Ungrateful and Unreasonable : Jamaica’s Response To Digicel
I’ve noted with increased annoyance the wave of insults being hurled at telecoms provider Digicel by various sections of the Jamaican society, particularly on social media. The unprecedented attack on the company highlights what I’ve always believed; we are an ungrateful and grossly unreasonable nation.
LIME decided to play hero and lower their call rates to an unprecedented low which cannot be sustained in its current form, $2.99. In response to the outcry from Jamaica, Digicel went a step further and introduced a ‘sweet rate’ of $2.89, with some adjustments to the host of promotional benefits which customers enjoyed for years. Adjustments include sending five texts and receiving the next ten free, topping up with $200 and receiving an hour free during the night, talk for five minutes on an international call and receive the next twenty five free and talk for five minutes on a local call and revieve the next ten free. This has been dubbed “Gimmie 5 Lite”, customers will have the prerogative to maintain the original $8.99 with full “Gimmie 5″ benefits. Your choice, your way. This seems entirely reasonable to me. What then is the problem?
Short and simple, we are a nation of free loaders. To put it even more simply, wi love freeniss! Somewhere along the line, we forgot that Digicel was, and remains a business. I say this to remind those on Twitter attacking the company that at the end of the day, they will have to make a profit. They have employees to pay, bills to pay, a company to run. If everything is given to us at dirt cheap prices, coupled with the host of promotional benefits, what happens to the company? What happens to the very Jamaicans hired by the company? I can think of no mobile provider, save for LIME who is playing russian roulette, that has opted for dirt cheap rates. It is absolutely unreasonable to expect unregulated freeniss. Digicel has done the very best it could to strike a balance between the interests of customers, who it obviously values, and its own interests as a business. We should appreciate this because it is completely reasonable. LIME has simply used Jamaica’s dependence on freeniss and cheapness to seduce us, and we swallowed it : hook, bait, line and sinker. Then again, is it really ‘freeniss’? What benefits do we have with $2.99? LIME can continue to talk about gaining market share, but guess what? We all are keeping our Digicel sims. I don’t know of one person who “switched” to LIME and de-commissioned the Digicel sim. A colleague of mine observed that this may be LIME’s exit strategy from the Jamaican telecoms market, suck us all dry when we flock their network and then leave us hanging, packing up and leaving with the billions in profits they would have made from our mass ‘exodus’. Plausible? You tell me.
We are such an ungrateful nation that many of us have forgotten that were it not for Digicel, we wouldn’t know we could get cell coverage in certain areas – like my bedroom for example (Yes, my bush well thick. LIME neva use to penetrate it. A mussi weedwacker Digicel use, but mi get full signal now). We wouldn’t have known that we could have easy access to credit and multiple outlets to purchase same. We wouldn’t have known that there was any other phone in the Caribbean, indeed the world, except the Nokia fridge. We wouldn’t have known that we didn’t have to have credit to receive calls. We wouldn’t have known that we could call customer care and have our query handled in a timely manner. We wouldn’t have known that Jamaican talent could come on our local television stations and thrill us on Sunday evenings. I could go on all night. We are ungrateful! What’s more, the average man will always appreciate what Digicel did for telecommunications in Jamaica, because his Coral works in Wait-A-Bit and he enjoys his Gimmie 5; I’m convinced that this wave of insults is led by a few who have smartphones, addicts who have little more to do than be slaves to the smartphone, the moment a ping can’t go through, we go crazy, myself included. Digicel is upgrading their network, we all know this – how about some patience? How about some appreciation? I agree that you paid for a service and it should be functional, but a 15 minute interruption is not a huge price to pay, since in the long run we stand to benefit from advanced mobile technology. The ends will justify the means.
Let us stop being unreasonable and ungrateful, Digicel is trying, that much is clear. Let us show some appreciation for the company that effectively taught Jamaica how to use a cellphone. I’m proud member of the DigiFam – NOT CHANGING NO COURSE!
Mr. Editor
Lol. You do make some valid points. I am a part of the group that has been cussin digicel dog rotten, but I still have not purchased a LIME sim. Unlike others, in all my “cussings” I have never mentioned anything about switching to LIME, b/c in my opinion LIME can/will never be a better network than digicel. But digicel can and should have been a better network than its current self. I believe for a little while there digicel got just a tad complacent, therefore they need to be cussed and pushed to work faster. The fact that ppl r cussing is actually a good sign for digicel. If LIME was so grand everybody woulda jus shut up an switch to LIME, but we want and are waiting for digicel to come with something BIGGER and BETTER
. There is no mass exodus to LIME, ppl might buy a likkle LIME sim cyaad to enjoy the perks for the time being. But like u seh, nubaddy naw dash weh dem digicel sim. Yes wi licky licky an like freeniss! Supm rang wid dat!? :$
June 22, 2012 at 1:42 am
lool so much hot air in this post.. where to start?
