Now I know how it feels!
I pulled up my bill today and one of my lines got charged 20 bucks for an ESN change! Apparently my wife's son went into a Verizon Wireless retail store in Florida and had them do an ESN change for him instead of calling me. WTF and they say that indirects are crooks! I would never charge for an ESN change fee! Retail stores and customer care are turning into crooks. Screwing the customer every chance they can! Why?!?! I have 5 lines with VZW and my bill runs aprox 250 bucks a month and they can't do a simple 2 minute ESN change for FREE?!?!?!? 2 minutes. What next? Are we going to start getting charged if we ask when our upgrade renewal date is? And then charged if we asked what time of day it is? Holy cow!
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Don't be surprised if Verizon continues their policy of nickel-and-diming you to death. For me, it started with taking away the off-peak time on holidays when they fell during the week, which began last Labor Day, I believe. Fact is, Verizon is still the best service there is out there, no question, and they also know it. They're going to look for every way possible to maximize their profits as long as they continue to be the best provider of cellular service out there. When the competition comes up to their level, which will probably not be anytime soon, Verizon will offer back some of the things they have taken away. BTW, it's my understanding that if you do an ESN change on line, there is no charge, and if I am wrong about that, plea...
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You are correct no fee to change your ESN online. The fee for ESN changes actually makes sense YOU CAN PAY US TO DO IT FOR YOU or YOU CAN DO IT FOR FREE ONLINE YOURSELF! in other words if you are going to use representives time you are going to have to pay for it! This makes sense to me!
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It was my wife's son who lives 1200 miles away. He went into a retail store just asking to get a phone activated. Also, I suppose I could just go to another carrier where all I would have to do is pull my SIM card out and put it in another phone...
Verizon choose to go the ESN way back when. To now make people pay to do ESN changes is rediculous. Once again this is why the retail stores and customer care are rip off artists and indirects (myself) are not. I wouldn't charge 20 bucks to a 250 a month revenue person to perform a 2 minute task...
Verizon choose to go the ESN way back when. To now make people pay to do ESN changes is rediculous. Once again this is why the retail stores and customer care are rip off artists and indirects (myself) are not. I wouldn't charge 20 bucks to a 250 a month revenue person to perform a 2 minute task...
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Come on crazyeagle you work in this industry! If I were you I would blame my son for not contacting me first not Vzw for charging for something that you OR he couldve done online
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OK....so let me get this straight, you are an Indirect, but your wife or son could not call to have you do it for them over the phone? I am also an Indirect, however, we are considering a $10 fee for ESN changes with "freebies" only for our own customers. As far as we are concerned, we are losing too much money to the rude and oftentimes uneducated corporate stores, so for one of their customers to come to us for general customer service is getting old. As an Indirect we will just use this fee for leverage by stating that when they decide to go through our store for a phone we will provide these services for free. I really think that this is a no brainer. We also have to maintain a certain level of availability for our own customers that ARE...
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Let's face it, there is no more customer loyalty so it everyone for themselves in this business.
Now this has summed it up for everyone, everywhere for every carrier.
Customers have so many choices (even those that are free if they do it themselves online?! Now, I dare a customer to say, "I dont have time for that!!" when everyday life is atleast 60% internet... I mean come the f*ck on.). I dont expect loyalty anymore... just rude people who are ignorant to the workings of wireless providers. We will even take the time to explain it all to them, but no. We are just to bend over and spread our cheeks for the reaming of a lifetime - at all times of the day.
Its not only the cell phone industry, but the rest of...
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I called customer care today and they credited me the 20.00 fee. Still...go through most indirects and we won't price gouge for simple customer service work. That is all included by purchasing a phone through me!
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Heres a newsflash for you.....at my store (indirect) we charge 10$ for an ESN change, we didn't before, and it got to the point that we were doing tons of them, (alot for the same people over and over again). If you buy a new phone from us when you flush yours, then sure we do it for free, but if you flush your phone and buy a new one off E-bay why should we do it for free? You scratch my back I will scratch yours. We also charge 10$ for a phone book transfer. (again unless they buy the phone from us or pay 10$ for an ESN change, we don't charge them twice.)
