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Alex Dudley: Trials Will Be “Abandoned” If They Meet Too Much Hostility

Phillip Dampier April 16, 2009 Issues 26 Comments

I don’t have time to expand on this at the moment, but my only question is, what more hostility do you need to understand customers don’t want usage caps and they should be abandoned.  Do customers have to self-immolate in front of the Road Runner kiosk at the cable store?  Seriously.  How many signatures, phone calls, cancellations, and protests will it take?  Give us a number and we’ll be happy to oblige.

Thanks to Meghan, and others, for sending this along.  Go read it, leave comments there and leave comments here.  I will be back later this afternoon.

“Some of the population for whom the Internet buffet has been a very filling proposition are concerned,” he said. “We could charge everyone more, or create a plan that charges more to those who use more. The concept of paying for consumption is fair.”

Both Time Warner and AT&T stressed that the trials, though they have no announced end dates, are just that: experiments. They’ll be modified, or even abandoned, if they meet too much hostility, Dudley said.

“Overwhelmingly we’ve seen positive results, but we’ll see what happens. Presumably we’d retract it if there were enough outrage over it,” he said.

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vcheng
vcheng
14 years ago

What I find truly amazing is the striking similarities between the leadership of Time Warner and the soon to be bankrupt General Motors.

Both lost touch with their customers, and insisted on producing products and services that nobody wanted, just for short terms gains, which turned out to be more imagined than real.

We will soon see how the story ends for GM, and if TW doesn’t listen, then we will soon see how they will fare too.

T.M.
T.M.
14 years ago
Reply to  vcheng

Both certainly seem to have fallen into the “Let’s tell the customer what they will get, how much they will pay and they’ll like it.” way of thinking/doing business. Good businesses respond to customers in ways that are beneficial to both. TWC’s current response is not beneficial to anyone except TWC.

Rob
Rob
14 years ago

“Overwhelmingly we’ve seen positive results”? In ONE small test market? Where the caps were only placed on NEW customers and those who renewed with price locks?

What a freakin’ joke…

Diane
Diane
14 years ago

Just another pull the wool over over the masses eyes remark. Does anyone believe anything coming out of Alex Dudley’s mouth or Landel Hobbs? Give me a break!

Paul Reed
Paul Reed
14 years ago

This post really needed the picture of the Iraqi security general saying “there is nothing wrong here”.

TWC Dinosaur
14 years ago

It’s as if Google started charging $0.25 per search. Keep shooting yourself in the foot, TWC! I feel so sorry your executives are so incompetent. TWC is going to be the next corporate dinosaur. It’s gonna go a lil bit like this: Lehman, Bear Stearns, AIG, Washington Mutual, and….. TWC! And they’re not even a bank! Imbeciles.

Sherri Briges
14 years ago

Landel Hobbs = former Iraqi Information Minister

Such a terrible liar. TWC can definitely hire much better quality spinmeisters. Fire Landel Hobbs and hire someone who can lie and make me wonder whether they’re lying or not. Everything this douchebag says I immediately recognize as a lie.

Bradley K.
Bradley K.
14 years ago

How much more hostile can we possibly be? Do we need to start protests outside of Alex Dudley’s house? Post his address and I’m in.

cklapka
cklapka
14 years ago

Hey there is a protest march/rally this Saturday in downtown Rochester, maybe that will be “enough outrage”. If you can make it see this URL :http://futureunderground.net/
The information for the rally is at the bottom of the page.

Christine
Christine
14 years ago
Reply to  cklapka

I’d sincerely love to go, but unfortunately, I’m volunteering. It’s one of those things I cannot get out of, unless sick at death’s door. 🙁 I’ll be more than happy to sign the petition, though. 🙂

George
George
14 years ago

The overwhemingly positive thing they have gained from these tests are the dollar signs in their eyes and more money they are taking from each and every customer.

Sunflower
Sunflower
14 years ago
Reply to  George

Exactly. That’s what a company always means when they say they saw positive results.

I want to see/hear what the people of Beaumont have had to say. (both good & bad, or don’t care) I’ll bet it’ll be a lot of complaining.

gqcarrick
gqcarrick
14 years ago
Reply to  Sunflower

Exactly. Beaumont is a totally different demographic from what I have heard. Its mostly retirees, not young families who will blow through bandwidth caps in no time.

