vB Easy Archive - Watermarks don't lie

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Watermarks don't lie
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Posted by: MoeDrummer

I'm sure everyone here knows what a "water mark" is. If not, I recommend you take your battery out and look underneath. Apparently manufacturers don't put info about the watermark inside the books to their phones. I didn't spend the afternoon looking for it, so I may have overlooked it.

I had a customer this afternoon who started off well. Calmly told me what his phone was doing, and explained that he was here to find out about Cingular's warranty exchange program. As I was explaining it to him, I pulled the battery off the phone and saw a "big red circle". I stopped mid-sentence and asked if he had insurance on the phone. He immediately got defensive about it and started yelling that he "didn't need insurance for a manufacturer's defect".

After about 20 minutes of arguing what the "big red circle" meant, he admitted that he dropped the phone (phone open, mic down) into a glass of water. At this point, I had taken as much as I could. I told him that all I would be able to do here is to sell him a new phone and add the insurance to his plan. Adding insurance to the current phone was out of the question, and doing a warranty exchange would result in a $200+ charge on his next bill for returning a damaged phone instead of a defect.

After everything was over, it was about an hour after he first walked in. During that hour, I listened to him beg, plead, bargain, threaten, bribe, and even had one of my dummy phones held hostage.

(that plan failed as soon as I pulled the spare from the drawer) He finally left claiming that he was going to get the phone from Ebay and have me add the insurance when he got it. I'll probably have him call customer service and talk to them about adding it, since I "don't know what the hell I'm doing".

It's still a good day. I've made about $200 so far, and it's only 3pm. Sorry for the rant. I'm trying not to take a break from cleaning (3 guys + 1 bathroom =

if I don't clean it twice a week)

Posted by: blessd24

Another rep in my store had a customer who broke their phone and was only 8 months in, he actually offered to give them a phone for 50 dollars as if they had the insurance already as long as the added the insurance package. She walked out yelling and screaming that she was going to go to a different company. That was a great resolution for her and she didnt even realize it. My buddy calmly told her to ask any other carriers what they would do in that situation.

Posted by: MoeDrummer

how did he offer her a new phone for $50? was it a loaner/refurb? our cheapest retail price is $150 for a 6030 or 6010.

Posted by: cingsocal

I love that red circle - such a great invention. I can't tell you how many times I've had the same exact situation go down at my store. Most of the time the customer lies and says they don't remember the phone ever getting near water. Watermarks don't lie!

Posted by: elushon

Had someone who had the red circle o doom on her phone and claimed it was never wet...Blah blah blah argue argue argue...She finally admitted that some tea had spilled on it.

I looked at her and said 'Well unless it was still in leaf form...Tea is liquid and that phone is liquid damaged."

Posted by: MoeDrummer

He tried to tell me that it never got wet. It took me 20 minutes to get the truth out of him. Why he couldn't just out and tell me I'll never know. Instead he beat around the bush and tried to get around the water damage.

Posted by: MoeDrummer

Quote:

Originally Posted by elushon

Had someone who had the red circle o doom on her phone and claimed it was never wet...Blah blah blah argue argue argue...She finally admitted that some tea had spilled on it.

I looked at her and said 'Well unless it was still in leaf form...Tea is liquid and that phone is liquid damaged."

I have a bad habit of saying "water damage" instead of "liquid damage", but I'm starting to get better at that. I've had people fight me about coke being harmful to a phone. They said it wouldn't hurt it like water does.

Some people just don't get it.

Posted by: cingularbred

You guys have better customers than I do. Mine have started to remove the water mark thinking that we can't take it apart and look at the ones on the inside. Then they start to get mad because we didn't believe them in the first place and still proceed to take the phone apart. Of course when the water comes pouring out they start 'remembering' what probably happened.
I had a customer yesterday that had a water damaged Z520 and he wanted me to exchange it under the 30 day policy because his phone stopped working properly. He kept repeating that the contract says I 'HAVE' to exchange it within thirty days no matter what the problem. When I showed him that it also says that the phone must be in 'like new' condition he started to come up with some great stuff that had the other customers laughing. He said we sold him the phone with water already in it, that it wasn't water but tea and the kicker....he started saying that water in a phone is no big deal, especially since he uses his in the rain all the time and it never did this before. I still don't know how any of those make any sense. Suffice it to say he had to buy a phone at retail and wasn't happy about it. That was when he changed from the "customer that didn't know what happened to the phone" to " I do $30,000 in business a day on my phone why do I have to pay so much?" You can all imagine how my day went.....

Posted by: MoeDrummer

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingularbred

You guys have better customers than I do. Mine have started to remove the water mark thinking that we can't take it apart and look at the ones on the inside. Then they start to get mad because we didn't believe them in the first place and still proceed to take the phone apart. Of course when the water comes pouring out they start 'remembering' what probably happened.
I had a customer yesterday that had a water damaged Z520 and he wanted me to exchange it under the 30 day policy because his phone stopped working properly. He kept repeating that the contract says I 'HAVE' to exchange it within thirty days no matter what the problem. When I showed him that it also says that the phone must be in 'like new' condition he started to come up with some great stuff that had the other customers laughing. He said we sold him the phone with water already in it, that it wasn't water but tea and the kicker....he started saying that water in a phone is no big deal, especially since he uses his in the rain all the time and it never did this before. I still don't know how any of those make any sense. Suffice it to say he had to buy a phone at retail and wasn't happy about it. That was when he changed from the "customer that didn't know what happened to the phone" to " I do $30,000 in business a day on my phone why do I have to pay so much?" You can all imagine how my day went.....

That's rough. It's funny to listen to them backpeddle and try to reword everything when they've been "caught".

