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Droid X Care Packages!?

If I needed to cut costs I could, that doesn't matter. I let my daughter have a droid because I can easily afford it and she is smart enough to have it (she already passed a college entrance exam).

Maybe 5-10 years ago it would not have mattered, companies need to now understand that everyone pretty much knows everything they do. If they reward some people and not others they have to be prepared to answer why HONESTLY. Really was 3 emails and one phone call that much effort. 2 min per email and about 7 min on the phone.
So would you be just as upset if Pizza Hut offered a promotion only in California, and you didn't get your coupon. Or if Ford offered a larger rebate for residents of Florida and not your state? If you haven't figured it out already, that happens everywhere, every day, in every industry. Should I be pissed that a resident of Texas is getting a better deal on a new SUV?

Go to "brand X" website, look for promotions and usually first thing that pops up is "enter your zip code". They do that because of targeting marketing. It's what makes sense to the companies doing the promotion, I can guarantee that it's not just some executive's whim.

So on point, I have no idea why it appears that the NE was targeted, but to be quite honest, I can speculate that it makes sense to target the largest population density area in the country. Why? Let's take a look at what's in the package.

Tee shirt. (Signature item, but only costs Verizon ~$1 each in bulk)
Sticker. (postage cost more than these stickers)
One 25% off coupon for already overpriced accessories. (Verizon win)
Four $25 off coupons to give to your friends if they switch to Droid phones. (Winna Winna Chikin Dinna).

Let's face it, it's a huge marketing promotion who's goal is to show off your tee shirt (free Verizon advertising), mention to your friends how cool Verizon is and you have $25 off coupons and get subscribers to either leave thier current carriers or upgrade thier plans with lucrative data plans. Now if I was an executive (and budgets were limited as they always are), I would target the demographic and area that would seem most likely to generate success. Let's see, early adopters are enthusiasts who love to talk about thier new purchase, and the northeast yeilds a higher population density (translate to: customers know more friends that can give the coupons out too).

If enough coupons are cashed in, you can bet this sort of marketing will become standard. If not, well then they just saved quite a bit of money by not sending out tee shirts to the entire country.

As for your "poor" customer service, sounds like they treated you quite fairly (or better than you should have been). You got an early upgrade on a phone that's not even a year old on a 2 year contract.

And your analogy is pretty poor about the discounts in line. More like you got a great product at a price you were happy with, and only then later did you find out on the internet that someone across the country also got a whizbang freebe with thier deal and now your upset.
 
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So would you be just as upset if Pizza Hut offered a promotion only in California, and you didn't get your coupon. Or if Ford offered a larger rebate for residents of Florida and not your state? If you haven't figured it out already, that happens everywhere, every day, in every industry. Should I be pissed that a resident of Texas is getting a better deal on a new SUV?

Go to "brand X" website, look for promotions and usually first thing that pops up is "enter your zip code". They do that because of targeting marketing. It's what makes sense to the companies doing the promotion, I can guarantee that it's not just some executive's whim.

So on point, I have no idea why it appears that the NE was targeted, but to be quite honest, I can speculate that it makes sense to target the largest population density area in the country. Why? Let's take a look at what's in the package.

Tee shirt. (Signature item, but only costs Verizon ~$1 each in bulk)
Sticker. (postage cost more than these stickers)
One 25% off coupon for already overpriced accessories. (Verizon win)
Four $25 off coupons to give to your friends if they switch to Droid phones. (Winna Winna Chikin Dinna).

Let's face it, it's a huge marketing promotion who's goal is to show off your tee shirt (free Verizon advertising), mention to your friends how cool Verizon is and you have $25 off coupons and get subscribers to either leave thier current carriers or upgrade thier plans with lucrative data plans. Now if I was an executive (and budgets were limited as they always are), I would target the demographic and area that would seem most likely to generate success. Let's see, early adopters are enthusiasts who love to talk about thier new purchase, and the northeast yeilds a higher population density (translate to: customers know more friends that can give the coupons out too).

If enough coupons are cashed in, you can bet this sort of marketing will become standard. If not, well then they just saved quite a bit of money by not sending out tee shirts to the entire country.