Michael
14 years ago

Fight the Power!! Join the protest let our voices be heard THIS Saturday!! Of course unless its pouring out!!

Andrew Soroka
Andrew Soroka
14 years ago
Reply to  Michael

Why would we have to pay more money if we do not go to a tier plan? Was 4 billion last year in profit not enough for being an ISP? Oh poor TimeWarner!!! Boo Hoo!!! At the rates you are charging now, you profit margin is what other companies dream about. It amazes me the FTC has not investigated this “trial” under the Sherman Anti-trust Act. TW has targeted an area where they have a monopoly on services. TimeWarner has the right to protect its interests but when it’s business practices directly sabotage its competition, ie Netflix, iTunes, Hulu.com, streaming… Read more »

Joe
Joe
14 years ago

“They’ll be modified, or even abandoned, if they meet TOO much hostility, Dudley said.” So basically they’ve admitted that they know this is going to piss off their customers and that only bothers them when too many customers get pissed off and start getting organized like stopthecap.com. Having the balls to try this is bad enough but to come out with such a blatant FU towards their customers is really quite astounding. Has America really fallen so far as that? I was going to wait till the caps hit my area before I dropped them but for them to treat… Read more »

austin#7889
austin#7889
14 years ago

Does anyone know how much resistance were there when they started this crap in Beaumont? I didn’t hear about this in Austin until I read it from Austin-American-Statesman. Do people in Beaumont simply don’t use internet at all or they are just docile and easily manipulated or may be they just moved out from the city? Wasn’t Beaumont good enough for trials? What’s the need to expand the trials? Is it working damn well there or it wasn’t working that they need to try it out on different cities? How many more trials we need??? I drive pass TWC office… Read more »

Megan
Megan
14 years ago

There may be good news after all… apparently they’re shelving their plans.
http://www.whec.com/article/stories/s882395.shtml?cat=565

austin#7889
austin#7889
14 years ago
Reply to  Megan

Great news. Though I’d prefer if they trash or incinerate or nuke or whatever it needs to make sure this never happen again.
For me, shelving means they may do it again in the future.

Megan
Megan
14 years ago
Reply to  austin#7889

It may only be Rochester, though. The only two sources I’ve seen so far (the other is http://www.13wham.com/news/local/story/Time-Warner-Cable-Drops-New-Internet-Price-Plan/GAVd2LxnpE6vGyRySlvCOw.cspx) seem to imply that.

Mazakman
Mazakman
14 years ago
Reply to  Megan

Bravo ! But I still may switch to Earthlink out of spite and for their 6 month offer…

Paul Reed
Paul Reed
14 years ago

CUBS WIN!! CUBS WIN!!!!!!

Paul Reed
Paul Reed
14 years ago

I’m still switching to Earthlink…

Baxter
Baxter
14 years ago

Here Time Warner… I’ll do some thinking for your CEO… The way you should have done this is to increase the monthly rates (uncapped), and ONLY THEN, after several rate hikes, do you then switch to caps. You’re so stupid. DAMN IT. Example: January…$54.90 …+3 to all plans April……..$57.90 ….+5 to all plans August….$63.90 ….+4 to all plans THEN you say prices have gotten so high, we shouldn’t be charging those who use less so much AND THEN YOU INTRODUCE THE MAGIC CAPS. NO way are people going to agree to a hamburger for $3 when they were getting a… Read more »

jessica
jessica
14 years ago

“Overwhelmingly we’ve seen positive results” – should that read “Overwhelmingly we’ve seen positive profits”?

I’d be happy to share a lot of hostility. How much does Mr. Dudley want?

Vish
Vish
14 years ago

The more I read about this, the more it sounds like TWC is just frustrated with their loss of revenue on cable tv services since more users are downloading movies and watching videos online. Why does this company refuse to innovate and compete? – Losing revenue from people unsubscribing to cable? Offer packages with lower prices where people can pick and choose channels they want rather than having them pay upwards of $60 and having a bunch of channels they’re never going to watch. – People downloading and streaming movies from Netflix? Offer services that are similar and just as… Read more »

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