“… the company that effectively taught Jamaica how to use a cellphone”
– when did this happen & why wasnt i included??
“… a 15 minute interruption is not a huge price to pay”
– lol, Sir it’s 2012 get with the times. Depending on the situation it could mean life or death. I could belabor the point but i’ll leave it there.
“What benefits do we have with $2.99?”
– Phone sex
– Less please call me
– Scammers can call more people, etc, etc. (the benefits are there)
“LIME has simply used Jamaica’s dependence on freeniss and cheapness to seduce us”
– lol you must’ve been tired when you wrote this.
June 22, 2012 at 2:17 am
Thanks for your thoughts. Benefits? Phone Sex? Masturbate by yourself. Less please call me? A lower call rate doesn’t mean you can afford the credit, the cost of that has not moved, the please call me will continue. Scammers? Okay. I say effectively taught us to use a cellphone because before Digicel, the vast majority of Jamaicans did not have the luxury of a cell phone, let alone cell coverage. I’m glad you can now grandstand and declare that it’s now 2012, before Digicel you would have had to sit down and shut up, poor BB service or not, life or death or not.
June 22, 2012 at 9:12 am
I love your response to the rubbish written. As consumers do we no longer have the right to fight for what is more beneficial to us and our finances. Jamaica and their almighty Digicel. What would happen if the government allowed another telecom company to come on in, say an at&t somehow I suspect Digicel would end up getting the back lash Lime got years ago when they came here. Jokers and exploiters all of them
June 22, 2012 at 4:04 pm
G you couldnt have said it better. I cud buy u a LIME fone if i see u. Perfect
June 24, 2012 at 9:36 am
Pingback: The Anti-Digicel Rate isn’t only Unreasonable » Corve DaCosta
How much did they pay you for this post?
June 22, 2012 at 3:30 am
How much did they pay you?
June 22, 2012 at 3:32 am
The fact is, like digicel and LIME, we (the curtomers) have budgets. We don’t have unliited income and such. So were ever we can save a buck or too, we will. I see nothing wrong with that.
Furthermore, I’m sure we’re all still mindful of the massive investment Digicel has made. But I don’t think that warrants us sticking with them. As I said before, wherever a buck can be saved, it shall be saved. I’m sure not all slaves suffered. But that didn’t stop them from trying to achieve better for themself (Please don’t take this out of context)
June 22, 2012 at 3:51 am
he fact is, like digicel and LIME, we (the curtomers) have budgets. We don\’t have unliited income and such. So were ever we can save a buck or too, we will. I see nothing wrong with that.
Furthermore, I\’m sure we\’re all still mindful of the massive investment Digicel has made. But I don\’t think that warrants us sticking with them. As I said before, wherever a buck can be saved, it shall be saved. I\’m sure not all slaves suffered. But that didn\’t stop them from trying to achieve better for themself (Please don\’t take this out of context)
And, stop making it seem like if it were anywhere else in the world, people wouldn’t be switching. It’s not a Jamaican thing. It’s a human thing.
Stay wid your Digicel phone if you want sir. Mi ah switch soon.
June 22, 2012 at 3:55 am
I hope Digicel paying your for these blogs you been making of late, outside of that I wonder how you stand to benefit. I owe Digicel nothing, the fact that they can lower their prices now, suggest they could have done so a long time ago and was just robbing people blind. Digicel is a corporate giant and I am willing to put my head on the block and say that everything they do is in the name of capitalisation, so don’t get swept away by their generosity and think is love they love people, no it is all about money. Stop attacking people for wanting a good deal for their money, u realize the economic climate we are living in?
June 22, 2012 at 4:39 am
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU!
June 22, 2012 at 7:56 am
Digicel was a dying Irish company when they set up shop in little Jamaica. They have since become a world giant funded by the earnings from little Jamaica. They likely owe us (Jamaicans) much more than we owe them, and maybe they are the ones who should be eternally grateful.
