We should really have a forum where we could discuss both New Zealand operators in the same place, but it would be a really low traffic forum... This is an entry that could go there, but in the meantime we have separate discussion areas for them.

After reading so many posts here about bad services in some Telecom store and about bad services from the Vodafone customer service, I wonder if operators worry as they should about this important part of their service.

I know operators worry to a certain point, but at what level this is passed on to the stores, which are the front end for their operations and many times the first point of contact when things go wrong for a customer?

These companies can't only rely on "we provide a good telecommunication service". This is expected. People know POTS would provide then with a dial tone 99.9999% of the time within a certain time limit, and they expect the same level of reliability from a mobile phone - although we all know that because of the highly mobile nature of users it is very difficult for operators to identify and balance the load in some sites, so sometimes mobile phone don't work as well as expected (but that's only on New Year's Eve, and during certain rugby matches right?)

They have to excel in customer service, the after sale stuff. But in such a small market as New Zealand, close to saturation, where the mobile competition is split 50/50 there are not many options for consumers. Either they purchase services from Telecom New Zealand or from Vodafone New Zealand, there's nothing in between.

So, there is not much incentive, because today's churn will be tomorrow customer again. And the cycle goes on.

While I know actions have been taken in cases reported here, and hopefully all will be sorted out, waiting for things to happen (and being reported on a forum) is not a good course.

Some people find our site and use it to vent their bad experiences, and I really think it's a shame people don't give praises too when things work well. Come on, tell the world about the good experiences these two companies provided, not only about the bad things. Tell us when things were fixed or simply worked!

I use both providers and I am happy with their services. It is a balance: I like the faster data speed Telecom provides me, and I like the roaming freedom I have with Vodafone.

In most cases people will have to decide which one is better for them based on their requirements.

The whole point of this post is to alert operators about their after sales services. That's where customers turn into clients. Clients are much better than customers, aren't they?

That's where customers can turn into happy clients, or turn into unhappy churn and a voice against your services.

Check this post for some evidence (unfortunatelly not NZ based) that people are not against the companies by definition, but against the way they provide services.