Kudos To Verizon

[TLD1]

After going back and foth all day long today as whether or not to trade my perfectly good iPhone 5 in on a shiny new iPhone 5s...I waited until after work to go to my local VZW corporate store, still not 100% onboard, and thinking surely my decision would be made for me by their being sold out of devices.

To my shock, and almost dismay...the young salesman told me they had one 32gb silver iPhone 5 left...exactly what i wanted. He told me I'd have to pay full price since I wasn't eligible for an upgrade. i told him I was prepared to pay the balance after they gave me the $325 they had promised me for my 5 in trade. He agreed, and as he was getting ready to proceed, he must have seen the unsureness in my eyes, because he said: "Can I ask you why you're trading & buying a new phone?". I told him I thought it would be a lot faster, and the camera would be better. He asked me if I took many pictures...and I admitted I didn't. "Follow me", he said and he walked me up to the active iPhone 5 they had in the store. He asked me to play with it a little and see if it was fast enough to spend $350 on it. After a minute of going through the paces of the OS...I had to admit that although it was marginally faster, it damn sure wasn't $350 faster.

The young man looked at me and said, "I'm not spending my money on such small improvements when my 5 works great." He told me that although he made commission for selling me the phone, he couldn't see anybody spend that kind of money on something so not worth it. We both agreed that the iOS7 had shortened battery life on the 5, so I picked up a Mophie extended life case for $50 (I get 50% off accessories due to corporate account)...and walked happily out the door, knowing I made the wise decision not to trade.

I doubt that many other VSW salespeople would have been so honest, but I'm glad this young man was, and brought me back to reality.

I'll keep using my outstanding iPhone 5 for another year, and hope that Apple knocks it out of the park with a totally revamped and improved iPhone 6 in 2014.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Thankfully, you were able to get a sales rep who was honest with you and didn't take advantage of your uncertainty. Anyway, thanks for sharing your experience. It is appreciated, sir...

 

[E_Brown]

Honestly he probably made just as much if not more off the morphie.


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[Premium1]

they make most of their commission off accessories anyway so he was probably happier you got that case.

 

[iRy757]

Nah $50 for a Mophoe juice pack, that's like cost.

 

[Premium1]

Nah $50 for a Mophoe juice pack, that's like cost.

Talking about reps commission not how much verizon makes on accessories.

 

[TheRewardisCheese]

Great story....makes me feel like there are still decent carrier sales rep who TRULY want to service the customer in the customer's best interests. Thank you for sharing.

 

[gvndeb60]

It is nice to hear some positive stories about sales reps and stores instead of all the negative things. Good post!


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[TLD1]

Well, I would use the young salesman's name and location but it might get him in hot water with his managers. I was very impressed with his integrity and honesty, which is getting harder and harder to find in any branch of retail...especially where commission is part of the equation. I've been in the automobile sales industry for over 30-years, and although I have always worked to keep my personal/professional integrity level high, I certainly have seen lots of guys embody the stereotype that most people have of car salesmen too. I guess because of that, I was uncommonly impressed with my treatment.

I left AT&T after being a 15-year client because the attitude changed virtually overnight from one of customer service to one of being all about the sale, and screw the customer. I am glad that Verizon seems to be trending toward the customer service mentality where they might not have in the past. Treatment like this certainly works towards me staying with VZW for a while.

 

[Rocket_Girl]

Well, I would use the young salesman's name and location but it might get him in hot water with his managers. I was very impressed with his integrity and honesty, which is getting harder and harder to find in any branch of retail...especially where commission is part of the equation. I've been in the automobile sales industry for over 30-years, and although I have always worked to keep my personal/professional integrity level high, I certainly have seen lots of guys embody the stereotype that most people have of car salesmen too. I guess because of that, I was uncommonly impressed with my treatment.

I left AT&T after being a 15-year client because the attitude changed virtually overnight from one of customer service to one of being all about the sale, and screw the customer. I am glad that Verizon seems to be trending toward the customer service mentality where they might not have in the past. Treatment like this certainly works towards me staying with VZW for a while.

I agree - that's impressive. he was thinking about you first. He also knew they could sell that phone -likely within minutes- likely to someone who would also sign a new contract. What makes him special is that the sale to another customer was probably not going to be his!

None of this diminishes your positive experience or the associate's integrity. Thank you for sharing your story. it's a real bright spot in a day so crazy that an entire line of customers waiting in Texas were held up at gunpoint and robbed of all the devices they'd brought along to pass the time!

Enjoy your 5 for at least another year- if not years to come!

 

[Rocket_Girl]

My overall experience with Verizon is similarly great - a few (human) glitches offset by some of the best customer service I've experienced anywhere.

There is, however, a HUGE difference between the corporate stores and the 'authorized retailers'. The authorized retailers are the stereotypical car sales(people) of old.

Not knowing how different they were - all have the big Verizon sign out front - I learned this the hard way - cuing into the difference only by overhearing another customer ask -pointedly-if this was a corp store or authorized retailer. Hearing the dodgy non-response helped explain the not-quite-rightness of things- different paperwork, different policies, extra fees charged to a customer who walked in wanting to pay his bill (seriously- they charged him an added percentage of his payment to MAKE his payment). A quick google search the next day - corp stores vs authorized retailers- explained the rest.

I will only EVER use the corporate stores - will never cross the threshold of an 'authorized retailer' again. I'd bet that TLD1 was in a corporate store...

 

[Eileen89]

Thread moved to the carrier discussion lounge.


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[that_maynard]

That is really an awesome experience. I also was going to head in next week and play with the 5s and planned on snatching one up. I still may, but still a great story.


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[pr1nce]

Very nice experience. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Peligro911]

If I had to pay full retail I prob would not have upgraded I always use upgrades and normally make a couple bucks in the process .. If you had anything other than a 5 then it would have been worth it.

 

[Totalimmortal363]

I doubt he would have made much of anything on a full retail device, we certainly don't at AT&T.

 

[neurodave]

A good rep indeed, glad to see he put the customers needs before his.

However, we don't get paid on full price upgrades. Regardless, the fact that he took you to the phone to try it out and see for yourself that it wasn't worth while, shows that he truly cared about you, and not the fact that he wasn't making a dime off the full price upgrade.

Kudos to him! Where can I find him, so I can hire him? Lol!

 

[Totalimmortal363]

I'd think it was more of a calculated move to save the unit for a contract situation, still a great move on the salesman's part either way!