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That is not a bad word! (long)

Em3rnce

May 8, 2009, 10:03 AM
So at our store, we have to charge a 3.00 fee to pay you bill, because we go through a program to submit the bills immediately to the account.

Well I had a customer in the store yesterday who came in to pay (I had started his service up about 2 months ago) and he absolutely flipped out about the fee. He said that I was a liar because I had never told him that the fee would be on his bill ๐Ÿ˜•

I explained to him calmly that it is not on his bill, and he is more than welcome to pay his bill through the phone to avoid our fee, but he refused and repeated that he is not going to pay the fee.

By this time I'm getting pretty pissed, and am extremely tired of people disrespecting our jobs and telling us that we cannot do it right. I told...
(continues)
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Rock

May 8, 2009, 10:08 AM
Stupid people are taking over the world ๐Ÿ˜ณ
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amylynn

May 8, 2009, 10:29 AM
when did people start thinking that pennies are a weapon?
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Em3rnce

May 8, 2009, 10:35 AM
Apparently when they started thinking that wireless services are free ๐Ÿคจ
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ccareatatt

May 8, 2009, 10:53 AM
Its all our fault too by even providing "free" phones. There should be an IQ test required in order to even get a cell phone. LOL ๐Ÿ˜Ž ๐Ÿคฃ
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Rock

May 8, 2009, 11:51 AM
Most of us would be out of business ๐Ÿคฃ
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mist668

May 15, 2009, 12:24 PM
Very true
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Menno

May 8, 2009, 11:25 AM
Yeah... if he really wants to "punish her."

he should buy three accessories at 29.99 a piece and pay her in pennies... that would show her!

๐Ÿ˜Ž
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amylynn

May 8, 2009, 11:30 AM
I cringe at the thought ๐Ÿ˜›
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Menno

May 8, 2009, 11:59 AM
If someone comes in with that change, they need to count it all themselves.

$90 in pennies is annoying, but if the person has that much, they are in rolls, and while it would be annoying lugging them to the bank, it wouldn't be that bad.

Now, when my grandfather got a microwave from Sears and used his reciept from a coinstar machine (all pennies) that must've been annoying.
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wizardofCroz

May 8, 2009, 11:31 AM
When I was in college I got some BS parking ticket for 10 dollars. It was right at the end of the semester and I didn't really care anymore, so I traded my 10 dollar bill for all nickels. I neatly stacked them up in 25 cent stacks on the secretary's desk, while she keeps telling me that they can't just accept loose change. I counted every nickel until the 10 dollars was paid and left the place.

2 years later i decide to go back to the same college and they told me in order to re-enroll, I would have to take care of an outstanding balance of...you guessed it, 10 dollars! ๐Ÿ˜ณ someone is walking around with a lot of free nickels!
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frontncenter

May 8, 2009, 2:00 PM
What else are they good for?
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xIsamuTM

May 9, 2009, 12:56 AM
Ever been shot by one?
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Burger Time

May 9, 2009, 5:35 PM
amylynn said:
when did people start thinking that pennies are a weapon?


About the same time they started thinking that diet Coke is a health food.
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computerking

May 8, 2009, 4:15 PM
who thinks "fricken" is an inappropriate word? I believe it is much better than the latter.

I was attempting to resolve a very long outstanding issue with a company that sent my return package of repaired phones to some other company in another state because their rep cant type.

After many hours and multiple reps I said "this is fricken ridiculous!" and I res reprimanded by the customer service guy about using foul language.

