So this is kind of a long story... I've been with Sprint for 10 years and now that my last contract has expired, I'm looking for a change, mainly driven by phone choice. I've had no real issues with my signal. etc., so the prospect of getting two Blackberry Storms for my wife and me is the only reason to consider switching to VZW.
Like others here, I am not thrilled with the pricing structure (particularly when coming from Sprint), specifically the data plan charge paid per line for this type of device. However, I've been willing to accept that, and the only thing holding me back was the price difference for the phone between VZW and Amazon: $50 per phone.
I called VZW yesterday and explained the whole thing to the lady on the phone. We started talking about plans, and she was so rushed it wasn't even funny. We went over several options, and every time, she would gloss over important details and say "so, is this the one you want?" - too eager to close the sale and not helpful enough in her explanations or knowledge of the plans and fees to facilitate a quick close.
When we got to the phone part (and I reiterated that the phone is the ONLY reason for me to switch -- I'm pretty sick of hearing VZW employees bragging about "the network", which makes no difference to me personally, but I didn't say this part; I was cordial), she flat out said she could not honor Amazon's price and that people who buy from Amazon can't even call VZW if they have problems (possibly BS, but not relevant at this point).
I politely asked if I (or she) could inquire with somebody else who might be able to match the price, and she put me on hold. When she came back, she said that if I was willing to buy some accessories, then she could put together a bundle and discuss pricing with her manager. That was the only sensible thing she said throughout the whole conversation. I agreed, we ran through a list of accessories, and after some effort (she said she couldn't add in her head and apparently had no calculator nearby - odd for someone in this line of work), it looked like the accessories would total about $40 per phone. Ok, she went off, her manager agreed to the deal, and she returned to tell me. Two phones at $150 each, and $80 in accessories = a $380 (approx) sale.
At this point, she was very rushed to complete the sale, but I had a final question about visual voicemail, which seems like an essential feature if you're getting a phone of this kind, and she had said nothing about. I had heard there was an extra charge for this, but hadn't confirmed that. Well, she didn't know what this feature was, had to go ask, and came back to tell me it was another $2.99 per phone per month.
This really did seem excessive, particularly in light of the fact that one already has to buy two data plans, so I asked if there was any way that could be included with the main plan, especially since I have everything else (tv, phone, internet) at my home with Verizon. She said that only customer service could do that, not them. I asked if she could check with her manager (after I sign a 2-yr contract, why would VZW cust. svc. then waive the fee?). She did and said the same thing as before. I then asked - still calmly - why they would charge this fee, given that AT&T (which has basically the exact same plans) doesn't for the iPhone. Her response: "you may need to look at AT&T then". My response: "oh, ok, thank you. Good bye."
Great way to earn new business... I don't know if this woman was that clueless, if VZW is this arrogant about "the network", or a combination of both, but as someone who deals with clients regularly, I was blown away by this behavior. Even Sprint, which doesn't have the greatest customer service, has treated me better, particularly when I'm trying to sign up for a 2-year contract, and the differences we are talking about add up to peanuts relative to the overall size of the transaction. Also, the general attitude seems to be to say no to everything and work with the customer and look for alternatives only when (at least in my case) he encourages you to do so.
Not sure what I'll do at this point, but thought I'd share my experience, for whatever it's worth. I'm not sure what to make of it all - whether business is so good for VZW that they just don't care, or what.
Like others here, I am not thrilled with the pricing structure (particularly when coming from Sprint), specifically the data plan charge paid per line for this type of device. However, I've been willing to accept that, and the only thing holding me back was the price difference for the phone between VZW and Amazon: $50 per phone.
I called VZW yesterday and explained the whole thing to the lady on the phone. We started talking about plans, and she was so rushed it wasn't even funny. We went over several options, and every time, she would gloss over important details and say "so, is this the one you want?" - too eager to close the sale and not helpful enough in her explanations or knowledge of the plans and fees to facilitate a quick close.
When we got to the phone part (and I reiterated that the phone is the ONLY reason for me to switch -- I'm pretty sick of hearing VZW employees bragging about "the network", which makes no difference to me personally, but I didn't say this part; I was cordial), she flat out said she could not honor Amazon's price and that people who buy from Amazon can't even call VZW if they have problems (possibly BS, but not relevant at this point).
I politely asked if I (or she) could inquire with somebody else who might be able to match the price, and she put me on hold. When she came back, she said that if I was willing to buy some accessories, then she could put together a bundle and discuss pricing with her manager. That was the only sensible thing she said throughout the whole conversation. I agreed, we ran through a list of accessories, and after some effort (she said she couldn't add in her head and apparently had no calculator nearby - odd for someone in this line of work), it looked like the accessories would total about $40 per phone. Ok, she went off, her manager agreed to the deal, and she returned to tell me. Two phones at $150 each, and $80 in accessories = a $380 (approx) sale.
At this point, she was very rushed to complete the sale, but I had a final question about visual voicemail, which seems like an essential feature if you're getting a phone of this kind, and she had said nothing about. I had heard there was an extra charge for this, but hadn't confirmed that. Well, she didn't know what this feature was, had to go ask, and came back to tell me it was another $2.99 per phone per month.
This really did seem excessive, particularly in light of the fact that one already has to buy two data plans, so I asked if there was any way that could be included with the main plan, especially since I have everything else (tv, phone, internet) at my home with Verizon. She said that only customer service could do that, not them. I asked if she could check with her manager (after I sign a 2-yr contract, why would VZW cust. svc. then waive the fee?). She did and said the same thing as before. I then asked - still calmly - why they would charge this fee, given that AT&T (which has basically the exact same plans) doesn't for the iPhone. Her response: "you may need to look at AT&T then". My response: "oh, ok, thank you. Good bye."
Great way to earn new business... I don't know if this woman was that clueless, if VZW is this arrogant about "the network", or a combination of both, but as someone who deals with clients regularly, I was blown away by this behavior. Even Sprint, which doesn't have the greatest customer service, has treated me better, particularly when I'm trying to sign up for a 2-year contract, and the differences we are talking about add up to peanuts relative to the overall size of the transaction. Also, the general attitude seems to be to say no to everything and work with the customer and look for alternatives only when (at least in my case) he encourages you to do so.
Not sure what I'll do at this point, but thought I'd share my experience, for whatever it's worth. I'm not sure what to make of it all - whether business is so good for VZW that they just don't care, or what.