Worth fighting for, or no?

yeahvincer0x · ‎10-06-2011

So back in about June I went to AT&T with a friend who was looking to upgrade. I really wasn't, to be honest, as I had an iPhone 3GS and was happy with it. My contract was actually about to run out at the end of this year and I wasn't even sure I wanted to renew it. After talking with the customer support guy for quite a while myself, I was mostly interested in the new iPhone I thought was coming out at the end of the year. The response I kept getting from about three different workers in the store was that no iPhone was coming out this year, and if I wanted to upgrade I'd have to go with the iPhone 4. I said no thanks.

Two weeks later I decided to upgrade just to renew my contract because of the answers I got about the iPhone. Asked if the new iPhone was coming out this year, again, nos all across the board. So then I asked what the best phone was they had aside from the iPhone - ended up with the HTC Inspire (which, by the way, is a horrible, worthless piece of crap since the Gingerbread update and I'll never buy another Android phone because of it).

My question now is, that the new iPhone is coming out (you know, the one that 4 different AT&T employees told me wasn't coming out even though I was perfectly content with waiting) should I go back to the AT&T store and ask them if they'll allow me to "renew" my contract again and get the 4S at the discounted price? After all, they did give me information that turned out to be false ("I don't know" would've been better, I would have just waited to see). I'm a loyal customer for the past four years, always pay my $160 bill on time, and have never made a fuss about anything before. But this one really irks me, considering.

MissAllison · ‎09-08-2006

I'm going to say it is not worth fighting for. I purchased my iP4 on release day and I cannot get my date moved up.

drumn_bass · ‎08-27-2008

AT&T employees had no way to know that the new iPhone was coming out until like the last week of September when Apple started inviting people to their "Let's talk iPhone" event. So back in June when customers asked me if the new iPhone was coming out I always told them "I had no idea". 4 months later you won't be able to upgrade again, it usually takes 18-20 months to have an other upgrade.

I am an AT&T employee and the postings on this site are my own and don’t necessarily represent AT&T’s positions, strategies or opinions.

dwill05 · ‎04-06-2005

You can fight if you want, but I think the chance of success are about zero. Not saying it's right or wrong, I just don't think it will work.

BadBadLeroyBrown · ‎07-12-2011

There is zero chance of this working.

RicoLX · ‎05-29-2008

Theres articles posted online stating atts stand that they will not budge even for current customers who may want to upgrade at a subsidized rate. I dont belive the articles, but also dont think this is a fight to be worth your time either.

Max69 · ‎06-19-2006

You upgraded just to renew your contract? Why would you do such a thing? Once your contract is up, the only thing you lose is your obligation to AT&T. If there's no phone you're interested in, you can stay off contract for as long as you want.

You made the choice to enter into a new contract, so your only real choice, if you want the new iPhone, is to pay full price.

elnoseface · ‎06-09-2009

drumn_bass wrote:
AT&T employees had no way to know that the new iPhone was coming out until like the last week of September when Apple started inviting people to their "Let's talk iPhone" event. So back in June when customers asked me if the new iPhone was coming out I always told them "I had no idea". 4 months later you won't be able to upgrade again, it usually takes 18-20 months to have an other upgrade.

It is responses like this that make people mad at AT&T. Apple has released a new iphone around that time for the past three years. Had you been open and honest with your customers they would have been more informed with their purchase.

Instead you decided/were instructed to play stupid and make the sale without regard to the customer's future happiness. Good job you are a horrible sales person.

MissAllison · ‎09-08-2006

That doesn't make him/her a "horrible sales person". Nobody knew for certain that an iPhone was coming until October 4th during the keynote.

Didn't you know that Apple released an iPhone around the same time every year for 3 years? Maybe you should research before you make a purchase?

RicoLX · ‎05-29-2008

What are you upset about? You can't make drumn_bass say anything more than he just posted....at least he was honest in responding to your question. Try venting at apple or higher ups at att. Employees can only say what they've been told

elnoseface · ‎06-09-2009

MissAllison wrote:
That doesn't make him/her a "horrible sales person". Nobody knew for certain that an iPhone was coming until October 4th during the keynote.