As for your "poor" customer service, sounds like they treated you quite fairly (or better than you should have been). You got an early upgrade on a phone that's not even a year old on a 2 year contract.

And your analogy is pretty poor about the discounts in line. More like you got a great product at a price you were happy with, and only then later did you find out on the internet that someone across the country also got a whizbang freebe with thier deal and now your upset.

Great points. It always amazes me when people complain about free stuff.
 
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Since the forum crash wiped out my post on this thread, I'll say it again.

I'm a new subscriber, living in upstate New York, who ordered on the phone from a Verizon rep. I got my goody package on August 10th or 11th. At 5'10" and 160lbs, the XL shirt is going to look comic on me. I wish they had smaller sizes, but I'm not complaining.

I think it's a nice piece of PR for Verizon but it could backfire if they don't cover the rest of the country and not just target the North East.
 
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Great points. It always amazes me when people complain about free stuff.


It isn't complaining about free stuff. The point that everyone who hasn't received one and has called or emailed about it is simple. We paid the same and in some cases more of those that did so why are they so special?

The example of a coupon in California for Pizza hut is horrible. Everyone knows that coupons like that are specifically based off of each city and that isn't a big deal. The point is Verizon has "Care Packages" for some that bought the X, but those of us who are also loyal customers and spent our hard earned money are just left behind? Why? We got the same exact device as you did. Why doesn't Verizon "Thank" me? That is the point here.

Plus it is free advertisement for Verizon to send out shirts to everyone who bought an X anyway or any Droid for that matter. Most of us would wear them and they would have walking billboards supporting their products everywhere.
 
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It isn't complaining about free stuff. The point that everyone who hasn't received one and has called or emailed about it is simple. We paid the same and in some cases more of those that did so why are they so special?

The example of a coupon in California for Pizza hut is horrible. Everyone knows that coupons like that are specifically based off of each city and that isn't a big deal. The point is Verizon has "Care Packages" for some that bought the X, but those of us who are also loyal customers and spent our hard earned money are just left behind? Why? We got the same exact device as you did. Why doesn't Verizon "Thank" me? That is the point here.

Plus it is free advertisement for Verizon to send out shirts to everyone who bought an X anyway or any Droid for that matter. Most of us would wear them and they would have walking billboards supporting their products everywhere.

+1, totally agree
 
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It isn't complaining about free stuff. The point that everyone who hasn't received one and has called or emailed about it is simple. We paid the same and in some cases more of those that did so why are they so special?

The example of a coupon in California for Pizza hut is horrible. Everyone knows that coupons like that are specifically based off of each city and that isn't a big deal. The point is Verizon has "Care Packages" for some that bought the X, but those of us who are also loyal customers and spent our hard earned money are just left behind? Why? We got the same exact device as you did. Why doesn't Verizon "Thank" me? That is the point here.

Plus it is free advertisement for Verizon to send out shirts to everyone who bought an X anyway or any Droid for that matter. Most of us would wear them and they would have walking billboards supporting their products everywhere.
So the pizza in California is different than the pizza in North Carolina? Why should one city/state/area get a discount? Please elaborate why you think that is fair for someone in California to get a discount on thier pizza, and how you rationalize that it is now unfair for residents of a particular area to get a free promotional gift vs other areas. We're talking about a measly promotional item here, care to raise the stakes and talk about vehicle regional promotions that add up into the thousands based on where you live. You can't pick and choose your arguments, it's either all unfair, or it's all fair.

I believe it's fair. A company does what is in it's best interest, not it's customers. Usually those are aligned (unless you're Apple who doesnt GAF), since customer satisfaction is usually in it's best interest. Not always the case since giving away free Driods would be a customer service win but a money loss, and in the end it's all about profit.

I have no idea what's going on at Verizon, I would love to think they had the money to invest this as a national promotion, but I'm also not naive enough to believe that is the case. Marketing departments have budgets and only success increases those budgets.

Why don't they thank you? How do you know they won't. Who knows, maybe residents of the SW (for example) are all going to get free docks in a separate regional promotion. I'd rather have that than a tee shirt, yet won't be complaining if another region gets something I'm not eligible for.
 
