Service Hall of Shame — Consumer Cellular
Consumer Cellular focuses on mobile phone services for older adults who do not use their phones for streaming services. The advertised monthly fees are much lower since the bandwidth utilized is much less.
Consumer Cellular is collocated with Target in their electronics department. According to the Consumer Cellular website, the only store in DC providing iPhones is in Columbia Heights — 90 minutes away for me via bus and subway.
Upon arriving, I found that the Consumer Cellular outlet at Target has not been staffed for 3 months, despite their website telling me that I could get the phone that day. The website is obviously very much out of date.
What did I learn? Quite simply, I cannot trust Consumer Cellular. How will they handle any other problems that I encounter? I cannot and should not count on them. I will stick with the more expensive, but much more reliable service.
I will certainly let my friends and colleagues know about this, as many were wondering what I would find with Consumer Cellular. This is a terrible outcome for a business specializing in providing service to older adults.
Good deals are only “good” when high quality products and services are provided at acceptable prices. High prices and poor service are the worst combination, but they persist, especially in industries where players have effective monopolies, e.g., airlines, pharma, and utilities.
