After coming up with that strange answer, the rep then took the consumer’s iPad and scrolled around on it before stating that there was nothing that he could do. Instead, he told the consumer that he would have to go to an AT&T Corporate Store to fix the problem even though he was directed to the Colville location by AT&T customer service
Considering that the closest corporate store was another 75 miles away in Spokane, this was not a journey that the iPad owner wanted to take. The rep did have one other solution. He told the consumer that if he paid for another month of data, perhaps the issue would be resolved. But the rep did issue a warning. If this payment did not fix the problem, it could not be refunded.
Walking into the T-Mobile store a block away resulted in a completely different experience
At this point, our hero was getting more than a little peeved at AT&T. Realizing that there was a T-Mobile in the next block, he drove over to the store where it must have seemed like Grand Central Station compared to the authorized AT&T retailer as there were two reps and two customers already in the store when he arrived. Speaking to a rep named Alyssa, the consumer explained what happened with his AT&T data plan and his wasted trip to the third-party AT&T retail store.
“Alyssa didn’t sell me anything. I went into the T-Mobile store solely with the intent to get service from them – she had nothing to sell me – other than her enthusiasm and knowledge, which the AT&T rep completely seriously lacked. I have AT&T service on my cell phone now and will be switching to T-Mo as soon as my annual contract with AT&T is up.”-Redditor Expensive_Service_67
Alyssa spent an hour talking to the iPad owner to discuss the plan, to make sure that the SIM card worked, and to be sure that the payment went through, which it did. So the consumer got home, and his iPad worked perfectly leaving him to close his post by writing, “Sayonara AT&T, and Thank you T-Mobile!”
Alyssa’s behavior is the kind that should be rewarded by T-Mobile executives
And here’s a note to T-Mobile. This is the type of behavior that should be rewarded. Instead, carriers prefer to reward a rep who can convince a customer to buy a new case that he doesn’t want, add a new charger that he doesn’t need, or pay for insurance coverage that the consumer cannot afford. That is the problem. Instead, T-Mobile should be rewarding and not punishing reps like Alyssa who took the time to stay with the consumer until she was sure that he was leaving the store with everything he wanted and nothing that he didn’t want or need.
