T-Mobile has been rolling out phases of its "UnCarrier" initiative designed to shake up the way its competitors accept new customers into their service contracts. Thanks to some of the company's latest strategies, Sprint, Verizon and AT&T have had to compromise their own strategies in order to play catch-up.
According to ReadWrite, operation UnCarrier entered its fourth phase on Wednesday as T-Mobile announced it will pay individuals and families who are willing to dump AT&T, Verizon or Sprint for its service. The company will pay up to $300 for their old devices. It will also pay off customer's final bills and early termination fees from their previous carriers, up to $350 per line, in the form of a prepaid MasterCard.
"We're giving families a 'Get Out of Jail Free Card'," John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile, said in a press release. "Carriers have counted on staggered contract end dates and hefty early termination fees to keep people bound to them forever. But now families can switch to T-Mobile without paying a single red cent to leave them behind."
The T-Mobile program began when Legere assumed the management throne in 2012. T-Mobile has become the upstart of the U.S. telecommunications scene, killing off the traditional two-year contract last March and introducing the ability to upgrade twice a year last July. Finally, the third step in T-Mobile's UnCarrier plan was to eliminate roaming fees in October.
Legere said that more potential switches are considering T-Mobile than any other wireless company. The company has claimed more than 1.6 million new customers this past quarter, which is a significant jump from having lost 32,000 customers during the same quarter last year.
While the moves have been great for T-Mobile, consumers are the real ones benefitting from T-Mobile's new strategies. After T-Mobile introduced its twice-a-year upgrade plan in July, AT&T and Verizon needed only one month to introduce and institute its own efforts with Next and Edge programs.
AT&T is now offering $200 credit per phone line for people switching from T-Mobile to AT&T's service. They are also offering a chance to trade in their smartphones for up to $250. AT&T and Verizon's deals aren't necessarily better than T-Mobile, but the goal that the company set out with its UnCarrier program has been achieved, it has gotten more customers and has forced its competitors to change things up.
Tell us what you think, is T-Mobile looking more appealing to you these days? Comment and share your thoughts with us below.