Posted by: ivwshane

I love when they use the line, "It's for my business and I'm losing thousands of dollars an hour without it" and yet they don't want to lay down the $200 for a new phone and be up and running in a couple of minutes.

Posted by: anubis9278

have you ever been handed a phone in a zip lock bag with water in it. Customer stating, "i dropped it in the toilet."

aaahhhh....the memories

Posted by: Perceptions

Quote:

Originally Posted by anubis9278

have you ever been handed a phone in a zip lock bag with water in it. Customer stating, "i dropped it in the toilet."

aaahhhh....the memories

At least you got the phone in a zip lock bag...

Posted by: Seltzer

It's amazing how a cell phone can heavily alter an individual's character..

It's like a baby and a pacifier.

Posted by: DjDynasty

I've had phones come in with fecal mater on it, and you could tell from the stench that they dropped it into a port o john.

Posted by: Always Mobile

I especially love the prepaid customers who have obvious damage to their phones and want an instant replacement. They yell the same thing: "This is my business line and I am losing hundreds to thousands of dollars with no phone"
And this job of yours doesn't pay well enough for a 69.99 replacement go phone??

Posted by: makhay

Quote:

Originally Posted by MoeDrummer

how did he offer her a new phone for $50? was it a loaner/refurb? our cheapest retail price is $150 for a 6030 or 6010.

customer rules

Posted by: Toothless Tommy

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivwshane

I love when they use the line, "It's for my business and I'm losing thousands of dollars an hour without it" and yet they don't want to lay down the $200 for a new phone and be up and running in a couple of minutes.

I am sure Trump uses a friggin cell phone to do his multi million dollar transactions or I will put it another way - he doesn't rely on it 100 % .

These moron customers that lie to our face and then get all mad when they wrecked the phone drives everyone nuts . Usually when they say I need it for my business - it is usually a low life business that has almost no sales just liabilities .
I hate argueing with them becuase one day i know i might snap and ram the thing sideways down his throat and then spend a few years locked up because of a cretin that couldnt tell the truth and wanted to get in my face .

I wish we had techs and CS reps in corp stores - then I actually might like the job and stick around - just pure sales then but Crapular is too cheap and stupid for that to happen . 8 billion a quarter and they make the sales reps go through that misery every shift 5 days a week - no wonder people leave this company in droves .

Posted by: ivwshane

My local store does have cs reps

Posted by: Alfred_Neuman

Quote:

Originally Posted by Always Mobile

I especially love the prepaid customers who have obvious damage to their phones and want an instant replacement. They yell the same thing: "This is my business line and I am losing hundreds to thousands of dollars with no phone"
And this job of yours doesn't pay well enough for a 69.99 replacement go phone??

i did tell this to one person one day. kinda busy.

i think i made people realize "ok, dont do this to HIM"

because the following ppl with issues didnt complain about me telling them they to need pay full retail on a phone

Posted by: MoeDrummer

It's funny how the following people act after you've been cussed out and finally snap after a verbal beating. I've had some instances where I get cussed up one side and down another with more than 1 or 2 other people in the store with issues. After I snap and lash out at the moron the others are always polite and understanding.

Posted by: JDScott302

I cant understand why the hell people that rely so heavily on a phone would not have a back up phone.

Posted by: thejlw

Quote:

Originally Posted by cingularbred

I do $30,000 in business a day on my phone why do I have to pay so much?" You can all imagine how my day went.....

That right there is by far the best line. When I used to work in sales I bet I heard that one once a month. Now that I'm getting back into it I'm sure I'll hear it again.

...If he was doing $30k a day in business I can't imagine $200-$300 for a phone wouldn't make too much of a dent in his income...

Posted by: Blkbear

Quote:

Originally Posted by JDScott302

I cant understand why the hell people that rely so heavily on a phone would not have a back up phone.

That's easy... their too busy making those million dollar deals on the prepaid phone that broke (time is money you know).

They should just buy two phones and send one of those emplyess in to get a replacement phone.

Posted by: Toothless Tommy

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blkbear

very good point . If they are such big deal makers ( wrong ) then add a FT for $9.99 and have the second phone all set to go ( put second number on business card - makes you look good - two numbers to call for service and future sales ) and if you dont want to use second number then put SIM into new spare phone and your set to go . And if you lost phone at NASCAR or WWE event or after trailer park party ( while doing business ? ) then go to corp store and get new SIM card . simple .

Posted by: at&t_hitman

The funny part is, the people who will wait outside of your store tugging on the door 30 minutes before open are the people who destory their phones or need pre paid minutes for their "business phone".

Just once, can't it be a 10 line business deal?

Posted by: Cingular13

I hardly ever tell a customer their phone is water damaged even if it I think that it is. Why set myself up for an argument? The customer is going to demand some type of resolution that will never make them happy (buying a new phone at full price) If it is water damaged or not they still have to calll XBM (or they are going to because that will make them happy, someone they think will somehow make it all better and for free) and they are going to read the disclaimer, its up to them to determine if the phone is water damaged, not me.

Posted by: MoeDrummer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cingular13

I hardly ever tell a customer their phone is water damaged even if it I think that it is. Why set myself up for an argument? The customer is going to demand some type of resolution that will never make them happy (buying a new phone at full price) If it is water damaged or not they still have to calll XBM (or they are going to because that will make them happy, someone they think will somehow make it all better and for free) and they are going to read the disclaimer, its up to them to determine if the phone is water damaged, not me.

I still inform them that the phone is "damaged" because if they go through the XBM and get a new phone they'll have a nice $250 (+/-) charge on their next bill because it wasn't a manufacturers defect. That's saving me an fight in a few weeks. Some people don't know it's water damaged. If the phone is for their kid, and the youngen doesn't tell the parents it got wet, how else will they know?