T-Mobile CEO Offers To Pay For Fire Fighters' $73K Verizon Bill

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Say what you want about T-Mobile's CEO, the guy knows how to seize on a perfect opportunity to make his competitors eat crow. The funny thing about T-Mobile, even though I am not a customer, almost all of the cool benefits I've received from my carrier in the past few years are a direct result of something T-Mobile started for their customers. :cool:

*UPDATE* A public relations manager from Verizon contacted us today to give their side of the story. This is what the company had to say:

"The Chincoteague Fire Department asked Verizon to relocate telephone network equipment from where they intend to build a new fire station, and asked us to use the most expensive option for doing so. What’s been missing from the story about the cost to complete the work is this: we’re not talking about moving a phone line or two. They’ve asked us to relocate and bury more than 1000’ of very large copper cables and fiber optic lines serving a large portion of Chincoteague Island – a very expensive process. There are other ways to accomplish this and we’ve offered lower cost options. We’ll consider any design changes they’re willing to make and work with them to find a less costly way to do the work. The choice is ultimately up to the Fire Department."

Personally, I think that a company with over $130 billion in revenue in 2015 could have easily donated the entire cost of the bill to the volunteer fire department. It would have been a tax write off and great publicity (the kind you can't buy for $73K). Instead, John Legere was able to seize the opportunity and Verizon has egg on its face. :(
 
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Good on T-Mobile.

Now if they would just have a plan that would be no more expensive than what I am paying for with Verizon I would switch.

As it is, it would still cost a bit more because of the discount I get through work and of the plan I am currently on.
 
The guy's a bonafide bro for shit like this but all said, Verizon is in the right.
We’re not talking about moving a phone line or two. This is about relocating some 1,100 feet of 1200-pair copper cable along with fiber optic lines serving a large portion of Chincoteague Island. To meet the fire department’s specifications, we proposed burying those cables - an expensive process - but there are other ways to accomplish this. We’ll consider any design changes they are willing to make to reduce costs or lessen the impact to the island’s telecom equipment.

This isn't running a couple wires back through an apartment wall. They're talking about moving a quarter mile of conduit, along with moving and relighting the same amount of fiber.
 
The guy's a bonafide bro for shit like this but all said, Verizon is in the right.
This isn't running a couple wires back through an apartment wall. They're talking about moving a quarter mile of conduit, along with moving and relighting the same amount of fiber.

Maybe they can use some of the billions of dollars they've taken from the US populace to do that shit since they never used any of it for upgrades. Or, I dunno, reduce their executive pay a smidge?
 
Maybe they can use some of the billions of dollars they've taken from the US populace to do that shit since they never used any of it for upgrades. Or, I dunno, reduce their executive pay a smidge?

nah they probably gave their exec's a bonus for this, lol.

but yeah like Jdanser said i'd agree Verizon does have the right to charge them for this, but at the same time you have to consider the repercussions of a decision like this and it's pretty obvious they can eat the 73k. then it wouldn't of given T-Mobile the ability to use it as publicity. a little foresight goes a long ways and Verizon failed on that part.
 
Maybe they can use some of the billions of dollars they've taken from the US populace to do that shit since they never used any of it for upgrades. Or, I dunno, reduce their executive pay a smidge?

But if they do stuff like this for free even one time, then everybody will expect them to do it for free.

Once you give a handout to one person, just about everybody will expect to get the same.
 
Having used Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon all at the same address; the difference between T-Mobile and Verizon is night and day. T-Mobile is antiquated trash (so is Sprint). In an area where I supposedly have full 4G coverage, T-Mobile behaved like a "fast 3g", Sprint sometimes acted like a normal 3g, and Verizon is just fast. First responders need a premium service, which Verizon is. The contract they are on may be another debate, but verizon (and what I'm told ATT as well) are the top carriers for a reason.
 
First responders need a premium service, which Verizon is. The contract they are on may be another debate, but verizon (and what I'm told ATT as well) are the top carriers for a reason.

You do realize we are talking about Verizon's landline business here, and not Verizon Wireless?

