|
Mobile response from C&W
THE EDITOR, Madam:
We WOULD like to respond to some of the issues brought up in the two excellent articles in the Financial Gleaner of 21 July 2000. 1. It is true that the $735.0 million we are spending on this phase of our build out is part of an original plan of over $3,000.0 billion. However,we have added an additional $400.0 million to our plans in order to provide the best possible service.2. With respect to the service provided by CWJ Mobile, we are very aware that we have had serious congestion, due to significant growth in our customer base; and an extension of equipment delivery by vendors, due to the extraordinary worldwide demand for cellular infrastructure. Further, if you compare three years ago with today our customers now have access to the following: Free call forwarding, call waiting, three-way conferencing and message waiting indicator. Free voice mail and free message retrieval. The cost of a handset has fallen drastically over the last two years. To use the words of another reporter "CWJ Mobile has managed to democratize cellular for Jamaicans and make it available to everyone." We have spent millions to refurbish our Customer Care Centres, expand our distribution with 17 partners representing some 49 locations, build a world class Call Centre to provide 24-hour service on a company-wide basis and install systems to improve the customer experience. We know we have not yet arrived at where we would like to be with respect to the delivery of customer service, but we have, and will continue to improve, in order to provide a world-class customer service and cellular system to Jamaica. Predatory is an interesting word. Why is it when an incumbent in any industry tries to prepare itself for competition, every thing it does is viewed as "predatory"? CWJ Mobile did not make the technology decision for the two new operators. Their decision to use different technologies puts the customer in "a decision quandary" as to what to buy. Assuming our competitors are also going to be 100 per cent digital, the existing analogue customers would be faced with the same decision regardless of what system they chose. One competitor has stated they will be up and running by December, so we have not put our customers at a disadvantage by using the December 1 date as they will have at least one other choice. The decision to have a 100 per cent digital system was contemplated long before competition was a "gleam" in anyone's eye. It was planned for this fiscal year and the fact we moved it forward by two-three months was as much to do with availability of equipment as to competition. We welcome the entry of competition into our market as we believe it is good for consumers. We will fight for every customer and continue to expand the system, introduce new services and packages and continuously improve customer service. We do not feel that this is being "predatory".
Back to Letters
|
