Secret shoppers find AT&T stores recommend iPhone to those interested in Lumia 900

49. alpinejason (Posts: 262; Member since: 06 Sep 2011)

dead on accurate

56. andro. (Posts: 1999; Member since: 16 Sep 2011)

While i can't speak for what training At&t staff have I could also see reasons why they aren't promoting the Windows phones. Windows phones are generally unpopular and unlike by the public and perhaps after seeing a drop in sales while trying to push Nokia windows they may well have gone back to the tried and trust popular sellers.

Also no sales rep with a conscience wants to sell their customer a phone they don't want or will hate and be stuck in 2 years contracts with,besides its back to you they will complain to!

I've seen it first hand these situations and have am not surprised if Lumia sales end up low

65. Pdubb (Posts: 248; Member since: 08 Aug 2011)

If that were the case then why when a customer asks for a Lumia the associate pushes the iPhone? They just sell what they think a customer wants.

69. Lucas777 (Posts: 2137; Member since: 06 Jan 2011)

do you have it documented that they are unliked? because i read articles on this site how they were top rated on amazon and other sources… also reviews constantly say how the os is simple and likable.. just the apps are lacking

61. Kilo_Gilo (Posts: 6; Member since: 10 Apr 2012)

Let's get the facts straight here. Why is everyone trying to sell iphones instead of the Nokia? The answer is simple. Comission. If you were a retail associate and someone walks in the door saying "Hi I'm a fist time smartphone easier," unfortunately the first thing going through most associates heads is "this is a gold mine." They have the oppurtunity to sell this customer anything since they think they don't know anything about the phones. That being said, If you had the opportunity to sell either an iphone that starts out at $199, or a Nokia that goes for $99, I think most people are going to try to sell the more expensive phone to make more money. It's sad but it's true. I know this because I work for AT&T, not in a retail store, but the warranty services. I get 80+ year old customers with Blackberrys and have absolutely no idea how to use it. WHy? Money hungry associates picking off the weak for easy money.

62. iDroidx650 (Posts: 81; Member since: 26 May 2010)

you don't know what your talking about. There is no difference if reps sell and iphone 4s or Lumia 900. Just because the iphone 4s is more expensive doesn't mean they get commission. AT&T reps don't get paid of devices but on features, accessoires, and new activation and upgrades. I would know because I am a rep.

70. roscuthiii (Posts: 2233; Member since: 18 Jul 2010)

Maybe not "commission" then exactly, but as a sales rep then you should at least be familiar with the fact that companies keep track of sales. (Sales are kind of important.)
Tracking of sales can be from as simple as an individual performance evaluation for promotion all the way up to a regional company outlook/self-audit like the "top shop" competitions my roommate's corporation holds. So yes, while there may be no exact commission involved, having higher sales numbers always benefits the sales rep.

84. jimmyeat311 (Posts: 1; Member since: 12 Apr 2012)

not true. no one cares about the price of phone you sell. it is actually more beneficial to sell a lower priced phone because that way we can sell more acc. att as a company really wants to push android and windows over iphone. iphones actaully make the company less money than other phones

88. DanMarino13 (Posts: 63; Member since: 22 Feb 2012)

Any carrier will end up making more over the 2 year contract on additional features and more costly plans then they will on a phone that's more expensive!

97. jroc74 (Posts: 6019; Member since: 30 Dec 2010)

There were articles on here and around the net about Microsoft paying money to sales reps for pushing WP7.

That would be a commission.

I dont know if anyone else was supposed to do the same....

Since you are a sales rep....were those articles true?

