Bad move
I work in a company store and have to say something bad happened this month for customers.
An agent closed up shop in the south jersey area, and left customers with little options if they wanted to exchange a phone, or cancel service. We've had 2 cust in 2 days that wanted to exchange their phones, but had to turn them away because they were purchased at an agent location(that closed) Now we have the bad news of telling them to call an 800 number, or drive to delaware (45 min from us) to exchange their phone. This is a bad move because the customers don't blame the agent, they blame cingular, because afterall, they bought the phone from a "cingular" store.
O yea, we were told, we can't exchange the phones because they have a contrac...
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An agent closed up shop in the south jersey area, and left customers with little options if they wanted to exchange a phone, or cancel service. We've had 2 cust in 2 days that wanted to exchange their phones, but had to turn them away because they were purchased at an agent location(that closed) Now we have the bad news of telling them to call an 800 number, or drive to delaware (45 min from us) to exchange their phone. This is a bad move because the customers don't blame the agent, they blame cingular, because afterall, they bought the phone from a "cingular" store.
O yea, we were told, we can't exchange the phones because they have a contrac...
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It blows. But in the end its up to the morals of the Agents whether or not they are going to lead customers into believing that they are only resellers and not actually Cingular stores. I do however place some fault on Cingular for not having policies in place that would prevent this sort of thing from happening. It's a catch 22. Cingular can create a greater differentiation between Agents and COR through various means, potentially driving more traffic to COR stores. The additional traffic however causes costs to rise in the form of employment, and profits to fall in the form of smaller margins. With Agents Cingular only has to pay commisions to the owner for activations.. and in some cases depending on contract, residual. That leaves...
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yea, but that comes back to controlling "your" brand.. would you let an untruthful agent ruin your reputation? Even if they mislead one customer, that could turn into hundreds with word of mouth..
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Cingular already dropped a "shady" agent... remember wireless solutions that worked out of BJ's Wholesale?
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That did not answer my question though. He seems to be ticked that the store closed. Um... tough luck and get over it maybe?
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Well of course he's ticked. It's creating a bad rep for us. I'd be pretty ticked too if our crappy corporate store in this town closed and all their customers came to my indirect location trying to return their phones 🙂
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No, I'm not mad because they closed, I'm mad because they closed and left the customers they sold phones to hanging. They come to us looking for answeres, and we have to direct them to a store in delaware. The customer gets mad at us and now we get the bad rap for it.
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It happens. I gripe that I have to fix problems fromthe corporate store all the time, but since they are not in my company, I can't do anything about it. Life is tough. I have a bad rap from the corporate store too, so I feel ya, but its just one of those things you can't do anything about.
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yea it goes both ways, it really depends on how the customer is feeling when they leave the store....
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Buy from Wal Mart or Best Buy. They won't close up on ya. And you will save a ton on the phone and another ton of dough on the same accesories made in China.
Don't ever buy from an Agent or a Corporate store.
Buy online or from a B&M store. you will get plenty of support on your phone from Cingular or the Phone manufacturer.
When your contract is up buy a phone on Ebay and stay month to month.
Theres my opinion.
Don't ever buy from an Agent or a Corporate store.
Buy online or from a B&M store. you will get plenty of support on your phone from Cingular or the Phone manufacturer.
When your contract is up buy a phone on Ebay and stay month to month.
Theres my opinion.
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Sure, buy the phone at walmart or bestbuy, but don't come to my store for a tutorial. Go where you got it from. I know this isn't how it's supposed to be, but i'm fed up with showing people that bought from walmart how to use their phone.
Hell, a manager from a walmart came to set up her voicemail.. I told her she should go where she got it and they'll help.
You want service from a rep who actually went through training (imagine that), come to a corp store. You wanna save some money and figure the phone out yourself, go to walmart.
Hell, a manager from a walmart came to set up her voicemail.. I told her she should go where she got it and they'll help.
You want service from a rep who actually went through training (imagine that), come to a corp store. You wanna save some money and figure the phone out yourself, go to walmart.
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I work for an agent (I have been COR as well) and my opinion is that there should be no such thing as an agent. If you are unable to provide the exact same services, policies, hiring criteria and have total accountability at every location, you tarnish the Cingular name. There is also VERY USELESS "bashing" between agents and COR employees to the customer that undermine the reputation of Cingular. Once an agent decides to leave the game, they no longer care about the carrier's customers and this only reflects badly for Cingular's future unless COR steps in to service the customer. Cingular will not move up on the customer service rankings until they close all agents and keep closer to the vest with their own doorways.
