Another scoop I learned from Twitter is that supposedly Apple gave many conditions before agreeing to sell the iPhone in Israel. To just name a few, the iPhone ads need to be iPhone ads, no Cellcom ads or Orange ads, but ads made by Apple. This is good news for the average Israeli since most commercials here needs improvement to say the least! Another prerequisite was that the iPhone cannot exceed a certain price! From what I have heard, Apple put a cap on the price of the iPhone, another fact that will of course make a lot of Israelis happy. If you look at the markup of other phones, you will understand why. The bottom line is that the iPhone will be available on every street corner, will be advertised using every form of media, and will be offered at a minimal price.

If all the above conditions are in fact true, Apple’s competition has a challenging few months ahead of them, which brings me to my next point. Nokia is launching the N97 in Israel over the next few weeks. Now, putting all the initial and generally negative reviews aside, the N97 is an impressive device. A 3.5″ touch screen, full QWERTY physical keyboard, a whopping 32GB of storage with the ability to add 16 more GBs with a Micro SD card, HSDPA, Wifi, GPS, and a 5 mp Auto Focus camera. What else can one ask for in a phone?

The thing is, in this industry, it is all about timing, and Nokia Israel does NOT have timing on their side. With the iPhone launching, there will be many consumers that will refuse to pay such a premium price for the N97, when they know that the iPhone, which has a screen that actually responds (Sorry, I just could not help myself), almost all the features of the N97, and Apple’s revolutionary interface, will be available for significantly less, even if the camera is not 5 mp.

Nokia has to be creative here if they want the N97 to become the next E71, which was extremely successful around here. I have to say that, putting my personal feelings aside (keep reading, you will understand), Nokia is on the right track. They just started a very smart and innovative campaign for the N97. Basically, they have a list of bloggers and they go from one to another with a package, while streaming it live on the Web. Each one opens the package with the hope that it will contain a brand new N97. If it does, the blogger gets to keep it, if not, he/she gets to decide who gets the package next. Of course, every blogger along the way blogs/tweets about this interesting contest and creates more hype surrounding the N97. Now, although I was not on the list (hence the personal feeling comment earlier), there is no denying that Nokia did a brilliant thing here. They targeted their ideal audience, the exact people who would even consider purchasing an N97, and they did it without writing one press release or launching one expensive TV campaign.

So far we got two major players competing for the same people, Apple and Nokia. As if that was not enough to cause complete chaos in the cellular scene here, add another variable to that equation. Remember that company that once claimed they are the next big thing in the mobile world? They were designing modular devices? Sound familiar? Well Modu is launching! They are launching this week and they are doing it in…you guessed it, Israel.

Now, I really do hope they succeed as a company, but I have to say, when I heard about it, what feels like a lifetime ago, I thought it was a cool idea with potential, but now, I have to admit, I do not see what need there is in the market for such a device. The basic principle is that the Modu is a tiny and basic mobile device, which can be inserted in different “jackets” that take on various forms and functions. So if you are at work and need a QWERTY, put the QWERTY jacket on. If you are going out with the guys and want a cool looking touch screen, simply put the touch screen jacket on (I am pretty sure they have not released the touch screen jackets yet). It is a cool idea but in today’s market, the people that want a QWERTY have a Blackberry, the people that want a touch screen have an iPhone. Not sure this idea will fly anymore. Even if it does have potential to take off, with buzz words like iPhone and N97 in the air, I am pretty sure now is NOT the ideal time for Modu to launch and Israel might not be the ideal place.

I don’t think there is any doubt who will prevail in this upcoming battle. Apple has successfully created so much hype surrounding its iPhone ecosystem, that when the iPhone finally does launch here, Israelis of all ages will be running to buy them. If the amount of Facebook groups appealing to Apple to bring their device to Israel or the amount of Israelis who already have iPhones they bought, jailbroke, and unlocked are any indication, the iPhone is on its way to a major success in Israel.

I am pretty sure the N97 will also see a relative success, after all if the providers reach their goal and sell 100 thousand iPhones, they still need to sell 50 thousand more devices, the N97 can comfortably fit into that category.

As for Modu, as much as I personally wish them success, I am very skeptical. As Dov Moran, the name behind Modu said, they had so many obstacles along the way, whether it be the developer of the Modu interface going bankrupt or the worldwide recession, someone apparently does not want them to succeed. In my opinion, their initial statements about how amazing their product is and how it will revolutionize the mobile world did them no good either.

