vB Easy Archive - Our phone prices? Come on...

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Our phone prices? Come on...
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Posted by: socosurf4

Does anyone agree with me that our phone pricing is killing our sales? I feel like every customer, specifically the past 2 months, have been totally shocked by how expensive our phones are, even with a 2year agreement.

Do you think that At&t will finally get that people want SALES now? People dont want to PAY for devices, or at least drop the prices a tad? Its getting harder and harder every month to sell these devices based on the pricing they are doing.

Does anyone agree with me? I think we are the highest priced when it comes to devices out of all the carriers....Plus people here who have been working back in the Cingular days tell me they used to do sales left and right.

Lets hear what you guys think...

Posted by: ATnt-RSC

I can't say I can agree at all. Well, not for the most part. Those refurb deals are a pain to talk someone down from, and those are good sales. The people wanting free RAZR's can have them.

Posted by: cingman66

I don't agree at all...if anything, there are WAY too many free phone offers right now. AT&T should sell the phones at a FAIR price. I don't think it's too much to ask for the consumer to PAY for a decent phone.

But the real issue here is the discrepancy in pricing between channels. If we all sold the phones for the same price then nobody would be losing sales to the other channels. This issue is probably the single most frustrating thing about this business right now.

Posted by: socosurf4

I agree also with you cingman. I feel that people should PAY for a device, however, make the pricing COMPETITIVE to other carriers. Not have our prices insanely higher then the competition, ya know? Plus, be able to sell confidently at the pricing our company chooses to sell online. Why cant that price be in stores by default?

Posted by: lowkey16

yeah, i could care less if we ever had a free phone...unless it's some POS like the 2610. but what kills me is that the same phone i charge a customer $150 after rebate is free at walmart which is less than a mile down the road. how can i compete with that? i mean it's ok if a customer says something, bc then i can price match...but a lot of times they just say the prices are too high and end up leaving or going to a lower end device that it is next to impossible to get features on

Posted by: drewyehboi

My position with the employee's in my store has always been, either stop crying or go find a new job. Its a free country and monster.com has a great website from what I understand. No hard feelings at all socosurf. I'm sure that pac is a much tougher market than mine, but still do your best and thats all you can do.

Posted by: classylady78

I think the wireless industry has brought this "free phone" stuff on itself. People do not place any value on a cell phone. This has always driven me nuts in sales. People think they should all be free...well this is not the day and age of the phone that could just dial out! I think with all of the extra features/capabilities of these phones, the customers should see the greater value in them. I always point out the actual value of the phones. I personally don't see why there should be free phones.

But I do have to admit, the free phones (sometimes free for the same we have in the store for some money) do hurt sales a bit. Not everytime, but there are those people who are so cheap they do not care about getting great service from an in store rep.

Posted by: WhammChalk

I don't agree at all either. If you are a good salesman/woman, you shouldn't be selling by price anyways. You are basically selling what the phone does. The only phones at the moment that I think are overly priced are the V3xx's and the LG Vu.

V3xx - No where near worth the $200 up front price tag. You can get a Blackberry Curve for that price

LG Vu - $400 for this? Sure it has the TV but why go with this over the iPhone at the same price? The MediaFlo isn't even going to be in the Des Moines area for at least another year. Hell, we won't even have 3G until 4Q.

Other than that, I think everything is at a great price point. People are just really use to the old concept of free phones that companies used to get people in the door. I just explain that the phone is already heavily discounted *points to full retail* and that the technology today is extremely better than the free phones of yesteryear.

All in all, the price points are extremely aggressive, save for the two I mentioned earlier. I don't have any trouble at all selling.

Around here, we are priced the lowest on almost all of our devices. I actually got an ad in the mail from sprint saying I can get a BB Pearl for $300 AFTER rebates and 2yr pricing. While in my market, I can get the 8110 for $99 after rebate. So yea, I have not problems at all.

