Why do cell phone companies constantly lie?

[SilthDraeth]

I know, technically, my dealings are not with "the company" but their customer support representatives.

I have had cell phones through Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, and smaller carriers, and without fail, every single company lies. You ask them a question, they verify it, swear up and down that something will be the way they state it, swear they will add it to the notes of your account, etc...

Cliffs:
Bought new phone that cost different every 5 minutes.
got hit with fees that were supposed to be waived
didn't get rebate
had to call several times to get company to follow through with promises

Long story follows:

Then in comes the next bill, and you find out they lied to you...

Latest example, my wife's phone was out of contract, and I could get the upgrade with renewal discount.

I called my carrier, and wanted a phone being offered free with upgrade, but he recommended another phone, the representative told me, right now we have this great deal, you can get this newer phone, for $29, and I can credit your account $20, so you only pay $9.99.

I said, let me talk with my wife, so he set an appointment to call me back next day at noon... Noon rolls around, and no call back. I wait another two hours and call, and speak with another representative... and say I decided on this phone, they note they see where the other guy stated he would call me back...

So, well, they can't offer me the $20, and the phone is $79, with a $50 rebate, activation fee will be waived etc... I decide ok, as wife really wants an Android phone. And they said, they will handle the rebate, I don't have to go online, or mail anything in. Great! And I finally got someone to give me that $20 credit.

So, we get phone, I get it up and going, etc, next bill comes, all is fine, next bill after that, WHAM! activation fee... So I call up, and well they can't do anything about it, but I got them to credit that partially as well.

Well... I never got my rebate, so I called em up today and they had no record of it... So I had to call again, and the rebate branch finally entered my rebate, so now I have to wait another 45 days for my rebate.

So, I continue to do business, because I know all the companies are like this, and my current carrier thus far has credited my account when I call up to point out that my bill doesn't reflect what I have been told. So overall I am satisfied. I just wish I didn't have to do so much leg work to get them to follow through.

 

[Vic Vega]

One of the reasons I will only use flat rate phone service anymore. These people are sleaze bags, just a step above bill collectors, on the same level as cable companies. Nothing they say to you can be trusted. If it's not in writing good luck. They can get away with this because of volume - millions of customers, they lie to you and piss you off and you leave, not a big deal. Plenty of pre-lubed, sleep-walking sheep out there to keep screwing to waste time chasing one lost customer. Accept it and move to flat rate.

 

[shortylickens]

SUE!

Or firebomb. Your choice.

 

[Pardus]

Never
Never
Ever
Sign a Contract

There are plenty pay as you go options.

 

[Red Squirrel]

Don't sign anything!

 

[BoomerD]

Why do cell phone companies constantly lie?

a) Because they can.
b) Because customers tolerate it.
c) Because the customer can't do a damned thing about it.
d) Because they can.

 

[blinblue]

Never
Never
Ever
Sign a Contract

There are plenty pay as you go options.

This a million times over in the largest font possible. No silly taxes or fees, and you can usually buy the prepaid cards for a small percent off face value. For example my $25/month Virgin mobile is really $24/month (I'm grandfathered in, it's $35/month now).
Some pay as you go companies to check out
Virgin Mobile ($35/month unlimited data/text and 300 minutes on Sprint's network)
Page Plus ($29.95/month for 3000 text, 1200 minutes, 100MB of data on Verizon's network, plus just about any verizon phone works)
T-Mobile ($30/month unlimited text, "unlimited" (5GB) data, 100 minutes)

And there are more too if you have usage patterns that wouldn't work well with the above.

 

[Corporate Thug]

Never
Never
Ever
Sign a Contract

There are plenty pay as you go options.

Can you recommend some good ones?

 

[cubby1223]

I usually find it is that the companies don't pay the service reps enough of a salary. Anyone who knows anything finds a better job.

