Most reps working at wireless carriers’ retail stores are not phone enthusiasts and don’t follow the industry
Outside of a few reps who really are phone nerds and do read PhoneArena and the other guys every day, most wouldn’t care if they were pushing stationery supplies or men’s underwear as long as they could get a cut out of a sale. And the worst kind of sales rep is the pushy kind. It isn’t enough that you’re willing to go without lunch for three weeks in order to buy a new iPhone, but they want you to buy accessories, add a new line, and plump up the bottom line. But it may not be their fault.
Remember, a rep working at a wireless provider’s retail store is usually not into phones like you are
Unless there is a spectacular deal, your best bet is to order your new phone online or through the manufacturer
It really isn’t strange that the rep wouldn’t sell an iPhone 15 to a customer without adding on accessories or a new line to the purchase. And the fact that it dodn’t faze her that she let a live one leave the store empty-handed can be explained, and we will very soon. A current rep for an unnamed carrier explained that if you want to buy a new phone without having to add a line or buy insurance, just order the device as a store pick-up. Otherwise, he says that such orders are a waste of time for reps and destroy their metrics.
An unnamed T-Mobile rep concurred with the reasons mentioned above that explained the T-Mobile saleswoman’s pushy behavior. “As a t mobile (sic) rep myself, I understand why she did it. They tied so many metrics to upgrades now it’s ridiculous. An upgrade can affect our insurance attach rates, accessories rates. t-mobile has a high focus on this right now and it’s so annoying.”
As to why she let the consumer walk out of the store without making a sale, reps make their biggest commissions on line upgrades, additions, and sales of accessories and insurance. Just selling the iPhone 15 that the consumer wanted to buy for his brother might have brought her very little income. So she rolled the dice hoping for a bigger score and came up empty this time. Next time, she might hit a home run.