Posted by: socosurf4

I totally agree with you all. We are here to sell a phone based on the use of it, not how much it is. But its not so much that I am complaining that the phone pricing is horrible that i cant sell, im just saying the consumer market is different today then it was yesterday.

no longer does the avg person want to spend X amount on a device, its just how the market is moving. ya know?

Posted by: osteez

I work in national retail (Wal-Marts, Sams Clubs) and theres a BIG difference in prices for phones compared to the corporate stores.

For instance:

Gray V3xx: Free
Blackjack II: $44
BB Curve: $47
BB Pearl: Free
Razr II: $118
Pantech Duo: $96
Sony 580: Free

And all are instant princes, no rebates, & none are refurbished phones like some people like to lie about. And those prices are for new AND existing customers. Problem is most of the time, people dont know Wal-Mart & Sams Club have cell phones, T-Mobile is our main competition since theyre cheap and Wal-Mart customers are looking for the BEST deal but somehow AT&T always sells more! Verizon only gets about 3-8 sales a month so they dont really affect us, and then add in Wal-Mart employees who hate their jobs and can careless about sales---it can be difficult at times for sales. But a bad month of sales would be like 40-50 and an awesome month would be about 100-130 sales.

But im sure you guys beat a good Wal-Mart and Sams Club in sales even though your prices are completely different.

Posted by: WhammChalk

There is a Best Buy in the same parking lot as us and a Walmart near our location [with 5-10 minutes] but BB only does maybe 10 GA's a month so even with lower prices, we still get all of the business. Seems that people like to actually go somewhere where people know what they are talking about when it comes to phones.

Posted by: OffTheHorseCEO

i also dont agree that our prices are too high, just as i agree that online and walmart are killing us

Even though i hate losing sales to it i dont disagree with high deposits either

Lets say you paid $100 for a phone with CellCo A
Lets also say you paid $0 for a phone with CellCo B

if something came up would you be more likely to drop CellCo A or CellCo B

not sayin you would but alot of people think this way. AT&T i think is being smart by actually pricing their phones and setting high deposits because it weeds out the deadbeats which leads to less churn

let sprint give away all the phones, Theyll all be out of service within six months anyway

Posted by: prime_minister

I agree that our prices are high but customers know that in a COR location they are (hopefully) getting full service. That means they know they are getting a phone that meets their needs, how to use its features and have confidence with the 30 day test window.

I can't tell you how often ppl get angry when they try to return the unsatisfactory phone they purchased from a vendor and we rightly tell them to return to the original seller. Or they can't figure out the phone and require COR in-store customer service to fix the problem -- "The guy who sold me the phone at ________ told me to goto a Corporate store." I hear it at least once a week.

Now, there is a significant segment of the population that know what they want and how to use it; they simply find the lowest price (usually online) and purchase the device. Its's unfortunate becasue these are also the ppl who will actually buy/use features (data/navigator/tether), and in that, I wish we could compete on price to get these customers in the store.

Posted by: smg1976

A lot of people don't consider the fact that they are in a phone for at least a year, and without this forethought many look for the best price on a phone. Although there is nothing inherently wrong with trying to save money, there is a lack of thinking ahead to possible future needs with many customers. It's kind of like buying a car, but on a much smaller scale, obviously.

I can't tell you how many times someone gets a slider or flip phone for little money, only to change positions in their job or get a new job, and need a better phone with email, for example. It's pretty tough to do an early upgrade to the better phone.

When the LG CE110 was a $1 in our market (no Media Net required), we hardly sold any because it was a great opportunity to upsell. Did we sell any? Sure, but not many (I think under 12 store-wide), and only to feature-less accounts (didn't even have insurance).

Yeah, the RAZR V3XX is overpriced, but it's our best-signal phone brand (other than BlackBerry and iPhone) in the rural area most of our customers live in, so we have in-store promotions on this lineup for new adds. In our store, we've also been matching the online price for the Z9 since it's $50 less online ($149 after MIR). It's more phone for the same money as the V3XX, and you get the AT&T Navigator feature.