Also, it's easy to have the best coverage, when you own the best spectrum (because you wrung every last drop of cash out of your existing monopolies to create a new one)

I think Sprint and T-Mobile did a pretty good job with the worthless table scraps of spectrum that were left, after AT&T and Verizon were done eating their fill at the FCC spectrum buffet.
 
I'll just repost what I said in the other thread:

Okay, the reason I personally thought this was a big deal ISN'T whether or not $73K is worth it...it's because Verizon, a company with almost $140 billion in revenue last year, could DONATE the cost of the bill to a VOLUNTEER fire department. It would be a tax write off, it would be good publicity and you wouldn't have this shit happen.

That's all I'm saying.
 
As a long time T-mobile customer, I can say things are getting MUCH better every day. I don't have any reception problems anymore, and now I have a nearly truly unlimited plan. The only way I get throttled is if I'm in the top 3% of usage, but I never get close to that. So, as long as I don't get above about 28GB of usage, I'm completely good.

I did business with Verizon, they reset my contract after 15 months, and then charged me $170 for early term fee 2 months after my contract was supposed to have ended. A class action lawsuit got some of my money back, but I still will NOT trust them
I did business with AT&T, but I had major reception problems in areas where they claimed perfect 5 bar reception on their maps, and refused to listen to any complaints about reception. Then, their CEO insulted me, among all of his customers, three times within a year. So, I left them.
I went with T-mobile, had some reception problems at first, but not as many as AT&T, but things went MUCH better overall, and the reception problems went away over time. I've now been with them for 7 years, and not going anywhere else. I advise others to go with them now.
 
I never understood this sort of thing. It's like installation fees for cable: they actually expect you to pay them to put their service in place so you can pay them for service. That's like GM saying you have to pay for part of the factory before they will sell you a car.

I think they should just kick Verizon off the island. :cautious:

And over $73k? The CEO probably spends more than that on hookers every month.
 
I never understood this sort of thing. It's like installation fees for cable: they actually expect you to pay them to put their service in place so you can pay them for service. That's like GM saying you have to pay for part of the factory before they will sell you a car.

I think they should just kick Verizon off the island. :cautious:

And over $73k? The CEO probably spends more than that on hookers every month.

I don't even begrudge the CEO is hookers and/or blow, but he could be a little more accommodating. :D
 
"Do it for free since you have soo much money already."

LOL

I'd like some fiber ran to my house too, my dad used to be a firefighter in the 80's so dont you dare try to charge me.
 
Maybe they can use some of the billions of dollars they've taken from the US populace to do that shit since they never used any of it for upgrades. Or, I dunno, reduce their executive pay a smidge?


"They've taken"?

No one twisted anyone's arm and made them buy Verizon. That US Population your talking about can choose to buy someone's else's shit instead if they don't like Verizon.
 
But if they do stuff like this for free even one time, then everybody will expect them to do it for free.

Once you give a handout to one person, just about everybody will expect to get the same.

Yes, everybody would like free shit. I'm sure they get requests all the time. Typically only the biggest criers get noticed though. I'd make T-mobile pay, their guilty of a lot of shit as well.
 
and then have all the non-profits and volunteers crawl out of the woodwork and demand same? Uh, no.
Sounds to me the fire dept knew what it wanted, saw the contract, signed it, then cried.
 
I'll just repost what I said in the other thread:

I get what you are saying, and it seems so did T-Mobile cause their CEO just took good advantage of an easy PR snack. But are you sure they could write it off?

I mean, if only the fire department could use the lines then sure, but that's not really the way it would be is it? They would have to move the lines and those lines would service many customers who are not volunteer organizations.... I am thinking if that were the case, Verizon could write off every line they run if all it took was a single charitable cause somewhere on the network.
 
and then have all the non-profits and volunteers crawl out of the woodwork and demand same? Uh, no.
Sounds to me the fire dept knew what it wanted, saw the contract, signed it, then cried.


Oh no no no;

"The Chincoteague Fire Department asked Verizon to relocate telephone network equipment from where they intend to build a new fire station, and asked us to use the most expensive option for doing so.

The fire departs asked for the most expensive option, according to Verizon's PR.

You guys can crawl all over Verizon on this one if you want. But the only thing I am seeing here is T-Mobile snapping up a great PR opportunity that Verizon happened to miss.
 
