Call center classics #4: Pay for a phone? INCONCEIVABLE!!

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Variation of a call I took far too many times:

Me: Thank you for calling Empire wireless, this is CC how may I help you?
SC: Yeah my phone broke and I need to get a replacement.
Me: Alright, I can help you with that. Do you have an equipment protection plan on your line.
SC: No, I got this new phone three months ago but I didn't think I needed the insurance because I take good care of my stuff...well, I accidentally dropped it this morning and it doesn't work now.
Me: Well, let's see. Since you don' t have insurance and just renewed your contract three months ago it would cost you about $500 to replace your phone with an identical model. The cheapest phone you could go with costs $200.
SC: $500?? $500 for a freaking phone?!! Are you insane? Who pays that much for a phone?
Me: That's how much they cost without a new line or contract renewal.
SC: Fine, I'll renew my contract then.
Me: Actually, that's now how it works sir.
SC: Not how what works?
Me: You can't just get a cheap phone by renewing your contract.
SC: But you just said I COULD!
Me: Allow me to explain better. How it usually works is you get a discount on your phone in exchange for agreeing to a 2 year contract. After the two years is up, you can renew that contract and get another discounted phone. In your case you only renewed three months ago so you don't qualify for another discount yet.
SC: Look, I've had service with you guys for nearly SIX years now and I don't think it's fair you want to charge me THAT much for a phone. You must be able to do better.
Me: Actually I can't sir, we are expressly forbidden from giving discounts on handsets.
SC: This is ridiculous!! I can go down to Sprint or Verizon RIGHT NOW and get a FREE phone in a few minutes and yet you thieves want to charge me $200 to $500 for one?? That's stupid, you're punishing existing customers by giving new customers better deals. Is that not stupid?
Me: Believe me, I know it's confusing sir, but if I may explain a little more...
SC: There's nothing confusing about this. I want a free phone and I want it now.
Me: A free phone?
SC: Yes, a FREE phone. I can go to Sprint and get a FREE phone, I can go to
Verizon and get a free phone. I've been with you for six years therefore I should be able to get a free phone from you too!
Me: It doesn't quite work that way sir.
SC: Then MAKE it work that way! I refuse to end this call unless I am given a free phone. Customer loyalty should mean something you know.
Me: It means a great deal to us sir, but--
SC: Clearly it doesn't. If it did, I'd have had my free phone ordered five minutes ago and you and I wouldn't be talking anymore.
Me: I can't give you a free phone today sir, I'm sorry.
SC: Then find me SOMEONE WHO CAN!

At this point I conferenced in our cancellations department as they are the only ones that can make this happen. I don't know how that SC made out and I don't care.

I took literally HUNDREDS of calls just like that one. Some people just don't understand the quirky nature of subsidies and cell phone pricing. I agree it can get confusing, but I really lament the fact this particular business model has seriously devalued cell phones in the eyes of customers. The things are NOT cheap.

I also ran into these same kind of SCs when I worked wireless retail. Same scenario. Broken phone, no insurance, not eligible for contract discount. $200 or more to get a new phone. I lost count of the number of times I got cussed out.

Helpful advice from CC: CONSIDER the protection plan. It's usually only a few dollars a month and it does come in handy. You never know what will happen to a phone. I took so many calls where phones had accidentally been dropped in toilets, lakes, swimming pools, puddles of soda, concrete floors, etc. I recently broke my own by dropping it at work. That's the first time in over 10 years of cell phone ownership I've ever wrecked a phone by dropping it (I've dropped them before, but they kept working).

IF you go the no insurance route, the most cost effective option will probably be be a replacement device on the second hand market but BE CAREFUL. Scams are out there.

[Andara Bledin]

I got my current phone for free almost 2 years ago. Of course, to get that deal, I had to get a 2-year contract, as the list price on the phone was $500 and the deal was for that day only.

Needless to say, since I can do math and am not an idiot, I got the protection plan (at $6/mo for 24 mos, it's still less than 1/2 of the cost of the phone). I never ended up needing it, but should the unforeseen have occurred, I wouldn't have had to scrape together a whole bunch of money for a similar phone. Although, as I kept my old phone, which still works just fine, I could have just gone back to that, but going from a smart phone to a dumb phone isn't in my plans.

^-.-^

[barainga]

Since I no longer work there and havent for well over two years now:

Day two of iPhone release. Original iPhone.

Customer got new iPhone. 45 minutes later customer gets home and proceeds to drop phone on kitchen floor thus breaking brand new shiny phone.

Insurance wasnt even available for the phone and there was nothing anyone could do to replace it.

[icmedia]

I feel your pain; this is what I deal with all of the time, except I get to see these cistomers IN PERSON.

This is, of course, after I have explicitly described the details of insurance, the cost of new phones if they DON'T get insurance, and made them sign a form stating that I offered them insurance, and what that replacement cost would be, if they decline.

Nevertheless, I get at least 3 customers a week who broke their phone, decided against insurance, and now think that I am the personal assistant to Satan himself for not just giving them a brand new phone because, you know, I like them soooooooooooooo very much.

[MadMike]

I don't have insurance either, but at least I'm smart enough not to raise holy hell and except a free phone if something does happen to mine. My last phone died about a week before the renewal date. Actually, the phone itself was OK, but the charger port got damaged, and wouldn't take a charge anymore. Once the battery died, I was pretty much SOL.

