“The Boost Marketing Debacle”

I’ve been in the communication business for over forty years, I’ve owned paging companies, worked for Motorola, and now own a prepaid company. I’ve been a partner in a MVNO I’ve had failures and successes. What amazes me is the arrogant attitudes and policies from major companies from time to time. But what is totally unbelievable is Boost Mobile and their replenishment and rationalization program currently being implemented. Boost is a cellular product powered by Sprint and the problem is the “plan” currently is nothing but monopolizing the ability to sell the sprint product. I’ll explain, boost has reduced the distribution of their replenishment pins from several distributors to a few and if one didn’t understand that would not seem to be a problem. Therefore I’ll explain further, over the years the prepaid business has grown considerably and many factors have contributed to this growth.( ISO’s) Independent Sales Organizations have been a intricate part of the phenomenal prepaid growth. Here is where part of the  problem lies, long before Boost was remotely a factor as a matter of fact they didn’t even exist,  ISO’s were busy building the prepaid business developing their customers, marketing materials, setting up stores, finding good providers, adding new prepaid offerings, purchacing equipment and developing friendships etc. all of this with their own money, hard work and time literally building virtually thousands of locations selling the prepaid offering’s. Just as a reference they helped companies like AT&T, Alltel, Tracfone, T-Mobile, Verizon really way to many to mention sell millions of pins virtually at relatively no expense to the cellular companies. ISO’s built the re pore and have taken care of the customers that have been selling cellular replenishment for the past 10 years. Now here is the main problem, remember earlier i mentioned several ISO’s well the number is approximately 91,  Boost is reducing their distribution numbers from over 100 to 12 master distributors. The remaining 91 ISO’s are being forced out of the ability to sell Boost replenishment pins. now this wouldn’t be a problem if it was all going to Boost Stores but their not. What they are doing is forcing the ISO’s to switch from providers they’ve been with since the beginning and forcing them to do business with one of the chosen 12. In addition this policy is also forcing the stores to change prepaid providers ill regardless whether they know them or not without any regard to the stores wish and with total disregard to the ISO’s that have developed and have taken care of the stores for years and have built the enormous amount of pins being distributed by both groups. i hope some MVNO or another provider realizes the opportunity that Boost is creating and introduces a product into the market place that totally out preforms the Boost product which by the way is terrible except in major metropolitan area’s. It’s sad that a company such as Sprint Prepaid Group (BOOST) is doing this to the companies that virtually put them on the map. i feel that they (BOOST) will ultimately realize what a huge marketing debacle this truly is and will reverse this totally ridiculous policy. In my opinion I’m really surprised there has not been a class action law suit brought against BOOST. This article is my opinion and I’m basing it upon what is happening now. I’ve always been told you reap what you sow and what Boost is sowing is not ethical.

R.C.Tinder