AT&T (cingular) has made me hate old people!

Originally Posted by dolphin10

I felt the same way when waiting tables!!! But you learn to know what to expect at least. They really need to come out with an easy phone with big numbers and very simple steps for all of those who can't hear or see!

Originally Posted by ORANGEDAD

Being the oldest rep in the store the majority of the older customers will come to me. Since we have an extremely large retirement community near the store. Yes they are cheap, no features. cheap plans,"free phones", etc. They have been with LA cellular, ATT wirelesss, SBC, Cingular, New at&t. since the begining with old gsm tech phone s and no idea on how to operate the device or willingness to learn how to.

Originally Posted by $50upgrade

I love them outside of work, but when they come into the store I want to kill myself. They're cheap, dont buy accessories, features, etc. and you have to show them how to use their new phone for ever!!!! Then they complain about how they can't see the screen, or can't hear the ringtone or speaker when they're making a call.


I wish I could tell them to get a new pair of glasses and a hearing aid! ...and to read the fricken manual!

I hope we lose our old customers to jitterbug! jitterbug = GOD!

Sorry to rant! anyone else feel this way?

Originally Posted by $50upgrade

I love them outside of work, but when they come into the store I want to kill myself. They're cheap, dont buy accessories, features, etc. and you have to show them how to use their new phone for ever!!!! Then they complain about how they can't see the screen, or can't hear the ringtone or speaker when they're making a call.

Originally Posted by cingman66

I don't want to sound sappy or anything, but I like old people. They are usually very colorful and can be alot of fun. Sure, you have to deal with a few cranks along the way, but that's the way it is with young people, too. And we will all be old one day, so I try to abide by the Golden Rule. That old "pain-in-the-***" is somebody's mother, father, or grandparent...would you want your relatives treated like crap just because they are old?

Having said that, the only thing that bothers me with older customers is the time it takes to help them...especially when you are busy. But as long as I remember to be patient, and think about how I would like to be treated when I'm that age, it usually doesn't bother me too much. Plus, it feels good knowing you've helped somebody out that really needed the help.

Ok, I'm done being sappy.

Originally Posted by groundhog5886

You too will be old someday.

Originally Posted by $50upgrade

And when I am, if I'm that reliant on strangers I no longer would want to live.

I'm all for helping my parents, but not yours!

I also hate it when people make the biggest deal about having to drive a long distance without a phone. What did they do 15 years ago? They drove without a phone!

Originally Posted by $50upgrade

I love them outside of work, but when they come into the store I want to kill myself. They're cheap, dont buy accessories, features, etc. and you have to show them how to use their new phone for ever!!!! Then they complain about how they can't see the screen, or can't hear the ringtone or speaker when they're making a call.


I wish I could tell them to get a new pair of glasses and a hearing aid! ...and to read the fricken manual!

I hope we lose our old customers to jitterbug! jitterbug = GOD!

Sorry to rant! anyone else feel this way?

Originally Posted by $50upgrade

And when I am, if I'm that reliant on strangers I no longer would want to live.

!

Originally Posted by ilvla2

my grandparents have all passed on now, I would give anything to have them back.

Originally Posted by $50upgrade

They also pay with checks!!!!!!! AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!! I hate checks more than elderly customers!

I love telling someone they can't make a return b/c they paid with a check and must wait two weeks from the date of the purchase! BAM!

Originally Posted by CingularWRX

old people + certegy = worst day evar!!!!

a 6 hour transaction only to be ruined by certegy because they aren't in the "system"

Originally Posted by shtekler

chenge your job you shuld not work with peoples they make you mad,
try maybe fisherman at list fish will not talk back to you they don't forget there phone # and for most they don't complain, but taist good

Originally Posted by ilvla2

LMAO LOL!!

Originally Posted by $50upgrade

I love them outside of work, but when they come into the store I want to kill myself. They're cheap, dont buy accessories, features, etc. and you have to show them how to use their new phone for ever!!!! Then they complain about how they can't see the screen, or can't hear the ringtone or speaker when they're making a call.


I wish I could tell them to get a new pair of glasses and a hearing aid! ...and to read the fricken manual!

I hope we lose our old customers to jitterbug! jitterbug = GOD!

Sorry to rant! anyone else feel this way?

Originally Posted by jbzcar

Ever heard of a fixed income or a pension? I hope you get treated the same way when you get old.

Originally Posted by $50upgrade

First of all, medicare (our tax dollars paying for insurance for the unfortunate) pays for hearing aids. They have no excuse for not getting one!

Second, I obviously do have a pension working for AT&T, but also contribute to my 401k. I keep myself out of that situation when I'm old and annoying.

Third, I never said anything about them not having money, that's you shifting the blame trying to make me look like more of an ***. stick to the subject or start your own thread.

I hope you're one of the ignorant elderly who aren't aware of their benefits like some of my customers.

Originally Posted by jbzcar

You already look like enough of an *** on your own without anyone else's help.

Originally Posted by ALCingularUser

To the OP: Please, for everyone's sake, learn some patience. Yes, there are old people who are jerks, but there are many young people who are as well. As for them not buying features, why should they buy something they don't need? By and large, these folks use phones for voice calls, not text messages and Internet access. They also don't use tons of minutes because they often have landlines, and they grew up in an era when long distance was very expensive, so they learned to use a phone when you only made calls, especially long distance calls, when you had to do so.

