EXACTLY my first thought after reading only the headline!!! Couldn't have said it better myself. Screw Verizon
What a salesperson does and what they're instructed to do aren't necessarily one and the same, plus they'll also push what's in stock versus losing a customer. It happens all the time regardless of what one is buying.
Or, using a little less tin foil hat, perhaps it just was a generic offer sent to everyone.
Those with 50/50 are special to begin with, and would be expected to pay more attention (as he did).
It's like when I get all those generic offers from Cablevision. They're not tailored for me, or out to get just me. They're just mass mail items and it's up to me to check the details.
Ditto for insurance, real estate, mortgage and other mass mailing offers.
Now, if I called them up in person, so they were looking at my particular details, and they didn't tell me that my speed would change, THAT would be inexcusable. But I don't think that would happen. I think they'd say, hey you're going to lose 50/50, would you like to upgrade?
Well it's not like I said it was a conspiracy and that it extends to the highest levels of government. I assumed it was a mass mailing. But there is a reason they put part of the offer in fine print. They're hoping you don't read it. It wouldn't be difficult for them to be clear on the services they're offering(including speeds).
*edit: I almost missed your last sentence. "Hey you're going to lose your 50/50, want to upgrade?". I bet they would say that. Upgrade to a third of your previous speed:\
What a salesperson does and what they're instructed to do aren't necessarily one and the same, plus they'll also push what's in stock versus losing a customer. It happens all the time regardless of what one is buying.
Right. How could Verizon possibly be responsible for its employees?:rolleyes:
I'd be interested to know what impact Verizon's new "Share Everything" plans (and their elimination of individual plans) has had on sales. When Best Buy had their trade-in deal recently (which amounted to getting a free 16GB iPhone 5), I finally convinced my wife to upgrade from her ordered-on-the-first-day Verizon iPhone 4. Only problem: "Share Everything" would have dramatically increased her monthly bill, and there were no other options.
So, after talking it over, she moved to AT&T, and we're now on a Family Plan that saves us quite a bit over what we used to pay individually. "Share Everything" plans are a terrible deal for 1-2 phone households, and Verizon's insistence that everybody move to these plans definitely cost them a happy customer in our case.
Exactly the new "share" plans from both AT&T and Verizon are shit deals compared to what Sprint and (especially) T-Mobile offer. I have 5 iPhones on my TMobile line, and aside from equipment loans (i.e., interest free payment plan) for some of the phones, my service costs $110+fees - each phone has it's own high-speed (LTE or 4G - some are older iPhones) data pool of 500MB, no data overage (just slip into 2G), and unlimited talk/text.
T-Mobile's iPhone5 deals (esp. if you're in an LTE area) are insanely good. Coverage is great - and my call quality to the person I talk most (my wife) is amazing using HD voice.
What a salesperson does and what they're instructed to do aren't necessarily one and the same, plus they'll also push what's in stock versus losing a customer. It happens all the time regardless of what one is buying.
It does highlight poor management and incentive structure though. If you have folks who are incentivized appropriately, it will make a huge difference - especially considering that the iPhone is still the most popular single phone in the US.
So if VZ is giving their salespeople higher incentive to sell Android phones - they're going to suffer if they've signed a deal with Apple to sell X million phones that they can't actually meet.
Right. How could Verizon possibly be responsible for its employees?
They are. They've publicly said that they have no policy pushing one phone over another, and that if you felt a salesperson wouldn't sell you the phone you came in to get, they want to know about it, so they can retrain that person.
That said, I think that any adult on the planet knows (or should know) that salespeople are usually going to sell you whatever 1) they make most money on, or 2) they like themselves, or 3) is less hassle.
As for (3), I'm curious. I've read on blogs from Vz salespeople that one reason why they don't push the iPhone is because they're not allowed to service or replace them in-store. In other words, if the buyer comes back with a non-working Home button or bad screen or whatever, they have to either send them to an Apple Store or make them mail it in for a replacement... and the salespeople hate giving customers that kind of experience. (Any other phone, they can just replace on the spot.) So is it true that they cannot replace it themselves?
So is it true that they cannot replace it themselves?
Probably. I wouldn't trust a Verizon tech to repair my iPhone. I doubt they go through Apple training and if they aren't Apple certified, it will void your warranty.
It does highlight poor management and incentive structure though. If you have folks who are incentivized appropriately, it will make a huge difference - especially considering that the iPhone is still the most popular single phone in the US.
So if VZ is giving their salespeople higher incentive to sell Android phones - they're going to suffer if they've signed a deal with Apple to sell X million phones that they can't actually meet.
The commission is more than likely coming from the manufacturer than VZW itself.
Probably. I wouldn't trust a Verizon tech to repair my iPhone. I doubt they go through Apple training and if they aren't Apple certified, it will void your warranty.
I meant swap the whole unit. Actually, I guess Apple would replace a bad iPhone with a refurb anyway, and Verizon has no reason to stock those.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soloman
The commission is more than likely coming from the manufacturer than VZW itself.
Retail sales commissions normally come from the store employing the seller. If the store makes more profit on an item, the salesperson usually also makes more profit. Or the store can just keep all the profit and not pay commission. Or just have lower prices. It's all up to the store, not the manufacturer.
Sometimes a manufacturer might have an incentive program... some kind of rebate to the store, just as happens with car dealers from the manufacturer... but again it's up to the store if it wants to pass that on to the salesperson as a spiff (bonus).
