I said the people working in that particular store were worthless drones. You don't even know what happened so you shouldn't talk. And by your attitude, I'm glad I didn't walk into your store either!

i think you should port to t mobile, thier service is wonderful

You see, it's because of people like you that Cingular has a bad rep. 1) Calling me an idiot. And for what? Because I received horrible customer service when I walked into the Cingular store? 2) Telling me to switch to T-Mobile. Ya know, that's probably a good reason Cingular's churn is so high, because of employees like you that can't keep the customer happy.

Until you have the slightest detail of my experience in the Cingular store, don't say a thing. Cause you don't know jack. But then again you probably do because you probably treat your customers the same way!

Good points.

sorry, my customers stay. some people you just can't make happy because they want the world for free. so, if you have problems with your phone and bill, do you walk into the cingular store that you didn't give your sale to and expect them to help you?

The world for free? What are you talking about? And no, I dont walk into the store when I need help cause I already went over the fact that the 2 people working in that store are worthless and very unhelpful. I call customer service if there's a problem with the bill. If there's a problem with the phone I go to Sony Ericsson because they are more knwoledgeable about the phone than Cingular is.

Anything else?

So you only help people who buy things from you...wow what if they are just looking for info on phones and rate plans so they can think about it...do you pressure them to close thedeal right then...I know Id walk out on you if you tried something like that

no, read the posts. he bought online, said everyone in his store were useless, i was sking if he gives his business to someone else but expects the store to help him with his problems. no, i won't help a customer who bought a phone at an agent and come here with issues.

And that goes to show why customers leave Cingular, because some may need help and they go to a Cingular store, with their Cingular service and their Cingular phone and get no help because they didn't buy from you. Perhaps thats the reason for such a high churn rate. A lack of customer service by yourself and people like you.

why would you go somewhere else for help? you go to where you bought the phone, oh, unless you bought it online. when i buy something that needs service, i go back to where i bought it because their service was good at point of sale. all my customers come back to me because of that. so, why buy from somewhere that you can't go back for help?

When a person buys a car, lets say an Acura for example, they can go to ANY Acura dealer and be helped and/or serviced.

If you buy a VCR from Best Buy for example ad later have issues with it, setting it up, whatever. You can go to any Best Buy and they will help you. You wont be able to return it to that one, but this isnt about returns so we'll leave that out. This is about helping customers.

I bought an Apple laptop, I can go to ANY Apple store and receive help, hell, I can even go to any retailer that sells Apple products and get help.

So, what exactly is your point?

service centers, my store is a sales office not a tech center.
those centers you speak of have techs to help.

Okay, but that's not the point you're trying to make lol.

The point you're trying to make is you wouldn't help someone cause they didn't buy the phone from you. Your point is that even if you could help them, you wouldn't.

Going into a Cingular store to get help with your Cingular phone and Cingular service and being rejected. GREAT BUSINESS ETHIC!!

when i have three agents in my mall, and customers shop around and decide to buy from that agent for that free piece of garbage car charger. no i will not help them with issues, go back to the agent is what i say. i don't work for free, and commissions are getting less and less. you have to understand that we are sales people and make our living off of sales. they are trying to replace us with authorized agents and Internet sales when you never ever get the experience a company store can give you. you are a customer, think of it in terms of your occupation and your paycheck and i guarantee you would think of it differently.

The experience you can get in a company owned location? What experience might that be?

We're not talking about gerneric car chargers for crying out loud. We're talking about CINGULAR PHONES, CINGULAR SERVICE.

You clearly stated that you would not help someone unelss they bought the phone from you and their service.

As for a generic car charger, sure I could understand not helping them, I wouldnt either.

In my line of work im contracted to Office Depot to do private security. Sure there are other vendors like Dynamex, and trcuking company's and people form them that I deal with every day. If someone from one of those vendors comes to me with a problem, am I going tot urn away because im not contracted by their company? No, im not going to. Im going to help them because they associate directly with the company im co...
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ok, you really are dumb. it was a point i was making, that the customers would buy from an agent for something as stupid as a free accessory.
do you work on commission? i am done with this post with you because you are thick headed.