And about their hearing, you've obviously never had a parent with severe hearing loss because, if you had, you'd know that a hearing aid is not a magical cure for it. My dad has lost most of his hearing, and he has a hearing aid, yet it only does him a minimal amount of good. He'd love nothing more than to be able to get one that would work better for him, but he can't because they simply don't exist. And, in case you don't know, they often don't work with phones, especially cell phones. Sure, the phone makers claim they do, but they will often produce terrible feedback and are therefore unusable.

And it isn't so much that they are cheap. They only get the features they need, in many cases because they are on very limited incomes. You might think that Medicare pays part of prescription drug costs now, but it doesn't make those drugs cheap, just cheaper than they were without the coverage. If you were old, and if your drug bill was several hundred dollars a month, I bet your priorities would change too.

Instead of bashing older folks, relax a little and listen to what they have to say. The stories they can tell you are wonderful to listen to. Have you ever ridden a mule to school? My dad did. He also told me how to milk a cow, how street lamps used to work, how to tell if a crop of soybeans is ready to be harvested, which German prisoners of war you had to guard and which you didn't, how the army base he was stationed at nearly mutinied when the soldiers were ordered to wash windows in the snow, how electric cars were once as common as they are now, how you can tell if a train is coming long before you can see it or hear it, and many more things that I would have never learned from a textbook. We may think that we work hard, but we have rarely experienced the back-breaking labor that many of these folks had to endure. Stop and listen to them for a while. I think you'll be surprised.

Originally Posted by ALCingularUser

To the OP: Please, for everyone's sake, learn some patience. Yes, there are old people who are jerks, but there are many young people who are as well. As for them not buying features, why should they buy something they don't need? By and large, these folks use phones for voice calls, not text messages and Internet access. They also don't use tons of minutes because they often have landlines, and they grew up in an era when long distance was very expensive, so they learned to use a phone when you only made calls, especially long distance calls, when you had to do so.

And about their hearing, you've obviously never had a parent with severe hearing loss because, if you had, you'd know that a hearing aid is not a magical cure for it. My dad has lost most of his hearing, and he has a hearing aid, yet it only does him a minimal amount of good. He'd love nothing more than to be able to get one that would work better for him, but he can't because they simply don't exist. And, in case you don't know, they often don't work with phones, especially cell phones. Sure, the phone makers claim they do, but they will often produce terrible feedback and are therefore unusable.

And it isn't so much that they are cheap. They only get the features they need, in many cases because they are on very limited incomes. You might think that Medicare pays part of prescription drug costs now, but it doesn't make those drugs cheap, just cheaper than they were without the coverage. If you were old, and if your drug bill was several hundred dollars a month, I bet your priorities would change too.

Instead of bashing older folks, relax a little and listen to what they have to say. The stories they can tell you are wonderful to listen to. Have you ever ridden a mule to school? My dad did. He also told me how to milk a cow, how street lamps used to work, how to tell if a crop of soybeans is ready to be harvested, which German prisoners of war you had to guard and which you didn't, how the army base he was stationed at nearly mutinied when the soldiers were ordered to wash windows in the snow, how electric cars were once as common as they are now, how you can tell if a train is coming long before you can see it or hear it, and many more things that I would have never learned from a textbook. We may think that we work hard, but we have rarely experienced the back-breaking labor that many of these folks had to endure. Stop and listen to them for a while. I think you'll be surprised.

Originally Posted by kbright1892

To play the fence here, the main problem I have with old people isn't that they don't buy the features or take too much time. My problem is that it gets me in trouble later when my features are low because I did a lot of TDMA to GSM switches or just got a bunch of older customers. Month before last, I had a lot of young customers and I led my store in feature by about a $3 margin between myself and the next best rep. Last month, I had a lot of old customers and fell to last or next to last. I don't feel my sales approach changed, just my clientel. I don't mind helping them, and I'm usually entertained by what they have to say, but I hate watching my feature numbers fall and dreading looking at the white board.

Originally Posted by ALCingularUser

I haven't sold wireless myself, but I have done sales, and I've dealt with my share of older people, so here's a tip: These folks love personal service. If they find someone they like to deal with, they'll seek them out the next time they come in. They'll also recommend that person to their friends, who will often take that recommendation. So, if you have a particularly pleasant experience with an older person, instead of just handing them one of your business cards, hand them several and tell them that you'd be happy to help out any of their friends and family members who might need wireless service. I'd almost be willing to bet you money that you'll get at least one referral that way, probably more. And remember, these folks have children and grandchildren. If you treat their parents and grandparents well, you stand a better chance of getting their business.

Originally Posted by ReMixer

a good sales person sells what the customer need not what they want. besides most phones suck under less than optimal lighting conditions. att could rackup with a phone with big text in display and big buttons

Originally Posted by ReMixer

att could rackup with a phone with big text in display and big buttons

Originally Posted by ALCingularUser

I haven't sold wireless myself, but I have done sales, and I've dealt with my share of older people, so here's a tip: These folks love personal service. If they find someone they like to deal with, they'll seek them out the next time they come in. They'll also recommend that person to their friends, who will often take that recommendation. So, if you have a particularly pleasant experience with an older person, instead of just handing them one of your business cards, hand them several and tell them that you'd be happy to help out any of their friends and family members who might need wireless service. I'd almost be willing to bet you money that you'll get at least one referral that way, probably more. And remember, these folks have children and grandchildren. If you treat their parents and grandparents well, you stand a better chance of getting their business.