June 24, 2012 at 9:36 am
You have obviously been employed by digicel or have swallowed their bait hook line and sinker. You are talking abotu the Jamaicans that work for digicel and are not promoted to higher levels that are only given to the irish. You are talking about Jamaicans who have been drained by digicel adn bolstered their bottomline to never before seen highs. You are talking about being grateful! please. Both these companies can come up with strategies to maintain profits and avoid raping the public. Just as c&w took a beating wen digicel first came and was offering something morereasonable considering the onslaught our people had to go through- Digicel is now the oppressor. There is nothing wrong with either rate. It just proves that they can manage without it. Why should I be concerned that they have a business to run. You say it as though it is a corner store operation. Need I remind you that both companies are in various countries and both companies have other sources of income. Both countries do not rape the people in the other countries as much as they do here and they are still healthy. So unless you are also on digicel’s payroll you are invalid.
You are saying that we are a set of ungrateful Jamaicans. You fall int he category of Jamaicans who love to cling to what ‘they’/ ‘big corporations’ want us to do instead of thinking about the best interes of the people from a wholistic view. You must be a politician
June 22, 2012 at 7:53 am
Lex I agree with you completely!
June 23, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Chuss me…!!!!!! digicel say dem a come wid sumn big… rubbish if u sign up for this plan u will end up paying more…… and as alwilljr said” they could have lowered their prices a long time ago” i am of this view too… they need to come with sum n better than this…….. oh yh n me purchase a lime sim.. switch me say….1
June 22, 2012 at 8:35 am
I totally agree its the freenis mentality of the people why they cant be satisfied, this was well put.
June 22, 2012 at 8:37 am
so agree with u Jamaicans are ungrateful and expect hand me down and free stuff all the time that’s why we not going any further i am totally annoyed u guys asked for drop in call rate u got it yet still u complain as they say empty barrel makes the most noise if u want to switch go ahead that’s why u have choices but don’t go bringing down the company with your stupidity sigh
June 22, 2012 at 8:55 am
why everyone saying the rate caa be sustained……… a jus di termination cost that was there by OUR dem drop. as much as they are losing the amount stated naa cost them nuh extra cuz is what OUR tek off. and why digi bother guh court if the rate did a go reach $2 supmn to for dem. and what is this article really. just a diss too. dissing LIME cuz digi a get diss……. LIME nuh get diss regular???? kmt. ppl a work wid wa dem can afford and both are businesses wid employees to pay not jus digicel. Bias buck inna this! ppl will always look out for THEIR best interest caa stop that nuh weh yuh guh
June 22, 2012 at 9:31 am
Not changing course but digicel need to act and stop responding to criticisms
June 22, 2012 at 9:38 am
Jamaicans are ungrateful because we desire to be treated fairly? To get good service? And to not be raped by our telecoms providers? It seems that you are either being paid by digicel or have become so deluded that you have lost sight of what matters, you and your pocket.
The fact remains that yes Digicel introduced many things telecoms-wise to Jamaica, but its not like that was Digicel’s gameplan, their gameplan was to come and make as much money out of us as possible, and that they did. The reason why we have all the benefits we have now is because of plain old competition, and it is competition that should be driving the market, not your silly need to hang on to one provider just because of something they once did, you sound just as bad as those people who say they will “stick to PNP because under pnp …” or they will “stick to JLP because the JLP …”, thats exactly what is wrong with Jamaica, you need everything to be 2 sided instead of thinking about you and your future. You refuse to forgive lime for what they did previously even though the entire company has changed, but you are quick to forgive digicel for their current failures, how that make sense?
Its not a mentality of ‘freenis’, there is no freenis, you still have to pay for both providers. It is instead a mentality of fairness. If the companies can afford to offer you a per minute call rate of $2 a minute, why were they charging us $15+ before? Thats not fair. Now that we have seen that the companies can do so, why should we stick to Digicel? And if Digicel trumps Lime why should we stay there?