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Great points. It always amazes me when people complain about free stuff.
Reminds me a long time ago when working at a company after a management change. The new owner offered everyone 4 additional floating holidays, three were floating, and one was your birthday. They only asked you take that one sometime around your birthday. You could move it to a Monday or Friday to make a 3 day weekend, for example.

You wouldn't believe the amount of complaining from people. "I should be able to take it off whenever I want", blah blah blah.......

I mean, c'mon, you got 4 extra days off and you are now complaining that one of them you can't truely float. :mad:

End result, owner didn't like employee attitudes and cancelled the 4th day off.
 
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I will just say this... if your biggest concern in your day is weather or not you get a "special package" from a company WHO ALREADY SOLD YOU THE PHONE AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE (granted I know this isnt the situation with all of you, but most of us used upgrades to get these phones) and who you pay FOR THEIR SERVICE then I envy you. honestly... I wish my biggest issue in my day was if I got some cheap ass promo or not. I mean honestly... dont you have something better to b*tch about? and to the guy who spends $350.... get off your damn high horse! you dont DESERVE crap! I pay more then half that for 2 lines, do you see me complaining about it? NO. Know why? because I'm willing to spend that kind of money for a reliable SERVICE and a good device! and I dont exactly have the "luxury" you have of "oh well the money isnt really an issue to me" type attitude you have, but guess what, I still fork the cash out every month to have good service. You are no more special then any other person here and I dont care how many lines you have or how much you pay a month...
Im sorry to those I've offended, I just cant stand that etitlement attitude people have these days, it just makes me absolutly sick
/rant
 
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So the pizza in California is different than the pizza in North Carolina? Why should one city/state/area get a discount? Please elaborate why you think that is fair for someone in California to get a discount on thier pizza, and how you rationalize that it is now unfair for residents of a particular area to get a free promotional gift vs other areas. We're talking about a measly promotional item here, care to raise the stakes and talk about vehicle regional promotions that add up into the thousands based on where you live. You can't pick and choose your arguments, it's either all unfair, or it's all fair.

I believe it's fair. A company does what is in it's best interest, not it's customers. Usually those are aligned (unless you're Apple who doesnt GAF), since customer satisfaction is usually in it's best interest. Not always the case since giving away free Driods would be a customer service win but a money loss, and in the end it's all about profit.

I have no idea what's going on at Verizon, I would love to think they had the money to invest this as a national promotion, but I'm also not naive enough to believe that is the case. Marketing departments have budgets and only success increases those budgets.

Why don't they thank you? How do you know they won't. Who knows, maybe residents of the SW (for example) are all going to get free docks in a separate regional promotion. I'd rather have that than a tee shirt, yet won't be complaining if another region gets something I'm not eligible for.

Umm are you slow? Most things like coupons go off the city based franchise. Yes it is still Pizza Hut but different people own each one. In my email Verizon said it was for customers that ordered directly from Verizon Wireless. Ok well first there are conflicting reports if that is the case. Second in a case like mine I still paid the same price for the phone as Joe Blow did from Verizon so why does Verizon sell them at 3rd party places such as Best Buy and Wal-Mart and not just keep all the devices made so people can just buy them all from Verizon and not have to worry about being sold out?

Also you people are just so uptight. It doesn't hurt to email or to ask about the care package. It isn't a feeling of entitlement than it is of a little bit jealousy and wanting to be appreciated liked Joe Blow when you did the same thing.

Like I said it is free advertisement for Verizon and the Droid. Also if they don't give them to everyone let people buy them, I even offered to buy one from Verizon but they don't offer that either. So I am not just looking for free stuff I just legitimately am a Droid Fan and I would be proud to sport the shirt. So get off your high horse of attacking people just because they are posting how they feel. IT’S A FREE COUNTRY.
 
