AT&T sorry it warned customer who e-mailed CEO
(Source: Yahoo News)
Love him or hate him, you have to give Apple chief exec Steve Jobs credit for
responding to all those e-mails from everyday Joes. Apparently, however, the
CEO of AT&T Wireless doesn't share Jobs' enthusiasm for e-mail from random
customers, and now AT&T corporate has been forced to apologize after
threatening to send a "cease-and-desist" letter to a subscriber who'd send a couple
of innocuous messages to the carrier's big cheese.
TechCrunch reports that AT&T has, indeed, issued a bowing, scraping apology
to a certain Giorgio G. (who has a Tumblr site you can check out), saying in a statement that "this is not the way we want to treat our customers" and that "AT&T strives to provide our customers
with easy ways to have questions answered."
The trouble started after Giorgio sent a pair of e-mails to AT&T Wireless CEO
Randall Stephenson รข€” one asking if his eligibility date for a
discounted phone upgrade could be moved up in time for the expected next-generation
iPhone (he currently owns the iPhone 3G), and another a week later, complaining
about AT&T's recent move to
phase out its unlimited data plans.
In response to Giorgio's second e-mail, however, he got a voicemail from a staffer
on AT&T's "executive response team," first thanking him "for the feedback" and
then issuing a warning: "If you continue to send e-mails to Randall Stephenson, a
cease-and-desist letter may be sent to you."
Naturally, the blogosphere erupted after Giorgio
posted the voicemail on his Tumblr blog, with bloggers drawing plenty of unkind
comparisons between Steve Jobs' willingness to engage with ordinary folk and
Stephenson's (or his executive response team's, at any rate) tin ear for public
relations.
In any case, someone in AT&T's executive group wised up and issued the apology,
pronto (and yes, the word "apologizing" actually appears in the statement), and
Giorgio reports on his blog that a senior VP for the carrier called him personally to
"sincerely" apologize for the PR blunder. Giorgio writes that he "accepted her
apology" but later notes that "I really wish that Mr. Stephenson would have made
the phone call."
Meanwhile, it looks like AT&T may lose at least one subscriber in the wake of
the snafu. You guessed it: Giorgio, who appears to have his eyes set on the Evo
4G.
responding to all those e-mails from everyday Joes. Apparently, however, the
CEO of AT&T Wireless doesn't share Jobs' enthusiasm for e-mail from random
customers, and now AT&T corporate has been forced to apologize after
threatening to send a "cease-and-desist" letter to a subscriber who'd send a couple
of innocuous messages to the carrier's big cheese.
TechCrunch reports that AT&T has, indeed, issued a bowing, scraping apology
to a certain Giorgio G. (who has a Tumblr site you can check out), saying in a statement that "this is not the way we want to treat our customers" and that "AT&T strives to provide our customers
with easy ways to have questions answered."
The trouble started after Giorgio sent a pair of e-mails to AT&T Wireless CEO
Randall Stephenson รข€” one asking if his eligibility date for a
discounted phone upgrade could be moved up in time for the expected next-generation
iPhone (he currently owns the iPhone 3G), and another a week later, complaining
about AT&T's recent move to
phase out its unlimited data plans.
In response to Giorgio's second e-mail, however, he got a voicemail from a staffer
on AT&T's "executive response team," first thanking him "for the feedback" and
then issuing a warning: "If you continue to send e-mails to Randall Stephenson, a
cease-and-desist letter may be sent to you."
Naturally, the blogosphere erupted after Giorgio
posted the voicemail on his Tumblr blog, with bloggers drawing plenty of unkind
comparisons between Steve Jobs' willingness to engage with ordinary folk and
Stephenson's (or his executive response team's, at any rate) tin ear for public
relations.
In any case, someone in AT&T's executive group wised up and issued the apology,
pronto (and yes, the word "apologizing" actually appears in the statement), and
Giorgio reports on his blog that a senior VP for the carrier called him personally to
"sincerely" apologize for the PR blunder. Giorgio writes that he "accepted her
apology" but later notes that "I really wish that Mr. Stephenson would have made
the phone call."
Meanwhile, it looks like AT&T may lose at least one subscriber in the wake of
the snafu. You guessed it: Giorgio, who appears to have his eyes set on the Evo
4G.