However, given all the obstacles Modu met  along the way, there is no doubt that a failed launch can be a very detrimental thing for a company and as much as all the above factors might have damaged Modu, the two words that will pose the most serious threat to Modu’s success are Apple and Nokia.

-Hillel

Now, after I refused Orange’s offer due to the Blackberry service, I told them if they canceled that contract and just gave me the Blackberry service with the option to cancel at any time, it would be a deal and not only would they make my day, but between my blog posts and my tweets, I would make sure to spread the word for them. Anyway, to make a long story short,  a few days later, I got a call saying they have agreed to give me the BB service with the option to transfer it to a regular data plan at any given time, something that would enable me to get an iPhone or any other phone, and not worry about paying extra money toward BB service every month for no reason. I thanked him and told him I was interested. Here is where it gets humorous.

I then called Cellcom and told them I would like to pay my 1500 N.I.S fine, to which I was told “Sorry but your fine is 2400 N.I.S”. Let’s just say that at this point I did not know whether to laugh or cry. Once again, a little backtrack. A few days after I got my “Free” phone from Cellcom and was told it came with a data plan, I called to confirm I was not being charged for data usage. To my total and utter shock (100% sarcasm), I had a charge for data. I then called the rep and told them I was promised a data plan to which they responded that I have no plan and as such was charged an arm and a leg for the data I had used. I told the “nice” rep to go listen the recording of the conversation when I was offered the free phone and that will prove that I was in fact guaranteed that this would not happen.

Cellcom did exactly that and to my total and utter surprise (no sarcasm whatsoever) called me a few days later and offered me a full refund on the data charges. At this point, I was happy and impressed that they used their own recording to monitor their employees and refund a customer. Now back to our story. When I was told that the fine is 1,000 N.I.S more than I was promised, that was the second time in ONE week I was mislead by Cellcom and I was not happy, to say the least. I told them I was not willing to pay a cent over 1,500 (the original number I was promised) and I requested to speak to that manager’s manager.

I got that call and it did not involve any change of heart on the part of Cellcom, they had heard the recording, admitted that the rep promised me it was 1500 but said that since no loss of money was caused by this human error, I would have to pay 2400. This was of course unacceptable to me for so many reasons. For one, based on that number I had conducted an ongoing negotiation with Orange on the basis that they would pay the fine. Not only that but I am a strong believer in the fact that a company has to stick to its word. I told the manager I did not accept this and that I wanted to speak to HIS manager, and I added a little threatening to use blog posts as well as tweets to explain to everyone how Cellcom lied to me twice in one week.

After speaking to around 5 managers on different levels, I got the call notifying me that they were giving in and that they really want to keep me as a customer. Now, let me make this clear. My phone bills are NOT so high, the reason both providers “want” me so badly is 100% due to the popularity of this blog and my use of Twitter, so props to you, my readers, and anyone who follows me on Twitter. I told the nice Cellcom rep that I am not going to stay with Cellcom, as impressed as I was that they gave in, unless they matched Orange’s offer and gave me a free phone. This proposal was not accepted.

At the end of the day, Orange gave in and canceled the contract on the Blackberry service, and Cellcom gave in and canceled the extra 1,000 N.I.S charge. I have to say that both providers gave me headaches throughout this whole process but at the end of the day, it was clear and obvious that both companies did all in their power to help out a customer, blogger or not! In Cellcom, the rep who pushed for this extra charge to be canceled goes by the name of Samar and she could not have been nicer or more professional. At Orange, I was in touch with an individual by the name of Nir Ben Or and  Mor Sztrozenberg, who at no point got fed up with my ridiculous requests and was always more than happy to accommodate me. Now, I have to tell you that as good of a negotiator as I might be, none of this progress with Orange would have been possible without Eti Suruzon (click that link and FOLLOW HER, it’s the least I can do), who works for Blink, the company that does Social Media Marketing and PR for Orange, so thank you Eti and I hope to return the favor one day soon.

Well, I got the Bold from Orange as promised and now I just need to familiarize myself with this powerhouse. Let’s hope that this is the final post of the series and my next post will be an in depth review of my new shiny toy, the Blackberry Bold.

-Hillel

The reason for the quotation marks in the last sentence is that I was to find out later that the new phone I received and am now using was neither new nor free. Now, let me say one thing before I go into the small details. I think Cellcom deserves props for even reading the blog and even bigger props for actually searching for my number (mistakenly, I did not leave a number in the blog post for them to contact me), and contacting me. It shows that they are on the right path and are not completely ignoring the blogesphere.

