Like all cellular providers, Rogers is a company that most of it's customers love to hate. We all complain that our rates are too high, coverage is spotty, customer service is a pain to deal with, 3 year contracts suck, and unsubsidized phone prices are just too gosh darn high. Now I am sure if you asked anyone on any network around the world, they would have similar complaints about there carrier, but why Rogers is unwilling to do anything about it is beyond me.

After the iPhone 3G S was announced, many started to follow and communicate on twitter with Keith McArthur,, a Rogers employee who's bio on Twitter lists him as "Social Media guy at Rogers and Fido". He has tried to answer as many questions as he could from his own twitter account, before creating an official Rogers Twitter account, but I am sure was hamstrung by official Rogers policy, and although he was forthcoming with information in the beginning, his answers to peoples questions became very repetitive quickly, with answers such as "We have not announced pricing yet" etc...

So where is the problem? If you look at all mentions of Rogers on Twitter, the vast majority are negative, many highly so. Rogers had a real opportunity here to reach out to customers, explain how they arrive at device and plan pricing, and offer up a fair upgrade path for iPhone 3G early adopters who waiting in line for hours to be subjected to in some cases 8 hour activation times. In fact tweets are starting to come out saying iPhone 3G's upgraded to iPhone OS 3.0 have tethering working great on the Rogers network, from some people, while others are being told by Rogers that tethering won't be activated until the 19th. Once people get the hardware or software update, they will be happy with the device, and the software, but until they get there will have a sour taste left in their mouths by Rogers and it's customer service department.

Too bad the social media guy at Rogers can't tell anyone at the company that withholding pricing, and charging high upgrade prices, and unilaterally changing Hardware Upgrade Policies with no notice, is not the way to treat your best customers. And it is these vocal customers who are complaining that would also be the ones praising your company and the iPhone 3G S, were they treated right.

Random twitter comments about Rogers follow:

• Darren Mak's blog