Verizon should point out the cheaper alternatives the fire department and or their architects are ignoring. It's silly to cause $75,000 worth of work to be done by a company and expect them to just absorb that cost.
 
Verizon should point out the cheaper alternatives the fire department and or their architects are ignoring. It's silly to cause $75,000 worth of work to be done by a company and expect them to just absorb that cost.

There are other ways to accomplish this and we’ve offered lower cost options. We’ll consider any design changes they’re willing to make and work with them to find a less costly way to do the work. The choice is ultimately up to the Fire Department."
http://www.hardocp.com/news/2017/01...r_fire_fighters_73k_verizon_bill#.WG_oj7mURls
 
I'm sure Verizon immediately quoted the most expensive option because they want their cables buried, which benefits Verizon long after the fire department is gone. But I think that expecting them to do the work for free, regardless of the cost, is a little obscene. If they start doing work for charity organizations for free, it would be subject to abuse and our cost is going to go up.

Volunteer fire department just means the staff do not get paid, it doesn't mean they have no expenses.

This is a great example of how things get out of hand on the Internet.
 
I'm sure Verizon immediately quoted the most expensive option because they want their cables buried, which benefits Verizon long after the fire department is gone. But I think that expecting them to do the work for free, regardless of the cost, is a little obscene. If they start doing work for charity organizations for free, it would be subject to abuse and our cost is going to go up.

Volunteer fire department just means the staff do not get paid, it doesn't mean they have no expenses.

This is a great example of how things get out of hand on the Internet.
I agree I think large company like this should have a community service discount. As long as it IS a legitimate community service. Not some smoke shop that says we sell weed because people are stressed and need to relax that's a community service right bro? No bro it's not.
 
I'm actually gonna side with Verizon on this one. There's no way it could be spun to good publicity (only way anyone would know if if they told people, and if they told people it would instantly make them look like try hard assholes) and the size of the company should not make any difference to allowing public institutions to impose what is essentially a fine for not having ever done anything wrong other than playing with the toys the government wants to have.
 
"They've taken"?

No one twisted anyone's arm and made them buy Verizon. That US Population your talking about can choose to buy someone's else's shit instead if they don't like Verizon.

Yes, "taken". Verizon has received literally billions of dollars of tax breaks in exchange for promises on their part to expand fiber and they've never done so.
 
I'm sure Verizon immediately quoted the most expensive option because they want their cables buried, which benefits Verizon long after the fire department is gone. But I think that expecting them to do the work for free, regardless of the cost, is a little obscene. If they start doing work for charity organizations for free, it would be subject to abuse and our cost is going to go up.

Volunteer fire department just means the staff do not get paid, it doesn't mean they have no expenses.

This is a great example of how things get out of hand on the Internet.

Yeah they only save the lives and property of everyone on the island for free... Fuck em
 
A couple of things come to mind with this issue:

1) The COMMUNITY is up in arms.
Translation: Verizon was asked to perform a billable service, gave the fire department a number of options, and the FD chose the most expensive one.
They didn't choose it because it was the most expensive one; they chose it because they judged it to be the best option for their circumstances.
That decision would have not been made in a vacuum; their budget and the cost of the project would have to be approved by the town's administration prior to getting the work done.
In short, both the FD and the township would have to sign off on the cost before the work began.
Since the work has not been done, they are free to choose one of the less expensive options put forth by Verizon

2) Many telephone companies in smaller communities are monopoly utilities and highly regulated by communities' Public Utilities Commissions.
The regulations put in place by the PUC's often give no choice to the utility when it come to fees charged and what services require fees.
As pointed out in the original Network World article:

“They have an easement established by law to have those lines in place and (the fire company) should have known about this before now,” writes one commenter. “Verizon is under no obligation to even move the line and if you want it moved, you have to pay to have it done just like everyone else who places a commercial building within a utility right-of-way.”

Everyone is quite right with regard to the PR coup for T-Mobile, but that speaks more to the ignorance of the public with regard to how these things work, rather than a terrible move on the part of Verizon.
 
Maybe they can use some of the billions of dollars they've taken from the US populace to do that shit since they never used any of it for upgrades. Or, I dunno, reduce their executive pay a smidge?