When the old Pearl was $50 after MIR in our market, it was easy to convince a lot of people that you got more phone for your dollar. And now that the new Pearl is at the same price point (higher online as of this writing in comparison), it's a no-brainer. Again, you get the AT&T Navigator feature.

Posted by: cingman66

Quote:

Originally Posted by prime_minister

I agree that our prices are high but customers know that in a COR location they are (hopefully) getting full service. That means they know they are getting a phone that meets their needs, how to use its features and have confidence with the 30 day test window.

You are assuming that most customers have a brain and can think that far into the future. Most are just sniveling idiots who just see dollar signs (or the lack thereof). For example, I just had a customer looking to upgrade to the "free" phone he saw online. I asked him which one and he said the new Samsung slider phone (the A-737). I told him it was not free online, but rather it was $29.99 after rebate and with a messaging plan. He insisted it was free. So to humor him (and hopefully embarass him) I looked on our site in front of him. I told him the free phone deal was probably refurbished, and he said "what does that mean?" Sure enough, the "free" A737 is refurbished, and the "new" A737 is $29.99 after rebate. I told him that refurbs only have a 90-day warranty and any on-line sale would not be warrantied through the store, so he would be much better off buying IN A STORE. He agreed. The point I am making here is that this customer had NO CLUE as to what he may have actually been buying online--all he saw was free, free, free. It took me 10 minutes to turn him around, but at least I had that chance. How many customers do we NEVER see because they are blinded by our STUPID web-site and it's very misleading phone pricing???

Posted by: blackengaard

With a few posters up above, I agree that AT&T needs to have the same pricing throughout all its retail channels.

The corporate stores have such high markups. For example, a little while ago, the "list/retail price" online for the Gray V3xx was 329.99. At the store, it's 349.99.
On the phone, it's anywhere from 299.99 to 349.99.

And each time you call in its different. And now I look on the website and they've changed it to 349.99, which I guess is a curse and a blessing.

There are a lot of discrepancies between the online store, the phone retail channels, and the corporate stores, plus third-party retailers.

One time, I was ordering a phone through the phone, and the CSR rep said his ordering system crashed... So he told me he would place a note on my account saying I would be able to pick the phone up at a corporate AT&T for the price he quoted me.

I drove in and lo and behold, they didn't honor it.
I even called CSR in the store and talked to them about it, and she said that they should be able to pricematch, but the store still wouldn't do it.

All I'm saying is that AT&T needs to get its retail channels right and stop confusing its customers and wasting time and money.

And plus, why should it cost us less when we order through the website? Sure there's more on hand, but AT&T has to pay for all the FedEx 2-day shipping and warehouse management, right?

So why can't I just go instore and get the same price or cheaper?

And I think it's insane that they won't even help you getting an exchange or a return if you didn't buy the phone in-store.

One time, I went in because my phone was defective. They asked me, "Did you buy it in-store?" Nope. I bought it through the phone. "Okay, well here's a brochure about how to do a warranty exchange. Thanks! Have a good day."

Wow. Thanks for your help.

I'm looking at this from a customer point of view, btw.

Posted by: cingman66

As an AT&T Agent, I appreciate your view as a customer, and totally agree with it. Unfortunately, AT&T could care less. They are all about the sale, no matter where it comes from. Service afterwards is luck of the draw for the customer. And this is all predicated on how they compensate the different retail channels. My only suggestion is to buy from one source (preferably a store) and stick with it. No doubt you will get better deals and service over time if you are a loyal customer to ONE store. I say this very confidently because I know how I (and every other rep I know) treat our regular customers. Reps are much more willing to bend over backwards with better service or lower prices if they know you. Since AT&T pays us to SELL phones (not service them), one can see how customers would not get the same service at a store where the phone was not purchased. I'm not saying this system is perfect (far from it), but it is what it is...we get paid to SELL.

