Home  ›  Forums  ›

Shop Talk

all discussions

show all 38 replies

AT&T Rant

hardcorehavok

Feb 15, 2008, 12:27 PM
I work for an AT&T dealer that used to be CellOne. Last month, AT&T started a new rebate policy. Quite simply, it sucks! You must get a minimum $10 data/messaging package and keep it for 6 months. If you do not, you do not get the mail-in rebate and the phone gets jacked up $20! WTF?!? People are already PO'd that they will have to switch to AT&T and this just adds to their frustration and mine. We are a small town/area. We have a lot of people who don't do messaging or internet on their phone; namely OLD PEOPLE! We have tons of older customers who just want a simple plan and a cheap phone. We have an exception to the rebate policy in the Nokia 2610. We offer it FREE without a rebate. Although the 2610 is a good basic phone, it is somewhat ...
(continues)
...
dalily21

Feb 15, 2008, 12:54 PM
vzw only requires a data plan on a bb, not to get a mir. now let me ask you this. how long does it take to get the mir back? why not just tell the customer after they spend the mir to call in an remove the plan? at least they would have the mir, but then you mentioned a 20 difference, you think they would bill that to the acct instead? this policy kinda sucks tho. i think sprint does the same thing but i will let someone else elaborate on that
...
coolestguyinsa

Feb 15, 2008, 1:26 PM
Several sales reps out there complain way too much, what happened to being sales people. (Ahh it's too hard to make money) A true sales person man or women will accept the challenge and do what ever it takes to close the sale. I do it everyday, and ever since I've been in sales, and the wireless industry.

Accept that in order to get a Media discount they have to get a Media package plain and simple. I have a 6 month charge backs, which sucks but if the consumer uses the Media package for a month they will like it and continue using it.

I work for at&t, my commission structure is all about features so that is what I push.

Are there other true sales people in the wireless industry out there who agree me?
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 15, 2008, 1:51 PM
I never claimed to be a "true" salesman. I worked in customer care for 2 years. I have only been in sales for about 6 months. It doesn't matter how good of a salesman you are, some people just REFUSE to add a feature they will not use. My grandmother is 60 years old. She barely knows how to make and receive calls. She doesn't want or need a messaging or data package. However, if she decides to upgrade through a dealer or COR store (I am under the assumption that COR stores must follow this policy as well), she will either have to pay $10/mo for a feature she will never use or pay and extra $20 and get no MIR. I could be like so many agents I have seen in the past. I could just add the feature without the customers knowledge and tell them tha...
(continues)
...
BigShowJB

Feb 15, 2008, 4:27 PM
a True sales person knows 3 things:
1)what the customer needs
2)what the customer wants
3)how to get the customer to want more

for our industry, what the customer needs is a phone thaht works where and when they need it to, that gets the most minutes, text messages, emails/data, and whatever else they will use for the least amount of money. that includes being on a plan that DOES NOT get them ridiculous overages...

what the customer wants varies so you just have to qualify that customer and make sure you have the right phone, etc.

getting the customer to want more is a matter of making the benefit-value of the addon feature(s) more than the cost of said feature.

the most important rule, however is that if they don't need it ...
(continues)
...
ReaperTut

Feb 15, 2008, 4:30 PM
/applause


thank you
...
ajstrong

Feb 15, 2008, 5:15 PM
😁 yay.
...
thebiggestguy

Feb 17, 2008, 11:48 AM
coolestguyinusa had it right, pending he was following up with the sale.

To the OP. Features is something everyone is doing. The only reason why old people dont do it is because they dont know how, and no one will teach them.

I GUARENTEE thier grandchildren text and they want to stay in contact even trade pictures. I also bet that more then half of them watch gameshows thaty have texting available on tv. Or we have 7-7... build value in that. Roadside Assistance and 7-7 = over 10 dollars.

The mistake poor salesman make is they dont know how to apply the feature to the customers every day life. Ask personal questions, dont get scared. It WILL pay off
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 17, 2008, 3:15 PM
The rebate policy refers to DATA features. 7-7 and RA are not included. It has to be $10+ on a messaging or WAP plan.
...
vzwcripplesphones

Feb 18, 2008, 10:06 AM
Those who want to get messaging get it; those who don't know what it is won't. Informing the customer of the features of a phone, and the finer details of it never hurt. and if someone doesn't want a feature ask them why.