Since I didn't want to go for a week without a phone, I was prepared to pay full price for one, but I figured it couldn't hurt to go over to the store and ask nicely. The salesman had to get a manager approval, but they were able to help me out. But if they wouldn't have been able to do anything, I would have understood.

[EricKei]

I just figure, If I am unlikely to be able to afford a replacement on a moment's notice, I usually get a warranty...Phones are one of those things, especially when the warranty covers theft, as well ^_^ And I've had to use the warranty at least once on each of the cellphones I've owned.

[starsinthesky]

I had a guy go off on me for offering a protection plan as that must mean our products are crap because why would you need one. I told him that things happen, like dropping it. Nope, no one drops their phone and no one ever need those scams.

[Shalom]

How much is the deductible on this protection plan?

I had phone insurance once. Paid in something like $4/month for at least four years before having to make a claim on it, then found that there was a $50 deductible.

On a Nokia 5180, if anyone is old enough to remember that one.

I paid the deductible, and the replacement phone (the second one, because the first one was DOA) lasted 91 days and 6 hours. Called them about this, and found out that there was a 90 day warranty on refurbished phones.

I pointed out that in four years I'd paid them enough in premiums to buy the phone at least twice over, not even counting the deductible. Had to do a lot of fast talking, but they eventually did get me a replacement for free.

I don't have phone insurance anymore; it would be like carrying collision coverage on my '88 Chevy. If this 7-year-old Nokia 6256i ever dies completely, I'm going to eBay. Haven't seen this model available in ages, though; I think I have one of the last two working ones, and I know who has the other. If I had an iPhone or similar expensive type phone, I'd consider insuring it, but only if they cover loss/theft as well as damage.

[Andara Bledin]

My first phone was $25, free with the contract, so no insurance. Totally not worth it.

My second phone was a Razr and probably cost about $150 or so at the time I got it, and I didn't bother with insurance, since it was likely that by the time I would need it, I would have spent more than the phone was worth.

This one, the boyfriend's phone (same model as mine) stopped working, so we walked into a T-Mobile shop. The clerk confirmed the insurance was in good standing and that it was non-functional and there was no water damage and put in a claim. He had a new phone of slightly better quality (the one I have is no longer available) through the mail 2 days later. No money changed hands.

^-.-^

[KatherineB]

I actually went to get a new phone once and got told the following by a customer service rep:

a) the company did not offer insurance/protection plans
b) there was no need to take out the insurance/protection plans as they were a waste of money
c) it was not possible to take out an insurance/protection plan with a twenty-four month contract

Wash, rinse, repeat the above FOUR TIMES.

Now I have had a phone stolen and new darned well that

a) this company offered insurance/protection plans
b) insurance/protection plans make money for the company and are a lifesaver for the customer should something go wrong
c) it was not just possible to take out an insurance/protection plans, it was a darned good idea

I asked to speak to another rep, who was more than happy to sign me up to a new contract AND sign me up with an insurance/protection plan. I saw the rep I spoke to saying something very smug to the first idiot, who looked suitably crestfallen. I hope he learned his lesson.

[raudf]

I might have been one of those customers.. except I was never offered insurance at the time of purchase and didn't know that it existed. (This was years ago.)

I was a month from renewal and my phone decided to die a horrible death. I found out about a BOGO and decided to call and see if I could get it. I got told no and that it was $250 for each phone. I then asked how much the termination fee was for each line, $150 each. I said, "Math says that termination is cheaper and I guess I'll go with that." (I'd been shopping the opposition too, and there was a similar phone being offered for free with new 2 year contract and I had two lines...) Instead, I got transferred to retentions and got my BOGO.

I was polite about it, just frustrated. I wanted to stay with the company, but it'd suck to pay full price for the phone only to have the renewal come up a month later.

[EricKei]

A further note in my case -- even if mine hadn't been stolen, I would have dropped them and messed them up myself sooner or later. Big hands and bad eyesight make small phones something of a liability ~_~ And any I would describe as "not small" also fall under the category of "not portable" x.x

[reimero]

That's why I don't get rid of my old (working) phones when I upgrade/replace. There are times you need something in a pinch. Swap the SIM card, and I'm back on my feet.

[Seshat]

My 'phone insurance' is two old (dumb-phone) phones in a drawer beside my desk.

Should my phone die, I move the sim to a dumb phone and live with it until my next contract renewal. Once my new free-with-contract Android is replaced by another free-with-contract smart phone, the old one becomes my 'phone insurance'.

I know that theft is still an annoyance, as is any damage which breaks the sim card, but the same problems would be there if I bought insurance anyway.

(Now, if you NEED smart-phone capabilities, I quite understand that it's a different matter....)

[icmedia]

My 'phone insurance' is two old (dumb-phone) phones in a drawer beside my desk.

Should my phone die, I move the sim to a dumb phone and live with it until my next contract renewal. Once my new free-with-contract Android is replaced by another free-with-contract smart phone, the old one becomes my 'phone insurance'.

I know that theft is still an annoyance, as is any damage which breaks the sim card, but the same problems would be there if I bought insurance anyway.

(Now, if you NEED smart-phone capabilities, I quite understand that it's a different matter....)

A word about this: Just make sure that, if you do this, you check and make certain that your phone-swap has been noted with your carrier; otherwise, you'll be paying for data on a dumbphone.

There is absolutely NO requirement that you keep paying for data on a plan, if you don't have a smartphone on the line, so you can easily save hundreds of dollars by having it shut off while you're waiting for your next smartphone.