question about a sales associate selling phones to you

[niketalk23]

so i was at the mall 2-3 weeks ago, and i went up to the sales associate for at&t (from mswireless i shall add) and we were talking about the 9900

he gave me his card and told him to give him a call when the 9900 is available so that he can "give me the best deal"

is this even possible? does all he want is commission?

[sedalia066]

Many sales associates earn money on the basis of both the products they sell (different brands or plans may be more lucrative) or on the basis of their total sales. "Best deal" may be the same at several stores.

Or in my neighborhood there is often a wide range from place to place. We most always shop around a bit. One time we saved $100 for the same device and data plan by driving half a mile to the mall from the corporate store.

[js8229]

FWIW, I always use the corporate store. Seems I get better service and the prices are the same everywhere around here.

[Mister Xiado]

Nothing wrong with doing the guy a favor by buying what you were going to buy anyway, from him. It's not like you can even get ripped off.

[breakmedown]

One of our corporate stores just went, uhm, "non-corporate" and I was asking the guy about what that really meant as far as a customer standpoint. Apparently, according to him, the corporate stores are only allowed to offer you the price that the phone is set at, where he could charge me something other than the posted price (in terms of saving me money). He said, however, that they aren't always trained, willing, or able, to give you the same customer service that you could get at a corporate store.

So I'd agree with Xiado, there. If you're gonna buy it anyway, if he was nice to you and you thought it was worth it, go back and buy it from him. You're spending the money anyway and in the end that might build a relationship that could end up benefiting you in some other ways.

[TheQ805]

in many cases, an authorized retailer is also supporting a local business. I've caught wind MANY times of customers enjoying some authorized retailers more than corporate because they'll receive higher levels of service (often less busy). Definitely would depend upon the retailer of course. I've been with a retailer for a bit now and the comments on the customer surveys always note our service is of more quality compared to nearby corporate stores. The one I'm in, we're always trying to help the customer with what works best for them. Repeat and referral business are what keeps us alive and flourishing.

[niketalk23]

thanks guys!!

[Capitan Totti]

Don't know if this is true for all corporate stores but, the other day I went shopping around AT&T stores since my contract is up with T-Mobile. I first went to a authorized seller, the guy was very cool and even said he could waive my activation fees, and discount me on some phones, and give me like 13% off some services, which is not much but in the end is better than not having it... Went to check out the corporate store after, and the lady there said she couldn't do any of these... So, I am going back to my buddy if I decide to switch to AT&T!