Asking why never hurt anyone, and you may be able to overcome their objection at the same time by finding out a specific reason.
...
robtheman

Feb 17, 2008, 4:23 PM
coolestguyinsa said:
Several sales reps out there complain way too much. What happened to being sales people? (Ahh it's too hard to make money) A true sales person man or women will accept the challenge and do what ever it takes to close the sale. I do it everyday, and ever since I've been in sales and the wireless industry.

Accept that in order to get a Media discount they have to get a Media package plain and simple. I have a 6 month charge backs, which sucks but if the consumer uses the Media package for a month they will like it and continue using it.

I work for at&t, my commission structure is all about features so that is what I push.

Are there other true sa
...
(continues)
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 18, 2008, 12:48 PM
How rude! 😉
...
firecollector

Feb 18, 2008, 12:57 AM
While I understand the need to push packages,as a Customer Service Rep for ATT,please,#1 Explain to customers about the pro=rated charges and month in advance that they'll see on their first bill.I understand that it's supposed to be explained on the CSS form,but,hey,we all know that no one reads anything.70% of my day is spent going over first bills that look like the national debt.I would estimate that 50% of all cancellations are caused by this,which will bite you as a chargeback.#2If a family has teenagers,push the unlimited text pkg.They'll need it.Also,explain that even though you must have a media pkg to use text,PPU means that they WILL get charged for it if it's used for picture mail or video.#3Parents should be told about the "Smar...
(continues)
...
Tmo Slave

Feb 15, 2008, 5:32 PM
You sound like the type of sales rep I hate. The kind that will put some 80 year old a 1500 min plan with unlimited text and data and a bunch of other crap they don't need.

But I also love your type because you piss of the customer and they come over to my company and activate.

Just because your sales rep and the company is pushing a certain feature doesn't mean its for everyone. Its your job to find out what they need for the best price not price gauge them because you can.
...
BigShowJB

Feb 15, 2008, 6:31 PM
I've done this several times for a customer, especially for features not available on a phone or in a certain area, like the video mail option...

activate the feature on the line, enabling the rebate, and then have the customer call you when they get the bill and you call to get an equivalent credit for the unavailable feature.
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 15, 2008, 6:38 PM
I see a big problem with that. If you call customer care for the customer to get a credit for an unavailable feature, they will more than likely remove the feature. It's common sense IMO. Do you just tell the rep to credit it, but leave the feature? Do they ever do it?
...
BigShowJB

Feb 15, 2008, 7:04 PM
about 80-90% of the time... i get a couple reps who say, "well then they shouldn't havesigned up for it..." which is when i call backand get another rep.

the key is to convince the rep that the feature was a mandatory add-on during activation, especially to get the rebate. and that it is in the company's and customers best interest to give the credit. how much is that credit going to be? $5, $10? shouldn't be any real task for a "true salesperson" 🙂
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 15, 2008, 1:53 PM
My RAE told us they must keep it on for 6 months. The MIR usually come back in 6-8 weeks. That is only two months or so. I am not sure if AT&T would bill them for the rebate amount if they removed it before the six months or not, but I do not want to tell a customer that they can remove it once they get their rebate and then have them return PO'd at me when AT&T bills them.

I believe the expression is HEADDESK!
...
BigShowJB

Feb 15, 2008, 4:32 PM
hardcorehavok said:


I believe the expression is HEADDESK!


weren't we all supposed to be asking for a *headdesk* smiley??
...
Tmo Slave

Feb 15, 2008, 5:35 PM
I saw a smiley on another forum bashing its head into a wall. That one would work also.
...
labellavita

Feb 17, 2008, 6:47 PM
I would hate to work with most of you. I hate reps that push features on people that don't need them. cust service does that all the time then the cust comes in unhappy because they didn't want the feature in the first place. it's pretty simple for me. If the cust wants the $20 rebate they have to add the feature, like it or not. and if they don't want it then no rebate. and if they have to keep it for 6 months I'm pretty sure that will cost more than a stupid $20 rebate. I could see on a rebate for $100+ on a pda but for $20? Really? reps make their job so much harder then it needs to be. and customers need to stop being such cheap bastards
...
illinformedcustomer

