[Next Steps]

One of the funniest things I see is when a customer gets livid because they have to wait for a phone to be ordered or sent thru the insurance and they yell at techs because "they are losing THOUSANDS of dollars everyday they are without a phone. But when you give them options such as upgrading their phone or using an old phone, they look at you funny like thats an absurd thing to tell them.

They wont pay for something even if its in their best interests to because and I quote here "I shouldn't have to!". I always ask them if they lock their door when they leave their house. They say yes and I say why, you shouldnt have to! But they do. Sometimes its hard to not laugh in front of them.

The other thing is, threatening to cancel service in a retail store will do you no good. Its not that we don't care about you as a customer, but when you demand things we cannot do, we won't do it because you tell me you are going to Verizon or AT&T. Chances are the customer is under contract anyway so they gotta pay the ETF plus the cost of new phones on a new network. I tell them to go right ahead. I know I wont lose sleep over it.

[grndslm]

If I was making THOUSANDS a day, you'd better believe I'd have multiple phones on multiple carriers just waiting to be activated. I'd sound an awful lot like a prostitute in those circumstances, wouldn't I? Hmm...

[metallicpoet]

Originally Posted by grndslm

I'd sound an awful lot like a prostitute in those circumstances, wouldn't I? Hmm...

Only if they were prepaid phones.

[Dunpeal]

Originally Posted by grndslm

....In our example here... the rep is clearly not being empathetic.

Too much empathy will turn into taking too much advantage off. Balance is the correct approach. There are customer who deserve 100% empathy plus wash there car for free, and there are those who deserve 50% of empathy.

If you wish to be a punching bag of abuse then its your life.

I will make it clear again, the OP and this thread was sujected to abusive, manipulative, vindictive customer towards employees in which these mantras are based on.

[Dunpeal]

Employees are the "face" of the company, and if an employee treats you like crap it makes you feel like your business is not valued...

Dan you have missed the objective of this thread. Lets turn the table around "Customers are the "foundation" of the company, and if the customer treats an employee like crap it makes you feel like your empathy, willingness, care to help is worthless"

There is two sides to every story

[Dunpeal]

Originally Posted by grndslm

And judging from the OP's sig, he's THE son of a beach we know him to be.

".... we know him to be...." ? Did you read all 1,288 of my posts to know anything about me ? If you had I am sure you would not have made such a blunder of a statment. Your judging a book by its cover.

I am the same "son of a beach" that you have labeled me as that has helped many Sprint customers that come to SU with issue that they could not get resolved with Sprint directly, and disclosed Sprint confidential data for you the cosumer to know cause I believe you should know. I did this on my own time, off the job, for free.

Like I said before those who take this threa offensively are more than likely guilty of the subject at hand in the OP.

[Dunpeal]

Originally Posted by grndslm

..If you thought your sig was good for business, you'd be wrong.

Hmm last I saw I was posting on SU and not on Sprint's website, or introduced it to any of Sprint's marketing.

What is in my Sig is fact. You just dont like it cause you think Sprint owes you or you deserve MORE MORE MORE ! You cannot show me anywhere in black and white where Sprint owes you anything else other than providing you with the service you pay for.

Try demanding from your electric company for them to replace your light bulbs for free because you have been loyal and an aged customer thus cause you "deserve" that and they "owe" it to you. Oh hell, while you at it try asking for a refrigerator, TV, microwave, and you might get lucky and get one of those new Hybrid cars.

Originally Posted by grndslm

If you thought that you were equal, fair, reasonable, empathetic, etc... you'd be DEAD WRONG.

You using words that you obviously are not able to graps in regard to their application to my signature.

My Sig says: "Sprint doesnt owe you a thing other than to provide you with the service you pay monthly for. Being a loyal or aged customer does not grant you the right to a special price on a phone different from other customers. "

Seem my statement in all is advocating equality & fair which equates to being reasonable.

Empathy cannot be genuinely & authenticly obtained from mere words posted on the net. This would more suited for a person to person experience face to face.

Originally Posted by grndslm

The customer is ALWAYS right....

Yup you are what I suspected you of being. The customer is always right is 20th century wishfull thinking. This is the 21th century, the customer is right after it is researched.

Originally Posted by grndslm

..That doesn't mean you have to give him whatever you want, but you have to put yourself in his/her shoes the entire time that s/he is there in front of you (or on the phone).

Cheat, Lie ? Some of us have the gift to see stright through the BS.

Originally Posted by grndslm

I haggle with EVERY business, because *gasp* it works more often than not. And whenever somebody asks "what's the best phone?" or "what's the difference between these two phones?"...