Having said that, it is a good start, but that is where it ends. They have a lot more to improve before I can say that their service is even satisfactory. When I got the call, the manager was extremely nice and professional and I chewed his ear off telling him the whole story and how horrible my experience was. It is true he had already read about it on the blog, but it was important for me to repeat it to him with all the details so that he understood how ridiculous the whole thing was.

So he told me he would like to compensate me. At this point of the conversation I cut him off (apologized of course) and said that this conversation will end in one of two ways. The first option is that I will thank him for fixing the phone and use Cellcom till my contract is over then say goodbye. The better option is that he makes such a  good offer that I am thrilled and stay with Cellcom and even give them some good PR. He opted for the second and offered me a choice of 5 phones from which to choose. He explained to me that this will not be considered an upgrade and that I am being given the phone for free with the hope that I stay with Cellcom as a happy customer. I was of course thrilled, till I heard the 5 options.

As nice as it was, he knew he was talking to a tech blogger, so you would think he would give some reasonable options, but the best option he gave was a Samsung F480, which is a decent phone, leagues above my last Nokia 6288 (the one I was replacing). The phone lacks a keyboard of any kind, not hardware and not virtual, nothing. It is borderline impossible to type on. It lacks Wifi, which is not the end of the world as it has HSDPA, but is Java-based, so no normal apps. All in all I was ok with it. He told me to go pick it up and the whole ordeal would take 5 minutes at the Cellcom center…YEA RIGHT!

Went to the store and 5 hours and a lot of yelling later, I had myself a refurbished F480. They guaranteed me it never left the store and it was just from display but the scratches on the screen say otherwise. Now, at this point, I was a little upset, but again, it was free, so how can I complain? This is where the story gets interesting. Approximately, 24 hours after I took the “new” phone and singed on for another 18 months with Cellcom, Orange, Cellcom’s biggest competitor called me.

To make a long story short, he offered me a free Blackbery Bold. I almost fell off my chair. As you know if you read my blog, I LOVE the Blackberry Bold. I told the representative that I had just signed with Cellcom and I am committed, to which he replied “No worries, we will pay your fine”. At this point, I thought I was on candid camera. I told him I would find out what the fine is and get back to him. Turns out finding out how high the fine is for leaving Cellcom is NOT an easy task. After days of phone calls, I found out it was around $400. Orange offered to pay it and give me the Bold. But, as always, there is a catch, I need to sign on to Orange for 18 months including a package for calls (around $70), data, ($10 for 100MB), and Blackberry service ($30).

I told Mr. Orange that he knows I am a tech blogger, and there is no way I am signing on to any particular phone for 18 months, even if it is a Blackberry. I explained to him that I have no problem committing to Orange that if and when I get an iPhone, I will use an Orange SIM card, but to commit to Blackberry service for 18 months was unacceptable. He said I am pushing my luck as they are already offering me a free Bold, and he is probably right, but the bottom line is I will be paying more monthly than I am paying now, so free or not free, his  offer doesn’t seem so appealing unless they cancel the Blackberry service contract.

Where it stands now is that I am waiting on Orange’s answer whether I can take this “present” with no contract on the Blackberry service. I hope I get an answer soon and I hope the answer is yes.

<Taking a deep breath> To summarize, both companies have impressed me with their initiative to take bloggers seriously. Cellcom has disappointed at the end of the day and as for Orange, stay tuned!

-Hillel

Where do I start? I guess I will start by saying that I have been a customer of Cellcom for over 10 years and have recommended them to family and friends, which eventually led to them signing up with Cellcom as well. Over the past year or so, there has been a significant drop in the quality of their service. I am talking anywhere from me finding mysterious charges on my bill for traveling abroad (have not left the country in years) to them not answering the phones, and when they finally do, hanging up on me and not calling back.

This last saga was the “straw” for me, and the combination of this nightmare and Orange making me an offer I cannot refuse was what lead me to my decision that it was time to move on. Yea right! Called Cellcom to cancel my subscription, and it turns out that a call I got a month ago from their representative offering me a “better” package of minutes,  has now committed me to Cellcom for another year or so. Do you think the representative  told me this? Of course not! Can I prove that? No! OK, now on to the details of this last drama.