Feb 15, 2008, 1:04 PM
That must be only in your market for those rebate guidelines. I am in the Philadelphia NorthEast Market and don't have any such guidelines for regular phones. The stipulation comes with the Blackberries, PDAs and Aircards. Sucks to have to lose business though due to something that you have no control over.
...
Tmo Slave

Feb 15, 2008, 1:25 PM
At Tmobile we don't require you to add on any extra features to get the MIR. Just extend your contract for 2 years. We do off an extra $20.00 off our data phones if you add the data service but that is only if you want the extra discount.
...
coolestguyinsa

Feb 15, 2008, 1:29 PM
Supposed to be in the main thread

Several sales reps out there complain way too much, what happened to being sales people. (Ahh it's too hard to make money) A true sales person man or women will accept the challenge and do what ever it takes to close the sale. I do it everyday, and ever since I've been in sales, and the wireless industry.

Accept that in order to get a Media discount they have to get a Media package plain and simple. I have a 6 month charge backs, which sucks but if the consumer uses the Media package for a month they will like it and continue using it.

I work for at&t, my commission structure is all about features so that is what I push.

Are there other true sales people in the wireless industry out there who ag...
(continues)
...
OfAMightDivine

Feb 15, 2008, 1:40 PM
Although I am not in Sales, I do agree with you. As a salesman, your job is to sell the product by producing a thing called 'percieved need'. It's your job to try and convince the customer they need said services if needed to close the sale.

Also, I would point out that just because I am in Care, does not mean we do not need/use sales techniques. When a customer calls in to upgrade, we are directed towards doing the same thing you are. We need to try and pimp out services customers don't want, but again, if you create percieved need, it helps a lot.

We have almost the same tools to use. At least you get paid more for it. If I have to add on a feature, I get no commission. If I get an upgrade itself, I might get $2 on a new 2 yr contr...
(continues)
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 15, 2008, 2:28 PM
I understand that, but it's kind of hard to contend with other stores without going bankrupt! Our store is directly across the street from Walmart and we are a couple miles from the COR store. The COR store is always crowded and their prices are normally the same or more than ours. However, Walmart is killing us. They have phones for free that are $100+ else where. They have the RAZR2 for $150 without MIR! It's $250 after MIR at COR and dealers. Are we just supposed to take the loses in stride? Are we supposed to price match everyone? How about we add unlimited MEdia Net and Messaging to everyone's account along with Roadside Assistance, Insurance, Push-To-Talk (whether they have a PTT phone or not), early nights and weekends and voicedial. ...
(continues)
...
UOQuack

Feb 15, 2008, 2:53 PM
Havok, if your store is within 2 miles of an AT&T store, I would offer you some friendly advice to start looking for another job immediately! No offense meant, but AT&T's stance towards dealers right now is to eliminate as much competition as possible for their COR stores. In the Carolinas, we have seen over 66% of all agent doorways closed over the last year or so. And they continue to squeeze us, so that essentially only the strong will survive. We all know the market is saturated, and they want as much traffic in each COR doorway as possible. That means eliminating agent doorways.

Good luck!
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 15, 2008, 3:02 PM
When AT&T took over CellOne, we were one of the few dealers that stayed open. My RAE went from having 15 stores to look after to 5 in a week. We are not much competition for the COR store and thus I believe that we are okay...as long as we start making some money. Thanks for the heads up though.
...
BigShowJB

Feb 15, 2008, 4:48 PM
what you need to do to make yourself and your store stand out from walmart and COR, is offer personal service that is above and beyond what CRAPorate or WalShart can offer. I think you and I have had this discussion before. know your phones. know your service. know your customer. know your competition. know your limitations (especially know the competitions limitations) and sell your experience.

On a more personal note, I think it would be quite a challenge to go up against you on a head to head basis from another store, even corporate or Wal-mart. They should be afraid, you know your sh!t dude, and that's all a manager can ask of his sales person. I'd be nervous knowing you were only two mi...
(continues)
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 15, 2008, 5:35 PM
Dude!
...
UOQuack

Feb 15, 2008, 2:43 PM
As I understand AT&T's rebate policy--and I think I do understand it pretty well--customers are not actually required to sign up for and keep features in order to get rebates, unless they are buying a data device. If that is actually the policy, it will clearly state such on the rebate form. I know in the SE market, our rebate forms show no such policy (except for data devices).

