John Legere, CEO of T-Mobile - Bending Iphone Response Priceless!!!

[ToroidalZeus]

I'm not sure how you figure that. If you get a new phone now subsidized, my understanding is that AT&T tack on what is it... $25 a month now.

If you switched to the new mobile share plans then yes but as I said, I am still grandfathered in on the old nationwide family plan.

As long as I keep buying new iPhones on contract each year and selling the old phones on craigslist with my corporate discount, AT&T has the best prices.

 

[Inframan]

im very shocked that a CEO of a company of that stature would be so vulgar on air.
I see T-mobile in a negative light now honestly.

Are you kidding me?? I WISH more CEO's talked like this and told you how it was instead of bulli*****ing you. This mans response is Epic. Kinda makes me want to switch to T-Mobile now..

 

[Zinthar]

Coverage.. coverage.. and coverage.

That's key to having a mobile smartphone.

I suspect Legere is very aware of that. A big part of getting the coverage that smaller carriers need to compete with AT&T and Verizon is acquiring that prized low-frequency spectrum at auction. The FCC is in charge of the auctions and can set rules that prevent one or more large carriers from buying up all of the lucrative spectrum.

One of the tactics that Legere has successfully used is educating the public (up to, say, casual tech enthusiasts) about the certain aspects of the wireless mobile industry that are far from transparent to most people in order to make the case for why it's in the best interests of consumers to not let the big two achieve a duopoly.

In turn, more consumers are likely to write to the FCC during comment periods and put pressure on them to restrict how much spectrum AT&T and Verizon can buy.

It's an elaborate PR game designed to gain more subscribers in the short-term, and more spectrum to build out the network in the long-term (and thus get even more subscribers). I support it because I think the ideal setup for a competitive US wireless industry is to have at least four large companies on roughly equal footing when it comes to spectrum ownership, and then force them to fiercely compete with one another over coverage, speed, and price.

That said, the situation now is much better than it was two years ago when AT&T and Verizon began killing unlimited data and consumers had little choice but to take it and pay up because T-Mobile & Sprint were such dismal options. Price and service quality in the industry at the moment, and in the foreseeable future, will be dictated by how successful T-Mobile & Sprint are at expanding coverage while keeping prices low.

Also, re: Legere's personality. He comes off publicly like a more abrasive version of Steve Jobs (although probably much less so privately). The guy is clearly brilliant (went to MIT and then Harvard Business School) and I could see him telling someone: "You're holding it wrong... because you're a ********** moron."

 

[TwoBayDude]

im very shocked that a CEO of a company of that stature would be so vulgar on air.
I see T-mobile in a negative light now honestly.

14th Century England called, they want you're idiotic morality back.

 

[mjb59463]

Legere can be credited for bringing T-Mobile out of the dump and has one of the most relentless and successful marketing campaigns ever seen in the mobile industry. Even if you think his conduct is unprofessional, his approaches to the industry issues have been innovative and they've delivered solid results. It also sounds like he has good intentions for T-Mobile going forward.

This panel has him speaking common sense about the 6+, and it's very refreshing to hear. Steve would basically have said the same thing, minus the swearing (I actually think it's refreshing to hear a CEO let loose and say what they're thinking)

 

[WilliamG]

If you switched to the new mobile share plans then yes but as I said, I am still grandfathered in on the old nationwide family plan.

As long as I keep buying new iPhones on contract each year and selling the old phones on craigslist with my corporate discount, AT&T has the best prices.

If you're buying a new phone on contract each year, it's still quite expensive, since you're breaking your contract, no? And that contract-break has gotten more expensive over the years, as I recall.

 

[Noble Actual]

im very shocked that a CEO of a company of that stature would be so vulgar on air.
I see T-mobile in a negative light now honestly.

Ok, go into your corner and cry more now.

 

[Zinthar]

If you're buying a new phone on contract each year, it's still quite expensive, since you're breaking your contract, no? And that contract-break has gotten more expensive over the years, as I recall.

