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ViciousVixenmember
103 posts
Location: Oklahoma City, OK, USA


Posted:
I have been working at a wireless phone company for 6 months now as a salesperson training for management. I had heard about how people in sales can be untrustworthy, but I thought it only applied to car or door-to-door sales. I have realized now that it extends beyond these areas. It doesn't matter whether they're paid 100% commission or only partial commission, or what industry they work in. You should pay attention, do research, and be careful.

The first store that I worked at, the manager upgraded a customer's phone and the customer paid cash, so after the customer left, the manager modified the invoice to look as though he had discounted the price of the phone for the customer, when in actuality, he just took the cash. None of us realized this occurred until the customer came back in to cancel the upgrade and return the new phone. Upon looking at the invoice in our computer, it looked as though we were supposed to refund the customer about $170, but the customer remembered paying $220. Conveniently, the manager had not given the customer a receipt, and had filled out the paperwork with all the correct phone prices. It was the customer's word against the manager's, and thankfully the manager lost anyway.

At this new store I'm working at, a customer came in and upgraded a phone on Monday, and one of the salespeople charged him $70 for a $40 phone. The customer paid cash, and the salesperson pocketed the extra cash. Nobody would have realized it if the customer had not come back tonight to upgrade another line with the exact same type of phone, and I quoted him the right price. He kept asking me if I was sure that's the right price, then explained what he paid on Monday. I found a copy of the contract in our files, and saw the salesperson had marked $70 on there. I looked at the invoice in the computer, and found that not only had he overcharged the guy by $30, but he had modified the invoice so that the price of the phone was only $15, so he stole an additional $25.

The salespeople at this wireless phone company (which is a medium-sized franchise, by the way, not a huge corporation) are paid 100% commission. They aren't paid an hourly wage at all, so they aren't compensated for time they spend dealing with customer billing issues, or helping customers decide which rate plan they should change to, or explaining to prospective customers about our different phones and plans. If they have a bad day when nobody comes in to buy anything, they are paid very badly. If they have a bad week, the best they can expect to be paid is minimum wage. And if they have a bad day or a bad week, some of them start to do stuff to make up for that.

Now I don't want everyone to start treating salespeople like they're all scumbags. I despise when a customer comes in and treats me like they want to spit on me because they think I'm just another shady salesperson who is going to screw them over. I just want everyone to open their eyes a little.

The smooth-talking salesperson who has the right answer to everything is probably one of those shady people. The awkward, quiet, unsure salesperson is the one you want to deal with because he/she doesn't feel comfortable encouraging you to buy something you don't need or want.

If you're going to sign a contract for a product/service, do your research first. Look at their website and get price quotes, then go into the store and get price quotes, then GO HOME and look EVERYTHING over. Return another day to complete the deal.

And PLEASE, go see the same salesperson that took their time (possibly unpaid time if they're paid 100% commission) to go over a lot of information with you. It's extremely rude to get information from one person, then buy the same product at the same price from someone else for an ignorant reason like 'that other store was on my way home from the grocery store'. OH! And it's downright disgusting when you come back later to see that salesperson who YOU screwed over and COMPLAIN about how the other guy did something wrong and then you're all pissy about the issue and wanting that salesperson to fix it.

I'm quitting this job in a couple weeks. I can't take this crap anymore.

Bender_the_OffenderGOLD Member
still can't believe it's not butter
6,978 posts
Location: Melbourne, Australia


Posted:
$$$ vs. peace
who will win?

Laugh Often, Smile Much, Post lolcats Always


Pink...?BRONZE Member
Mistress of Pink...Multicoloured
6,140 posts
Location: Over There, United Kingdom


Posted:
Wow! There are some shady people out there. I know that some sales people are untrustworthy but didn't realise that some people would pocket money from a customer - after charging them extra.

Where i work we dont get any commission and customer services is a very important for the company i work for. No one would even think of doing such a thing like that!

Thanks for the words of advice

ubblove

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...


DuncGOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom


Posted:
I don't know how people go go day to day with stuff like that on their consience. They deserve a good size 13 foot up their arses!!