You're bringing up things that have absolutely nothing to do with the origin of all of this. I know you're trying to ease your way out of it without looking like you are right now.

Like I said, maybe you missed it. I wouldnt help a customer either if they are coming to me with something they didn't buy from Cingular, or isnt Cingular branded. But when a customer comes to you with their Cingular bill or their Cingular phone and lets say you ARE able to help them, you stated that you wouldnt unless they bought their phone and service from your store.

And that's twice that you've called me an idiot. Your immaturity really amuses me. This all goes to show how you treat other Cingular customers as well.

Good day to you!

Ok, what megs is sayin is that she's in an area that's swamped with Cingular retailers. Customers are greedy these days and will often buy in one place as opposed the other simply because they get a free car charger there (that the agent probably only paid like $2.99 for). That same agent may easily (and from the sound of it often does) screw up something in the account. In that instance she sends them back to the place where they got the initial bad service to have the screwup fixed. It makes sense to me. While I've fixed plenty of other agents' messes it does take out of the time that I have for sales. If someone openly says something like "I'll get it online cause I can get it free there" and then comes back to me to try and fix any...
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Hey megs, feel free to not post in any of my future threads. You have added absolutely NOTHING to this discussion.

No, that's not true you are not working for free. If you are in a COR store you are making salary (be it not alot) and commission, and Cingular does it that way for a reason.

STOP!

Christ your point has been made. You don't want to help anyone who didn't buy from you.

And Hero, I think megs has made is abundantly clear who he is and what he does.

No need for this go on any longer. Please take it elsewhere.

Those of us who are smart and understand foresight will help customers no matter what. We can and do find the profit in the service after the sale, even if we did not do the initial selling..

Techs are there for "technical assistance".. Someone with a billing question or needing some help on how to function their phone does not qualify as that. Don't get me wrong, I feel your pain being in a COR store but you are going about your job the wrong way. I am pretty sure that when you applied for you job, it stated something along the lines of needing customer service skills and from what you are stating here it seems like you are severely lacking in that department.

So in your eyes, the fact that I may have moved 200 miles away from the store I bought my phones in, I should have to drive back to that store!?!?! Thats just crazy.

It has been well established that megs has some customer service quality issues. By no means does she represent was many other Cingular retail stores feel are proper levels of service.

That is why stores get a bad rep... I work with people who are the same and it aggravates me to no end. 🙄

You are G-damn right I do... The phone has a little Cingy monogram on it so why the hell would I not?

Why not take your butt to the store if you're having problems? two reasons.

1. Premier agents: We don't always (as in rarely ever) have the necessary tools to resolve your problem. If it's a billing issue, we're out of the loop. Wanna cancel service? Can't help ya! Didn't buy your phone here? We can't exchange it. We'll just send you on to a COR store to get fixed. Since most people that come in about problems come in pissed, telling them that I can't help them pisses them off even more. Just because there's a Cingular logo out front doesn't mean we're necessarily a Cingular store and can do anything you want/need.

2. Even a lot of COR stores are ill equipped for certain things like billing. They may be able to explain char...
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Well, I am sorry that you feel you have such limited abilities.

I do not encounter the issues as you state, be it attitude or otherwise. I encounter the same concerns from customers but I use the ample tools available to me to assist them.

I welcome all customers to my location and turn them away for one reason only, cash payments. Once my location is more established I will be receiving a payment station and will no longer need to refuse anyone.

If you want to discuss how I can manage all of the above issues you can't please feel free to PM me. Further replies to this portion of the thread would be considered off-topic.

I'm glad you're amply supplied....wish I were so I didn't have to turn people away. Makes us look bad ya know.

Bring your concerns to your owner. As an owner I carry items because I personally discover a need or one of my team members brings it to my attention. We carry replacement antennas for instance. It costs me about $30 to have one in stock for all models of handsets we carry (for those that have a "screw-on" type). We sell them for $10-$20 each. Customer is happy, we get a return on our investment. If they bought the phone from our store we sell it at cost to them (around $6).

