Any idea how at&t is skirting the legal means of this new practice. The Reps are told they are not to say they are there to sell and their "in" initially is to say they are there to help them with their directv. In reality, they are really there to try and convert non-at&t customers (wireless) over.
Thoughts?
@gPjmr - liar.. att is a scam and you know it.
One of these humps came to our house to activate our new cell phones we had delivered to our home address. 15 minutes into it I was getting impatient and kicking myself for having it delivered. He wanted to talk like we were lifelong buddies. At 30 minutes I told him to either show me they were activated, or refund my money. He ignored this and started to tell me the value he brings. I walked over to our book case and picked up my badge. The blood drained from his face. How can you not know you are at the home of an employee?
All carriers have installment plans and the duration currently is 36 months. That is the same at least across the big three (Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile). All three of those carriers also do not give you the phone, paid in full, right off the bat. I am so sick of hearing that, “the phone isn’t actually free” nonsense. If a phone is 27.78 a month for 36 months and the carrier is giving a monthly bill credit of 27.78 a month, then the phone is free. It’s not a scam and it is literally the same everywhere you go. The carrier will not give you a phone paid in full for you to go use it at their competitor. The incentive for the wireless company is that you use our service for the duration of the installment period and in exchange we will not charge you for the $1000 phone. A phone most people cannot afford to purchase outright without financing it anyway.
How's it feel to overpay for your phone service?
All I can say about the in-home experts is…wow. What an awesome service! Yes did I feel at first that they were kind of misleading because I thought they were here for my service issue for internet? Absolutely! However since they were already in my house I felt like I couldn’t avoid listening to their pitch. But afterwards I was intrigued by the offer so I decided to listen more and ask more questions. I ended up signing up for the offer and was I STILL skeptical? YES (how can you ever NOT be skeptical of someone selling you ANYTHING?). But what did I do? It’s called READING! I read the documents and agreements and made sure that what they said was accurate to the deal I was promised. Are the phones free? YES but ONLY if you fulfill the installment agreement AND TRADE IN YOUR PHONE. Sorry to educate y’all but EVERY CARRIER DOES THE SAME THING!! I’ve had a cellphone for a long time and I’m sure most of y’all has well. Learn from this lesson so that the next time you get a similar offer from a competitor (cuz all offers are practically the same) do YOUR own research and stop solely relying on what someone else says. If you’re still upset about it, keep on complaining cuz it’s going to get you no where. I’ve had AT&T for 6 years now and pay $168 for three lines with 3 brand new phones.
Thought he was here to set up router for WiFi so I invited him in. Big mistake!!!!
He offered to set me up with WiFi and wireless phone for $60./m bundle. I told him I was happy with T-Mobile at $45./mo. And I was tied in with T-Mobile early termination fine. He countered Att would give$ 250. Credit card. I had just purchased a new iphone13 at Costco and didn’t need a new phone but he said the deal would only work if I traded in my phone for att iphone13. I even asked if they were going to charge for new att iPhone and he said NO.
3/31 charge $74.0
4/7 charge. $ 101.81
4/13 charge $ 30.99
So far…..
No credit card just multiple charges, and att is charging for a new phone after taking my
“Old” iPhone 13 fully paid for 3 months prior!
The gentleman’s name was David and he lied, lied lied. They’re home scammers not specialist. And he couldn’t set up router after an hour of trying. Customer service people at att:
“ really want to help you with your problem “,
but bottom line I let him in my house and now I’m screwed.
