Kathy Burkman is mad at Time Warner Cable and
wants them to change. But there's a hitch:
Maybe they don’t want me for a customer. Unfortunately, I want their product.
Indeed, Ms. Burkman's sentiment is not unique. I have heard many people -- in my family, on the bus, at work, and elsewhere -- utter a line along the lines of "I hate Time Warner and I want them to change, but I'm not willing to give up their services". Why should Time Warner change if their customers are willing to put up with the existing product? What's their incentive? Happier customers? Happy customers pay the same each month as annoyed customers. More customers? Probably, but that's only an incentive if the money from the new customers is greater than the investment required to earn them. Only Time Warner knows those numbers.
In any event, the pace at which Time Warner fixes the problem (or "problem", depending on your perspective) is proportional to the incentive their current and potential customers give them to fix it. Why not increase their incentive? That is: quit. Call up Time Warner and tell them that you are dropping their service until they improve X, Y, and Z. Of course, one person quitting isn't a big deal. So how 'bout a community-wide "Quit Time Warner Day"? Let's make it, say, March 1. Tell your family and friends. Tell Cindy Lange-Kubick. Tell the cities that Time Warner next wants to roll out its Navigator software in. And then when the big day comes, quit.
I know some of you are dying to tell me this plan won't work, so please do go right ahead. What's your better idea? And please don't rely too heavily on the "we need another cable company" line. That may be true, but I know some folks in Omaha who would tell you that the presence of competition alone isn't enough to ensure a high-quality product.
