AT&T Cellular has announced it will be shutting down its 2G Cellular Standard by Sept 2017
with sooner shut downs starting as early as late next year.
With this in mind you would think manufacturer would not be turning out a brand new product using an old standard. especially when it has been known for the last 2 years AT&T was going to do this but you can walk into any alarm supply house and still buy at full regular price a cellular communicator which will no longer work after 2017.
I went thru this horse shit back on 2006 when Cellular carriers switched from Analog to digital and I had many units only 1 year old which needed switched. Luckily some company's like Uplink offered reduced priced $99 trade ins but I still had to tell my customers who where extremely upset over it and had to pay for the upgrades I just charged them for product not the install. They should be upset because this is total and complete horse shit to be selling product you know is going to not work.
You do not just shut down a radio service you must first file with and notify the FCC so that provisions can be made to notify manufacturers and public to be ready for the shut down, some times you must even petition to be able to do so.
So with this advanced knowledge you would think manufacturers would get on the new standard and start producing new product instead of shoving unusable product out the door. Wrong.
Now I realize there are cost involved in retooling a line but really when your making units in the thousands what are the real costs to do a fast change in the line?
In the case with one of my manufacturers when they rolled out the new series of products this spring I asked specifically in the product introduction class will the 2G shut down effect these units I was told NO it would not effect them because I also said in the class if this is the case I will not install product till 3G or 4G units are available. I was not going thru this shit again.
Well it looks like I was lied to. Thinking all the units I installed where at least on 3G I am now being told they are not there all 2G . So the unit I just bought last week and installed I now had to tell my chemical manufacturer and defense supply customers who had to meet the new guidelines for Homeland Security they need to update before 2017 .Needless to say there pissed and said they will be filing a complaint with FCC and FTC for unfair practices as they should.
Sure where only talking $300.00 but customers should not be having to do this. After complaining on a company blog about this I went to local supply house who told me they got called about it corporate wanted to know who the Fuck I am? let me tell you who the Fuck I am Im your customer and when you make me look like a Fucking Ass Hole to my customer you better believe I am going to make a stink about it I just told them all about this great new product and now I have to change it how competent does that make me look? That's why I ask the hard questions in class I want answers so I can choose the best products, not excuses which is all I have gotten. I was told I would be getting a phone call from corporate that they will have upgrade cards or replacement units for my customers at reduced costs etc. well never got the phone call.
Well at least Uplink has stepped up to the plate and now offer a lifetime upgrade program for a few extra dollars so you will always have a working unit I guess will see if everyone does. I have over 50 units that will need changed and being a one man company that keeps me from doing fire/burg installs and service I would otherwise be doing.
It is now down to the point if a company keeps pissing me off and lying to me do I continue to sell there product to my 300 plus Commercial,Institutional and Industrial customers or go with some one else I have some decisions to make this fall as to a partner of choice.
I work with many manufactures and one of the stand outs is Avaya Telecommunications products they have made there system backwards compatible so even phones I bought 20 years ago for customers can be used on a new system today now thats engineering . I can install a new KSU with new and older phones and phase in new phones as needed to keep cost reasonable for customers instead of hitting them with a big cost now thats service and one hell of a fine manufacturer and there one of the few who have such good reversible products. more company's need to follow there lead not piss off there customers.
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