[spum]

This is brilliant. I found this on the Phonescoop forums. I'm not sure who the author is, but all of the people that work in the industry will be able to appreciate this immensely. I wish I could force all of my customers to read this statement.

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People buy cell phones with false expectations. The things I have heard come out of people's mouths are unreal. A cell phone is a cell phone. Nothing is 100%. Nothing is perfection. Weather and peak usage times CAN affect your service. Dropping your phone CAN affect your service. No, you might not get EVERY call that is placed to your cell phone. Yes, you MAY drop a call. Yes, you MAY get a defective phone. Yes you have agreed to a 1 or 2 yr agreement that states that you keep your handset for that time period or YOU replace it at company cost. (may be marked up 10%, but thats business.)
There ARE customers that get consistent bills month after month. Yes, taxes change and fluxuate on EVERYTHING. You pay an activation fee and a Prorate on your FIRST bill. (many are double. Cable and landline service is the same way.) Yes, your rep should disclose things to you, but it is also your responsibility as a consumer to ask questions.
Side note: You will catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
Every company I know of HAS an upgrade fee. Verizon DOES have an upgrade fee. Sometimes it is waived on the PRIMARY line.
Take your time to learn how to read your bill right from the get go. There are pages usually on your carriers webpage that can help teach you. Use the 800 number! Those people are there to help you and keep you from the 30 min wait time in the retail store.
People need to take the time to read the fine print if they are so worried. Stay within your minutes, have a no roam plan, dont text without a package, don't call 411, and don't dowload anything and your bills will be fine EVERY month.
Know that reps are getting paid less and less and are being forced into selling more and more products that most consumers DONT want yet. As our markets continue to become saturated, our quotas are staying the same. We cant get by unless you are adding accessories and text packages to your plan.
My gripe about upgrade fees: I am more worried that this should be a charge that goes right to a sales rep. for their time they spend with their customer! A rep can spend 45 minutes with a sale that maybe is completely NON commissionable now. Guidelines are getting VERY strict on what reps are actually getting paid on. It hurts their paycheck and makes them lose potential sales while they are showing you EVERY feature of EVERY phone in the store. Its harder and harder to actually make commission off of a customer anymore, yet reps are accused of being "snakey" like; like they are trying to pull one over on you.
Find a good rep and be loyal to them. Send them business. Build a relationship. Know that there are different departments. A sales rep sells. A customer service rep helps you with questions/billing and complaints. Technicians help you with phone/network problems.
I have been doing sales for almost 7 years. I make less and less every year and am frustrated with what the expectation level is. (Company and consumer wise).
Spending an hour with you on your bill and then see you turn around the next month and activate a new line of service with a different rep, that will most likely NOT give you the time of day once you sign that contract, is absolutley annoying.
Time IS money. If you see there are 20 other people in line at the retail store, don't take 30 min to pick a phone. Do a little looking on your own. Everyone has the internet, USE it. Its VERY helpful. Questions are great truly, but have it narrowed to 2-3. You have a trial period, USE it.
The guy that sold you your $600 digital camera will NOT sit and teach you how to use it for an hour. If you drop it the next day, you aren't going to get a special deal on another one. Protect your investment. No one wants insurance when its offered. Most reps are NOT compensated on selling it. Bottom line is, yes it sucks when you break/lose/water damage your phone. Its not your company's fault. You are not going to get something for free again if you abused your first one. It's just like charging a computer to your credit card and then spilling water all over it, you still have to make payments on it. Duh.
If you are trying to "seal a million $$$ deal" maybe you should get out of your car and sit at your desk and make that call. (just in case you drop the call and lose your deal. I have heard this one multiple times.) Don't ask for compensation because of it. It's a CELL phone NOT a landline.
Side Note: You can "make and receive calls" on ANY handset. All cell phones have some "bells and whistles." The StarTac is a dying breed, breathe and let it go! Its not GPS anyway.
I have seen horror bills and terrible circumstances, don't get me wrong. Companies make mistakes. Yelling is not going to get you what you want with most reps. Remember your sales rep has no pull in making special rules and exceptions for you. Don't yell and make a scene in the store. It only makes you look like a jackass.
I was a good cell rep. I had very few customer complaints in my entire career in cellular. However, I finally quit because I was being forced into pushing bundle after bundle on customers that just wanted basic service, or I would lose my job. I do understand at the same time though. The money is in EXTRA services right now.
Things generally don't get cheaper year after year. Things get MORE expensive. I don't agree with all the charges sometimes either, but for a company to continue to grow and support more of a customer base, it needs to make more revenue. Look at how much your carriers spend on a yearly basis trying to build a better network for thier consumers. With more customers being added to a carrier, also comes the need to hire more staff. The cell phone carrying pre teens are going to want cutting edge technology by the time they are in their early 20's (or sooner)and carriers need to deliver that. It is outrageously expensive to upgrade a network into using all forms of media and not just "phone" service. Folks, we are not moving backwards here. If you would put a TV in your mini van, why wouldnt you want to watch a show on your cell phone while you are waiting in line at your cell phone store?
A note: Maybe everyone around you does NOT want to listen to your cell phone conversations. This is why text messaging is awesome. Try it.
One of my last comments:
Do NOT take a call while you are being helped by your cell phone rep. It puts everyone behind. Just let it go to voicemail or let someone go ahead of you. If your hairdresser took a call while she/he was doing your hair, what would YOU think about that? It works both ways. We can't sell until you listen and make a decision.
Don't walk in to activate/upgrade phones when the store closes in 10 minutes. Reps work hard all day long and usually have 30 minutes of paperwork to do after they close. The whole sales process can take a good 20 minutes, IF you want a good consultation. Then we have to run the transaction and make sure your questions are answered before you go. If there is still a line at 5min till close, DON'T get in line. Common courtesy should be worried about MORE than an upgrade fee.
You can squabble about upgrade fees and then swith carriers where you will then pay $25-$36 in activation fees plus the purchase of new phones/ accessories, or you can just pay it and move on with it.
Its just a cell phone. How did people get by without them? Business was still going on. Deals were still being made. Kids were still calling mom and dad. Cell phones are convenient and you PAY for convenience. Cell phone companies need to also remember who supports them. Sometimes they lose sight of that when they get too big. When their churn rates spike, they will come back around. Things are just changing so rapidly. I back both sides of the story, but I just wanted to share some thoughts. Laters.

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› See More: I couldn't have said it better myself...

[diehard.iden]

This is so true it should take place as a disclaimer signed by the subscribers of cellular service providers.

[spum]

Word. I want to hang this up in my window at work.