Hello.
Of course, MTS knows how to surprise, one might even say – to amaze. On July 13, the company launched a tariff (it is called a subscription) “MTS Access”. Without much fanfare, they introduced the full return of unlimited mobile Internet, the tariff included the initial 40 GB package, as well as up to 15 free 50 GB packages. The tariff is only for a smartphone, but what’s the difference? A generous offer that cost from 600 to 900 rubles, depending on the region. At a time when all operators began to refuse unlimited tariffs, remove them even for corporate clients, such a proposal looked very strange.
In addition to the description of the tariff, a day later we had a material where I described the reasons why there is no global strategy in MTS. The company lives in a scalded cat mode, and such a tariff could not have appeared if there was an understanding of the market as such. In order not to repeat that text, I advise you to read it, in my opinion, it is extremely important for understanding what is happening on the market and in MTS.
It is no secret that our articles, as well as the Telegram channel, are read by employees of all operators, including top managers of companies, as well as their shareholders, sometimes they give feedback. This material, judging by the number and variety of reviews, made an indelible impression. Thanks to everyone who shared their thoughts, moods and perspectives on what is happening from within the industry, it is all extremely helpful.
Now a few facts that look curious. On July 16, MTS changed the initial conditions of the MTS Access tariff, it has completely changed – from now on, unlimited Internet has disappeared in the tariff, only a 40 GB package remains. Tariff conditions have been retroactively changed, the pdf description on the operator’s website has also been changed, as well as all documents. As if from the first day the tariff was just like that, and everything else we dreamed of.
So that you do not dig into the description, I will give an excerpt of what has changed. It was like this.
And it became like this.
Agree that there is a huge difference between the tariff with unlimited internet and the 40 GB package. Unlimited videos and social networks were added as a consolation prize, but this consolation is weak. Tariff users complain that their unlimiteds did not turn on, because MTS changed the description of the tariff, but did not have time to fix everything in the billing. This proves that the changes were made hastily and in an emergency manner.
It can be stated that MTS’s attempt to bring out an unlimited tariff completely failed, and various participants in this process did not hide their emotions. I was struck by the fact that both inside the MTS and outside the same question sounded: “Are you overwhelmed?”. A similar question, shall we say.
Those who managed to switch from the old tariffs with unlimited Internet from MTS to the inexpensive MTS Access are faced with the fact that there is no unlimited Internet. I have not only a pdf file, but also records of conversations with the support service, where they cheerfully talk about the fact that the Internet has no limits in the tariff. From July 16, the support service began to suffer from amnesia and believes that from the first day the tariff was just that, there were no other conditions on it. I sympathize with people, I managed to warn several acquaintances on Saturday so that they would not switch to a favorable tariff, since its conditions unilaterally changed.
Such situations perfectly cross out all the stories about the need to be loyal to customers, take their side, and further down the list. In fact, the internal problems of MTS, the lack of control over its own tariff line, led to the fact that the conditions of the new tariff rolled back. Each of the operators can change the terms of tariffs, it must notify its subscribers in advance. But this was not done, no communications took place, everything was changed in an emergency mode. And now all the people who have connected to MTS Access look deceived. There are not so many of them, but this does not change things – MTS deceived customers, as they offered one thing, but in fact the conditions became completely different. And those who switched to the tariff, refusing expensive unlimiteds, suddenly lost what they valued. No compensation is offered, the transition to the old tariffs is closed, such a procedure is simply not provided. And what after that can be loyalty?
Now a couple of rumors are circulating in connection with these events both inside the MTS and outside. The first thing you need to know is that this is an emergency on a global scale, the first persons of the company, as well as the regulator, are involved in it. Let me remind you that operators send their tariffs to the Federal Antimonopoly Service and the Ministry of Digital Development two weeks in advance, notify them of the prices and parameters of their offer. In the case of MTS Access, the tariff was shown in the form of initial packages, without focusing on additional packages (hence such a strange presentation initially, and not unlimited Internet as such). That is, MTS employees understood that the return of unlimited Internet was contrary to the situation on the market, so they tried to show everything as if there was no such Internet. We will never be able to find out if this is so, those involved in the situation are not eager to give even unofficial comments. After all, everyone looks bad here – the MTS employees who misled the regulator, as well as the regulator itself, which allows you to treat yourself like that. Somehow, not in a gentlemanly way, all this is happening, as a result, organizational conclusions will clearly be drawn. As far as I know, MTS is actively searching for the guilty, or rather, those who will be appointed as such and calculated. Usually this does not happen immediately, but after some time, when the passions cease to boil so much that it is impossible to add two and two and link the departure of specific people with the situation that has arisen.
Several sources in MTS claim that the tariff arose as an initiative of one of the top managers, he, apparently, was guided by the maxim “winners are not judged”. But today the situation is such that MTS has opposed itself to the entire market, including the state. And it looks like a childish, useless demarche that had no economic reasons. In the material about the missing MTS strategy, I called this demarche infantilism, and subsequent events show that such an assessment is most likely correct.
It is curious that MTS is gradually removing unlimited options on corporate tariffs, changing the conditions for them. And this is also a trend for the entire market, hence there was a misunderstanding of where such happiness came from in MTS Access. But there is also the once public “Smart for Friends”, in which the option “A lot of Internet” is available, which is also gradually being turned off, until mid-autumn, subscribers should lose unlimited Internet at this tariff.
This situation, like a litmus test, shows the state of affairs with the management of MTS, confusion and vacillation inside the operator. I can’t imagine another company where such multidirectional solutions are possible, and the management is not aware of what is happening with the tariff line and what revolutions the employees are plotting. It turns out that in MTS you can entertain yourself with such things without regard to the management, cause maximum image damage to the operator, quarrel with other market players and the regulator. And cross out the work that MTS itself carried out for the previous six months at least.
This is the first public crisis for the updated PR team, which has been joined by an employee from the Sber ecosystem. It was interesting for me to see how the situation would be worked out, how people would show themselves. At the moment, there are no public communications, the feeling that everyone decided to sweep it away from sin under the rug and just pretend that nothing happened. The position is weak. Sprinkling ashes on your head is definitely not worth it, but it’s also impossible to pretend that nothing happened.
It is necessary to give the affected subscribers the promised unlimited Internet for at least the next year – people are not to blame for believing the operator’s offer. There are not so many of them, but you still need to leave for them the conditions that were originally proposed. This is targeted work that needs to be done, but there is definitely no need to repent for the whole country. Although, if you play sincerity, you can explain the causes of the problem and why the tariff has changed so quickly. We made a mistake, we repent, so everything changed. Another thing is that the way the conditions have changed proves that we won’t see any sincerity, it’s too hard to admit our mistakes. It’s easier to sweep them under the rug.
What is your attitude to MTS throwing, how would you like the operator to talk about such changes and should they be described?