However, I work for an agent, and our agent policy is that if you want a 3G phone, you MUST also purchase a media feature of at least $19.99, and we do require, by means of an additional agreement, that the feature be kept for 6 months. Your market RAEs may be trying some similar tactic to increase feature revenue, or your agent principles might be trying this ...
(continues)
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 15, 2008, 3:08 PM
Thanks for the input. The rebate forms do not say anything about this policy. It has all come directly from our RAE and his superior. You could be right. I will check into this. Like I said before, I just don't want to tell a customer that they will get a rebate and they end up not getting it. Then, they come back upset and demand a credit or such.
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 16, 2008, 10:40 AM
I talked to my manager yesterday about the policy. She is trying to find a contact with AT&T that can confirm/deny the rebate policy that I have posted about. Personally, I believe it is a local "policy" that our area manager made up in order to boost feature sales. I think the policy is BS. Until we can verify whether or not it is required, we are supposed to follow the policy.

This morning, I had a couple come in to inquire about migrating from CellOne to AT&T. They were fine with the plans and the early nights and weekends pricing. They asked me to show them the phones. I showed them our selection and explained that the promotions do not start until Monday. AT&T goofed up. There are no promotions this weekend. No MIRs. Nothing. Anyway...
(continues)
...
Blumpelstiltskin

Feb 16, 2008, 11:37 AM
I believe you are being lied to. I am a store manager for an indirect in the NY/NJ market (42)... when you add a feature to someones account, your company is getting paid 4x that amount. For example - on the $30 family messaging - your company gets paid $120. They are using a part of that to drop the phone price, part to pay you, and the rest goes in their pocket. Nowhere in the rebate form are customers required to keep features (except for data devices, but thats already been covered).

It looks like your superior thinks that you'll make more money forcing people to take data, as opposed to if you just sold phones with no data - and assuming a part of those customers will walk out.

PM me if you need anything else, seriously.
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 16, 2008, 12:02 PM
Thanks for the info. I have gotten this same response from several markets, but none out of mine. I know that policies are usually company wide and this appears to be my market only. I am really looking for someone in my market to confirm whether or not they have to do this. I am going to visit the COR store down the road this afternoon and ask them.
...
Blumpelstiltskin

Feb 16, 2008, 1:09 PM
just make sure you word your statement correctly. Some COR stores will require you to purchase a data plan on a standard handset - for example... the w810i required a minimum $20 feature - this was marketwide... the rebate was not contingent on this policy.
...
ralph_on_me

Feb 16, 2008, 5:37 PM
Here's the way the data discounts work. Let's say you wanted to get the LG Shine. It's probably the same in many markets because it's being heavily advertised right now. For a 2 year contract, the price of the phone is $169.99. If you elect to get a $9.99 or higher data package, you give them an in store discount of $20 making the point-of-sale price $149.99. They will get the MIR even if the elect not to add a data package.

So, with a data package it's $149.99 - $50 MIR = $99.99

Without a data package it's $169.99 - $50 MIR = $119.99

Also there are promotions over the weekend. Check CSP for a current rebate form.
...
hardcorehavok

Feb 16, 2008, 6:27 PM
There is information and a price sheet in MyCSP, but no rebate form. We usually get the rebate form emailed to us from our RAE. MyCSP says that the promotions start on 2/17 and run to 3/15 (My B-Day!). The previous promotion ended at close on 2/14.

Thanks for the update on the promotion. I will let my manager know this and hopefully we can get this settled.
...
spazebar

Feb 16, 2008, 3:14 PM
Yeah here at Sprint we do have a data plan requirement for the MIR for smartphones they only have to keep the plan for a month though. Once there rebate has been validated they can cancel the 25$ vision plan.
...

You must log in to reply.

Please log in to report a message to the moderator.


all discussions

Subscribe to Phone Scoop News with RSS Follow @phonescoop on Threads Follow @phonescoop on Mastodon Phone Scoop on Facebook Follow on Instagram

 

Playwire

All content Copyright 2001-2024 Phone Factor, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Content on this site may not be copied or republished without formal permission.