Let's relight this forum ubblove


ASTRO FAERIEBRONZE Member
ummmmmmm.............
724 posts
Location: Rotherham, UK


Posted:
I can agree on this one, i used to work for a Gas and Electric Company, doing door-to-door sales. The scams people pulled were awful. We were only paid on commission too, so basically if we signed someone on to gas we earnt 1 price, electric another and both even more. Also if they signed onto a direct debit account then and there we got a bonus. max was around £15 per contract.

The biggest trick was to try and convince people on token meters to sign up with our company, which is stupid because they can't, lots of the others used this scam.

Also there were people that were filling in peoples contracts, telling them that it isnt, that its just a questionnarre, then when they leave the customers house they forge the signature and get the money for that contract. That poor person then has their supplier changed without them even knowing until the next bill comes through and its huge.

The scams were used by almost everyone i worked with, because the pay was so low and the job so soul destroying, I left in the end because i wasnt earning enough because i couldnt scam people. When i left the job i was told i owed the company £300 for cancelled contracts, apparently all my customers which were honest direct debit ones all cancelled, load of rubbish.

These companies know whats going on and most dont care as long as they have money. The bosses pocketed most of our hardearned wages.
It probably doesnt take a genius to work out that signing on door-to door is not a good idea, but please be careful, anyone can seem lovely when they are trying to earn money.

Only when the last tree has died
and the last river has been poisoned
and the last fish has been caught
will we realise that we
cannot eat money.

Cree Indian, 1909


DuncGOLD Member
playing the days away
7,263 posts
Location: The Middle lands, United Kingdom


Posted:
But don't forget folks....just like our governments tell us.....Capitalism is a good thing! Just imagine the horrid world we'd live in without money
*puts chin on hands and dreams of happy place with no money, lies, cheating, theft..etc...etc...etc*

Let's relight this forum ubblove


ViciousVixenmember
103 posts
Location: Oklahoma City, OK, USA


Posted:
The saddest thing is I think part of the reason why the second guy got taken advantage of is that English is not his first language. The salesperson knows he's less likely to understand everything in the contract or the laws of our country or even just how things work here. The salesperson also didn't tell the guy there's an $18 charge for upgrading your phone and that charge comes on the next bill. I'm really lucky he even let me upgrade his 2nd phone at all. It was only because he trusted me after I explained to him why there was a price difference and what happened to him and I told him he should come back the next day and discuss the matter with my manager. I feel good about the fact that the guy trusted me and I didn't abuse his trust.

Another issue that I find in this whole ordeal is communication between past employers and prospective employers. This salesperson used to work for another wireless phone company and he was fired from there for theft. He told me the 'story' of how he got fired, but in the telling it seemed as though the company fired him just because he was making too much money. I wonder if perhaps there is more to the story. I also wonder if my company checked out his references or questioned his termination. But then I remember from my management class that companies can be sued for slander if they diverge an employee's shortcomings to prospective employers. Companies tend to verify only that the person worked for them during a time period, and avoid any statements on their behavior or work ethic.

It's sad that people like this salesperson will just continue hopping around to other companies, pulling the same scams because they know what prospective employers want to hear (just like they know what customers want to hear) and they know what past employers cannot divulge.

spritieSILVER Member
Pooh-Bah
2,014 posts
Location: Galveston, TX, USA


Posted:
Welcome to the world of money and greed.

My first ever "job" was in sales, which lasted all of 2 days because I absolutely hated it. I could not force a person to buy what I was selling just to make money for myself. I thought the person should absolutely need what I was selling, or else I wasn't going to push it on them. I had coworkers who happily pushed products on people that they didn't need, or really want, and I couldn't stand that approach.

CustomBug, why would a world without money be a bad thing? I personally think it would make things a lot nicer. I have a coworker at the moment who is obsessed with money. He is mad that he has yet to receive a raise since being here (he really doesn't do much work, so he doesn't exactly deserve it). He makes at least twice my salary, yet still thinkgs he constantly needs more so that he can buy more things.

Why are we obsessed as a society with constantly buying more and getting what our neighbor has?


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