Likewise, if a store is overstocked on something, the management might give a spiff to any salesperson who sells one. (Be wary of items piled high near the door. There's a reason they're there. - grin)
I meant swap the whole unit. Actually, I guess Apple would replace a bad iPhone with a refurb anyway,
Used to be that they would simply swap it out but they (AppleStore) can and do actually change a few parts.
Back cover, front screen, speakers, dock connector, power cable and a few bits.
Y'think? I thought they were kinda cool. There's really no operational need for a border around the screen on a phone, and a little bigger/wider would sure be welcome 'round these parts.
Comments
What a salesperson does and what they're instructed to do aren't necessarily one and the same, plus they'll also push what's in stock versus losing a customer. It happens all the time regardless of what one is buying.
Well it's not like I said it was a conspiracy and that it extends to the highest levels of government. I assumed it was a mass mailing. But there is a reason they put part of the offer in fine print. They're hoping you don't read it. It wouldn't be difficult for them to be clear on the services they're offering(including speeds).
*edit: I almost missed your last sentence. "Hey you're going to lose your 50/50, want to upgrade?". I bet they would say that. Upgrade to a third of your previous speed:\
Right. How could Verizon possibly be responsible for its employees?:rolleyes:
Quote:
Originally Posted by rnb2
I'd be interested to know what impact Verizon's new "Share Everything" plans (and their elimination of individual plans) has had on sales. When Best Buy had their trade-in deal recently (which amounted to getting a free 16GB iPhone 5), I finally convinced my wife to upgrade from her ordered-on-the-first-day Verizon iPhone 4. Only problem: "Share Everything" would have dramatically increased her monthly bill, and there were no other options.
So, after talking it over, she moved to AT&T, and we're now on a Family Plan that saves us quite a bit over what we used to pay individually. "Share Everything" plans are a terrible deal for 1-2 phone households, and Verizon's insistence that everybody move to these plans definitely cost them a happy customer in our case.
Exactly the new "share" plans from both AT&T and Verizon are shit deals compared to what Sprint and (especially) T-Mobile offer. I have 5 iPhones on my TMobile line, and aside from equipment loans (i.e., interest free payment plan) for some of the phones, my service costs $110+fees - each phone has it's own high-speed (LTE or 4G - some are older iPhones) data pool of 500MB, no data overage (just slip into 2G), and unlimited talk/text.
T-Mobile's iPhone5 deals (esp. if you're in an LTE area) are insanely good. Coverage is great - and my call quality to the person I talk most (my wife) is amazing using HD voice.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soloman
What a salesperson does and what they're instructed to do aren't necessarily one and the same, plus they'll also push what's in stock versus losing a customer. It happens all the time regardless of what one is buying.
It does highlight poor management and incentive structure though. If you have folks who are incentivized appropriately, it will make a huge difference - especially considering that the iPhone is still the most popular single phone in the US.
So if VZ is giving their salespeople higher incentive to sell Android phones - they're going to suffer if they've signed a deal with Apple to sell X million phones that they can't actually meet.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Doctor David
Right. How could Verizon possibly be responsible for its employees?
They are. They've publicly said that they have no policy pushing one phone over another, and that if you felt a salesperson wouldn't sell you the phone you came in to get, they want to know about it, so they can retrain that person.
That said, I think that any adult on the planet knows (or should know) that salespeople are usually going to sell you whatever 1) they make most money on, or 2) they like themselves, or 3) is less hassle.
As for (3), I'm curious. I've read on blogs from Vz salespeople that one reason why they don't push the iPhone is because they're not allowed to service or replace them in-store. In other words, if the buyer comes back with a non-working Home button or bad screen or whatever, they have to either send them to an Apple Store or make them mail it in for a replacement... and the salespeople hate giving customers that kind of experience. (Any other phone, they can just replace on the spot.) So is it true that they cannot replace it themselves?
Probably. I wouldn't trust a Verizon tech to repair my iPhone. I doubt they go through Apple training and if they aren't Apple certified, it will void your warranty.
The commission is more than likely coming from the manufacturer than VZW itself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jungmark
Probably. I wouldn't trust a Verizon tech to repair my iPhone. I doubt they go through Apple training and if they aren't Apple certified, it will void your warranty.
I meant swap the whole unit. Actually, I guess Apple would replace a bad iPhone with a refurb anyway, and Verizon has no reason to stock those.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soloman
The commission is more than likely coming from the manufacturer than VZW itself.
Retail sales commissions normally come from the store employing the seller. If the store makes more profit on an item, the salesperson usually also makes more profit. Or the store can just keep all the profit and not pay commission. Or just have lower prices. It's all up to the store, not the manufacturer.
Sometimes a manufacturer might have an incentive program... some kind of rebate to the store, just as happens with car dealers from the manufacturer... but again it's up to the store if it wants to pass that on to the salesperson as a spiff (bonus).
Likewise, if a store is overstocked on something, the management might give a spiff to any salesperson who sells one. (Be wary of items piled high near the door. There's a reason they're there. - grin)
Back cover, front screen, speakers, dock connector, power cable and a few bits.
"Hey, Samsung, you know that billion plus you owe us for stealing our stuff? Just send the check whenever." :rolleyes:
I know what you mean, but it didn't come across.
Absolutely horrible.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tallest Skil
Absolutely horrible.
Y'think? I thought they were kinda cool. There's really no operational need for a border around the screen on a phone, and a little bigger/wider would sure be welcome 'round these parts.