Change of Finicial Responsibility over the phone??? Have fun with all the identity fraud!!!

Actually, it's pretty cool... Existing customer calls in and says they want to pass the account over to so and so. We read them an agreement that they say it's okay and that we will be discussing the acct with potential customer, we note the acct, then potential calls in, gets transferred to activations for credit check and to set up new account. No COR agreement memo, no COR. We'll see how it goes, but up front it's a pretty good start...

I still see issues with that...cause you can verify all you want, the info is available to anyone that really wants to get it...how can you be so sure that it is actually the customer?

Also how can you protect yourself against possible ID Fraud with a verbal agreement over the phone...with nothing in writing the customer could call in the next month and sue your asses...unless you record those calls specifically to C.Y.A.

That is TMo's problem. I am so glad that we are freed from that crap. I am a sales rep not a care rep. This is one more thing that will help make that distinction.

TMoFreak said:
That is TMo's problem. I am so glad that we are freed from that crap. I am a sales rep not a care rep. This is one more thing that will help make that distinction.

So by your own admission you don't care if someone comes in posing as someone else? You said yourself, ID fraud is T-Mobile customer cares problem not the sales reps problem...Some people will do anything for that ALMIGHTY buck!!!

I resent that very much. What I said was, as a SALES rep, I am glad that this has been given to the care reps where it belongs. TMo sets the policies, and they are the ones that are responsible for the ramifications of those policies. Here in the store, we do everything we can to ensure that people are who they say they are. And new activations are where the ID theft is occurring, not CORs. I get no money from CORs anyway. So, how is that me going after the almight buck as you put it?

You should watch that slanderous talk. Bash my company, but don't you dare insult me personally.

Well did you or did you not say it wasn't your problem? That alone is not playing an active role in your company as a whole. It's EVERBODY'S problem...cause if you screw up a sale, then that creates calls into the call center, which drives up call volume, which places more customer in the que, which pisses them off because they don't get a rep right away, which in turn will lose customers. Not to mention the actual price per call... when a customer calls in to a call center. It's something like 6.00 a call then if it is escalated that another 6.00 PER CALL!!!

We are talking about COR. Now you are bringing up messing up sales? You are supporting my side. By sending the COR to the care reps, it frees us sales reps to spend more time with the new customers. This allows us to set proper expectations, go over how to operate the phone and explain the billing to them. This will in turn lower call volume and increase customer satisfaction.

What I had a problem with was you implying that I am somehow participating in ID fraud. What I said was not my problem was the legal ramifications of T-MOBILE'S new policy because I have no control over that. I appologize if my original post was not clear.

not necessarily participating in ID fraud, but you definitely should not say it's not your problem

Ok, so maybe problem was a poor word choice. It is not my ultimate responsibility. I do the best I can with the tools the company puts in my hands. Past that, I have little control.

FWIW, as a customer care rep, I applaud the new procedure. The slight disadvantage of not being able to physically verify ID is more than adequately offset by the increase in customer ease and satisfaction regarding the process. I never have trusted fax machines, too many things go wrong with the darned things and a 72 hour optimum response time to a reguest is not terribly good. I say let sales reps do what they do best, which is to sell phones and be there as a physical presence to troubleshoot handsets and show people how to use features--behind the scenes account maintenance is what us shadowy CSR types are for! 🤣

but in turn with that customer ease, even if only 1 out of 100,000 cases turn out to be ID fraud, that is a major lawsuit waiting to happen...all to make sure that the customer has it easier...seems like a fairly big risk to me

Nope, on account of that neat little mandatory arbitration agreement in the service contract.

AWS has had this policy for quite a while and we don't have anymore problems then we do with normal activation over the phone. Of course AWS T&C say we will give out any information to anyone that can verify your account. Besides who's going to sue us for someone willing to pay their bill? 😛 I know there are a few cases but I've never run accross a problem with this in the two years i've been doing care. Never had anyone call in and say someone fraud took over there account. Fraud cases are usually only with new activations and i see a few of those each month.

As a sales rep, AMEN TO THAT Aleq!

Team together, team apart!

Other carriers have let users sign up over the phone ever since cellular became available almost 20 years ago now. There is no more potential for fraud than with any other kind of odering over the phone.
...mike

good point, but it just adds to the possibility, that's all I'm saying...

Yeah, but even a cursory cost/benefit analysis on this one comes up as a winner for everybody... 😁

Aleq said:
Yeah, but even a cursory cost/benefit analysis on this one comes up as a winner for everybody... 😁

I am with you. This is the definition of a win/win. Fraud happens (most frequently) on new activations not on CORs.

Whatever you say, it's not my company...have fun with it

Did you ever take the time to think that T-Mobile has some of the best lawyers in America, and that before we put this new policy into pace we ran it by them to make sure it was not going to cause legal issues?? Don't be a hater VZWGirl. We know you really want to be a T-MoMAN. lol

😳 What does that have to do with us customers? I am only interested in the promotional plans and the 1000 minutes with unlimited night and weekend minutes, which I would like to know are they are going to bring it back, very soon?

Well, I would let you know more, but I have decided I have been giving out too much information that I should not be. My job is too important to be wasted on this forum. My time on this website is over. Ciao. Hasta la vista. Good bye. 😢

Considering that customers are the only ones who do changes of responsibility I'd say it has everything to do with them, and if all you're interested in is promotional rate plans, perhaps you might be better served by avoiding threads with titles which are clearly not what you're interested in. 🙄

So this new procedure is already in place? And did you say that the new policy would not put the new responsible party on a new contract? This would be great for me here at my campus location where I get students constantly wanting to do upgrades but the phone is in mommy and daddy's name.

Yep, November first. The way it's worded, the customer taking over the account is only liable for the remainder of the original contract, and grandfathered rate plans can be "inherited." If the new customer wants promotions (I'm assuming this is changing the rate plan when they COR) they have to agree to a year contract. There is no buyer's remorse period. If the credit check comes up Smart Access, the new customer can't keep the original rate plan, they will only be liable for the remainder of the contract but won't be charged the $75 SA activation fee. Only the billing name can authorize the COR. After the COR they won't be eligible for handset upgrade until they've established tenure, so just as now it's best to get the upgrade first if...
(continues)

I wanted to transfer one of our lines to an employee since she had used the number for a long time. T-M required that we both go into a co. store -at the same time! The nearest one to Oakland, Ca. is 30 min. away! (Can't believe there isn't a store in one of the largest cities in the U.S.) I wasn't about to waste my time. She would up porting the number to a diff. carrier and I could do my end over the phone.

...mike

Thirty minutes is nothing--I had customers who were literally a four hour drive from the nearest direct store... try telling people in the middle of a bitter divorce that they either have to take two cars on a four hour trip or worse yet suffer a drive together just to get a phone line passed over. Not a happy call, is all I can say... 😳

Just imagine being on the frontlines when that bitter divorced couple strolls into the store. I've had to call the cops on an occassion or two!

All hail the new COR procedure!

...and there was much rejoicing! *yay* 😉