70% of ICE Customers May Bolt

Seven out of 10 cell phone users told pollsters they are looking forward to when the new boys on the block, America Movil (Clarto) and Telefonica (Movistar) open service so they can evaluate whether to abandon the troubled former monopoly, ICE.

The survey found that it was nearly all about service -- 60% said they had no quibble with ICE's prices. But only 13% were "very satisfied" with their current service.

The survey was conducted by the University of Costa Rica's School of Statistics for the business publication El Financiero. The study done in May covered 701 households, 80% in the Central Valley and 20% scattered over other areas.

Even after a law struck down ICE's monopoly status, the state-owned company acted toward customers as if they still held all the marbles in the game. They also lagged in technical prowess and in 2010 suffered technological difficulties that resulted in blackouts of cell service over a widespread area of their coverage.

Even this year, the phone company issued a series of press releases promising better service, usually coming in response to the regulatory agency, SUTEL, criticizing ICE for its coverage, auditory quality and congestion of radio bases caused by overselling of lines.

Although 70% said they would consider switching from ICE, only half of the customers polled said they were dissatisfied with the company. But even though 29% said they would never switch, if half abandoned the company it would reduce receipts by 26%.

During the 2008-10 period, ICE dragged its feet in helping open up the cell phone market, earning the ire of the new SUTEL agency and even President Chinchilla. (See past articles.) The management also went about its customer relations with a "public be damned" attitude.

Of the households surveyed, cell phone users were about half and half, 54% men, 46% women. But most of either sex were heads of their households. But, as private cell phone towers continue to spring up like toadstools after a rain, the newspaper points out that time to mend its ways has run out for ICE.