Eight Cell Phone Sales Tips from a Sales Rep

Tue Mar 6, 2007 1:43PM EST

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Here's an interesting read from The Consumerist for anyone who will be buying a new cell phone and service plan from Verizon Wireless sometime soon.

A former Verizon Wireless sale rep wrote the consumer web site with tips for consumers to get better deals than you'd think possible just by reading the phone price tags and service contract costs. It all boils down to haggling with the sales rep, something many of us may not think to do in a cell phone service store.

Read all "eight confessions," but here are a few prime tips:

• Negotiate a better price on the phone of your choice by agreeing to buy accessories and the text message plan. Then, return the accessories and cancel the text package over the phone with customer service. The sales rep get props for selling accessories and plan add-ons.

• If you're on a service plan that costs $59.99 a month, you can get a new phone and a new contract after 12 months, not two years.

• Here's one I wish I had known: If you're getting a Palm Treo, the store may be offering $100 off the phone if you sign up for the unlimited data plan. Get it, then switch to a different data plan the next day over the phone. The data plans are not contractual.

Seems to me any request is worth a shot because you never know what the sales reps are trying to push on a certain day, but these are good tips to remember when you do your own haggling.

Have you got some cell phone service negotiating tips of your own? Please share!

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Comments on Eight Cell Phone Sales Tips from a Sales Rep

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  • 26 Posted by l_j_macdonald on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:01PM EDT Report Abuse

    Wirefly is currently being sued by D.C. for misleading consumer info - they have an extremely high rate of not honoring rebates for invalid reasons. Do a search; we bought from wirefly and followed all the rules of the rebate, only to be refused. Will never buy from them again. Internet searching reveals an enormous amount of complaints against them.

  • 27 Posted by blkpipe4mwf on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:09PM EDT Report Abuse

    Miss Skinnybooty you need click one them links girl.

  • 29 Posted by yiotula on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:56PM EDT Report Abuse

    If you are ready to buy a phone and don't want to pay full price you can start a new 2 year contract. Worth it if you lie your provider

  • 30 Posted by paulpgallagher on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:03PM EDT Report Abuse

    We're asking a sales rep to provide advice con buying a cell phone? Everyone knows their integrity is lower than used car salesmen. This advice does not support consumers.

  • 31 Posted by schwarzy531 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    I actually work for an indirect dealer and using these tips to get what you want may be a bad idea. We've taken people to court because they frauded us by switching their rate plan or cancelling services they signed up for (and were contractually obligated to keep)to get a deal on a new phone. Main thing is, ask questions before you just run off and try these tips.

  • 32 Posted by raul_azamar on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    I live in Colorado and I have had a Cricket cell phone for the last 2 years and I'm very happy with the service. Flat rates. Unlimited talk, text and pic messages, unlimited web acces. No contracts. You pay as you go! the only thing is that they won't trick you with those FREE phone deals! You have to pay for the phone at front. REMEMBER!!! NOTHING IS FREE IN AMERICA!!! companies that offer FREE products will find the way around to get their money back.

  • 33 Posted by winterman93 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    keep buying on the net pretty soon everything will be overseas and not in your local areas, this means jobs lost, maybe yours next. waaa waaa waaa

  • 34 Posted by azz1111 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:00PM EDT Report Abuse

    some of these tips are true, but if you have a good relationship with your rep, there is many things they can set you up with. Take it from me, i am a Sprint account rep and we will take care of our customer, new or existing. Its all about good relationships and quality questions.

  • 35 Posted by knightz1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:52PM EDT Report Abuse

    Great..Another way for the "customer" to cheat a company. !!! Remember business are out there to MAKE MONEY !!!!!! No wonder he is an EX Rep..!!!

  • 36 Posted by mollyhell on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:24PM EDT Report Abuse

    TO not encourage overseas jobs AND get a cheap phone buy off eBay and UNLOCK IT.

  • 37 Posted by rpmarizona on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:53PM EDT Report Abuse

    Be carefull of signing ANY contracts with Verizon....especially if you have any other Verizon services. Their departments don't talk with each other and WILL mess up your bills. Having moved and terminated all services with Verizon over 2 years ago, now they've suddenly "discovered" we owe money that we already paid two years ago. They'll verbally apologize but won't give paid-in-full receipts in writing so they can threaten your credit any time they want -- years later as we discovered. They won't admit it, but they don't give a darn about their customers. And unless you get the Consumer Advocates in Government after them, (as we had to) they won't even admit their mistakes verbally. Verizon "customers" beware!

