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Do store representatives lie to customers about insurance

lorilicious

Sep 6, 2005, 10:13 AM
Is it true that Store reps will LIE to customers about their insurance promising them that their phone will be replaced for FREE with NO DEDUCTIBLE??? or if reps lie about the phone saying that it has "water damage" or "broken" just to avoid replacing it for them under the warranty like you should? lol.. I wonder if this is true or its just bs that the customer feeds us when they file a claim. 🙄
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JephMan

Sep 6, 2005, 10:17 AM
I would have to say its probably a little of both. Along with lack of training
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texaswireless

Sep 6, 2005, 11:32 AM
I would be willing to bet some reps don't remember to mention the deductible at the time of the sale. I would also say that very few, if any, come right out and say there is a ZERO deductible.
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lorilicious

Sep 6, 2005, 11:44 AM
bleh! 😳 unfortunatelly I don't doubt it a bit! they are just too eager to get the sale, more value added services, more dinero!
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freedomrep

Sep 6, 2005, 1:40 PM
Actually, we don't get paid anymore for adding ins. and I always include the ins. brochure in the welcome pack. If the customer ask detailed questions about it I mention it otherwise it just kinda slips through the cracks but the paperwork is there for them to read.Oh! Wait customers never pay attention when we speak let alone read anything we give them. Guess, it's just as much their fault as ours.
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Nikoletta

Sep 6, 2005, 6:18 PM
I've made a point of telling them that there will be a deductable, I will even go as far as looking it up for them and telling them what the paperwork says they will pay on a given phone. I also make sure to point out that it's going to be $40 to replace their phone rather than the normal $120+ retail value of the phone.
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lorilicious

Sep 6, 2005, 6:21 PM
we really appreciate you! lol 😁 most people always tell us "they never told me anything" and go on and on and on about it. 😳
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tyheon

Sep 6, 2005, 6:53 PM
It's pretty insulting for folks in the call centers or any other area of a company to put down the sales reps. We go through extensive training and are the FACE of the company. Without us, you wouldn't have customers to assist and thus wouldn't have a job. Out of over 20 sales reps I know in my area there are 2 "shady" reps that have questionable ethics and even THEY don't flat out lie to customers. We don't get paid to put insurance on accounts, nor do we make ANY MONEY AT ALL if we need to replace a phone due to damage. If someone comes in with a damaged phone without insurance, I help them find the least expensive alternative as do most other reps that I know.

C'mon people, show us a little respect, we're all in it for the same ultima...
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daddydogg_00

Sep 6, 2005, 10:02 PM
I think half the time the customer says that thinking they will get out of paying it. It never works. I never have seen anyone have someone do insurance instead of warranty because it is just as time consuming either way. If the liquid sensors are dinged no warranty exchange but hey most the time I will still swap it out and if it comes back they return the over the counter phone or pay the $165 for not returning it!!
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lorilicious

Sep 8, 2005, 8:15 AM
hrmm... if you "NOTICED" I ASKED!, not made a statement or a fact so I suggest not to take it personally. I've been a salesperson too so part of that is bologna, but if the shoe fits wear it. Last time I checked a question never has counted as a fact. Have a good day !
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mickey-vzw

Sep 21, 2005, 3:03 PM
well i work in a call center for vzw and everytime a customer has something to say that is not true they always say the store told me this and that and i direct them back to the store to let the reps have it cause i aint taking blame for no one mistake store reps make up promos just to get the customer out the store and then tell then to call cst service to get the promo
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Fenix1003

Sep 7, 2005, 9:05 AM
i also do insurance, and i know for a fact customers do recieve a brochure about the ins and the deductible is mentioned, they just a)they don't remember or b)they were pretending o be listening to the rep and they threw the lil brochure along with other papers in a cabinet without even looking at it
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Vox Dei