And for those who will chime in with "treat each customer the same, because you never know if someone else's customer will become your customer down the road," or some other philosophical crap, let me tell you this--those customers are way too few and far between. I have helped MANY customers who didn't originally buy from me, and very rarely do they change their buying habits. Once a cheap-o, always a cheap-o...and if the internet pricing is lower, they will go there every time. Sadly, I think the only true way to deter customers from continuing to jeopardize our jobs by buying online is to make them pay for their poor choice--give them no help whatsoever and direct them back to the website or customer care, each and every time. Why should we perpetuate our own demise by continuing to serve these customers, knowing that 90% of them will ALWAYS buy online, no matter how helpful we are?

I know this sounds harsh and like I don't care about customers, but we need to make a stand. I am the most helpful person in the world--for MY customers. I am not so helpful for YOUR customers. It would be different if I saw a change...meaning someone actually coming back after I helped them instead of continuing to buy online...but I have only seen this happen a handful of times, so I pretty much have given up trying. Until AT&T changes the compensation structure (by making phone prices universal so that online and in store prices are the same) this will continue to be a problem for customers and sales reps alike. I think, given the choice, customers would overwhelmingly rather go to a store than shop online--assuming the price was the same. Does AT&T REALLY think that if they raised online pricing to match store pricing that all of the sudden people would stop signing up and go to Verizon? They must...why else would such a detrimental pricing policy be in effect?

Posted by: smg1976

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingman66

As an AT&T Agent, I appreciate your view as a customer, and totally agree with it. Unfortunately, AT&T could care less. They are all about the sale, no matter where it comes from. Service afterwards is luck of the draw for the customer. And this is all predicated on how they compensate the different retail channels. My only suggestion is to buy from one source (preferably a store) and stick with it. No doubt you will get better deals and service over time if you are a loyal customer to ONE store. I say this very confidently because I know how I (and every other rep I know) treat our regular customers. Reps are much more willing to bend over backwards with better service or lower prices if they know you. Since AT&T pays us to SELL phones (not service them), one can see how customers would not get the same service at a store where the phone was not purchased. I'm not saying this system is perfect (far from it), but it is what it is...we get paid to SELL.

And for those who will chime in with "treat each customer the same, because you never know if someone else's customer will become your customer down the road," or some other philosophical crap, let me tell you this--those customers are way too few and far between. I have helped MANY customers who didn't originally buy from me, and very rarely do they change their buying habits. Once a cheap-o, always a cheap-o...and if the internet pricing is lower, they will go there every time. Sadly, I think the only true way to deter customers from continuing to jeopardize our jobs by buying online is to make them pay for their poor choice--give them no help whatsoever and direct them back to the website or customer care, each and every time. Why should we perpetuate our own demise by continuing to serve these customers, knowing that 90% of them will ALWAYS buy online, no matter how helpful we are?

I know this sounds harsh and like I don't care about customers, but we need to make a stand. I am the most helpful person in the world--for MY customers. I am not so helpful for YOUR customers. It would be different if I saw a change...meaning someone actually coming back after I helped them instead of continuing to buy online...but I have only seen this happen a handful of times, so I pretty much have given up trying. Until AT&T changes the compensation structure (by making phone prices universal so that online and in store prices are the same) this will continue to be a problem for customers and sales reps alike. I think, given the choice, customers would overwhelmingly rather go to a store than shop online--assuming the price was the same. Does AT&T REALLY think that if they raised online pricing to match store pricing that all of the sudden people would stop signing up and go to Verizon? They must...why else would such a detrimental pricing policy be in effect?