Can't get that online or via telesales.

I think it's mostly the people I work for (for G-d's sake they can't even get the payroll right). They will NOT allow our stores the kind of freedom we need to do things like that. Our mandate is to SELL not service. I help my cust's out anyway I can. If I've got an extra battery, or antenna around that's still operable, they get it usually at no cost if they're one of my customers. I've got loyal cust's that make us enough that I can bend over backwards for them. But there are certain things that we just can't do no matter how much we bring it to the owner's attentions.

I'll bet if you show your owners that you could sell the antenna for a profit they might make the investment.

If I have a customer with a billing issue, I pick up the phone and call customer service FOR them. Why? Because that is good customer service. This industry is not just about selling phones. It is about the service all together.

Why cant you cancel service for the customer? All you have to do is pick up the phone and call CS for them and do it. Tell the customer when it will be cut off and say thank you, have a nice day. If you are a GREAT rep, you will ask why and see what YOU can do to keep them, but more than likely when you hand the phone to the customer to speak with CS, they will do that for you.

I understand the not being able to exchange, but just politely tell them they need to return it to the store that they bough...
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That last line is about the most @$$holish thing I've ever had said to me. First off, because I rant about a few things does not make me a bad rep. Let me address your comments in a non condecending way, unlike your own response to my post.

If I have a customer with a billing issue that I can fix by calling CS and they'll wait around for me to do it I do it. The largets majority of customers want ME to "look in the computer" and fix it simply because they think I should. For legit charges, features they were notified of and didn't remove on their own (Roadside's notorious for this), activation fees, etc. I will not waste CS's time. If it's something like add/remove a feature I log into POS and do it. That is all provided my manager...
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Okay. Understood. Except you left ALL that out on your post in the first place. Your "wanna cancel, cant help ya!" attitude is what I got from it. IF you do all of those things that you just said then great! I feel badly for you though since your boss doesnt condone those kinds of things. Im glad that you put your butt on the line for customers. I wont lie. I hate fixing mistakes that others or even myself have made, I hate calling CS, but I usually never have a customer not want me to. I usually take all the info and call them back when I get done. I do however, realize that I work in a slower store, but I also did these kinds of things when I was at a store that did 170-200 new lines a month between 3 (sometimes 4) people.

M...
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Apology accepted. I regularly get "ya know you're the first person I've talked to who actually knows what they're talkin about". I enjoy that, but frankly it's my company's thought that we're here strictly to sell and let COR service them. I work in a slower store as well (store quota's only 60 new lines), but I'm also in a part of town where apparently people don't understand that attitudes get you nowhere. With the antenna for a v180 that I mentioned earlier, I actually had a lady yell at me cause she unscrewed and lost her antenna and then I didn't stock them for replacement. I don't know of anywhere in town that sells them so I referred her to Moto. More yelling about how if I sell the phone I should sell parts too. Another guy ex...
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If you tell me what market you work in I can tell you if my former company or any other good agents have locations there.

Market 35, NC. I've checked out most of the agents in the area...not terribly interested in the way they do business either. While this one's the most reputable, it's not cause of thier managerial style...it's because they hire people like me who want to help the customers instead of just gouging them for every dime.

Yeah, sorry. Most of the people I know or at least know of their reputation are West of the Mississippi.

ever heard of a company called Pacifica?

Nope, sorry.

probably a good thing.

😁

as you very well should. that is the most obscene thing i have ever heard. sounds to me like megs72979 is proving your point for u. a Company owned CINGULAR WIRELESS retail loc is fully capable of helping you with MOST problems. i can understand if it is something they dont have control over but not to assist you just because u didnt purchase it from that store is not acceptible. i would like to see what their regional mgr had to say about that. i say regional mgr because the store mgr probably has the same attitude.

I tried to contact you directly but you do not allow PM from you user ID.