He probably has multiple lines and uses them to buy the subsidized iPhone without breaking a contract, and then transfers it to his main line. I don't remember the details of the old AT&T nationwide family plans, but I think you'd just need one "dummy" line to pull this off so that one line comes off of contract each September. Then you sell the 1 year old iPhone to cover the cost of maintaining the dummy line.

This strategy doesn't usually work on newer plans because the line access fee for a smartphone is often in the $40 range, which would amount to $960 over 24 months, and with a $450 subsidy you'd need to sell the 1-yr old phone for more than $510 to make that worthwhile.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

If you're buying a new phone on contract each year, it's still quite expensive, since you're breaking your contract, no? And that contract-break has gotten more expensive over the years, as I recall.

I got 5 lines and I staggered them so every year 2 or 3 are up for renewal. iPhones have good resale value so I can always sell the 2-yr old iPhones for atleast 200. In the end I only have to pay tax each year for upgrades, maybe depends on how much I get for the old phones.

He probably has multiple lines and uses them to buy the subsidized iPhone without breaking a contract, and then transfers it to his main line. I don't remember the details of the old AT&T nationwide family plans, but I think you'd just need one "dummy" line to pull this off so that one line comes off of contract each September. Then you sell the 1 year old iPhone to cover the cost of maintaining the dummy line.

This strategy doesn't usually work on newer plans because the line access fee for a smartphone is often in the $40 range, which would amount to $960 over 24 months, and with a $450 subsidy you'd need to sell the 1-yr old phone for more than $510 to make that worthwhile.

Ya basically, except I pass down the 1-yr old phone and sell the 2-yr old models. The main reason is because after 2-yr I can unlock the device which raises the resale value. Generally speaking a base model iPhone 1-yr old locked only goes for around 300 bucks while a 2 yr old unlocked phone goes for atleast 200; so the depreciation it doesn't make sense selling it at 1 yr.

 

[Steve686]

He is the Mark Cuban of the mobile industry.

Very relatable guy.

 

[WilliamG]

He probably has multiple lines and uses them to buy the subsidized iPhone without breaking a contract, and then transfers it to his main line. I don't remember the details of the old AT&T nationwide family plans, but I think you'd just need one "dummy" line to pull this off so that one line comes off of contract each September. Then you sell the 1 year old iPhone to cover the cost of maintaining the dummy line.

This strategy doesn't usually work on newer plans because the line access fee for a smartphone is often in the $40 range, which would amount to $960 over 24 months, and with a $450 subsidy you'd need to sell the 1-yr old phone for more than $510 to make that worthwhile.

I got 5 lines and I staggered them so every year 2 or 3 are up for renewal. iPhones have good resale value so I can always sell the 2-yr old iPhones for atleast 200. In the end I only have to pay tax each year for upgrades, maybe depends on how much I get for the old phones.



Ya basically, except I pass down the 1-yr old phone and sell the 2-yr old models. The main reason is because after 2-yr I can unlock the device which raises the resale value. Generally speaking a base model iPhone 1-yr old locked only goes for around 300 bucks while a 2 yr old unlocked phone goes for atleast 200; so the depreciation it doesn't make sense selling it at 1 yr.

Makes sense. But remember, you're in the minority here.

 

[nateo200]

im very shocked that a CEO of a company of that stature would be so vulgar on air.
I see T-mobile in a negative light now honestly.

John Legere is a boss on a level no other CEO has the balls to admit. Who ever said CEO's need to act special? Hes refreshing, he understands his customers and most importantly he doesn't care what a CEO is supposed to act like...he's like that cool guy at a BBQ cooking the food that tells all these cool stories and everyone loves it...

 

[accountforit]

Wow. Someone looked at this guy and said "I want him as my CEO". Hilarious.

 

[Godmode]

What a great human being! He is showing character and not being a robotic ******* like 99.9% of ceos. Whoever complains about his language needs to seriously find the dalorean and travel back to 1950 to seek solice. This is the 21st century. It is merey language. If a word offends you then i reccomend you become a hermit because there are bigger problems on earth than a choice in words that arent even directly personal towards you

 

[Hal~9000]

His reaction to the bending Iphone is priceless! Here is the link....starts at 20:08. Warning some bad language....

http://youtu.be/8TPfpNgKlSE

Personally I love how Legere talks and wish all CEO's would let loose to be who they really are instead of those god awful politically correct suits with a stick up their ***. I'd trust him and Mark Cuban over pretty much any CEO's out there.