I kindly informed him what a foul word actually was ๐Ÿ˜
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genii

May 8, 2009, 5:28 PM
better than the latter?? what was the former?
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computerking

May 8, 2009, 5:46 PM
fricken is what I used, f**king is what I would consider inappropriate
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genii

May 8, 2009, 6:40 PM
I understand...the words former or latter usually means you have listed 2 items and is relative to their organization.. ๐Ÿ˜› sorry just a joke I have with a friend. He always uses the words wrong and we give him a hard time
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robtheman

May 9, 2009, 10:50 AM
I don't think there's any difference between the two when the intent is the same. Words are words. It's all in what you mean when you say them. People that try to dance around by saying "freak" or "ship" are just making themselves look stupid in the process.
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Decept.ICON

May 8, 2009, 4:34 PM
atleast you're still hawt...
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Em3rnce

May 11, 2009, 11:43 AM
Lol thanks dear ๐Ÿ™‚
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Decept.ICON

May 11, 2009, 3:02 PM
you're welcome...
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miasma

May 9, 2009, 3:27 AM
What a bullsh*t fee. He was right to flip out at the company you represent nickle and dimeing him even when he's trying to pay his bills.
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Menno

May 9, 2009, 9:34 AM
Yes, because they can't:

-Pay over the phone (for free)
-Pay online (for free)
-Use the mail (for a postage stamp)
-Drive to a corp store (pay for free)


In order to accept bill payments at an indirect, we need to use a third party payment system since we are not allowed direct access to billing. This payment system is the one that charges the fee, not the stores. stores cannot waive this fee.
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Em3rnce

May 9, 2009, 1:09 PM
Thank you Menno ๐Ÿ™‚
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Menno

May 9, 2009, 1:15 PM
That's what I'm here for. ๐Ÿ˜Ž


Well, and trolling since it's so dead today.
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miasma

May 9, 2009, 2:23 PM
Nonsense. Do you actually believe the things you say?

So an indirect dealer is using a system to process payments that's not only separate from their own internal systems but also separate from say, Sprint's internal billing system. Not only that, but this 3rd party system charges 3 fu*king dollars per payment processed to which you or Sprint have no control over... right.

Do you even realize the how aggressive and anti-consumer your ignorance is? Oh he can pay by phone or use the mail? Or use a credit card online, assuming he has one. It's just another effort to cut out paper transactions and it's complete bullsh*t. This rule serves to do NOTHING other than to punish people who wish to pay their bills with cash. You know, money...
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Menno

May 9, 2009, 3:14 PM
There is a system, we enter how much they want to pay, it has $3 in a field we cannot edit and they must pay the total for the payment to process. We cannot waive this, this fee is not added by us.

The third party site is one that Verizon (corp) sets up. This is the ONLY way that we can accept payments. As an indirect agent, we cannot access their billing system, so the third party program was set up for people who didn't want to drive to a corp store or pay over the phone.

We are doing nothing to the customers. if it were left to me, I would waive the fee, but I can't, my company can't, and verizon won't because they see the system as a convenience, not as something that needs to be offered.

I'm sorry you're so offended by this...
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Menno

May 9, 2009, 3:24 PM
Oh, and I "assume" they have a credit card when they pull one out to pay their bill in our system.


If you think you know more about the inner workings of companies then explain to us how we can magically waive a fee added by a system we have only basic access to.

There are multiple free ways a customer can pay their bill. They wanted to be able to go into any place that sells verizon and pay their bill, so verizon created a way for them to do this. The system is expensive to maintain since it has to ensure that we have no direct access to billing (as an indirect we can't even pull up your bill).

Perhaps you should know a little bit more about indirects before you go spouting your opinions, hmm?
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WZ_agent

May 9, 2009, 3:31 PM
i wouldnt say this is just blindly following the company's policies. This is a fee their company has no control over. i think youre (miasma) being a little harsh. if he cannot go around a fee (as referenced to the editable nature of the software) then he cant wave it. i understand your point: there shouldnt be a fee. however, there is, and menno cant do anything about it. he gave the customer other free options. menno, i have to take your side on this.
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miasma

May 9, 2009, 3:45 PM
No I shouldn't because my point wasn't whether the fu*king fee was on there or not.... hmm?

