We get a lot of questions and complaints about the cellphone shopping process, so we thought we’d put together a list of 5 things consumers say to cellphone sales reps that they really should just keep to themselves. Enjoy.
1) I don’t need any extra features or accessories, so don’t bother trying to sell them to me.
Cellphone sales reps are under a lot of pressure to sell features and accessories. Go ahead and use this information to your advantage. Avoid expensive accessories, but go ahead and see if you can’t use extra features as leverage. Need that data plan anyway? They don’t need to know that. Let them convince you.
2) I’m under contract with you guys, can I have a better phone anyway?
The answer to this question is “no.” If you’re under contract, the sales reps have no reason to give you a deal on a phone, unless you’re close to your contract expiration date. Even then, you’d be better off waiting until your contract is up and shopping around for the best deal.
3) I’ve been a loyal customer for many years! There’s no way I’m switching! Reward me!
You can try calling your cellphone company and asking for a “loyalty credit” before heading over to the store to begin your negotiation, but keep in mind that sales reps tend to get less commission for retaining customers than they do for getting new accounts. You’re probably going to get the best deal from a company that considers you a new customer.
4) Yes, I would like a 2 year contact!
You ideally want no contract. If that’s not possible, you’d like a one year contract. Cellphone reps tell us again and again that there’s no real benefit to you, the consumer, for signing up for a 2 year contract. Sometimes you can’t avoid it, but you owe it to yourself to try.
5) I have not shopped around, I do not know what your competitors are offering, and I have no idea what the hell is going on right now.
Shop around. Look at each company’s website. Check out the phones. Read reviews. Learn about the plans. Then go around to each company and ask when they’re willing to offer you. Write each offer down. Now you can start your negotiation. Don’t believe this is possible? Check out this letter from a reader who used tips from Consumerist to save lots of money on his new cellphone plan.
Bonus Tip: Go cellphone shopping at the end of the month, when some reps are under increased pressure to meet their quotas.
We know you have lots of cellphone shopping tips. Add them to the comments and help your fellow man.
(Photo: medalian1 )
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It’s worth noting that a lot of times the sales reps will say anything to get you on board, but there are some things they simply can’t do. They can make you a great deal on the phone or the plan or the extras, but the rest of the company won’t stand behind them. I had tons of problems with Sprint not honoring the deals that the sales rep gave me.
@DeeJayQueue: Been there, done that. Usually the sales reps will conveniently NOT leave any notes in your account about any special deals/agreed upon discounts and thus there is no proof you are telling the truth and typically nothing you were told will be honored.
Are you kidding me? I aggree with almost all of this except for one part,
sales reps (at corp stores) are given very specific guildlines as for as
pricing, discounting etc. if you don’t get the deal you want don’t blame the
rep, blame the company. You know what the average sales rep makes on your
new activation? 13 bucks. You think they give a damn if you say “I can get
it cheaper somewhere else.” ? As far as upgrading to new phones, face it,
companies subsidize, don’t blame the rep for following policy, they don’t
make any money off of you when their boss fires them for breaking policy.
Damn, I have to *stop* saying “I have no idea what the hell is going on right now!” everytime a salesperson walks up?? LOL.
@idx: @idx: Jailbreak it and put in a T-Mobile prepaid sim card at .10 cents/minute. No contract, no BS.
What’s a “cellphone sales rep”? I’ve always done my cellphone shopping online.
If you want a good deal on a phone, don’t go to any cell phone store, get it online. Amazon.com has just about all their phones discounted to close to free or less after rebates. T-Mobile and AT&T have the best deals on phones on there. You have to sign a 2 year contract unfortunately, but when you can get a blackberry for free or even make money after rebates, it becomes worth it. Also, look for employee discount programs, they might not get you the best deal on the phones, but the rate discounts make up for it in the long run. In many cases you can add an employee discount to an existing line, in which case you can buy your phone at amazon and get it cheap. Its also good to check out sites like slickdeals.net , as occasionally they find find some deals that can let you get prices about as good as Amazons except with 1 year contracts…. But again, never buy in the store. Why deal with the pressure to buy crap you don’t need when you can get the phone cheaper online without it.
I have gotten the best deals by calling tmobile late at night and getting a good rapport with the “retention department” person and asking if they were running any specials.
They had more leverage in the past, but I was able to negotiate a decent deal for new phones at the end of last year when they were under a great deal of pressure to get contracts before the year end.
The B&M corporate store would not work with me at all.
It ended up being $80 per phone (retention dept) vs $150 (B&M corporate store).
I have also used ebay to get phones and avoid contracts…but results of doing this have been mixed.
@jamar0303: said “I’d be coming in with an unlocked GSM phone and asking for just a SIM, no contract.”
I went into Cingular / AT&T with an unlocked phone. A year and a half later when the phone broke, I found out that I have a two year contract. The contract will be up by the end of summer.