Just because they say it

I get more complaints about the bad customer service provided by cell phone companies than just about any other sort of organization. It's the combination of broken promises, bad attitude and the perception that the service is so important they better be good.

So why am I dubious about Voce? (thanks, Cory). The deal: they charge you a lot and they give you a lot. Human beings who care. Phones that get answered. Free loaner phones for travel... you get the idea.

Given the millions of people who are already spending more than $2000 a year for a cell phone, you'd think there'd be a line out the door for a service like this one. But my guess is it'll be a slow growth curve. Because we don't trust them.

We're waiting for the bait and switch, for the service to fade out, to be stuck, once again with a company that doesn't care. It might very well be that this time it's different.

The challenge to a marketer that chooses to enter a market with a miserable history of customer abuse is obvious: you can claim to be better, to be unevil, benevolent even, but people just aren't prepared to believe you. It doesn't fit the consumer's worldview. So, you could be the honest politician or the quality contractor or the direct marketer with no fine print and no spam, but you better be prepared to prove it over and over before we believe you.