If those are your examples of haggling you are definitely off on the wrong foot. Perhaps you dont entirely understand what haggling is ?

Originally Posted by grndslm

I can see why customers have been leaving at the rate they've been leaving.

I was waiting for this to come up. Here is my view of why customers in the past left Sprint.

• About 10% coverage for them did not work
• About 20% Bad customer service experience due to something that was clearly "NOT THEIR FAULT"
• About 10% Carrier hoppers who go to carrier to carrier for whatever new phone they like they go after
• About 60% Those who had personal problems with their phones that was THEIR FAULT and felt Sprint owed them another phone regardless, got an unexpected charge on their bill that was THEIR FAULT and felt Sprint should pay for it, but however Sprint wasnt budging for their mishaps that was their responsibilty.

This is going to turn into a cycle or seesaw affect. Especially with a new generation emerging that will demand data and speed for mobility.

[shrike126]

I think my favorite is:

"I have been on this phone for X hours now."

"Well sir/ma'am, these are the options we have available..."

"That's not good enough!"

I'm sorry but if something is being demanded that isn't available as an option in our policies/procedures, then we don't get to complain about how long we've been on the phone if we keep rejecting those options!

[Packk01]

It's actually kind of interesting, I was just reading the Verizon forum to see how people were talking about their new droids (seems that many are having problems with them) but then I looked at one thread and it seemed as if I was reading the Sprint Rants & Raves Forum...Generally it is, and I am paraphrasing a little but only a little..."this stinks, I am a loyal long time subscriber and I only have 18 months left on my contract and I am stuck with this lousy phone and Verizon should give me a new droid phone now because it will make them more money if they get a new contract from me and they shouldn't treat loyal customers like this and if they don't get me a new phone I will be leaving as soon as my contract is done......" The issues are not funny but what was humorous is that I forgot for a minute that I was reading a Verizon forum and not a Sprint forum....same words, same issues different company. Just reading that forum makes me realize that the grass is NOT always greener

[Dunpeal]

Originally Posted by Packk01

The issues are not funny but what was humorous is that I forgot for a minute that I was reading a Verizon forum and not a Sprint forum....same words, same issues different company. Just reading that forum makes me realize that the grass is NOT always greener

Originally Posted by Dunpeal

This is going to turn into a cycle or seesaw affect....

[grndslm]

Look... I'm not about to respond to all of that.

All I was trying to get at is I would fire you for such actions if you were employed by me. Other members have suggested their companies have such policies about talking about customers on blogs, forums, whatever. There's a reason for such policies.

Knowing that you work for Sprint, have the sig that you have, and have started this thread that ya did... it only REINFORCES my ideas on the Sprint employee -vs- customer battle mentality. Again, this was a comment made by ANOTHER Sprint customer. You're not on our side, and that's very clear. Because of people like yourself, it looks like I will never get this bad taste of Sprint reps outta my mouth.

Just let it be known I will b!tch slap any representative of any company, not just Sprint. If you do your job wrong, look at me wrong, talk to me wrong... I will complain. And I very well might report this post to Sprint HQ so they can implement some policies like other companies have implemented.

If this were just "Customers' Known Mantras", it wouldn't be such a big deal. But you're singling out the people who give you a frickin' paycheck and poking fun. Like it's only Sprint customers who want to haggle (and yes, I know what the word haggle means... just because two sentences are next to each other on a forum, doesn't mean they're actually related).

You, sir... are BAD for business. Not just my opinion, but the opinion of a few other Sprint customers in this thread.

[Next Steps]

Originally Posted by grndslm

So I suggested this elsewhere, but I think it'd be far more effective to just give ALL the phones away for FREE and charge a $350/400 ETF. Let the FREE phones sell themselves instead of paying $300+ for commission. Seems like a no-brainer.

Even if Sprint dropped the S|P feature of "new customer pricing" after only 12 months... and just gave FREE smartphones for a 2-yr contract with $350 ETF... I think they'd do a lot better than what they're offering right now -- $250 with [annoying as sheet] $100 MIR. NO BRAINER. Most people don't even know about the new phone every 12 months, so it wouldn't be a huge loss to most people. But EVERYBODY would see the benefit of a FREE smartphone with 2-yr contract. Am I right or am I right?

If this was a financially viable option, I am sure someone would have done it by now. Just because you think it makes sense, doesn't mean it actually does.

[Fubar101]

Originally Posted by grndslm

Just let it be known I will b!tch slap any representative of any company, not just Sprint. If you do your job wrong, look at me wrong, talk to me wrong... I will complain. And I very well might report this post to Sprint HQ so they can implement some policies like other companies have implemented.