I am now using a prehistoric Nokia 6288, which I purchased from Cellcom 2+ years ago. I am paying 69 shekel a month for this dinosaur (approximately $18) just for the phone. To just put that in perspective, Orange is offering the MUCH-MORE-ADVANCED Nokia 5800 for 40 shekel a month. In addition to that charge, I am paying another 20 shekel a month for 3G service. Here’s the problem. My phone is NEVER configured to use the 3G network, not because I do not want to, anyone who knows me knows I am a Web junkie. The reason I do not use my 3G is because it is as slow as Edge and it eats up the battery to the point that a fully charged battery will die after 15 minutes of 3G use.

Sounds like a faulty battery right? Well, I went and purchased a new battery since I was sure that was the issue. Of course it was not. So I called Cellcom and told them of this issue. After waiting the standard half an hour before reaching the right person, he told me to bring it in to their main lab. So, I did exactly that. I told the manager there that I am VERY not happy with this phone and it has given me nothing but problems from day 1. She said they will fix it and send it back like new.

This was on Friday. I called that Sunday to ask what the status was and to make sure they are fixing the appropriate problems, to which I was told that there is no way to contact the lab and if they send it back, it will be like new. Sure enough, I got the phone back, paid 50 shekel for the repair and not only is it not fixed, the phone has some other major issues that were a thousand percent not there before.

So, at this point, I am starting to get fed up, so I call Cellcom again and explain the issue. The representative consulted with a manager after the normal hour and a half wasted on the phone with them and offered me to fix the phone again. They were even “nice” enough to pay for a messenger to come pick up my phone and give me a replacement for free (as if it makes sense that I should pay again after getting back an even more broken phone). I thanked them and asked that the replacement phone he brings me be the same model so I can at least use my memory card, as well as other functions I use regularly. She promised me he’d bring the same phone.

Of course, when the guy came to take my phone, he took out the most basic of phones, I am talking no MP3 player, no Web access, nothing. I told him I am sorry but I had only one request and it seems they could not even do that right. I did not take the phone and sent the messenger back. I then called Cellcom again and asked for a manager. I was told he would call me back by the next day at 7 PM. I eventually got that call 4 days later and when I asked the manager why it took so long, he responded, “OK, no need to overreact, I am on the phone now, aren’t I?” In this manager’s opinion, the fact that he called me 3 days after the time I was told he would call was acceptable.

At this point my blood was pretty much boiling as it is right now writing this post. Basically, the bottom line is they could not offer me anything other than to send another messenger to pick up the phone and do the same story all over again. The status now is that I am waiting for the guy to pick up my phone tonight, and I was guaranteed he would bring the same model as the replacement. Let’s wait and see.

One more thing that makes me nuts is how every step along the way they keep offering me an “upgrade”. Now, I might be nuts but when I think of an upgrade, I think of returning one product and getting another one that is better. With Cellcom, their definition of upgrading is buying a new phone. You start paying for the new phone and continue to pay for the old one. Am I crazy or is this total trickery? What makes that an upgrade?

Now, it is important to emphasize that every single manager and representative I spoke to along the way was aware of the fact that I have a blog with a relatively large audience. I told them I blog about mobile matters and that it can be great PR for them if they help me solve this problem and alternatively give them a horrible name if they do not. Of course, going down this path brought no results besides of course being asked a few times by managers “Are you threatening Cellcom?” Gotta love the attitude!

What do I want? I am not asking for them to give me a phone for free. I am asking for them to replace this phone with one that works. If it is the same model, so be it, although from what I have read, it is a problematic phone. Give me a phone that works, one that I am not paying close to 100 shekel a month for between the phone and the 3G service that does not even work. If they cannot do that, refund me for all the months I could not use the 3G service. Most importantly, I do not care WHAT they offer me, I just want to see that they actually care. What I want to see is that they understand the value of a happy customer and how that is worth so much more than one repair or even phone they might just have to “swallow” to make a customer happy.

I, as a firm believer in the power of social media decided to write this post with the hope that maybe it will be spread around enough that SOMEONE who has some say in Cellcom will be listening. Other companies like Alfa Romeo, Ford, Samsung, and even Orange have started paying attention to the Web community, it is about time Cellcom opened their eyes and did the same.

OK, there’s the story, now it is up to you to ensure that somehow Cellcom reads this post. So spread it as much as possible until you see the following message in my Twitter stream: “It worked, they called, I am tweeting this from my brand new <insert phone here>”.

-Hillel