Sep 7, 2005, 5:48 PM
The best part is they get ANOTHER one mailed to them about 2 weeks after they sign up (at least they used to) from lockline. But of course everyone throws it out with the rest of the junk mail
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EvilOrangeJello

Sep 7, 2005, 6:14 PM
Lock/Line ftw! Whoo!
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axess_denied

Sep 6, 2005, 11:56 AM
I think it is true that customers convenietly "forget" about the deductable. I have encountered several customers who knew quite well that insurance charges a deductable but still remain adamant that they have had no idea. The best situations are when they brng in their contracts and they have a notation quoting the deductable amounts. People are idiots...
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wolfspider73

Sep 7, 2005, 12:52 AM
I believe that we in customer care get jaded, because as the clean up crew for any mistakes, the vast majority of experiences we hear about are not good. Few customers call into customer care to tell us how great we are or how awesome the store rep was, they call in with problems to solve. The problem is we don't have a record of what the store rep told the customer, so we wind up hearing one side. Sometimes judicious probing of a customer gets the truth out of them. I had a woman tell me a store refused to migrate her to Cingular because her contract term was not met, an ongoing issue in some markets. I asked her if the store rep advised her they couldn't do it at all or if they couldn't give her a discount. She answered that they couldn't ...
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themike314

Sep 7, 2005, 8:22 PM
wolfspider73 said:
I also had a customer tell me that since the store rep did not advise her that she would pay international long distance charges for calling China, that she should be credited for the charges due to misinformation. Customers are funny sometimes ...


Do they call China on their landline and did they call that company to get credit because they were charged for international long-distance?
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Nikoletta

Sep 7, 2005, 8:39 PM
Well of course not! The land line company isn't 'screwing them' the way mobile phone companies are...you know those Mobile phone companies, always screwing the customer... Wait what? God that's stupid. 🙄
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axess_denied

Sep 8, 2005, 1:07 PM
I don't know that this is wholly accurate. I have spoken with many Care reps who mis-represent a rate plan or features on equipment. In store reps deal with customers on the regular who come in stating that care reps have given them the wrong price on equipment or had instructed them to come into the store for reasons that they shouldn't. The flaw in this industry's design is the fact that we have three or four different prongs with which to approach our customers. In these cases, communicating ANYTHING to a customer is like begining a game of telephone.
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alejandro

Sep 8, 2005, 1:24 PM
Yes, half of what sales reps do is mis-representation, thats why in the terms of service there is a disclaimer about mis-representation. Which is horrible U know, but half of the customers lie to our face, I always laugh when a customer calls and talks to me on the phone and then when they come in they talk about this person they talk to on the phone who told them this and that when I WAS THAT PERSON and you are a liar. I always tell customers about the monthly fee and the deductable 100% of the time but i know down the line somewhere even after I'm gone people will say "Nobody ever told me that, the person I talked to said you would give me a free phone" So it goes both ways.
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motomuffy

Sep 8, 2005, 3:30 PM
I agree, I have had the same problems. My co-workers and I always tell customers about the monthly fee and the deductable and I offer it to EVERY customer (okay, sometimes a little less on the upgrades because usually it has already been explained to them and they still don't want it), I also give them the insurance brocure for them to read themselves.

We will then get customers who come in our store and say that they were never told about the insurance or they were never told about the deductable (come on, even if they weren't told about the deductable, the brochure they are given explains everything and if they don't like it they can remove the feature at any time).