You, sir... are BAD for business. Not just my opinion, but the opinion of a few other Sprint customers in this thread.

People like you, are the exact reason that the saying "The customer's is always right" is fading fast. Your one of those guys that treats store employee's like they are below you and you have some sense of power trip when you are buying something. Trying to act all proud that you are going to "b!tch slap" an employee, it's actually quite sad.

Saying that you are going to report a post to the HQ because you don't agree with someone is just funny. I guess you are trying to scare people from posting? I guess there you go on another power trip.

You are a bad reflection of a customer. I really feel sorry for any businesses that deal with you.

[grndslm]

Originally Posted by Next Steps

If this was a financially viable option, I am sure someone would have done it by now. Just because you think it makes sense, doesn't mean it actually does.

But someone else *is* doing it. Verizon has been giving away BOGO FREE Blackberies with the "traditional" ETF... and now, because of the FREE BB, they're upping their ETF to $350.

Sprint should follow suit, but just give a FREE smartphone for a 2-yr contract instead of BOGO free like Verizon.

[grndslm]

Originally Posted by Fubar101

People like you, are the exact reason that the saying "The customer's is always right" is fading fast.

The funny thing is that the saying is just that... a saying. It's not literal, where the customer can come in and rape you, pillage your office, and leave without you being able to do anything about it. It means that you're supposed to BELIEVE his story by putting yourself in his shoes. Like I said, there are MANY excuses you can give to not bend over backwards for him (don't have the tools, don't have the power, out of my hands, etc.).

There's a right way and a wrong way to do things in a business, and virtually all of the comments that reps have posted here, mocking customers that help with their paycheck, are really unwarranted. You can't BELIEVE someone's story by putting yourself in his shoes and then come to a public forum and tell the whole world how he's full of shiz. You just can't do that. It very well may be that ALL your customers want to get something for nothing, but you've got to go about it the right way - offer a legitimate excuse, then forget about it... NOT come to a public forum to vent.

Originally Posted by Fubar101

Your one of those guys that treats store employee's like they are below you and you have some sense of power trip when you are buying something.

Do you have an example of me treating a store employee like they're below me? Because I can't think of one. I get irrate with people who don't do their job and act like arrogant SOBs. For some reason, arrogant SOBs is the norm with Sprint reps, and I just can't figure it out. Maybe they all need to go to church or something. I dunno what it is.

Originally Posted by Fubar101

Saying that you are going to report a post to the HQ because you don't agree with someone is just funny. I guess you are trying to scare people from posting? I guess there you go on another power trip.

It's not that I don't agree with him... it's that you can't run a successful business when reps are talking down to customers and admit it on public forums, like this one. And for that same reason, this is why other companies have enacted policies to prevent employees from doing such a thing. I have no problem with co-workers discussing stuff like this amongst themselves.. that's fine and dandy. But when you label yourself as a rep, come to a public forum where there are a ton of customers... what is it you're really trying to accomplish?

Originally Posted by Fubar101

You are a bad reflection of a customer. I really feel sorry for any businesses that deal with you.

If you say so. I'm the type of person who corrects mistakes so that those mistakes don't become persistent and THE NORM. If you let people slip, then they will continue to falter. Same with police... if a cop asks to search my vehicle, I'll protect my rights as a citizen of this great country!! You simply ask, "Well, kind officer, do you have any evidence that I have or have done something illegal?" If he can't offer any proof, guess what... I'm not gonna let him search my vehicle. He will not get my consent just so that he can do that to other people.

It's about right and wrong. If I see something that's wrong or somebody doing something wrong, I'm gonna correct it/them. That's the type of person I am. Like I said, if I was your boss... you better greet EVERY person that walks in the door, "Hello. Welcome to Sprint." You better answer EVERY phone call by the 4th ring. You better ALWAYS have a smile on your face, even if just answering hte phone. You better NEVER go on some public forum and tell how idiotic it is for people to expect a good deal for having a legacy plan.

I just opened a NEW line thru Telesales because of reps like the people in this thread. I called TS about 4 or 5 different times to see if they'd give me a better deal on the Pre than the time before. Guess what! EVERY time, they said they'd give me the Pre for $99 after MIR, and I really didn't have to push them to offer that whatsoever. So... are you guys complaining about NEW customers asking for deals? And if you're not... shouldn't loyal customers get the same price that new customers are getting?

If you're a representative for a company that survives off of discount, value plans... you better get used to it and keep that in mind whenever somebody's trying to haggle with you. It's part of your job, and your job should also be to keep the company in the best light that you possibly can, even if you're not on the clock. And a lotta the reps in this thread are not putting Sprint in the best light.