I, too, have had a similar experience with this. I was at my brother's for his internet installation, and the rep shows up. I was paying almost double with Verizon, so I would have been a fool not to jump at the opportunity. Here is where I take credit: I wanted to change devices after a few days, and the rep was more than willing to help. "I just want to make sure you are happy" is what he said, verbatim. When trying to process the device exchange, it fails. He is on the phone with support for 2 hours, when I was told it would take "30 minutes, if that." We get nowhere, and now I have to wait for a call from ATT in the next 24-48 hours. FOUR days later I get the call, we are supposed to be good, and I spend time with the rep again. (NOTE: STILL INSIDE THE 14-DAY EXCHANGE DEVICE TIME FRAME FROM INITIAL DAY OF PORTING NUMBERS OVER). Again, he calls, again, it fails. Again, I am to await a call. 8 business days later, no call. (NOTE: NOW WE ARE OUTSIDE THE 14-DAY EXCHANGE WINDOW). AND....SHOCKER. Rep is now a ghost. I am NOT the type of person that will just walk away with tail tucked. I am a professional myself, own my own business, and principle NUMBER ONE: Do what you say you are going to do. If not, I promise I don't expect my customers just to take it on the chin. I can't get away with that, or I wouldn't have a business. ATT thinks they can get away with it.
So, for the comments above, I truly believe that this rep filled the shoes of "whatever t-t takes" mentality. In order for me to be eligible for the discounts, you are supposed to have their internet service. Again, I was there helping my brother, but the rep had no problem circumventing that, unethically, which should have been my red flag and stopped. But being the selfish, greedy person we all tend to be sometimes, I was going to save a chunk. I have held many positions in sales in my career, and thought I could tell when someone was full of bull p-o, but this guy was slick. I cannot help at this juncture to believe that all he needed was the sale, and once past the 14 day mark his own comment about "Making sure I am happy" must have followed him into ghost town.
Yes absolutely horrible experience.The guy came to my door and switched 6 lines from T Mobile to ATT
none of the things he promised happened,I have been trying to get hold of him for two months I get voicemail and never a response. I am stuck with n $800 cell phone bill. I made a dozen phone calls to ATT and did not get anywhere. I don't know what to do, bottom line I am screwed
The IHX position is a total scam. It’s a 100% SALES position. I know, because I was in IHX from day 1 in a trial market. Sure it started out as customer service oriented but that changed. Of course it had to because well it’s a business. If it was only about customer service? Why were we not allowed to go to current art wireless customers homes? We never “cold called” them but we sure did to non customers. The sales goal was 40 new lines a month. Yes 40 and only new! If it was a decline we were told to shut up and move on.
I’ve noticed working with the company as a tech for so long people usually want things for free they are selfish and if it doesn’t go exactly how they want it they complain to the techs and anyone they can employees don’t feel like getting griped at as soon as they come to your house about everything YOU feel isn’t right. How would you feel every time you went somewhere someone came to you to complain about things? The company is doing you a favor sending you a local representative so you can spend less time talking to people over seas that everyone always complains about, everyone has a role and a job to do. I hate some people have bad experiences because I do understand the frustration but your rep is there to give you a run down of current promotions that may save you money no body is putting a gun to your head making you buy anything some is just trying to save you money and give you a run down of current promotions to bundle your service. Nobody else is going to come to your house from other providers to help you and you want to smear someone job title because you can’t act like a civilized human being and just say no and go about your day when you don’t want something instead of once again complaining to the the masses about your hurt feelings that’s what’s wrong with this world is everyone today is so sensitive about everything I feel so sad for my kids because it’s only going to get worse as time goes on.
You can not come into someone’s home telling them phones are free if you join our service and then start charging them for the phones as well. That’s fraud. I’m getting a lawyer against the home expert for coming into my home and lieing to me and my family about the prices he promised us and now disappeared and won’t answer calls or texts even emails. You can’t reel people in by saying this and that is free when it’s really not and you’re just lieing to get them to sign up and make your commission. That’s fraud and invalid business. You’re advertising prices that are not even true.
How many other companies fill mailboxes with dry hump advertising? For that matter, offer these kinds of conveniences in home?
I was with Verizon for 18 years, no one ever offered to come to my home, move all my stuff, and give me their number for direct connect calls.
It's a shame some people feel like they got worked over, but my understanding is that the same thing can happen in a store, we just have some place to tell about it.