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I will just say this... if your biggest concern in your day is weather or not you get a "special package" from a company WHO ALREADY SOLD YOU THE PHONE AT A DISCOUNTED PRICE (granted I know this isnt the situation with all of you, but most of us used upgrades to get these phones) and who you pay FOR THEIR SERVICE then I envy you. honestly... I wish my biggest issue in my day was if I got some cheap ass promo or not. I mean honestly... dont you have something better to b*tch about? and to the guy who spends $350.... get off your damn high horse! you dont DESERVE crap! I pay more then half that for 2 lines, do you see me complaining about it? NO. Know why? because I'm willing to spend that kind of money for a reliable SERVICE and a good device! and I dont exactly have the "luxury" you have of "oh well the money isnt really an issue to me" type attitude you have, but guess what, I still fork the cash out every month to have good service. You are no more special then any other person here and I dont care how many lines you have or how much you pay a month...
Im sorry to those I've offended, I just cant stand that etitlement attitude people have these days, it just makes me absolutly sick
/rant


Umm what does that mean? And I believe you are the one on a high horse. Yes Verizon should take care of all their customers but customers that bring them more income should get the goodies plain and simple.
 
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Umm what does that mean? And I believe you are the one on a high horse. Yes Verizon should take care of all their customers but customers that bring them more income should get the goodies plain and simple.

what does it mean? maybe your the slow one then? I thought it was pretty self explanitory... I am making the point that I pay more then half of what the other guy does for less phones then he does and I dont feel ENTITLED to anything... theres no high horse when I am not BIT*HING about how much I pay. I have 0 complaints about my verizon bills cost. because I know I'm paying for good service. If I was upset about the money then I'd go to someone like virgin mobile or cricket, and have sh*tty service... its really not a hard concept there... just sayin ;)
 
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what does it mean? maybe your the slow one then? I thought it was pretty self explanitory... I am making the point that I pay more then half of what the other guy does for less phones then he does and I dont feel ENTITLED to anything... theres no high horse when I am not BIT*HING about how much I pay. I have 0 complaints about my verizon bills cost. because I know I'm paying for good service. If I was upset about the money then I'd go to someone like virgin mobile or cricket, and have sh*tty service... its really not a hard concept there... just sayin ;)

That makes no sense.."You pay more than half of what the other guy pays"? Ok so he said he pays 350 so you a little over 175? Thats what you are saying..YOU PAY MORE THAN HALF OF WHAT HE PAYS. Half of 350 would be 175 so you pay a little more than that so what you pay 180?
 
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That makes no sense.."You pay more than half of what the other guy pays"? Ok so he said he pays 350 so you a little over 175? Thats what you are saying..YOU PAY MORE THAN HALF OF WHAT HE PAYS. Half of 350 would be 175 so you pay a little more than that so what you pay 180?

nope, closer to $215
my point is, who cares what I or anyone else pays... just because he pays such and such amount doesnt mean he is entitled to crap. just cause I pay such and such amount doesnt mean I'm entitled to crap. I pay for a service, not so I can bitch that I didnt get a free goodie bag.
 
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what does it mean? maybe your the slow one then? I thought it was pretty self explanitory... I am making the point that I pay more then half of what the other guy does for less phones then he does and I dont feel ENTITLED to anything... theres no high horse when I am not BIT*HING about how much I pay. I have 0 complaints about my verizon bills cost. because I know I'm paying for good service. If I was upset about the money then I'd go to someone like virgin mobile or cricket, and have sh*tty service... its really not a hard concept there... just sayin ;)

I have never complained about how much I spend. It is my choice to have 4 smart phones including 1 for my 8 year old daughter, 1 for my roommate, and 1 dumb phone for my mother in law. I choose to spend that much because I can. All I was saying is that if Verizon is going to "thank" people for buying their products and services don't you think that they should "thank" the customers that pay them the most for their service? I simply asked about the package when I was emailing them about a completely unrelated issue and when the answer I got was nothing more than "sorry, you are not getting one" that is when I got offended.

We all pay more for Verizon service than other carriers because they have the best service. Just because they have the best service and charge a premium for it does not give them the right to neglect customer service and be rude to their customers. In the past month I have had several issues with customer service, 2 of which had to be escalated to management to fix. Other than that I have not had problems with Verizon and I do not foresee having any more, but I do not tolerate bad customer service at all, regardless of the issue.

If they had handled the situation a little more tactfully, I probably would have been ok with it. I am not going to post the emails I got from customer service because I just don't care to and it really doesn't matter.

