Fear is the tool in new AT&T campaign to make sure you have a landline
Filed under: Technology, Buyer Beware
Better not ditch that landline -- or if you already have, get a new one before it's too late!That's the scary message courtesy of AT&T, coincidentally one of the most dominant players in the wireless market. What the? They're not suggesting you dump your cell phone.
Like arch rival Verizon, the telecom giant also dominates the land-line market. And as wireless has become a more reliable option -- and the obvious choice if you going to have one or the other -- the number of wireless-only households has grown.
Nearly one in five U.S. homes don't have a landline, making what was once a given into a growth opportunity. So, how do you convince someone who has decided they don't need a home phone anymore to get one? Fear, of course.
Here are some reasons from AT&T why you need a landline:
- "Your security system needs to be hooked up to something." Translation: No home phone + no security system = home invasions and break-ins. Scary stuff.
- "When you need it most in an emergency, 911 responders can determine your exact location." Translation: Without that security system, you're going to need to call for help and your cell phone-based call for help is going to end up with the wrong police department or without your address on their screen. This is starting to add up.
- "You need a way to call your cell phone when you lose it." Translation: If you don't have a home phone and you misplace your cell (which you will do) you'll be paralyzed. There will be no way to call the police.
OK, so AT&T's not completely serious. There is some humor mixed with their scare tactics. They've got to do what they've got to do to grow their market and that's why they're headed in that direction. But, realistically, how many of those who chose for financial or other reasons to abandon their landlines didn't already know everything they're saying?
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
7-08-2009 @ 2:18PM
nitestalker said...
this article really doesn't present the public with the truth. when there is the loss of electricity for a number of days such as after a hurricane, tsunami, earthquake, etc, cell phones will not be usable as the towers will probably not be operational due to loss of electricity and the consumption of generator fuel. the only communications will probably be by landline as the phone company has their own power source in the lines to keep them operational. as one who has been there in a number of typhoons and hurricanes in the pacific, i always keep a landline in the house just for this reason. it has nothing to do with fear, it is a practical measure in case of emergency during a natural or manmade disaster. think about it. the writer of this article just doesn't do his research.
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7-08-2009 @ 3:05PM
Archie said...
Unfortunately, everytime there is a power outage here in Oklahoma even the land line phones go down - no electricity, no phones. The dips here (OG&E) have refused over and over again to bury the electric lines instead of having them above ground so every time there is an ice storm, a tornado or even high winds (in Oklahoma there are ALWAYS high winds) - the electric and the phone services go out. OG&E's reasoning behind NOT burying the electric cables? Too expensive....Gee, I guess paying millions upon millions of dollars everytime there is tornado damage, high wind damage, ice damage etc. is less costly? Yeah right. They just want to keep milking the consumer who has no other choice than to pay their exhorbitant rates and put up with their lousy service.
7-08-2009 @ 3:18PM
Gonzobot said...
Landline or no, 95% of the people in power outages are SOL anyways, because they have a fancy cordless phone that still requires AC power to operate. Stupid really, what they need to be selling is a landline-based cellular repeater, such that when you're in range of your home (maybe 300 feet?) it acts as your personal tower, and uses your landline/Internet for connectivity. It could provide the address information, because the base doesn't roam. I bet it would solve lots of the problems with iPhones swamping their inferior unmaintained minuscule networks, too.
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7-08-2009 @ 3:51PM
pete swarr said...
I have essentially no cell service at my house. landline is the only way to go at that location. Verizon (0 bars) T-mobile (1 bar) Nextel (1 bar) ATT (0 bars) People who have each of these services have said the same thing - I can't believe I don't have service. I am 1.5 miles east of I-95 in Md at an elevation of 480 feet at the top of the hill.
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7-08-2009 @ 5:06PM
Karin Buchanan said...
I just spent a week without my internet. I'm just glad I didn't have internet based phones. I'll be keeping my landline.
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7-12-2009 @ 6:31PM
Damien said...
And if you are even a short distance outside your home, your land line won't help you one little bit.
I prefer to rely on my very trusty Tracfone for all emergencies. I make sure the battery always have a good charge on it and it has been a saving grace several times while I was on the road.
For months before I dropped my land line, the only times I used it was to answer calls from telemarketers.
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