Going along with everything you said, I have two things-one, I've had people who want the iPhone, they're going to buy it from me, time moves on, and they end up getting it from an Apple store instead. After they purchase it, they call me at home (it's a friend, so this really hurt), and ask me how to get the contacts from the SIM on their old phone to their new iPhone. Now had they bought it from me, I'd gladly offer to use our Cellbrite to copy their contacts. But it gave me such pleasure to simply state that they'd have to enter them in one by one. I'm normally a nice guy, but it really irked me that they led me along, and then went somewhere else to get the iPhone. My friend even told me on the phone, "you wouldn't have benefited by us buying it from you". I told him "oh contrare". It was even an add from Alltel, so it would've been an add AND a feature.

The other thing, getting back on topic, is, have you seen the pricing on the "packages and deals" on the company website? This is not Wirefly or Letstalk here folks, it's our own website. Yeah, a brand new Tilt for $149.99 (no MIR required), Pantech Duo for $99.99 (no MIR required), Nokia 6555 for FREE (no MIR required)! As an employee at a COR store we can match this, but I'm not going to even mention it unless they get lots of features that stick, and don't get taken off in less than 6 months.

Here's the link-
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...vl=calltoaction

Posted by: blackengaard

Cingman, surprisingly you bring up some very good points.
I actually kinda understand why now.

However, I don't think many customers are aware that the reps in-store would be willing to help them (in your case) if the customer bought from the store.

I could argue saying that I can't be sure that the rep that I bought my phone from will be there when I need him/her.

I think maybe the reason why some consumers, like me, can't justify paying the higher price point instore than going online is because I don't want to rely on customer service instore because frankly, I see different people everytime I go in.

I say this because along with having lower price ranges on phones online, I don't believe you can get mail-in rebates when you buy in-store because the rebates say purchased online only, at wireless.att.com.

Just my two cents.
We've all got our points, but I realize where you're coming from and your point of view.

Posted by: kokeezy

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackengaard

Cingman, surprisingly you bring up some very good points.
I actually kinda understand why now.

However, I don't think many customers are aware that the reps in-store would be willing to help them (in your case) if the customer bought from the store.

I could argue saying that I can't be sure that the rep that I bought my phone from will be there when I need him/her.

I think maybe the reason why some consumers, like me, can't justify paying the higher price point instore than going online is because I don't want to rely on customer service instore because frankly, I see different people everytime I go in.

I say this because along with having lower price ranges on phones online, I don't believe you can get mail-in rebates when you buy in-store because the rebates say purchased online only, at wireless.att.com.

Just my two cents.
We've all got our points, but I realize where you're coming from and your point of view.

Im not sure I understand what your saying here. You say you dont want to rely on customer service in the store, but yet you complained in your earlier post about not being able to get customer service in the store?

Maybe you prefer to go through customer service over the phone or on the computer, but 99% of customers will disagree with you. Them purchasing the phones on the internet does 2 things for them, they probably get cheaper deals, and they can only deal with the Internet or CS for the most part.

I tell all my customers when their in my store, they may go onto the internet and find cheaper phones, but guess what, if you purchase a phone on the internet, you have to deal with them if theirs a problem. If you want to activate it or copy your Phone #s over, $25. So that $30 bucks you get off on the Internet may not be worth it. Sell our service.

Also, their are Mail in Rebates in stores. just not the Online discounts.

Posted by: blackengaard

Quote:

Originally Posted by kokeezy

Sorry let me clarify.
I don't get customer service instore because I purchased my cell phones through the phone, 611.

And I don't feel like buying a phone in store for up to 100$ more justifies getting customer service that is not always reliable.

Posted by: smg1976

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackengaard

So why then aren't you asking for the store you visit to match the price on the telesales, online, or any promotional mailings you get? Don't ever assume that we can't match (at COR) what you have been offered thru these sources. The phones offered aren't always necessarily sold in stores, or are refurbs, but it's worth at least asking.

Posted by: colione

I don't think the prices for the devices are bad at all. I do have a problem with how the price tags are designed. Why does the price tag include the phone, memory card and bt bundle after feature discount?