 

[itkindaworks]

He is the Mark Cuban of the mobile industry.

Very relatable guy.

I watched the whole thing and agree. If only T-mobile had better service in my area.

 

[iosuser]

He probably has multiple lines and uses them to buy the subsidized iPhone without breaking a contract, and then transfers it to his main line. I don't remember the details of the old AT&T nationwide family plans, but I think you'd just need one "dummy" line to pull this off so that one line comes off of contract each September. Then you sell the 1 year old iPhone to cover the cost of maintaining the dummy line.

This strategy doesn't usually work on newer plans because the line access fee for a smartphone is often in the $40 range, which would amount to $960 over 24 months, and with a $450 subsidy you'd need to sell the 1-yr old phone for more than $510 to make that worthwhile.

That is exactly what I do, twice a year Yes that means I can get two iPhones (or whatever I please) per year, at full subsidized price.

I have 5 lines with ATT, on the old family share plan. Two iPhones with unlimited data, and 3 feature phones (just going along with what ATT calls it ). My line has a contract end date the same year as one of the dumb phones, and the remaining two dumb phones the next year. When the dumb phone contract is up, I go to Best Buy and just tell them to do a cross upgrade onto my line. They know exactly what to do. Each of the dumb phone is $10/mo. You do the math. Don't assume people who sign 2yr contracts are suckers.

Yes I actually called ATT about this when I first thought of this "loophole", doing cross upgrade from a dumb phone without a data plan. They knew exactly what I was asking and told me I can absolutely do that.

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I watched the whole thing and agree. If only T-mobile had better service in my area.

Data speed with T-Mo around my house absolutely kicks ATT's butt. I tried my friend's T-Mo sim in my unlocked Sony phone. It was ten times faster than ATT, both with LTE service here. If I didn't have it so good with ATT's subsidy, I would switch to T-Mo in a heartbeat for their awesome $100 for 4 lines deal.

 

[Hal~9000]

That is exactly what I do, twice a year Yes that means I can get two iPhones (or whatever I please) per year, at full subsidized price.

Each of the dumb phone is $10/mo. You do the math. Don't assume people who sign 2yr contracts are suckers.

Sure, let's do the math then for most customers:

$200 upfront for 16GB iPhone 6
$240 for $10/mo over 24 months
$72 for $3/mo in taxes & state fees on dummy line
$40 for upgrade fee
__________________________________________
$552 total

While the $98 savings is nice... it's definitely not a mind blowing deal that it's made out to be.

 

[cynics]

Exactly what I'd expect a CEO that wants you to buy phones to say albeit not so outspoken. What I wasn't expecting is so many people to eat it up.

This guy is obviously good an inspiring emotion in the weak minded. Never mind sub par phone service (comparatively speaking), he's got long hair and cusses! Take my money! lol /s

Edit : I realize there are some that get good service with Tmo btw.

 

[ToroidalZeus]

That is exactly what I do, twice a year Yes that means I can get two iPhones (or whatever I please) per year, at full subsidized price.

I have 5 lines with ATT, on the old family share plan. Two iPhones with unlimited data, and 3 feature phones (just going along with what ATT calls it ). My line has a contract end date the same year as one of the dumb phones, and the remaining two dumb phones the next year. When the dumb phone contract is up, I go to Best Buy and just tell them to do a cross upgrade onto my line. They know exactly what to do. Each of the dumb phone is $10/mo. You do the math. Don't assume people who sign 2yr contracts are suckers.

Yes I actually called ATT about this when I first thought of this "loophole", doing cross upgrade from a dumb phone without a data plan. They knew exactly what I was asking and told me I can absolutely do that.

----------



Data speed with T-Mo around my house absolutely kicks ATT's butt. I tried my friend's T-Mo sim in my unlocked Sony phone. It was ten times faster than ATT, both with LTE service here. If I didn't have it so good with ATT's subsidy, I would switch to T-Mo in a heartbeat for their awesome $100 for 4 lines deal.

same; on both points.