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But every carrier that I know of has authorized agents. Why should cingular drop agents and others keep them? I never understood the agent thing anyway, I work in a COR store and have to clean up after the agents in the area all day. I see a lot of feature slamming, price hiking and misinformation. This comes from agents and places like best buy and walmart. It's really annoying. We finally have the ability to price match, so there is no reason to go to an agent over a COR store.
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Cingular has a higher % agent than the other carriers and agents aren't enforced to any standards (anyone that differs is beyond the realistic realm). Retail Account Executives (RAE) can't fire you and if you are a larger enough agent, any issues becomes caught in "red tape" and never get addressed. If Cingular wants to remain the top dog, they should start (and they have been quietly) by taking back their doorways and branding...There are issues on both sides, but all employees must understand that we are here to service the customer, not bicker between each other, WE ARE ON THE SAME TEAM (agents aren't at fault, it's the system)!
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I agree with you on being on the same team, it just seems that agents (because of their freedom) tend to be dishonest. At least thats how it is around here. I'm not saying thats applies to everyone, I just hate to see someone come in that had totally been had by an agent. It's frustrating. 😕
Is there any truth in the rumor that all cingular agents are going to have to be exclusive in the near future?
Is there any truth in the rumor that all cingular agents are going to have to be exclusive in the near future?
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They are pushing to get out all non-exclusives/underperforming agents although the national players and large volume dealers will survive. There are signs in the new contracts that the company is headed in the right direction of cleaning up and only keeping the best of the agents!
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Cingular needs to do that with the call centers too. My mother was always on the phone with Cingular every month because her phone was turned off every month, even though the bill was paid on time in full at a Cingular corporate store. She's no longer with Cingular because the representatives on the phone were constantly rude with her and one even told her that they didn't care if my mom got service from another carrier. Most people say Cingulars' problems only happened after the buyout of AT&T. They're wrong because this happened just a few months before Cingular launched their GSM network in 2002. I have a cousin that dropped Cingular for similar reasons, only in her case, it was billing errors, but didn't have problems with the GSM n...
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Obviously you have never read an agent agreement or saw what happened to a huge agent named Mobile Solutions.
There are real world examples of what can happen to agents who misbehave and mislead. I'm sorry but you have no comprehension of the structure if all you think is RAE's have no power.
There are real world examples of what can happen to agents who misbehave and mislead. I'm sorry but you have no comprehension of the structure if all you think is RAE's have no power.
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That just started with the new contracts recently and the Mobile Solutions issue really doesn't prove much as they had no business ethics. I already stated previously that Cingular was beginning to clean house. Cingular has let in "wild hair", "mom and pop", hair salon agents that should have never been approved to start with and will not be able to clean these out overnight. The issue is that now all agents have been put into financial crisis because of commission cutbacks designed to choke out the agents that don't belong. But this affects ALL agents negatively as it is barely survivable. If you are pro-agent, this is a dumb way of keeping them around. Again, I state that there should be no such thing as an agent. By the way, RAE's ...
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Well, I am pro agent because I am the owner of an agent store. I also know they haven't lowered commissions to choke people out, they are lowering them because commissions from carriers have steadily dropped since 1992 when I entered this business. One has nothing to do with another.
I am not sure where you get your info but many agents have been terminated over the years, Mobile Solutions was just one of the higher profile ones in recent times. The NEW agreement terms are to improve customer experience and sales quality. Agent contracts have always protected against fraudulent dealers and MANY have been terminated well before now.
I am not sure where you get your info but many agents have been terminated over the years, Mobile Solutions was just one of the higher profile ones in recent times. The NEW agreement terms are to improve customer experience and sales quality. Agent contracts have always protected against fraudulent dealers and MANY have been terminated well before now.
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I don't know which carriers you are specifically referring to, but mine with another carrier have not decreased. My RAE's (multiple area) have also informed me that this commission drop was to find out who is serious in the game...Agents will always be terminated, that is not the problem. They are not being dealt with immediately and decisively, it is a root-out process that takes time and this is the mistake that Cingular is making. Good luck to your business as it sounds as if you are part of the solution and not the problem.
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I want to see if you are on the same page as I. Are you saying the commissions Cingular pays to the agent you work for hasn't changed? How long of a period are we talking here?
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No, I was saying Cingular commissions have dropped with the new contracts and the other carrier I deal with has not decreased and honestly is easier to sell...
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I was curious about your time frame of reference. How long are you talking about here? Over the 13 years I have been in the business commissions have dropped steadily for EVERY CARRIER.