The price tags are to hard to understand and I routinely carry around a price sheet so I can decipher the prices. We are sales people, put the phone prices out there and let us sell the accessories and features. If we can hardly understand the price tags, what do you think it does to customers? I try to explain it, but they think we are scamming them to buy all the extra crap instead of being up front with them.

Once all that crap is taken off the price tag, the phones wouldn't look so expensive because it doesn't have all the extra accessories priced in with the phone.

Posted by: colione

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackengaard

The reason the rebates online say "online only" is because each channel has unique rebates, which don't always match up. A phone online may be free, but has a 50 rebate in store. It was worded that way to eliminate people trying to get the free phone and a rebate.

Posted by: cingman66

Quote:

Originally Posted by smg1976

The other thing, getting back on topic, is, have you seen the pricing on the "packages and deals" on the company website? This is not Wirefly or Letstalk here folks, it's our own website. Yeah, a brand new Tilt for $149.99 (no MIR required), Pantech Duo for $99.99 (no MIR required), Nokia 6555 for FREE (no MIR required)! As an employee at a COR store we can match this, but I'm not going to even mention it unless they get lots of features that stick, and don't get taken off in less than 6 months.

Here's the link-
http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-ph...vl=calltoaction

Yeah, I also love it when "friends" call to ask how to do something to a phone they bought elsewhere...

As for the web-site...this is the single, biggest detriment to AT&T's COR and Agent stores. We NEVER, and I mean NEVER have to compete with Verizon or TMO for business...it is ALWAYS competing with another AT&T channel. So, in effect, we are cutting our own throats to get business. Customer goes on-line, then to COR, then an AGENT...each time getting a different price...eventually they will buy from the source that has the lowest price. If all prices were the same, the customer could save time and gas money by simply going to the closest place...and we would be able to hold the margins on our equipment and actually make some money. Unfortunately, as I stated earlier, AT&T must think that these same customers are comparing AT&T to VZ and TMO and therefore we (AT&T) need to take our pants off and bend over for these customers simply to get their business. If they could pull their collective heads out of their @sses, they would see that this is SO not the case. Our product is good, our service is good, people are willing to pay good money for it. We don't need to be the loss leader in the industry on equipment pricing...we don't need to compete with ourselves either--this just lowers the already-too-low prices we have.

Posted by: cingman66

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackengaard

I understand your POV...many stores (especially COR and malls) have such high turnover that you never see the same person twice. Luckily, my Agent doesn't staff 19 people at a time and we don't have a revolving door for employees. We have (basically) the same 10 employees (among 5 stores) that were here 3 years ago...so our customers ALWAYS see a familiar, friendly face when they walk in.

The mail-in rebate point was addressed already, but I can see where the web-site makes you think you are getting an incredible "online only" deal. Keep in mind you are also getting "less-than-incredible online service" as well.

Posted by: cingman66

Quote:

Originally Posted by smg1976

Excellent point--most online deals are for refurbished phones...which have only a 90-day warranty and are usually problem phones to begin with, or the deals are for discontinued and/or problem phones. Case in point, you can still order these discontinued phones on-line today: Samsung Sync, A-437, A717 and 727, Nokia 6102, N75, 6126, BB 8700 (OMG!), Sony w-300i, Moto v3, Pantech c-150. There is so much crap on-line that customers are really getting screwed if they order on-line...there is no other way to put it. 50-75% of what is available on-line is either refurbished or discontinued. It is nothing more than an on-line yard sale...and customers are probably too dumb to figure out they are getting hosed. AT&T should be ashamed of itself, but instead, they promote the heck out of their web site and direct as many unsuspecting customers as they can to that black hole. I guess it is the only way they can salvage all the crappy phones they are stuck with.

Posted by: cingman66

Quote:

Originally Posted by colione

I don't think the prices for the devices are bad at all. I do have a problem with how the price tags are designed. Why does the price tag include the phone, memory card and bt bundle after feature discount?

