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Technology Stocks : RCN Corp. (RCNC) - Voice-Video-Internet -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: SecularBull who wrote (585)	5/10/2000 9:35:00 PM
From: BostonView	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 720

LoF, about ResiLink pricing: I have a something of a confession to make. When RCN wired my community last year I was excited, not only for a chance to support the cause, but also to abandon the old guard monopolies that have enjoyed twisting our kahones for so many generations. Upon service rollout last summer I chased down my RCN sales rep and priced out a full bundle of phone, cable, & internet services (there was no ResiLink then) and was hugely disappointed with the final number. It was a whole dollar less than my current arrangement of Bell Atlantic and MediaOne for cable and internet. Granted, their bundle included 20 digital radio stations (yee ha) but I chastised my rep for not giving me any real incentive to change. So between no cost savings and confirmed rumors of service interruptions, billing problems, and long waits for customer service, I decided to stay put. Based on the mediocre growth in sub rates and revenue announced last Q, I don't think I'm alone. That's a bit of a concern. I hope once RCN fills in on the infrastructure side (billing systems, customer service, cable camp) they revisit their product and pricing plans. It seems to me that if RCN is to fulfill their goal of displacing the old-line incumbants, they need to get a little more aggressive, as in make me an offer I can't refuse and raise the bar on service -- especially in markets where broadband choice already exists. I don't mean to detract from the monumental effort of building a state-of-the-art fibre network, from scratch, by a start-up company. That's an enormous feat unto itself. But I get the feeling RCN is a little behind the curve on the other side of the equation. Customers. Attracting them and keeping them. At this early point in the game, the numbers suggest this looks like RCN's achilles heel. Maybe this is less a confession than a heads up for RCN. Build it, yes, but make sure you don't end up thinking and acting like the "dinasaurs" you're trying to slay. We've been there and done that for too long. BV