Congratulations to Time Warner Cable for successfully outraging a large chunk of their customers. This news story outlines the fact that the company is going to change their billing structure for broadband Internet usage. Customers used to pay a flat rate for broadband usage, but the new structure will allow Time Warner to have several billing tiers based on the amount individuals use the Internet.
[Insert really ticked off customers]
Time Warner simply went about this all wrong. First, no one is going to like the possibility that their cable bill, which many feel is already overpriced, could potentially be going up. Second, they have allowed customers to speculate that their bill is going to go up.
What could the company have done different to slow down the negative word-of-mouth that is spreading like wildfire or to clear up confusion?
They should have started informing customers of their Internet usage several months back. This education would have allowed customers to have a better understanding of how the new structure would affect their monthly charges. By not doing so Time Warner has allowed customers to assume the worst, which is that their bill will increase.
Never underestimate the importance of educating your customers.
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