I forget if it was Sprint or Verizon, someone I work with switched out his Blackberry for an Android and needed help setting up his pop3 email account. Calls me from the service store, and I'm talking to the in-store technician. I'd never used an Android prior to this, so I didn't know the screens (I was away from a computer to look up instructions on my own). Anyways, the conversation went something like this:

"Please give me the settings for the email account"
"The mail server is ..... the username & password are ..... the ports are ...."
"Okay, so I select 'Corporate' for the email service"
"No, this is a pop3 account"
"Yes, so I select 'Corporate'"
"You do know what a pop3 email account is"
"Yes"
"The Android supports connecting to a pop3 email account?"
"Yes"
"These are the settings"
"Now when I select 'Corporate'"
"You don't select 'Corporate' that has nothing to do with this email account"
"But this is not a gmail account, so when I select 'Corporate'..."
"You know what pop3 is?"
"Yes"
"And you know how to set one up in an Android"
"Yes"
"Then these are the settings..."
"Right, so after I select 'Corporate'..."

and so forth



I think it is more the case where the reps do not have the sufficient knowledge to first know that they are speaking incorrectly. It's a tough situation to work with them.

 

[Merad]

I usually find it is that the companies don't pay the service reps enough of a salary. Anyone who knows anything finds a better job.

This. I worked briefly at a call center for AT&T customer service. I'd flip burgers for minimum wage before going back.

First off, they usually don't even work for the phone company, they're with some contractor. So they have no reason to give a damn.
Second, they get paid crap. To the tune of about $9.00 per hour.
Third, it's one of the shittiest jobs in the world. You're basically a punching bag for customers 8 hours a day. Management tends to be extremely bad, because essentially all of the smart/competent people GTFO ASAP.

Turnover is insanely high at those places. I'd estimate average tenure at the one where I worked was roughly 3 months. That center employed some 300 peoPle.... And in the ~8 months I was there, they hired nearly 400. You do the math.

 

[shortylickens]

My mom was a CSR for Amway in the late 80's/early 90's. I swear it gave her clinical depression inside 6 months.

 

[FoBoT]

to make more profit?

they are run by Ferengi?

 

[shortylickens]

to make more profit?

they are run by Ferengi?

Ferengi are pretty mild compared to the average American executive.
Also, they were my least favorite episodes of DS9, especially when they had the mom.

 

[Newbian]

Ferengi are pretty mild compared to the average American executive.
Also, they were my least favorite episodes of DS9, especially when they had the mom.

You liked it when she was nude didn't you?

 

[dud]

I know, technically, my dealings are not with "the company" but their customer support representatives.

I have had cell phones through Cingular, Sprint, Verizon, and smaller carriers, and without fail, every single company lies. You ask them a question, they verify it, swear up and down that something will be the way they state it, swear they will add it to the notes of your account, etc...

Cliffs:
Bought new phone that cost different every 5 minutes.
got hit with fees that were supposed to be waived
didn't get rebate
had to call several times to get company to follow through with promises

Long story follows:

Then in comes the next bill, and you find out they lied to you...

Latest example, my wife's phone was out of contract, and I could get the upgrade with renewal discount.

I called my carrier, and wanted a phone being offered free with upgrade, but he recommended another phone, the representative told me, right now we have this great deal, you can get this newer phone, for $29, and I can credit your account $20, so you only pay $9.99.

I said, let me talk with my wife, so he set an appointment to call me back next day at noon... Noon rolls around, and no call back. I wait another two hours and call, and speak with another representative... and say I decided on this phone, they note they see where the other guy stated he would call me back...

So, well, they can't offer me the $20, and the phone is $79, with a $50 rebate, activation fee will be waived etc... I decide ok, as wife really wants an Android phone. And they said, they will handle the rebate, I don't have to go online, or mail anything in. Great! And I finally got someone to give me that $20 credit.

So, we get phone, I get it up and going, etc, next bill comes, all is fine, next bill after that, WHAM! activation fee... So I call up, and well they can't do anything about it, but I got them to credit that partially as well.