Competition is what drives the industry, and its what we need, instead of criticising and cussing you should be cheering on the industry and competition for driving down prices to what we need
June 22, 2012 at 9:55 am
2.89 per minute billed in minute increment will end up costing us more that 8.99 per minute billed at a per second rate. If you have less that 2.89 on your phone you cannot make a call. When Lime was the monopolist they prevent most of us from owning a phone but thats what monopolist does: limit output and charge higher prices. So lets all pray that digicel kick lime out of the market like what they did to Claro with their high termination rates and see how digicel will operate as a monopolist. call rates would prob reach 28.9 per minute
June 22, 2012 at 10:10 am
This is laughable. Thank goodness we are not being charged for our opinions (yet). Anyway, Mr. Editor has obviously disregarded the fact that consumers have freedom of choice. As such, with the longstanding rape that we as Jamaican consumers have suffered throughout the years by BOTH networks in various ways I believe we have the right to be “selfish” and look out for our pockets. We (consumers) have always been the victims by dominant capitalist entities who feed on our desperation and/or lack of options. Don’t be fooled by Digicel’s “hero” act. And why should we be so concerned about Digicel’s profits again? Digicel’s CEO is not some small farmer in the St. Elizabeth. Get real Mr. Editor. We as consumers should assess what is most beneficial to us. I’m not sure about you but I don’t owe them anything. In this day and age it is survival of the fittest and don’t be naive into thinking that we should all cling to our “saving grace-till death do us part”. Now that is stupidity. It sounds exactly like how we do politics in Jamaica. I will never pledge allegiance to any telecommunication network. With that said, I will advise all to use both to your advantage or use the one which best suits your pocket.
June 22, 2012 at 10:13 am
Tina you are my hero
June 22, 2012 at 10:59 am
Competition is great, so the real winners in the end are the consumers, even if they cuss for more. The thing is, people being fanboys for either company, when at the end of the day, they are really focused on making profits. Many want to see LIME dead and leave Jamaica, then that leaves us with 0 competition and we already see how nice that is with JPS.
June 22, 2012 at 10:21 am
I agree with you that Digicel is a business.
My thoughts on the matter, from a different perspective: http://rants.andreobrown.com/2012/06/misplaced-loyalty.html
I was a Digicel postpaid customer for years, but gave up my Digicel SIM. I switched to LIME a few years ago, and had a Claro phone as well. The only reason I have a Digicel SIM now is because it was the only way to keep my Claro number which became my primary phone. My LIME phone is now my primary phone.
I like what LIME has done in the mobile data market, and that’s important to me. And in the end, I am loyal to my wallet. If Digicel gives me a convincing reason to give them my money, I will. But right now, LIME is where it’s at for me.
June 22, 2012 at 10:25 am
What a silly Post….The fact is the PROMOTION is WHACK. Firstly it ENDS on August 16, 2012 as stated in the FINE PRINT. 10 second calls will be billed the full minute and you have to renew it every 7 days. Its just a delay tactic hile they fight the rates in court
June 22, 2012 at 10:27 am
I don’t know you but this blog is like you were reading my mind. I HATE the freeness mentality of our country and that’s why I feel we can’t reach nowhere. Jamaicans needs to wise up and stop or else this country will continue to be in the dumps.
June 22, 2012 at 10:53 am
What a load of shit in this blog post. It stinks
June 22, 2012 at 10:56 am
Thank you
June 22, 2012 at 11:03 am
Ungrateful and unreasonable. It’s amazing the adjectives we choose to describe our people as a whole. To suggest that freeness is our master and we are the slaves is something else. In fact, using that same principle – I put to you Digicels’ Sweet plan where there are 5 bubbles with FREE in every one of them, meant to entice customers – and contrary to LIMEs’ promotion, there is nothing “FREE” about it – more than a better rate.
Your colleagues theory about LIMEs’ master plan to woo us all with this low rate and then suddenly exit the market DIRECTLY contradicts your earlier statement in your post about the rate not being sustainable. How can an unsustainable rate grant them super profits and how could you, being of such great intelligence not see the fallacy in the logic of posting it.
I agree that there are choices the consumer can make, as to Gimme 5, Gimme 5 Lite, Talk EZ or Talk XL based on their needs – and demand for a particular method of communication – voice or text.
Also – please, stop giving so much credit to Digicel. They were not the architects of a deregulated telecoms market, they just happened to jump in at the time and fill the space. You CANNOT definitively say that without Digicel, Rising Stars or anything else they have sponsored would not have been done.
To address the 15 minute issue….its not the fact that it’s 15 minutes here or there, its 15 minutes multiple times throughout the day, LIME has continuously been upgrading their network and EVEN with the launch of 4G, I have not experienced data outage to the extent that Digicel has.
June 22, 2012 at 11:07 am
Why mus yu people b so abusive, yu never hear d sayin “if yu have nuttin nice 2 say, say nuttin at all” a blog this dem said how dem feel digi nuh have fi pay dem nuttin, funny how unnah people change yu mind like di weather 2 weeks ago digi was great n lime was sour now dem d best ting ever, another problem wid most jamaicans ignorant and have no mind of dem own follow whatever ever one else ah say!