Didn't you know that Apple released an iPhone around the same time every year for 3 years? Maybe you should research before you make a purchase?

That is what people thought they were doing.... Going to an informed person and asking questions in hopes of getting complete answers. What they got were half truths that lead them to making purchases they later regretted.

Are customers not supposed to trust the sales associates or customer service reps? If the salesperson cannot be trusted to tell the truth why have them at all? Telling a customer only what you want them to know and then belittling them for not making a fully informed decision is ridiculous.

MissAllison · ‎09-08-2006

They are sales people, trying to make sales. That is the reason we have sales people. Not every salesperson is a trusting individual, or may not even be fully informed themselves. They are there to sell you something, especially if they are on commission.

aristizzle · ‎10-22-2010

I'm sorry elnoseface but your making no sense at all. It seems your ignoring the main point... no one knew the iphone was coming out back in june. no one besides apple. I'm sure if the rep would have told you "oh yeah the new iphone should come out later this year" and then apple didnt release an iphone you would have been upset. The rep told you what he knew. If he knew the iphone was going to come out, im sure he would have told you. I agree with the poster on this thread, it was YOUR choice to perform an upgrade or do research to see if or when a new iphone was going to come out. It was not the reps fault. And and it doesnt make drumnbass a bad salesman because he is honest with his customers. If he didnt know why would he lie and say that an iphone is coming out?

elnoseface · ‎06-09-2009

aristizzle wrote:

I'm sorry elnoseface but your making no sense at all. It seems your ignoring the main point... no one knew the iphone was coming out back in june. no one besides apple. I'm sure if the rep would have told you "oh yeah the new iphone should come out later this year" and then apple didnt release an iphone you would have been upset. The rep told you what he knew. If he knew the iphone was going to come out, im sure he would have told you. I agree with the poster on this thread, it was YOUR choice to perform an upgrade or do research to see if or when a new iphone was going to come out. It was not the reps fault. And and it doesnt make drumnbass a bad salesman because he is honest with his customers. If he didnt know why would he lie and say that an iphone is coming out?

And you are missing the entire point. People that go to a store and ask a customer service represenative questions are not the kind of people capable of doing research on the internet. They go to a brick and mortar store in hopes of getting reliable information and opinions from a supposedly trustworthy source in person. Remember, not everyone even has access to the internet.

A simple google search for " WWDC Iphone 5" brings up over 6 million hits for articals saying the iphone will not come out in June like usual but will probabaly be announced in September or October when Apple historically announces it's new ipods. But neither of the 4 people the original poster asked even hinted at that. The honest answer to that question should have been "Over the last few years apple has announced a new Iphone during the summer. Nothing has been announced yet so i do not know if one will be coming out soon". Instead Drumn_bass a person who obviosly spends time on tech sites said "I dunno" and shrugged.

Good salespeople do not go for the quick and easy sale. A good salesperson ensures that the customer is going to be happy with their purchase in the long run. They do that so the customer will come back again and continue buying things. That did not happen in this case and look what happend. This customer was not happy. Is this person going to go back and trust the reps at an AT&T store? No probably not, and that is a failure on AT&T's part.

You can continue to blame the customer for choosing to upgrade, but you are just proving that AT&T has horrendous customer service. Every single person with your {Please keep it courteous} signature keeps putting off the same exact vibe. That no one at AT&T is capable of looking at the other side of things and just wants to blame the customer. The only person on this forum that is an AT&T employee that isn't condesending is moderator.

aristizzle · ‎10-22-2010

Ok you still make no sense, you continue to state the same things over and over. I dont think its ok to have someone go into a store and ask if an iphone is going to come out, and you tell them to wait if you have no idea it is. I have Verizon and my family member upgraded to the iphone 4 because the sales rep stated that verizon wasnt going to get a new iphone till next year, and as a result they purchased the iphone 4. not a lack of customer service, just the rep not knowing that the new iphone was going to be released. you cant blame the salesman because he doesnt know, what if the salesman didnt know anything about the iphone release trend, what if the salesman didnt have internet either?