Cingular is not unique and it is not unexpected that commissions would drop every year.
Cingular is not unique and it is not unexpected that commissions would drop every year.
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7 years...Your market must be different as each market has a different commission structure
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Are you an agent principal? Do you see the schedule C / schedule 2 of the contract?
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GREAT IDEA! Not really you fool. If you were to poll the customers in my market to ask who was more helpful they would say the Agents. IF you polle for customer service, they would say agents. But lets talk facts here.
FACT: Agent stores in my part of the market outsell the corporate stores. You know why??? Because we have a hell of alot of recomendations. And not only is it the agent stores outselling, its MY AGENT ALONE that outsells them.
Don't go bashing all agents or all corporate locations when you have only had experience with one area. I don't like the corporate stores in my area, I fix too damn many of their mistakes, but I don't sit here and bash them. I don't know how they all work, so I don't categorize them t...
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FACT: Agent stores in my part of the market outsell the corporate stores. You know why??? Because we have a hell of alot of recomendations. And not only is it the agent stores outselling, its MY AGENT ALONE that outsells them.
Don't go bashing all agents or all corporate locations when you have only had experience with one area. I don't like the corporate stores in my area, I fix too damn many of their mistakes, but I don't sit here and bash them. I don't know how they all work, so I don't categorize them t...
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Who said I had experience in "one area"? I have managed multpiple locations all over the region (3 states) and that might include your area! You are entitled to your opinion (that I respect) as is everyone, but your name-calling shows your maturity level...
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No, my name calling shows my aggravation toward this ongoing debate. If you happen to have experience in my area, you would not have that mindset about agents. My RAE even has her issues with corporate in my area, so I doubt that anyone would find corporate to be more productive in my area.
I do however apologise for the name calling. I have been talking to tenmidg for the past few days and it was instinct for my frustration to show like that.
My whole point is that this is always going to be a battle. It comes down to EACH AND EVERY individual who works in a location that sells Cingular. Some have it and some don't. The employees make or break the stores.
I do however apologise for the name calling. I have been talking to tenmidg for the past few days and it was instinct for my frustration to show like that.
My whole point is that this is always going to be a battle. It comes down to EACH AND EVERY individual who works in a location that sells Cingular. Some have it and some don't. The employees make or break the stores.
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Dude, that is so incredible wrong.
Bad experiences happen in many different distribution channels. Verizon is expanding huge in the agent arena. Will that move them down? No, not if they are selective.
Cingular is axing agents who do not perform and that is definitely go for reputation. But closing them all down, that is just ignorant.
Bad experiences happen in many different distribution channels. Verizon is expanding huge in the agent arena. Will that move them down? No, not if they are selective.
Cingular is axing agents who do not perform and that is definitely go for reputation. But closing them all down, that is just ignorant.
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Any location agent location that has ever sent a customer to a COR location for any reason should be closed. My reasoning; every location must service the customer in the same manner if it displays the "Cingular" branding. If Verizon is choosing to invest heavier in agents, they are making a mistake that will cost them customers. Verizon's attention to detail and calculation (other than the PTT blow-up) are what make it the best in the industry (along with T-Mobile). These 2 will always survive and eat away at Cingular's base because of their employee recruiting/hiring practices and limit to agent locations. Within 12 months, Verizon will catch and pass Cingular in customer base. I am interested in hearing what your opinion is on why t...
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Just as Cingular is doing now Verizon is doing. They are making it so agents can do everything corporate stores can do so there is no reason to send them anywhere.
I agree, if you can do something and you don't that is wrong. But up until recently agents were not allowed to do everything they could now.
I agree, if you can do something and you don't that is wrong. But up until recently agents were not allowed to do everything they could now.
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Verizon Wireless has numerous authorized agents in my area and I have not had good experiences with any of them. I was screwed over by Radio Shack with my Verizon Wireless service. I'm glad Radio Shack decided to drop Verizon Wireless service, but Cingular is making a mistake adding Radio Shack as an agent. If they can screw over Verizon Wireless customers like they did with me, they'll do it to Cingular customers. They didn't write up my contract correctly, which I called Verizon Wireless to correct, and add to the problem, Radio Shack stores in my area (NW Indiana) do not allow the option of having the phone insured. When I lost my phone 7 months into a 2 year contract, I almost had to pay the early termination fee because I couldn't ...
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It's gonna be funny watching radioshack people selling cingular since they have bashed the hell out of us these last few years... we'll see if they change their tune, or stick to selling sprint.
See guys, this is why you never bash the competition...
See guys, this is why you never bash the competition...
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