Please DO NOT turn this thread into a worthless customer bashing session. That was not it's intent and your comments are not adding to the conversation. What you have said has been posted by many before you. It wasn't helpful then, and it isn't helpful now!

Yep. I would as a customer. Forso many different reasons too. What if I moved? What if I got horrible service at another store? What if the store that I bought mine at shut down? So many what if's, but if you are a cingular direct/indirect, corporate, customer service representative, you offer service to any Cingular customer who walks through your door. If you dont, someone should seriously be looking into keeping your license, if you are an owner, or your job if you are just a rep. Im not saying that you are always going to be able to help or offer what they want, but your job is to try and find a way, or point them in the right direction! I am so embarrassed to be associated with the same company as you.

this guy is saying he refused to buy from a store cause they were useless, so he shouldn't go into a store for help. reas all the posts.

He doesn't go into stores, a fact that I was hoping to change by recommending alternate locations to the one he had problems with.

Look, people with service attitudes like yours are the reason some people stay away. Like it or not, every customer you walk because they di dnot buy from you IS a lost sale. It is a lost referral sale.

i wouldn't help him, ever

Then you will soon find yourself flipping burgers at your favorite fast food restaurant.

I read all the posts and would appreciate it if youcould hold a conversation that was on an adult level. I was refering to the one who siad that he would not help someone in his store if they did not purchase their phone from him.

Okay, let me explain something to you and open your eyes and your mind.

I walked into the Cingular store, I began looking at phone even though I knew the phone I was probably going to get was the Sony Ericsson T637 because I'm big on Sony Ericsson. The rep. keeps going on about other and how I should get those and not the T637 because this reason and thta reason, and the T637 is an awful phone (which I knew its not because a friend of mine already had one, plus ive had good experiences with Sony Ericsson). So finally when I got through to him that im getting the T637 after about 15 minutes we went onto looking at calling plans.

The same thing, Im looking at a particular plan and he starts going on about other plans and how I should g...
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Thanks for the play by play. Every customer that walks in my door gets 1st class treatment. Some people end up having to leave, but I apologize and ensure they have a solution in hand if it wasn't something I could fix or at least faciliate for them.

This type of service has kept me doing quite well for 13 years! when I left my previous position as a regional director I was offered a Premier Agent store by Cingular. I can tell you it doesn't happen often.

Now for those people who can't see past their nose and understand why we do these things, your time in this business will be short lived. Cingular is putting the pressure on agents to clean house, to the point that poor reps will effect the agent's entire compensation.

Change ...
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My store as well is being turned into a premium store! Congratulations!

Thanks and same to you.

Let's play nice now guys... some peopl don't take their jobs seriously and it shows and others do and it shows as well 😁

My thread dude.

I want constructive comments and crticism here. Keep your worthless name calling to yourself!

See what I mean? The minute one negative thing is sad about Cingular nobody wants to hear it.

But it's just too bad that the 2 people working in that Cingular store were worthless drones and obviously couldn't accomplish much cause I wasn't the only person walking out that store that day.

Maybe if you took a second to stop and think that I didnt say "ALL Cingular emplyees working in stores are worthless drones" you'd know that I was only talking about the ones in that particular store.

And this isnt YOUR thread. This is an open and public forum, buddy. v

My question, my thread. I don't think is unreasonable to ask people to be civil here.

I was being civil, I simply stated that the people working in the store that I walked into were worthless drones. And she calls me an idiot. Who's being uncivil? I wasnt calling anyone here any names except the 2 people working at the store I went to 6 months ago when I started my service.

I guess she just couldnt fathom the idea that Cingular actually does have employess that dont do their job well. And from her calling me an idiot and telling me to go to T-Mobile, my guess is she's one of those employees.

I have no issue with your comments. I appreciate the candid responses from you.

I have none with yours either.

My only problem is with Megs calling me an idiot because I received bad service at a Cingular store and expressed my opinion of the 2 employees working there.

not a dude, and the name calling wasn't started by me, read what i responded too.

megs72979 said:
we are not worthless drones at the cingular stores. your obviously an idiot, and thank god you didn't walk into my store. you get an attitude when you give one.