I accept that the fee was on there, I don't accept that the fee is a necessity that cannot be waived or otherwise credited to his bill... even if not through your apparently useless indirect location. I also don't accept that this fee is a necessity since running a system to process payments is about the most simple thing you can imagine. Especially since you don't actually have access to the billing system itself and you're more or less running a debit system. If you take a computer science degree in University this is the type of simple program they will start you off programing, that's how easy and cheap they are to design and implement.

S...
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WZ_agent

May 9, 2009, 4:02 PM
i can see that this is a pointless discussion.
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Menno

May 9, 2009, 4:45 PM
Sorry, I don't make a dime off of that fee charged to customers. There is a small amount paid for bill pays, but this is for providing the service, not fee itself since we get it from prepay payments (which don't require the fee since they use a different system)

If you have an issue with the fee, you need to take it up with the corp store, not with an indirect.


Or better yet, come off your high horse and see that NO ONE HERE is defending the fee, or saying we like it. We are saying it is part of the system and if the customer has an issue with it they need to take it up with corp. If I could waive the fee or credit their account every time, I would. This is why I tell EVERY customer about the other payment options available to th...
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Burger Time

May 9, 2009, 7:38 PM
miasma said:
Nonsense. Do you actually believe the things you say?

So an indirect dealer is using a system to process payments that's not only separate from their own internal systems but also separate from say, Sprint's internal billing system. Not only that, but this 3rd party system charges 3 fu*king dollars per payment processed to which you or Sprint have no control over... right.

Do you even realize the how aggressive and anti-consumer your ignorance is? Oh he can pay by phone or use the mail? Or use a credit card online, assuming he has one. It's just another effort to cut out paper transactions and it's complete bullsh*t. This rule serves to do NOTHING other than to punish people who wish to pay their
...
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wizardofCroz

May 9, 2009, 10:25 AM
Because we all know that disagreeing with something automatically makes you immune to the rules. It also helps using foul language and raising your voice.
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miasma

May 9, 2009, 2:24 PM
His anger wasn't misplaced. End of story.

It doesn't matter if it's going to get the rule changed or have an exception made for him. The only thing that matters is if he was justified to become upset in that situation. He was.
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WZ_agent

May 9, 2009, 3:32 PM
yes, but even justified anger doesnt necessitate the customer becoming hostile.
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miasma

May 9, 2009, 3:35 PM
How PC have we become? The guy said to kiss his ass, not "I'll kill your children" or made threatening motions to the rep.
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WZ_agent

May 9, 2009, 3:36 PM
how childish have we become? and the rep explained it was out of his hands. i am justified in my anger about a lot of things, but i realize yelling or swearing to someone just doing their job is pointless.
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amylynn

May 9, 2009, 4:45 PM
The customer has every right to be angry, as does anyone else. I don't agree with the fees either.
Unfortunately, there's nothing we can do about it. Arguing and swearing at the associate never accomplishes anything and is completely unnecessary being that we have absolutely no control over the fees. If the customer should swear at anyone, it should be the people that are forcing them to pay the fee to begin with. If the company gets enough calls from angry people, maybe they'll change things. (iffy, but always a possibility) Then we would all be happy.
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Menno

May 9, 2009, 4:50 PM
They have to contact Verizon, not the company that runs the indirects. It is their program that charges the fee, not the stores.
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amylynn

May 9, 2009, 4:53 PM
Ahhh...that would make sense. I have no idea how the systems work, just that it's there and it's mandatory. I've never had a bad experience with a customer about it thus far. At most, they've just grumbled under their breath. I don't like it, but nothing I can do.
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Menno

May 9, 2009, 5:01 PM
It's whatever system they have set up. if you run it through your POS you might not see the fee (it is just auto-added) but if you actually go to the website itself for a payment lookup or something, you'll see that there is a box to enter their phone number, a box for how much they want to pay, and then there is a line that has $3.00 service fee that you can't even click on or highlight. then a box at the bottom with the total. at least that is how it is with our system. It could vary from carrier to carrier.
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amylynn