The guy that visited me told me it was an option, and it sounded pretty darn good. Turned out to be just what he said.
Thanks At&t for making it easy.
@fmojn+OAtc3uz You aren’t needed to help “educate” customers on their services being installed. You just get in the way and make the process difficult when trying to pressure customers into cellular sales. A total scam position that puts a bad taste in the customers mouth.
it is 100 percent not needed visit, I was there to get my way in the door, with the sole purpose of getting sales, and the proof of this, is that we did not visit customers who already had AT&T phones. Its a total scam to get sales from people who never had any intention of ever switching, getting them right in their homes
I AM an ATT employee and opinions expressed are my own:
As an “In Home Expert” myself, I can speak to this. This position has a dual purpose. To help educate existing DIRECTV/Internet/UVerse customers on their services and be there to help answer their questions. Then, to introduce wireless service as an option ONLY once you have their permission to talk about it. Unfortunately, I have heard of many IHEs that create a bad reputation for our department by putting the sale first and not following through with their promises. This is unfortunate since many of my peers are good, honest people that really do want the best for their customers and will actually follow through with their promises. Sadly, these employees are never talked about online, only the bad ones 😕 ATT Continuously replaces these “bad” employees.
I had an in home rep come to my home. He offered me all my phones will be free, and my monthly service for the 3 lines including the insurance would be $135 a month. He also said I would get my Galaxy Buds for free. Tommy Bryant was the one that lied about everything. I need to switch back to TMOBILE.
Terrible. The only word for our experience with Mr. Hayes. Dishonest. Unresponsive to my texts. Sad state of affairs for a company to come to this way of doing business.
As someone who was in this role close to a year, I can tell you there are exclusive deals through this channel but it comes at a huge cost if your “expert” has integrity issues. I personally stepped away not because of job performance, rather the “do whatever it takes and we will fix it later” attitude.
They sell you lies and ignore your text and calls.
Had the rep come by and pick up his equipment and phones within 2 days. A contract can be cancelled within 3 days in Florida. He never returned the phones to AT&T. Now we are in a billing nightmare. Can't get him or anyone from his office on the phone or get AT&T to accept responsibility. This has become a nightmare.
As a sales professional I don't think anything is wrong with this practice. In fact, the homeowner is lucky that a company can have someone come to their house and show them ways to consolidate essential services in an attempt to provide more value to the customer in the form of convenience of cost reductions. This practice isn't a problem if the sales person and this is a big if, if the sales person is a PROFESSIONAL. Amateur sales people usually leave a bad taste in customers mouth no matter what company they work for or what they sale. Also to all of you who look down on sales people, think about this, your company cant pay you if they aren't able to sale their products and services.
On another note, as someone studying finance in college, if ATT can cut costs by reducing store front expenses, this means shareholders will receive a boost in portfolio earnings and stock appreciation and customers will not have to deal with such a high increase in services.
It’s aftually highly illegal in some states
I got duped into doing this and I regret it 100%. I was sold a bunch of lies and now the rep will not respond to my calls or texts. I tried filing a complaint with At&t and it didn't do me any good. At&t is terrible
ATT. The next generation - commission door to door salesmen. Just another Sad reminder of what ATT has become, how many customers will be slammed by this practice.
It's a method to close stores and sell off or lose the monthly cost of a retail store.
Att joins the club of tree services, home Improvement and vacuum salesman
Forgive me for agreeing with the madness. But doesn't it sound like this needs to happen anyway? I can think of a number of customers who wish I'd show up during the install to kind of keep an eye on ole Billy Ray from DirecTV's fine contract installation service. And if we can sell the customer some wares.. welp.. So be-it.. This may be the next tool in the RSC's arsenal to meet ever growing sales goals. Undoubtedly this is a privilege position.. Can't just give it to anybody.
It's a fine line. They will skirt around the issue once the customer inquiries about att services .