I second that (except for the idiot part). Sorry Art - I think megs72979 has you on this one.

Maybe if she took a while to stop and think, she'd know that I was talking about the particular emplyees at the store that I was at. I guess some people arent that intelligent.

That's the only Cingular store that I know around here so therefore I really didn't have a choice but to do it online. I'm sure had a I gone somewhere else it would have been a better experience and I would have gotten accomplished what I needed to. But unfortunately where I did go was a huge waste of my time.

Damn, sorry to hear that. May I ask in what area do you live?

Thanks

Norridge, IL

I saw quite a few agent locations in the store listing. Not interested in going to a Cingular branded agent location?

Well, if I knew where they were I'd be more than happy to go to them if needed. As of now I have no reason to go to a store, I have my service set up and everything is A++. But if you could let me know where they are I'd really appreciate it. Minus the one you'd see on Harlem Ave. cause that's the corporate store I was at.

I guessed that was the one :-)

Without knowing your exact address I couldn't tell you what is closer. Go to Cingular.com, go to find a store, enter your city/state or zip and voila! Choose what is closest to you!

Thank you! I'll do that. Thanks again.

I mean speak with someone in telesales....if i read everything correctly, didn't you get transfered to retention?

Note: Telesales does not price match online offers for those who do not know already

Either way, you don't know what you are charged until you get your bill. At a store you know exactcly what you are charged and your Customer Service Summary (CSS) details exactly what your service plan will be as well as any features. It is very difficult now to get screwed in a store in the rep is doing their own job as a professional.

Obviously if you get someone who would rather be reading the lounge on phonescoop 😁 than helping you get service you have a different issue entirely. The people on the phone where courteous to me, but the order was still messed up.

I was just giving an alternative to the website not the store.

I believe it will soon be available through retail channels. I will post on here if I get a confirmation.

In an instance where the handset is ONLY available online I understand making the purchase there. It isn't an issue of a customer thinking that a few bucks saved can overcome the service I perform. I cannot get the phone, period.

I almost bought the same unit, I just would never be able to bring it to work as long as we didn't carry the unit.

Good luck.

I think what you added was not a reach to be considered on the same plane. We both know who poisoned this thread with their bitter little posts. 😉

Interesting comments, thanks for the feedback.

It's funny you consider him to be professional yet he disparages the competition and doesn't understand product terminology. In my opinion those standards do not meet the level of "professional" I expect of myself and my sales team.

Good luck.

I see your point. Over all I'd still consider him to be professional. I guess its just because I've seen much worse way too many times. 🙂


Plus I think he was new.


But I also think my rate plan "colors" my opinion of him and the company. Its such a kick ass plan that I think higher of the reps and company 😁

Well, that is good I guess. I am gald you are satisfied with your service.

whoops, glad.

Oh so true. The way that I see it... if an owner won't let a sales team budge on pricing, especially on a new activation, then they are just down right greedy. Example: I had two women come in to my store to inquire about 3 lines of service. They had print outs from the computer of phones and plans. The x427 is free online, but in my store it is 49.99 w/$30 MIR. Just from me talking to them and telling the advantages they have in my store (not that I said they would definatly screw it up online, but they would have to wait and it would be difficult to exhcange) I talked them in to staying in my store. I couldn't do it free, but I sure dropped the price to 29.99 a piece for all 3 with the rebates. They walked out happy, I made $25 off...
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Just did that this morning...

Customer came in and wanted the V180 but telesales or e-store customer service sent them into the store to get an issue resolved with their credit check (not sure why they had to come in to me but this role reversal was fine by me). I got the issue resolved through agent credit review and she asked if we could just do it here. I told her I couldn't give it to her free out the door but free after rebate was no problem. We got the online order cancelled and she walked out with the phone here.

For those of who who are cursing saying "damn stealing agent..." mind you this was the CUSTOMER'S REQUEST to cancel the online deal. I did not push her into the decision, but I damn sure facilitated the cancellation...
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