If you are ok with bad customer service, fine. If you have never had bad customer service from Verizon, good for you. Not all CSRs are good though and maybe I just had a bad one I was dealing with but everything is resolved now.
 
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WOW! You all are amazing. Lots of free time I suppose. Who cares?

Did ANYONE here buy the phone because they knew they would get this "care package"??? NOPE! It was a surprise...let it be and move on.

Do you all know there was a "scavenger hunt" for a FREE DX via twitter right before release day? They had 21 of them across the US. Was that fair that all 50 states didn't get one, or that some states had 2? Some say no (and believe me, there was plenty of bitching about how they executed it) but the ones that didn't get one (myself included) moved on, bought one anyway, and are loving the phone. Would I have liked a better chance to win one? Yes. Would I like a free t-shirt? Eh, maybe. But am I bitter or pissed at VZW. No. I work for a big corp, and they do what they do in the interest of the shareholders. Deal with it.:rolleyes:
 
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I have never complained about how much I spend. It is my choice to have 4 smart phones including 1 for my 8 year old daughter, 1 for my roommate, and 1 dumb phone for my mother in law. I choose to spend that much because I can. All I was saying is that if Verizon is going to "thank" people for buying their products and services don't you think that they should "thank" the customers that pay them the most for their service? I simply asked about the package when I was emailing them about a completely unrelated issue and when the answer I got was nothing more than "sorry, you are not getting one" that is when I got offended.

Hey, I agree they handled it poorly... I said in earlier posts (that were deleted during the site being down) that the CSR's had no clue what the hell they were talking about because there were SEVERAL posted emails from CSRs saying different and conflicting things. and thats in general due to a lack of them informing their own employees the correct information.
My point was, I pay more "per line" then you are and I dont feel entitled to be "thanked" by them or anyone else for it. Again, I'm paying for their service. So that I don't have the dropped calls of AT&T and I dont have the spotty ass 3G and crappy signal I had with T-mobile. I'm willing to pay a small amount extra to have good reliable 3G coverage and dont feel that I need to be thanked for doing so any more then I already was by them DISCOUNTING THE PHONE SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS
 
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Umm are you slow? Most things like coupons go off the city based franchise.
Resorting to calling names are we?
The pizza analogy was just one of the millions of common examples that I could have stated. Yet I see you completely disregarded my example of automobile regional incentives. That's some real money, not just an order of free bread sticks when you order a large pie, or a free shirt. Those incentives are provided directly by the auto manufacturer (not their sales franchises) on identical hardware. A comparison that I see as quite apt.

Like I said it is free advertisement for Verizon and the Droid. Also if they don't give them to everyone let people buy them, I even offered to buy one from Verizon but they don't offer that either. So I am not just looking for free stuff I just legitimately am a Droid Fan and I would be proud to sport the shirt. So get off your high horse of attacking people just because they are posting how they feel. IT
 
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Complaining and fighting aside, maybe Verizon has a business reason to send these to the North East rather than everywhere else. Could the West, for example, have a very solid Verizon base while the NE tends to be more AT&T? If that's the case, Verizon may be trying to solidify customer relations with the NE through sending these care packages out.

I'm just speculating.
 
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Complaining and fighting aside, maybe Verizon has a business reason to send these to the North East rather than everywhere else. Could the West, for example, have a very solid Verizon base while the NE tends to be more AT&T? If that's the case, Verizon may be trying to solidify customer relations with the NE through sending these care packages out.

I'm just speculating.[/I agree with this 100% and beleive that this is probably the reason for the care packages. I am in GA and almost everyone i know has AT&T. They ran a special here to get the X for 120$ 2 weeks after release and half of the AT&T customers that i know switched. I beleive that promotions like this are for the better of one region not another where the customer base is larger.
 
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Couple questions for those who i have receieved a care package.....
the only thing i receieved 2 weeks ago was a letter from vzw telling me i can upgrade to the x....but of course i already upgraded way before....questions below....


1. Did you enter your information at www.droiddoes.com anytime before 7-15-10? (I did)

2. Did you have your phone shipped anywhere other than your home address? (I had mine shipped to my work addy)

3. Did you call VZW asking about the package? before you receieved it...or after you receieved it? what did they say?
 
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