91. urc2828 (Posts: 4; Member since: 12 Apr 2012)

It's not quite as simple as that. Usually, the more expensive the phone, the less commission you would make as a rep. That is on the indirect side. Generally you would make a set amount for selling the contract on the rate plan, plus what you charge for the phone, minus the cost to the company. So if your store sells a rate plan that is worth 300 gross profit, and you sell the phone for 199.99, but it costed the company $450 to buy you are looking at $50 total gross profit, and the rep would get a certain percentage of that. However, when speaking about a corporate employee, they are not paid on Gross Profit. They are paid based on opportunites (contracts), and the ratios associated with those. So whether you sell one flip phone or one iPhone, that is still an opportunity. Where the money comes in is features and accessories. You have to maintain a certain level of each to get paid. So if you sell a simple flip phone, the likelihood that you are going to add any accessories or data packages to that is very little. When going between a Lumia and an iPhone you get the same data packages associated with each, so that is a push. But it is well documented that iPhone users buy more accessories than any other phone user. I mean, just go into an ATT store and ask them what cases they have for a Lumia, then ask what cases they have for the iPhone. Plus you have insurance. Are you more likely to add insurance onto a fully glass phone that has a history of being stolen, or a plastic phone that no one outside the phone community has heard of? And then there is Apple Care, another thing to sell. There are so many extra opportunities to sell things with the iphone at a corporate location that it would be dumb not to push them. Now at an authorized retailer, that's completely different.

94. waltah (Posts: 9; Member since: 12 Apr 2012)

So Kilo_Gilo, do you always go around commenting on things that you know nothing about? Just wondering. What you know about AT&T is that can swap out via warranty inside of one year. It's sad but true.

104. Kilo_Gilo (Posts: 6; Member since: 10 Apr 2012)

Ha. You would want to think that, but fortunatly I do more about the company, since I pay attention. And Urc is right about the iphone customers generally purchasing more features and accessories because there is just more there to sell. Also, I don't blog or post on blogs unless I absolutely have an opionion to express, or something to say. I don't throw in a meaningless comment just to call someone out because I think I know who they are and not express my own opinion, Waltah

86. betaman18 (Posts: 3; Member since: 12 Apr 2012)

it's not so much that AT&T representatives Lack training but more of some of their disinterest in "other" types of phones. The trainings that are given for new equipment usually are bland and go over the basic features of a handset so there's not much of the WOW factor to be able to promote it. Combine this with the common person single mindedness and you have the perfect storm for "iphone is the greatest phone, iphone is the only phone."

6. Virile (Posts: 38; Member since: 01 Mar 2012)

I call lies on that one, why would they tell you to go to another carrier when its technically their job on the line

9. -box- (Posts: 3991; Member since: 04 Jan 2012)

Unless the customer were wanting service in an area known not to offer coverage with said carrier. If I were in that situation I'd rather keep my customer happy and tell them honestly what they can expect instead of misleading them into a contract and making them feel betrayed and taken advantage of. Granted, there's buyer's remorse periods, but I'd rather please a customer than risk losing commission in that instance. I'm not a sales rep, so maybe my opinion would change in that instance. Sniggly (and remix I think) would know more about that than I

59. phoenixpr (Posts: 167; Member since: 28 Mar 2012)

Was a silly joke...

68. Eingild (Posts: 203; Member since: 19 Apr 2011)

You should upgrade your sense of humor

98. ardent1 (Posts: 2000; Member since: 16 Apr 2011)

You are being unctuous.

85. ECPirate37 (Posts: 220; Member since: 14 Jul 2011)

I was with at&t for over 10 years. I started when it was Bell South Mobility DCS, then it became Cingular (the best company I ever dealt with in the mobile marketplace), and then became at&t. I HATE at&t.

When I was dealing with at&t, my last conversation with them, a manager with them told me I should go to Sprint, so I did. I hung up the phone, and the next day went and switched to Sprint. I have been happy ever since. So I can believe at&t recommending Verizon.

71. roscuthiii (Posts: 2233; Member since: 18 Jul 2010)

I thought it was good... but things like irony and sarcasm get lost in translation though.

89. DanMarino13 (Posts: 63; Member since: 22 Feb 2012)

i could easily tell it was a joke, not sure how everyone didn't get that.

4. fervid (Posts: 183; Member since: 22 Nov 2011)

I only posted this once, system is messed up and doesn't allow deleting your own messages. I thought it used to allow this?

5. iamcc (Posts: 1319; Member since: 07 Oct 2011)

As far as I know you've never been able to delete, only edit.