Free battery love from US Cellular

Summertime, cell phones and free love seem to go together, if last year’s rash of music festival phone chargers was anything to go by. This year, US Cellular is kicking off what could be a brand-new trend by giving consumers free, fully charged cell phone batteries in exchange for their drained old ones. Launched late last month, US Cellular’s Battery Swap program lets customers go to any company store and change out a dead or dying battery for a fully charged one at no charge. The provider is the first to offer such a service for free, it says. “Our Battery Swap program is a convenience for people who depend on their wireless devices as their lifelines, such as business people, parents, not to mention heavy users who drain their battery daily,” Jay Ellison, the company’s executive vice president and COO, explains. “We’re offering this service to help our customers stay connected whenever they need it.” In a competitive industry like wireless—and during tough economic times—a little free love can go a long way toward making customers happy. Other providers: the Generation G* train just pulled into the station—better hop on board! 😉 Spotted by: Judy McRae * The G stands for generosity—more on that in our sister-site trendwatching.com’s briefing about how businesses are following a societal shift from taking to giving.