DSL

Editorial: NorthPoint and Rhythms owe the Phoenix Customers

Consumers are getting shafted in the MegaPath merger, and Megapath's reputation for good customer service may suffer.

by Dave Burstein
DSL Prime
[Nov. 15, 2000]

MegaPath has worked hard to earn a reputation for reliable service; we hope they don't lose that reputation because of poor, email-only support for the thousands of residential customers acquired in the Phoenix deal.

Brian Ploskina's story in Interactive Week quotes Megapath's co-founder Gary Thomas as saying, "if residential customers aren't happy, they can leave anytime they like."

Prefacing his words with a warning about his bluntness, Thomas said if customers e-mail the company, MegaPath will let them break their contracts without penalty.

Get into the rhythm
This is nonsense. It can take months to get a new DSL line, and DLECs by policy will not switch the existing line without approval of the current ISP. MegaPath had no ethical way to acquire Phoenix without accepting its liabilities and existing contracts; NorthPoint and Rhythms should have ensured their endusers would be taken care of in the switchover.

If MegaPath didn't have enough support people to take over, they could have kept onboard some of the Phoenix staff for the transition. But MegaPath is a small outfit with limited resources; if they can't keep customers happy, NorthPoint and Rhythms should step in. It's easy to offer the customers a choice of several ISPs accepting residential customers, and switch them over. Rhythms partner Telocity, for example, is aggressively seeking new subscribers, as is Earthlink.

The DLECs can sweeten the pot by giving the acquiring providers preference on referrals or other accommodations that cost little; they should step in immediately.

Conclusion
MegaPath owes customers an immediate email with clear explanations and reasonable choices; Megapath should agree to honor existing contracts or make it easy to switch. If Megapath does this, it'll probably wind up keeping both the customers and the hard-earned reputation.

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—End

 

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