elnoseface · ‎06-09-2009

aristizzle wrote:
Ok you still make no sense, you continue to state the same things over and over. I dont think its ok to have someone go into a store and ask if an iphone is going to come out, and you tell them to wait if you have no idea it is. I have Verizon and my family member upgraded to the iphone 4 because the sales rep stated that verizon wasnt going to get a new iphone till next year, and as a result they purchased the iphone 4. not a lack of customer service, just the rep not knowing that the new iphone was going to be released. you cant blame the salesman because he doesnt know, what if the salesman didnt know anything about the iphone release trend, what if the salesman didnt have internet either?

Seriously?

Every AT&T iphone except for the Iphone 4S has been released during the summer. Are you honestly trying to say that the rep shouldn't know the trends on one of their highest selling products? Are you also saying that the rep shouldnt tell their customers about these trends?

Are you also saying that an entire sales team doesn't have access to the internet? Or that teh sales team wouldnt talk to eachother about common questions they get asked?

BadBadLeroyBrown · ‎07-12-2011

Clearly you don't understand Apple's level of secrecy with regards to product announcements, and/or you've fallen for a Nigerian scammer or someone selling Arizona oceanfront property before. Clearly, Apple didn't release a new phone the same time this year that they did in prior years and, like prior years, didn't really tip their hands officially that they were releasing a phone.

The sales people, whether simply misinformed or intentionally misleading people to make a sale, are there to sell you products in stock, i.e., what's on hand. Maybe some poorly informed but well-intentioned manager told them no iPhone was coming this calendar year, or perhaps they read that on one of the many blogs that theorized the iPhone would come with a: 1) larger screen (NOPE), 2) vastly different form factor (NOPE), 3) LTE radio (NOPE), or 4) near field communications (BATTING .000).

elnoseface wrote:
drumn_bass wrote:
AT&T employees had no way to know that the new iPhone was coming out until like the last week of September when Apple started inviting people to their "Let's talk iPhone" event. So back in June when customers asked me if the new iPhone was coming out I always told them "I had no idea". 4 months later you won't be able to upgrade again, it usually takes 18-20 months to have an other upgrade.

It is responses like this that make people mad at AT&T. Apple has released a new iphone around that time for the past three years. Had you been open and honest with your customers they would have been more informed with their purchase.

Instead you decided/were instructed to play stupid and make the sale without regard to the customer's future happiness. Good job you are a horrible sales person.

MissAllison · ‎09-08-2006

Good job, {Please keep it courteous}. Do your research, go to a library if you don't have internet, google it on your phone, ask friends, go to a bookstore and pick up a tech magazine etc etc. You can't be mad at anyone but yourself.

{Please keep it courteous}.

pamelaz · ‎07-08-2009

Hello everyone, let's remember to stay on topic and always keep it nice. Thank you.

Remember to always mark items that you find useful as "Accepted Solutions”, you can even mark multiple
posts in a single thread. This will help other users find this information too!!

BadBadLeroyBrown · ‎07-12-2011

Have you read nothing with regards to Apple and the iPhone? Seriously, nothing? Salespeople & customer service reps weren't clued into the release of prior models until just before they released. Until official word comes from Apple, everything else is just idle speculation.

And no, I never trust what a salesperson tells me until I have a chance to verify what he or she is saying independently. In-store reps are there to move product, not be customer care agents.

elnoseface wrote:
MissAllison wrote:
That doesn't make him/her a "horrible sales person". Nobody knew for certain that an iPhone was coming until October 4th during the keynote.

Didn't you know that Apple released an iPhone around the same time every year for 3 years? Maybe you should research before you make a purchase?
That is what people thought they were doing.... Going to an informed person and asking questions in hopes of getting complete answers. What they got were half truths that lead them to making purchases they later regretted.

Are customers not supposed to trust the sales associates or customer service reps? If the salesperson cannot be trusted to tell the truth why have them at all? Telling a customer only what you want them to know and then belittling them for not making a fully informed decision is ridiculous.