Shop Talk
No, you don't get a free battery for being out of contract for two years.
Customer: I have this phone (holds up an LG 8300) and it won't hold a charge.
Me: Alright, well we have a battery for that phone, it will be $X or-
Cust: I'm not paying that! I've been a Verizon customer for 25 years!
Me: Or we could look up your account. If you are still using that phone, chances are you have an upgrade available.
Cust: I'm not signing a new contract. You guys are a rip off with your contracts.
Me: Well then we can offer you the battery for $X, or if you want, you can purchase a phone at retail cost contract free.
Cust: So even though I've been a customer for...
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and even better, this place used to be a computer store that had a printer ink refill center... so 2-3 times a week I get people in my store with old cartridges wondering why I don't offer that service anymore.. as they are surrounded by phone displays and walk through a door under a giant verizon sign.
Me: Alright, let me look up your account
It seems that your upgrade date is in December.
Cust: But I'm a VIP, I get special discounts!
Me: Yes, your primary line can upgrade every year, which I see you did in April, but your secondary lines must go for at least 20 months before they are eligible for a discounted price.
Cust: But I've been a verizon customer for 40 months!
Me: but you got new phones less than 20 months ago for a discounted rate.
Cust: So you're not going to give me a new phone?
Me: If you want to purchase on at retail, you can, but if you want to take advantage of your discounts, you'll have to wait until december.
Cust: Fine! I'm going to ATT!
Me: ...
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If I lose money on the sale, It is not good business sense to "make them happy."
You can keep all your customers happy by giving everything away for free.. but then you'll be out of a job, so where does that get you?
Its people like this (note: I didn't say customers...because they aren't) that make me wish I could just say what they needed to hear.
But alas, I'd be fired for that. âšī¸
Though I had to laugh at her "I'm going to Sprint!!" Fine, she will get there and this is what will happen:
Sprint: I understand you don't want to sign a contract, ma'am, but we can't give you these phones at these discounted prices if you don't sign a 2 yr. agreement. We can let you buy the phones at full retail value without having to sign a contract...
Crazy custy: I'm going back to Verizon, I've been a customer for 25 years and I never heard of such craziness!
You actually almost have a better shot, with an angry customer like this, telling them to f-off, because when they do retell the story, everyone is going to wonder what craziness they did to get told to f-off.
BTW when i think of "the customer is always right" I think of Mallrats and the proprietor of the Fashionable Male
Menno said:
you don't want to do that though. Not only are you risking the carrier pulling your ability to sell their product, but as an AUTH Dealer, most of my traffic will come from word of mouth. You don't want to bend over backwards for people, but if possible, you want to make it so when that customer is retelling the story, whoever hears it understands that you're not in the wrong.
I'd be an auth dealer for multiple carriers that and if they questioned me, I'd tell them that the customer was very belligerent and could not have been pleased.
Oh it's some kind of stupid rule, that you can't ignore
Oh, it's some kind of natural fact, that your just left to be alone
baby went to amsterdam put a little money into traveling. Now it's so slow, so slow
Love that movie. The plot and point are awesome but definately a B movie. In my book its a great one. 2 points for Idiocracy. I did buy it. Tell me you don't see this movie coming into a reality?!
have you seen "Lets go to prison" its pretty great too
I'll help a customer up to and including the point where I make no money (aka, free advice, etc). But if I have to take a loss to help them, there better be a really good reason (they are upgrading all the lines in a week once we get their phones in, etc).
and yea why would you give away 35dollars of your inventory in shrink, here at my store thats considered theft, items have a cost to the store and the customer. If you want to upgrade to a free phone and get a new free battery for it with a new free home charger cool, just sign your new 2 year contract and I'll even help you out the best I can, making senseless demands for free stuff because you have been a customer for 25 years is just absurd where the hell is my free milk mr super market manager I have been buying my cereal here for the past 10 years, and where is my free 12 pack of coke, do you have any idea how much money i spen...
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2. Give her a battery and let her walk out of the store.
3. Picked up the phone dialed the police and said, "Hello, police?! Yes, I'd like to report a robbery!"