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Welcome to Cellular costing arm and leg.
You'd think Verizon would value customers since you have 5 lines with them. But no, business is business with them. Can not believe they charged you for that.
I guess Verizon is really milking their coverage advantages. 👿
You'd think Verizon would value customers since you have 5 lines with them. But no, business is business with them. Can not believe they charged you for that.
I guess Verizon is really milking their coverage advantages. 👿
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I had an lg 6000 for over a year it wouldn't hold a charge anymore went to the store they gave me a new battery no charge, one of my v710 was acting up went to the store they didn't have any FRU units gave me an E815. There was a simple five dollar mistake on my bill one time they credited me 20. They seem to value my business. 🙂
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I must have some good verizon luck I have never been charged for an ESN change. I tried using the online ESN changer last weekend didn't work (again) called 611 zero zero told them the online didn't work hook me up they said NP and I was done. Then again I hear ppl complaining about long wait times at the store, here in WA I walk in and I'm immediately greeted. I have a good attitude about verizon because they just never have done me wrong. 🙂 😎
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You should be happy, Sprint charges $36 for swapping the ESN, or "Handset Upgrade Fee."
I get more calls about that then I do about "I got this message on my phone saying i'm about to exceed my spending limit. Now i've been with sprint for x years and...5 mins later... and this is why I deserve a free phone."
I get more calls about that then I do about "I got this message on my phone saying i'm about to exceed my spending limit. Now i've been with sprint for x years and...5 mins later... and this is why I deserve a free phone."
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that the retail stores and customer service are crooks for charging a 20.00 ESN fee?? Are we not just following Verizon Wireless policies?? Whenever I get a phone call from someone that wants to change a ESN because they don't like their phone anymore and purchased a new one off Ebay, or dropped their phone in the toilet, I tell them that there will be a 20.00 esn change fee if CS does it over the phone or they can go online to do it for free. I even walk them thru how to do it online many times. You as a indirect agent should know about policies and what you can or cannot do. So don't be calling Retail stores or Customer Service crooks, many of us don't like the policy but our hands are tied. Please think before you type something as w...
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twenty buck is a major major rip off imo if gsm worked worth a damn in my area i would be a cingular customer in a heartbeat. i have screwed myself enough trying gsm but im still hopefully for cingular improving in my area and having the freedom of no commie ui and sim cards.
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Believe me it's not what any of us want to do. It's what corp is making us do. And If you are a Merits customer that is the only time you don't have to pay. Unless you complain a bunch and the manager waives it, which doesn't happen too often.
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And at least in a call center environment you have to look at the cost per call for these types of requests. ESN changes used to be free back in the day, but when you've got customers that literally call in 3 times a month every month to change their ESN's between a collection of old phones, or swap ESN's between multiple lines on their accounts, or across separate accounts altogether, there comes a point when these services simply cannot be offered for free any longer. Unless of course, you log on and do it for free online. The difference between the call center and stores is volume. It may seem rediculous to charge for these things through a retail store because really, how many people a day come in and ask for an ESN change that isn't...
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Then VZW should have thought of this when they use ESN instead of SIM card. With a SIM card you can just take one out of one phone and put it in another...very easy...and very free...
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Yes, but isn't it typically the "customer" who removes the sim card from one phone and puts it in a new one? You're right. That is very simple and very easy. About as easy as a customer going online to change an ESN themselves. And a lot easier than converting an entire network to GSM to save a few people $20. We charge when a customer wants us to do it for them, and I'm guessing that if you had customers coming into your store three times a month every month asking you to please change their sim card for them because they don't feel like doing it themselves, you'd consider charging too.
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I suppose you are missing the point. On Verizon Wireless, they charge for someone changing to a different phone model if they don't have access to the internet. If someone came into my store three times a month and did ESN changes? No, I still wouldn't charge them. This takes 5 minutes tops...and I can spare 5 minutes...