The price tags are to hard to understand and I routinely carry around a price sheet so I can decipher the prices. We are sales people, put the phone prices out there and let us sell the accessories and features. If we can hardly understand the price tags, what do you think it does to customers? I try to explain it, but they think we are scamming them to buy all the extra crap instead of being up front with them.

Once all that crap is taken off the price tag, the phones wouldn't look so expensive because it doesn't have all the extra accessories priced in with the phone.

This is also one of AT&T's more underhanded tricks. They try to force so much crap down customer's throats with this pricing strategy--they must think all customers are stupid. And apparently, most of them are, because the friends I have at COR tell me they routinely get the top price on the ticket. I don't think many customers realize they got taken until they go to another store and see that we aren't all the same. Our price tags reflect the LOWEST possible price up front, not the HIGHEST. Customers most definitely think they are being scammed once they come in and see they don't have to actually buy all the stuff they do not want just to get a phone. I have had customers tell me that the COR rep REFUSED to sell "just the phone." Not bashing COR, because they have to do what they are told, but AT&T is just despicable. Bundling all the accessories and features into the price makes us look like used car salespeople...it does nothing to serve the customer or our reputation.

Posted by: ironhayden08

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingman66

Precisely. Someone once told me that it was to increase accessory and feature sales. A good salesman can sell anything to anyone. They will show the benefit of that accessory, media bundle, etc., so the customer can't resist buying. When customers see lower prices, they are more likely to buy something else because they expected to spend more. For example, right now the SE w580i is $29.99 after rebates, for $60 more you can get a car charger, a carrying case and wireles bluetooth headset. So for $90, you get all of these things... 9 out of 10 times they will do it. If they see the price of the phone, with the accessories, without the mail in rebate, they will most likely go to the Internet and see a phone for the same price and buy it there because they didn't understand the price cards.

Posted by: blackengaard

Quote:

Originally Posted by smg1976

I have before.
They explained to me that they do not price match, online at their own website or any other retailer. =/
I'm not sure if it varies from store to store or from person to person.

Quote:

Once all that crap is taken off the price tag, the phones wouldn't look so expensive because it doesn't have all the extra accessories priced in with the phone.

I have to check that out for myself, because last I checked (which was like a month or two ago so my information may be outdated), they had three prices on the phone: 2 year commitment, 1 year commitment, and no-commitment at the very bottom of the price tag.

I'm not sure if they've changed it to include accessories and stuff, but I know I would be insanely confused as to why the store prices were sky high compared to online ones because they were bundled with accessories.

Posted by: colione

Quote:

Originally Posted by blackengaard

I have before.
They explained to me that they do not price match, online at their own website or any other retailer. =/
I'm not sure if it varies from store to store or from person to person.

I have to check that out for myself, because last I checked (which was like a month or two ago so my information may be outdated), they had three prices on the phone: 2 year commitment, 1 year commitment, and no-commitment at the very bottom of the price tag.

I'm not sure if they've changed it to include accessories and stuff, but I know I would be insanely confused as to why the store prices were sky high compared to online ones because they were bundled with accessories.

It varies by market. Our market leadership tends to think we're retards and can't sell so they squeeze everything together and hope everything sticks.

Posted by: sowire

Yeah we're an agent location and it sucks to sell phones to people at such a high price but I give all of my customers my business cell phone number and I feel that (recently at least) I have the knowledge to answer more questions than the average Joe and I do believe that the customer is paying for our exceptional customer service. I know that sounds like BS, but I call and check up on my customers, I bluetooth things to them if I can, and I meet them after hours and outside of the office if they have a problem. I travel about 3 hours a day for this job and I can't say that I don't provide a good enough service for a customer to pay like 120 with about a 50 MIR... so the ones that don't come to me/my company... well, they can kiss off because I refuse to service online and walmart purchases.