May 9, 2009, 5:25 PM
I do see the fee through the POS. It won't even let me run it until I have the fee in my hand. (or at least, I have to check off that I have it in my hand) Then it's automatically added.
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Menno

May 9, 2009, 4:49 PM
How arrogant have we become? Just because you're on the other side of the counter doesn't mean you suddenly get the "Permission to be an asshole" card. The person in question, and you (I'm assuming) are human adults, or nearly adults. act like it and not like 2 year olds in the candy aisle when mommy says no.
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lilyofthenorth

May 15, 2009, 5:05 PM
With the exception that the hundreds of other customers who know about it and choose to pay it without a flippin temper tantrum. We have no choice but to charge it.
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Crapbag

May 12, 2009, 9:57 PM
Agreed. Our solution is to simply not take cash. We do gladly take credit cards in the store with no fee. AT&T does however charge to run a card over the phone which I think is BS. I used to try and pay my Alaska Airlines Gold Card over the phone with my BofA debit card and they'd charge me an $8 check generation fee which we all know is bullsh*t. Basically a company should never charge to make a payment.

The cost to process a payment is called part of the cost of doing business. You don't charge .25 to run a debit transaction every time do you?!?! It's the same idea.
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Menno

May 13, 2009, 1:24 PM
The system they give us to use charges a fee regardless. however, Verizon doesn't charge a fee to take a payment over the phone (your bank might)
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Crapbag

May 13, 2009, 8:01 PM
I understand what you are saying. I'm not blaming your for the process but the decision lays in someones hands and it should be sucked up as a cost of doing business, not laid on the customers hands.
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lilyofthenorth

May 15, 2009, 5:09 PM
But the customer can CHOOSE whether or not to pay their bill in the store. There are other options open to them.
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Crapbag

May 18, 2009, 11:15 AM
It's still a point of contact for a customer. Why wouldn't they be able to walk into a location and pay. Not everyone is comfortable with online or by phone payments. Not everyone is comfortable handing their CC number to a random faceless person over the phone. The point is that it should be a cost of doing business fo a business, not the other way around. Otherwise you are basically McDonalds charging to use your debit card.
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Menno

May 18, 2009, 11:31 AM
Not really if you are talking indirects. It's like buying something at walmart and then trying to pay your cellphone bill there.

We sell the service, we offer products. We are unable to do anything with billing (credits, extensions, viewing notes on accounts, pulling up a customers bill, etc)

Customers demanded some way to pay locally, so they came up with this payment system. I don't really agree with the fee, and I think it should be waived, but I understand why it is there.
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Pretty Keeley

May 15, 2009, 11:11 AM
they try to get out of something because they don't like what we told them just to have someone of higher power tell them the same thing. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it! ๐Ÿ™‚ I do hate it though when they contact customer service and they allow them to do the very things we don't allow.
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Tomdg07

May 16, 2009, 1:23 PM
Pretty Keeley said:
I do hate it though when they contact customer service and they allow them to do the very things we don't allow.

ya i hate it when store reps call in and want us make changes and use there comp codes unless your system actually down mines going in, when a messaging plan with mms included wont save because no data plan add the ppu thats not a system issue
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fer712

May 15, 2009, 5:16 PM
lol nice one i get that all the time tru the phone im a att phone rep
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Drunk

May 16, 2009, 1:30 PM
BRAH, YOU SELL ATT BRAH? ARE YOU HATTIN BRAH?
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12LONGYEARS

May 17, 2009, 11:53 AM
I had a guy tell me "if I had a va jay jay, you would give me a new phone". I responded with "just because your a d@ck, I mean have a p@nis doesnt mean your gonna be treated any differently". All of the other customers were rotfltao. So Mr.Tampon envy turned around and made a b-line for the door. ๐Ÿ˜‰
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WZ_agent

May 18, 2009, 8:57 AM
either you are lying (most likely) or you are the worst customer service rep in the industry. are you trying to impress us with your lies or your lack of tact?
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