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I'm not missing the point. I get the difference between sim cards and ESN's. And corporate would more than likely waive the fee if a customer stated they didn't have access to the internet. You didn't seem to have too much trouble geting your $20 back. And you say you wouldn't charge a customer for ESN changes, but this is obviously assuming they purchased from you. As I recall, you stated you charge $25 to go over billing and $10 to troubleshoot a phone. These are services that corporate NEVER charges for. Regardless where a customer purchased their phone.
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I will "charge" those fees. However, usually I will "waive" those fees. It shows value. And I do these things for people reguardless of where they bought their phones. Unlike a VZW rep, I don't get paid ONE CENT if someone doesn't buy from me. The BIG difference between a VZW rep and me is that when a customer sends in their monthly payment, VZW gets that money...not me. So that would be like if you agreed to CLOCK OUT and then take calls for an hour and help all these people. Reps diss on indirects, but you have to remember that we only get paid for one thing...activations. The more we help customers, the less they have to call in. So we are doing your work...for free. Imagine that...
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How much do you get for upgrading someone's phone or adding a line? I get $2 at most but I'm pretty sure it's $1 for an upgrade. If I get someone to add a line, I get $3.
While you explaining someone's bill isn't really your job, it's your choice to do it. If you want to charge for ESN changes, go for it. We charge to do it because they can pretty much all be done on the website. Taking 5 minutes to do it is 5 minutes I'm not helping someone that has a legitimate billing issue that can't be fixed from the website.
While you explaining someone's bill isn't really your job, it's your choice to do it. If you want to charge for ESN changes, go for it. We charge to do it because they can pretty much all be done on the website. Taking 5 minutes to do it is 5 minutes I'm not helping someone that has a legitimate billing issue that can't be fixed from the website.
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ok. You get 3 dollars to add a line. but you get a wage/benefits/office space/etc. I pay all of that out of my own pocket. And if the customer disconnects within 180 days, I lose money. You probably just lose that 3 bucks you were paid. I would lose the amount I subsidized that phone.
My point is that since Verizon Wireless decided to go a way that makes a customer have to do an ESN change in the switch to change phone models, instead of an easy SIM card switch...I would think ESN changes would be free. But the Verizon brainwashed reps cannot see through this. If Verizon Wireless started charging to ask the time of day you would say, "oh, you could find a watch and look at it for free, so since you called in we must charge you." ...
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My point is that since Verizon Wireless decided to go a way that makes a customer have to do an ESN change in the switch to change phone models, instead of an easy SIM card switch...I would think ESN changes would be free. But the Verizon brainwashed reps cannot see through this. If Verizon Wireless started charging to ask the time of day you would say, "oh, you could find a watch and look at it for free, so since you called in we must charge you." ...
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If you had people lined up to do legitimate business and someone wants you to do an ESN change, who should get helped first helped first?
That's all I'm saying. I could care less about the $20 charge because I'll never see any of it but I understand why the business needs to charge for it. Payments are no longer to be taken over the phone by reps anymore because people can do it via the IVR without any trouble. Why shouldn't Verizon charge to take a payment over the phone as well? Look at how many companies charge for this already. I tried to pay a utility bill from their website and they wanted to charge me $3 and it wasn't even with a person! DirecTV, I was told by a teammate, charges $25 for a payment.
These are mostly unncessary c...
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That's all I'm saying. I could care less about the $20 charge because I'll never see any of it but I understand why the business needs to charge for it. Payments are no longer to be taken over the phone by reps anymore because people can do it via the IVR without any trouble. Why shouldn't Verizon charge to take a payment over the phone as well? Look at how many companies charge for this already. I tried to pay a utility bill from their website and they wanted to charge me $3 and it wasn't even with a person! DirecTV, I was told by a teammate, charges $25 for a payment.
These are mostly unncessary c...
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OK. So you're saying you charge these fees, but then "waive" them. VZW does the same thing. Who cares about whether its a sim card or an ESN. The technology is not the argument. It's charging for a service we provide. We can do it for you for $20 or you can do it yourself for free. But honeslty, nost of the time these fees get waived. So what is the argument?
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