  • 38 Posted by qpidkcid on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:23PM EDT Report Abuse

    wirefly.com is US-based, kslickfox. Might want to do some fact-checking before you speak. Most of us get branded, locked phones from providers. A few get unlocked, unbranded phones (such as the Motorola MING/a1200). Reason? The price and the hassle of setting it up and of course, you can't get insurance on it (usually). Losing some cell phone stores isn't such a bad idea. We got four Verizon Wireless stores each within a 3 mile radius within each other around here. There's a ton of them as well as reseller stores, other companies (such as Sprint, etc). In fact, I can think of off the top of my head 23 cell phone stores (not including Target, Walmart, Kmart, the mall) within 5 miles of me. Do you need a McDonald's every mile apart? No! They take over and leave no room for other businesses. So, your thinking is very outdated and stupid. If a store closed, they'd go to the mall and get hired and do basically the same thing and same pay. It's very little pay and commission isn't all that much. indaycat67 is correct in research. I'm not advertising just vouching for amazon.com when sometimes, depending on the phone (with contract), they end up OWING YOU! You can find places like that all over the internet and NO, they are NOT outside the US. Anyone that goes outside the US is just looking for a neat unbranded and unlocked phone that's not sold over here... WITHOUT contract.

  • 39 Posted by ibjahomey on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:22PM EDT Report Abuse

    Re: "why the heck did this make the news?"..... Because it is Yahoo! news. ;) By the way, there are some plan discounts available through various employers and organizations (i.e., Cornell University, VHA, etc.). Check with your work place or organization for details. Now, if only Verizon would stop their practice of crippling the features of their phones.......

  • 40 Posted by vi3tshorty04 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    last time I got a phone that was about $100 for free because I said that I was leaving to see if other carrriers had a better discount. the guy "talked to his manager" and then I got it for free.. it was kinda funny actually.

  • 41 Posted by wdtorgan on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:42PM EDT Report Abuse

    BUY ON YHE NET SOME MORE YOU FOOL!!!! hEY, LET'S CLOSEE ALL THE LOCAL SHOPS IN AMERICA----YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED ON YOURSELF , YOU DOPE !!!

  • 42 Posted by verizonsuxx on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:33PM EDT Report Abuse

    When you see the maps of coverage (particularly Verizon's) take it with a grain of salt. There are multiple and massive dead zones that they have painted a heavy red to show they are "everywhere" (which they are NOT). Whats funny is that within 2 miles of their corporate offices, is one...and this in Columbus Ohio! Bottom line, their service is awful - they will tell you ANYTHING to get you to sign. I was up for a new phone halfway through my contract and they made me sign a NEW extended contract to get it. I drop 25%+ of all calls - and this in a major city. I am counting the days to get out of Verizon's contract.

  • 43 Posted by msflwrr on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:29PM EDT Report Abuse

    A couple of comments; unlocked phones do not necessarily work properly with "any" cell company. Yes, they will sometimes work but without some pretty important features. Also, having been a customer service rep with a large cell company, I know that often if you buy from a dealer then try to return stuff, the stuff has to be returned to the store and the dealer loses that commission. I don't know if that is illegal, but it sounds pretty sketchy to me. When you sign a contract for 12 or 24 months, you can change your plan but it states in the contract that you are not eligible for upgrading equipment at a discount until your initial 12 months is up. Yes, you can get better pricing with a 24 month contract, but again, you can't upgrade equipment with some/most companies until you have completed that initial contract. You can change your plan, and extend your contract if you want, but you are locked in to that initial contract no matter what you do. You can pay the fee to get out of it, of course. Most companies are the same in this. There are ways around all that, but I am not so sure they are on the up and up, so to speak.

  • 44 Posted by vhyers on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:34PM EDT Report Abuse

    Buy an unlocked GSM phone online and then sign up for service WITHOUT a contract. Get your chip, insert in the phone, you're good to go and can switch between GSM companies as needed. Also, you can buy pre-paid chips in Europe or wherever you travel.

  • 45 Posted by megforce1 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    Since this is about Verizon, I can easily say that the best advice is to avoid Sprint. Years ago, I had a Sprint phone, and at that time, I paid for phone charges that weren't mine because they didn't care, and they charged about $300 to cancel the contract stating that it said "At Least 150." Also, they made package promises to my friends when they got Sprint phones (like a discount after a full year of service), and then they didn't follow through. I got Sprint again right now because Cingular dropped me for always being in roam, and the reason was to get a discount for monthly service through my mom's name because she was a school teacher. They told her that we'd have the same stuff we paid Cingular a 100 a month but would only charge 50 with the discount. We are now locked into a contract and we are paying 100 a month, which is what Verizon would have charged which is the company we wanted to switch to because we have a Verizon camera phone we could use. So yeah, Sprint is a scamming hustler. I miss the old AT&T.

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