Exactly.. they can start with the money they have stolen from PA over the years. That should cover this bill and then some
 
Personally, I think that a company with over $130 billion in revenue in 2015 could have easily donated the entire cost of the bill to the volunteer fire department. It would have been a tax write off and great publicity (the kind you can't buy for $73K). Instead, John Legere was able to seize the opportunity and Verizon has egg on its face. :(

I could not have said that better myself, and I agree with the statement 110% across the board without exception.

Now just imagine if a fire broke out at a Verizon store in the area where that volunteer fire house is situated and they - for whatever reason - didn't get the call about the fire because of lack of proper working phone service and the business burns to the ground... can you imagine the shitstorm (even worse than the current one) Verizon would be facing if that came to pass? Pure speculation on my part of course but even so, I mean really Verizon, you cheap scumbuckets, get real. :rolleyes:

<Disclaimer: that is the first time I have ever used that rollingeyes emoticon but it fits this situation...> :)
 
Are you guys purposefully not reading the stuff I am quoting where Verizon says the Fire Department asked for the most expensive option and that Verizon offered them cheaper alternatives?
 
The guy's a bonafide bro for shit like this but all said, Verizon is in the right.


This isn't running a couple wires back through an apartment wall. They're talking about moving a quarter mile of conduit, along with moving and relighting the same amount of fiber.

This is true. However.....

Maybe they can use some of the billions of dollars they've taken from the US populace to do that shit since they never used any of it for upgrades. Or, I dunno, reduce their executive pay a smidge?

This is the bottom line. Where have all those hundreds of billions of dollars gone, Verizon? If you don't know what we are talking about look up "400 billion broadband scandal".
 
Yes, "taken". Verizon has received literally billions of dollars of tax breaks in exchange for promises on their part to expand fiber and they've never done so.

Litterally Billions in tax breaks? I call utter bullshit.

Besides, a Tax Break isn't "taking" anything, it's simply not having to pay as much.
 
This guy did not invent the crazy yet excited face, nor was he the first to receive the better set of genes for it (must be taking lessons from Christopher Lloyd), but he is one heck of a promoter. I fear if there is a revival and a clearance given to allow T-Mobile to merge with Sprint we may lose him or at least his unhinged love for trying to actually beat his competition.
 
You do realize we are talking about Verizon's landline business here, and not Verizon Wireless?

Nope. People don't realize this at all. Also, $75grand to move 1km of fiber + copper is a steal. Sounds like VZ-Wireline already cut someone a deal. Permitting, excavation, construction and splicers aren't cheap, yo.
 
Besides, a Tax Break isn't "taking" anything, it's simply not having to pay as much.

I wonder if you realize the irony of your own statement there, considering. ;)

Yes I read the information and yes I understand what Verizon claims (that the FD asked for the most expensive option which seems unlikely) but when I look at the fact that it's a volunteer fire department asking for this service and not just some ordinary business that's out to make a profit I think Verizon would have just done well on many levels including a good conscience and doing what's right by just getting this shit done without another word.

There's always two sides to a story, obviously, but in this case I just don't give a fuck what Verizon's side of it happens to be. ;)
 
Say what you want about T-Mobile's CEO, the guy knows how to seize on a perfect opportunity to make his competitors eat crow. The funny thing about T-Mobile, even though I am not a customer, almost all of the cool benefits I've received from my carrier in the past few years are a direct result of something T-Mobile started for their customers. :cool:

*UPDATE* A public relations manager from Verizon contacted us today to give their side of the story. This is what the company had to say:



Personally, I think that a company with over $130 billion in revenue in 2015 could have easily donated the entire cost of the bill to the volunteer fire department. It would have been a tax write off and great publicity (the kind you can't buy for $73K). Instead, John Legere was able to seize the opportunity and Verizon has egg on its face. :(
The PR manager from Verizon essentially said the same thing (possibly verbatim) in the article posted yesterday.
It may be good PR to just eat the cost, but it doesn't sound like they're gouging the fire department.
 
Verizon is in the right, and they should still foot the bill for the damn project. There are so many positive ways they could spin this that would bring them more value than the 75k they are losing.
 
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