My point is that at least in our store's case, the customer lies ...
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ralph_on_me

Sep 8, 2005, 3:47 PM
We fully explain the insurance, the deductable, and we require them to carry it unless they call in to have it cancelled. That way it's in writing that they rejected it so they can't lie and say we never offered them the insurance when they've broken their phone three months later.
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jerry 12

Sep 8, 2005, 9:28 PM
so how can you require some one to carry phone ins?when i buy a phone its up to me to put ins on it if i want the ins i am the one paying for the ins. are you going to give me the insurance free ? if it not free then you cant require me to do any thing.i would tell you where to stivk that phone and walk out of your store and report you to to the better business bureau. 👿
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motomuffy

Sep 9, 2005, 9:24 AM
All you have to do is refuse it and sign off on it saying that you did refuse it... I don't think you read his post correctly.
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motomuffy

Sep 9, 2005, 9:22 AM
That is actually a good idea, we may have to take it into consideration to do that. Thanks for informing me about that.
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EvilOrangeJello

Sep 7, 2005, 10:22 AM
I think it's more of the fact that the consumer doesn't make any effort to educate themself on the information. People complain about other stuff (roaming fees, international dialing etc.) as much or more than they complain about the deductible. The bottom is, people don't realize that this is still somewhat-expensive technology, and as such should not be exposed to water, dropped, ran over, or any of the other millions and millions of things people do to their phones because they don't respect what it does.
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jerrydock

Sep 7, 2005, 4:28 PM
Typically customers do NOT listen. I tell customers that smart people just go to ebay and buy back up pnones because the insurance company's attitude toward "service". The deductable is $50 for a low line phone and they will send out a refurbished piece of crap that may or may not work. And don't forget they treat you like you are a crook from the first question. The police here in our town hate them...a police report for a phone you dropped off the side of your boat? Give me a break.
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alejandro

Sep 7, 2005, 9:21 PM
Yeah, the insurance companies are horrible like that. I dropped it from my account because they keep giving people horrible refurbished phones and then tell them they have to pay again if it takes more than 7 days for that phone to crap out. Now the deductable is going up to $50 for us from 35 and the phones brand new are $107-$207! How can this stuff get more expensive when the phones are getting cheaper to make?
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lorilicious

Sep 9, 2005, 10:22 AM
hrmm... if you thow your phone off the side of the boat, in the lake, in the sewers or a natural dissaster then is UNRECOVERAVLE = NO report! what crack was the customer smoking??
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jerrydock

Sep 9, 2005, 11:24 AM
It was NOT the customer...the crack heads evidently work for Asurion
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lorilicious

Sep 9, 2005, 11:27 AM
LOL 😎
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Nikoletta

Sep 7, 2005, 10:04 PM
What I find highly amusing is if they had a land-line phone and the dropped THAT in the toilet they would say "Oh well $h!t better go buy a new one." They don't say "My phone company owes me a new phone!" But expect their wireless phone company to GIVE them new stuff for free...even with insurance... maybe it could be an option. "Sure we'll give you a free replacement... you can have this old Startac phone with a black and white screen that's as big as your head...or you can pay $40 to get another nice small camera flip phone you scammer."
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lorilicious

Sep 9, 2005, 10:20 AM
lmao nikoletta! that's so true. people are so greedy. is like saying hrmm... panasonic my phone was dropped and is cracked, send me a new one ASAP or I'll cry!
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cadillacman1986

Sep 9, 2005, 10:37 AM
haha, i think that is soo true! But for real, maybe the companies should offer the old Startacs and Nokias, just to spite the customers complaints. what a joke.
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mickey-vzw

Sep 21, 2005, 2:52 PM
I agree that store reps do lie to the customer's and tell them they don't have to pay a deductible with the insurance
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Nikoletta

Sep 21, 2005, 2:56 PM
Only the most inept and dishonest reps do that, for the most part the customers are just to stupid to listen or read the paperwork...and even if I rep is a big enough idiot to tell them that they STILL have the paperwork available to check to see for sure. Not being informed is the customers fault just as much as the reps.
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colione112

Sep 23, 2005, 1:07 AM
some may say that, but in our store we have a sign posted just becuase customer's said they were told there wasn't a deduc. It says in bold capital letter that all insurance claims will incur a charge of 50.00 as a deductible... that shuts everyone down lol

We also give a brochure to every customer. (only if they get insurance and don't sign the waiver for it)
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