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Sure, let's do the math then for most customers:

$200 upfront for 16GB iPhone 6
$240 for $10/mo over 24 months
$72 for $3/mo in taxes & state fees on dummy line
$40 for upgrade fee
__________________________________________
$552 total

While the $98 savings is nice... it's definitely not a mind blowing deal that it's made out to be.

You can sell the old iPhone to negate the upfront cost.
Fan discounts can get the upgrade fee waived.

 

[iosuser]

Sure, let's do the math then for most customers:

$200 upfront for 16GB iPhone 6
$240 for $10/mo over 24 months
$72 for $3/mo in taxes & state fees on dummy line
$40 for upgrade fee
__________________________________________
$552 total

While the $98 savings is nice... it's definitely not a mind blowing deal that it's made out to be.

You're forgetting that I have 3 working phones with unlimited texting. When I added the third line, it replaced my home phone which saves me $30/mo off my cable bill (I bought one of those Panasonic home phone with Bluetooth to use in the house). This is great when my daughter go to her friends' house, she takes the phone with her so we can remind her when it's time to pack up. My son and another family member uses the other two lines. Eventually my kids will want a smartphone with data. I'll cross that bridge when the time comes, and by then the cross upgrade party will probably be long over since Verizon has put a stop to it.

Stating the obvious here, but going to TMo I'll really have to pay full price if I want the latest phone. Oh I forgot to mention ATT has waived my upgrade fee each time when I asked. I have FAN discount.

I just watch the whole 45min video. Meant to just watch the iPhone part but ended up watching the whole thing. I almost want to switch to TMo lol, which I most probably will when the upgrade party with ATT is over.

 

[thefredelement]

You're correct, but regardless of his motivation, T-Mobile under Legere has been a relentless competitor in an industry that badly needed some real competition. When AT&T tried to acquire T-Mobile, it was looking like the US mobile market was headed for a duopoly where the Verizon and AT&T would be able to do whatever they pleased with regard to pricing.

Legere's tactics are brilliant and will likely be a case study in MBA programs for ways to turn around a lagging company in a consumer-facing industry. And I think it's very safe to say that but for T-Mobile's strategy under Legere, Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint would all be charging slightly more right now.

I say this as a current Verizon customer. I'll seriously consider T-Mobile in 2016 if their 700 Mhz band deployment goes well and coverage is sufficient for my needs.

He just put a spin on being a little cheaper than the competition, it's just lowering prices. That and a big marketing budget, social media presence and a CEO who curses on YouTube. He's like the crazy Eddie of cell phone companies.

I'm not discounting what TMo's changes have done, it let me switch to AT&T and get a lot of coverage for not a lot of money, competition is always good.

TMobile desperately needs a new back end order/account system and WAY more coverage.

 

[rui no onna]

If you switched to the new mobile share plans then yes but as I said, I am still grandfathered in on the old nationwide family plan.

True, but then there are mandatory "data" charges for smartphones. When the iPhone 3G was first released (and AT&T-Apple pioneered smartphone subsidies), that was an extra $30/mo or $720/2 years that most people didn't use to pay. Of course, enforced unlimited data plans kinda blew up in AT&T's face when iPhone users started using a ton of data and AT&T actually had to improve their network instead of just pocketing the $720 minus subsidy.

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He just put a spin on being a little cheaper than the competition, it's just lowering prices. That and a big marketing budget, social media presence and a CEO who curses on YouTube. He's like the crazy Eddie of cell phone companies.

I'm not discounting what TMo's changes have done, it let me switch to AT&T and get a lot of coverage for not a lot of money, competition is always good.

TMobile desperately needs a new back end order/account system and WAY more coverage.

T-Mobile already had really inexpensive BYOD plans (referred to as Value) prior to Legere taking over. Like just $5 add-on line fees and $10 for 2GB data. However, what they were lacking was consumer awareness. Legere's histrionics, the "un-carrier" campaign, and getting rid altogether of subsidized Classic plans changed all that.

 

[kungxpao]

He's trying too hard. Look at his liver spots. Dude needs to act his age.

 

[munakib]

This is going to come back to bite his azz.