phone chargers. Yes, you read that right, phone chargers.

Here’s Digicel’s unwritten policy: Customers get a 30 day warranty on every cell phone purchased but there are no warranty on accessories. Their humpty dumpty language says that "chargers are accessories" the meanings of accessory has changed so as not to make Digicel liable for defective chargers. One would assume that intelligent people running such a huge company would be able to rationalize that chargers are "necessities" not “accessories”.

But here’s the kicker; this particular redefinition has nothing to do with profit because I’m sure that chargers are not profitable to Digicel. After all, they are selling AIR TIME in the tune of millions every month.

This is the marketing lesson: don't do unto your customers what you will not want done onto you. Most will not raise a fuss and just purchase the charger. After all, they have just purchased a cell phone that in some cases cost as much as $3000 TT. Buying another charger is simple. Then there are those who will not bend over...

Their response is,”dey go hear mih mouth, ah go give them back belly and side”. But take my advice, the best approach is to seek out the help of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT). These people are there to help even if they “never hear bout that”. They will call the people at Digicel Headquarters who will quickly accede and promise you a new charger on the condition that you come to headquarters in Maraval to pick it up. Even if you purchased the phone in Penal, consider yourself lucky because now you can actually purchase more air time from Digicel.

In a country where wise governance for the people created an environment where almost everyone must use two cell phones because of the extremely high cost of crossing networks, we are left with no other choice. We either drop out and be digitally isolated or grind our teeth and take it. As we all know before Digicel we had different problems so why complain about buying chargers.

Now in a two phone country, without choices we cannot, NOT use Digicel services but we can put in place our own personal policy that we would just not bend over. We will be very vigilant and find ways around being willing victims. When we feel aggrieved, first we will let them know and if we get no satisfaction, seek the help of the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago TATT.

Above all stop crossing your fingers hoping that someone is looking out for your interest.