Just IMO though.... :P

Plus, if they want to argue that Wal Mart is cheaper, I like to say "Yes, but so is their Customer Service now isn't it?"

Posted by: dalynqwent

I pretty much offer 2 phones free lol.

Everything else, you have to pay for.

No discounts, nothing.

I explain that to the customer too. If someone gives you something for free all the time, what's it really worth?

You don't go to the Mercedes Dealership asking for a free sunroof. You won't that option, you'll pay for it. If not, keep it moving and cry me a river.

Also, you gotta watch these customers who just want to buy phones to look cute. Customers ie: I want a blackberry, but no data plan. Can you do the rebate in store? It's 99 online, yada ya...

"Sir, you might find a better deal online then, I can't match that price."

If they want it then, they'll pay for it then. If they don't, they'll go online.

Posted by: Palm2BB

I agree with the topic starter to an extent. Some of our phones are just ridiculously priced. One phone for example is the LG Shine. We have it for $99 after MIR w/ a 2 year agreement. That same phone I've found online for $120 w/o a contract. The online prices are killing our sales in stores.

And as for the prices of phones being different at different locations sucks. Not really in my case because I work for an Agent, but I mean they do take away sales from another AT&T seller. I mean i have the power to mark down prices of phones depending on what features customers add. I mean i've sold Curves, Blackjack IIs for like $50 after MIR. That will totally kill a sale from a corporate store because i don't think they budge on their prices.

Posted by: colione

Quote:

Originally Posted by Palm2BB

I agree with the topic starter to an extent. Some of our phones are just ridiculously priced. One phone for example is the LG Shine. We have it for $99 after MIR w/ a 2 year agreement. That same phone I've found online for $120 w/o a contract. The online prices are killing our sales in stores.

And as for the prices of phones being different at different locations sucks. Not really in my case because I work for an Agent, but I mean they do take away sales from another AT&T seller. I mean i have the power to mark down prices of phones depending on what features customers add. I mean i've sold Curves, Blackjack IIs for like $50 after MIR. That will totally kill a sale from a corporate store because i don't think they budge on their prices.

We can change prices in our COR store, but it's gotta be worth it (features/accessories), and we have to have a print out (or picture of a price tag from another store). It also has to be model for model, and only at&t devices.

Posted by: cingman66

Just had a customer call in that said she upgraded through the e-store to a Palm Centro for $49...no features required. WTF...how do we match anything like that in a store? On top of that, I looked up the number in POS and saw that the contract is still "parked," shows the old contract date and old IMEI...and the customer received the phone last week and it works fine. Again, WTF? I realize the phone may be refurbished (customer had no clue if it was or wasn't), but why is the contract info so completely wrong? Don't they update these things once the equipment is received?

Posted by: NJJ

I agree. It's nuts that the online store undercuts its brick-and-mortars. And it infuriates me when customers buy phones online and then come to us for support! Because we're agents and have to rely on word-of-mouth and customer loyalty, we can't turn those customers away, as there may be a small chance that they'll make their next purchase from us, or at least recommend us to friends and family.

And it's not just online purchases. We get customers who buy their phones from Best Buy and Wal-Mart who come in for help with their phones. And here's the rub: we're the only AT&T store in our town! If a customer bought a phone from any other store (COR or agent), that means they passed our store and went out of their way to get a phone at a lower price. But they're not so willing to go out of their way when they need service.

I've become a little bolder in expressing my displeasure at customers who buy elsewhere and come to us for service. I'll ask questions like, "oh, why didn't Best Buy help you with that?" Sometimes, I'll get a response like, "they wouldn't help me," and I'll retort, "and yet you gave them your business."

But I digress. We're talking about pricing. Remember earlier in the year when AT&T announced a BOGO on 737s, right after increasing the wholesale price on them!?!?!

Or how about the fact that there are GoPhone models that cost us more wholesale than the retail price at Wal-Mart and Best Buy? Grrr!