Well... I never got my rebate, so I called em up today and they had no record of it... So I had to call again, and the rebate branch finally entered my rebate, so now I have to wait another 45 days for my rebate.

So, I continue to do business, because I know all the companies are like this, and my current carrier thus far has credited my account when I call up to point out that my bill doesn't reflect what I have been told. So overall I am satisfied. I just wish I didn't have to do so much leg work to get them to follow through.

Answer: Because it is easier than telling you the truth?

 

[shortylickens]

You liked it when she was nude didn't you?

Hell no. Was always waiting for Leeta to get naked but she never did. At least not as naked as I wanted.

 

[Fingolfin269]

I don't get why people are so against contracts. As long as you buy the right phone with your discount then even with the ETF you're going to break even.

 

[shortylickens]

I don't get why people are so against contracts. As long as you buy the right phone with your discount then even with the ETF you're going to break even.

Because in two years the quality of service can change a LOT, and if things start to stink you are now getting screwed out of money.

I do Tmobile month to month with a phone I got used from Amazon. Saved a ton of money and I can stop whenever I like.

 

[Sluggo]

How often do you think the customers lie to the cell phone company?

 

[Fingolfin269]

Because in two years the quality of service can change a LOT, and if things start to stink you are now getting screwed out of money.

Then just pay the $200 ETF (or however much remains at that point) and sell your phone. Assuming you bought a phone with a high resale value, let's say an iPhone, then you'll probably be able to pull at least $300-$400 so you really lose nothing.

Now of course that assumes the cost of a plan is the same for contract/off contract. I know T-Mobile has better pricing for their off contract plans so that is definitely a benefit of not having a contract.

 

[blinblue]

I don't get why people are so against contracts. As long as you buy the right phone with your discount then even with the ETF you're going to break even.

It's not so much that I'm against contracts, it is just that far better deals exist in the prepaid world. Now if contract plans were cheaper I'd consider them, but why would I pay more for the privilege of being locked in for 2 years, and the possibility of being overbilled and all those silly fees?

 

[Lifted]

Because in two years the quality of service can change a LOT, and if things start to stink you are now getting screwed out of money.

I do Tmobile month to month with a phone I got used from Amazon. Saved a ton of money and I can stop whenever I like.

And why does tmobile allow this? Because they used to suck so bad they don't have a choice. Hell, I ported all lines my job had off tmobile as their customer service department is now a joke.

I've had the same problem with Verizon POTS service. Ended up cancelling it after 6 months as they promised and promised to fix the billing but never did. I and the accounting department had to spend so much time on the phone with them after receiving each bill in order to get the credit for being charged double what the sales person told us the rate would be, that we told them to hit the road.

I think the basic business model for telco's is

1. "New" company that provides great service for latest tech at premium pricing.
2. Industry shifts and caught with pants down, profits start to shrink.
3. Cut back on staff and infrastructure and provide worse service to save money.
4. Lie to customers once profits starts falling to make more money.
5. Start offering cheapest rates to keep from bleeding more customers.
6. Get bought by whatever group of failed telcos is now AT&T.
7. Rinse and repeat.

 

[Lyfer]

Sales, the business of sticking it to you in the ass without lube. What do you expect?

 

[IGBT]

it's a superfluous electronic gadget you don't need yet you think you need thus pay through the nose every month. They should charge the crap out of you. You asked for it.

 

[Fingolfin269]

It's not so much that I'm against contracts, it is just that far better deals exist in the prepaid world. Now if contract plans were cheaper I'd consider them, but why would I pay more for the privilege of being locked in for 2 years, and the possibility of being overbilled and all those silly fees?

Can you give me an example of a prepaid plan where you get a good phone, data plan, great reception, etc.? I'm genuinely curious.

FYI, was on Sprint and now on Verizon. Night and day difference in reception quality (at least in my area). Basically VZW seems to be pretty much perfect here.