June 22, 2012 at 11:59 am
I find your post hilarious funny and abusive to consumers. Firstly i used to work with digicel and am an ardent supporter. what you fail to understand is why jamaicans are pissed off. the facts are the facts
1. Digicel is has a case with the OUR trying to remove the rates employed by LIME. which means if they win the rates go back to where they were.
Im never switching to LIME but the balls of this company to challenge something that our elected government put into action leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.
June 22, 2012 at 12:10 pm
You know thats my problem as well…How can Digicel tell a Government entity about them “overstepping them bounds”….they are damn out of order. Thank God the gravy train is over
June 23, 2012 at 6:54 am
I am not falling in love with any phone company. My only love is for my pocket and budget. Give me number portability and I’ll float to whatever network that fits my needs and budget.
June 22, 2012 at 12:46 pm
Digicel the scapegoat…J’can are often times ungrateful and unreasonable in many aspects of their lives. I am all for more affordable rates, faster internet, more promotions, and the list goes on. However, I will not be fooled by fleeting impressions from a company has been unreliable and uncaring of the needs of its customer’s for many years, and the same reason I no longer own a home phone. Many of you griping out BB service outage as if its your LIFE, when majority of the conversation are much a do about NOTHING but I can’t blame you it’s the only way you get some action or attention. LIME customers experience the level of data speed that they currently boast given they have WAY less customer. You think if all 2 million when over it would feel the same??? Its a FACT that the more users on the network the more possibility for congestion and service outage. BUT given we can’t really get to the people we would love to, we take it all out on Digicel, the Gov’t put tax a on patty and books and the debate reigned for what a 3 or 4 days and we could care less cause a PING is more important than education and food. I am yet to see something get done about JPS, but rest a sure no one is going to stage a mass boycott in protest of their service. See the banks have been robbing us blind for years, we pay to use our debit card EVERY where we go BUT again people ever really care much to stand up and rant and get vocal about it. Why do that when you can take it out on Digicel; they at least will rush to suite your every need and then some. FUCK many of you probably blame Digicel when your man/woman bun you, ohh shit the BBM didn’t go through and there went your relationship. HAHAHA #MyTwoSense
June 22, 2012 at 9:19 pm
How long will we be indebted to Digicel? When will the bill have been paid? When will we no longer be regarded as ungrateful for making a choice (the same choice that was made a decade ago to ditch CWJ (who brought us phones of any kind in the first place) and go to LIME)?
What ever happened to freedom of choice…
Maybe we should all buy Ford’s in gratitude to them for setting up the first dealership in Jamaica (KIG) in 1908 and introducing the ‘ordinary’ man to a car.
How come we’re indebted to Digicel for life? How come?
June 24, 2012 at 9:25 am
Reblogged this on THE ISLAND JOURNAL and commented:
We are such an ungrateful nation that many of us have forgotten that were it not for Digicel, we wouldn’t know we could get cell coverage in certain areas – like my bedroom for example (Yes, my bush well thick. LIME neva use to penetrate it. A mussi weedwacker Digicel use, but mi get full signal now). We wouldn’t have known that we could have easy access to credit and multiple outlets to purchase same. We wouldn’t have known that there was any other phone in the Caribbean, indeed the world, except the Nokia fridge. We wouldn’t have known that we didn’t have to have credit to receive calls. We wouldn’t have known that we could call customer care and have our query handled in a timely manner. We wouldn’t have known that Jamaican talent could come on our local television stations and thrill us on Sunday evenings. I could go on all night. We are ungrateful! What’s more, the average man will always appreciate what Digicel did for telecommunications in Jamaica, because his Coral works in Wait-A-Bit and he enjoys his Gimmie 5; I’m convinced that this wave of insults is led by a few who have smartphones, addicts who have little more to do than be slaves to the smartphone, the moment a ping can’t go through, we go crazy, myself included. Digicel is upgrading their network, we all know this – how about some patience? How about some appreciation? I agree that you paid for a service and it should be functional, but a 15 minute interruption is not a huge price to pay, since in the long run we stand to benefit from advanced mobile technology. The ends will justify the means.
June 24, 2012 at 2:03 pm
Oh this is a good set of varied comments. I didn’t even know about that hack of promotion. In my opinion I always saw cell service as free and the mere fact that they can raise or lower the prices at their whim only makes me believe it more. Once the network is set up its straight profit and businesses want to keep making as much profit as they can for as long as they can. Can’t feel bad for the rich at all.
June 25, 2012 at 12:27 pm