I can't think of any more proof that society is being F***ed in the A** than my two experiences with Cell Phone companies.
The very first time I signed up for cell-phone service was in 2009. I was resistant, I had done well without for my first 24 years of life. But alas I was now a manager and I needed people to be able to call me at any given time for help with the runnings of my store. So I obtained a used, non-smart flip phone from my aunt, and took it to a Verizon kiosk down the way from my store. I presented the phone to the employee, who immediately wrote me up a two year contract. Upon reading the contract, I inquired about a month-to-month program. I didn't want to be on contract, I didn't understand why I had to be on contract. His simple answer: Verizon did not offer month-to-month plans. So I signed the document.
Yes, it is always on the consumer to do their research, and I've often found myself siding with corporations when they don't. But I'm not asking for pity here, I need none, the problem was actually resolved when I called up Verizon after finding online that of course they offer month-to-month plans. While I don't need pity, this country might--- because what the employee did is what he is trained to do.
Example 2: Another example: (and this is less about lying and more about how messed up these cell-phone companies are) After several years with Verizon, I decided it was time to switch to AT&T when they offered a $300 switching credit and a $200 phone trade in credit. So two days after my most recent contract (yes, I did end up going the way of the contract) with Verizon expired, I ported my phone over to AT&T. Shortly thereafter, I caught my mistake and screamed at the stars... I was only 4 days into my new billing cycle, AND I had not downgraded my plan from 6GB to 2GB. What this ultimately ended in (and it took three phone calls with Verizon to get someone to admit it) was me paying $103 for four days of cell-phone and text messaging usage and .85GB of Data. No pro-rating, no nada. The third representative I talked to was an actual human being named Monique, who took some time with me and admitted that if I had downgraded my plan from 6GB to 2GB BEFORE I switched service, I would have saved $30. She was unable to offer any compensation.
Again, my mistake. Again, we're being F***ed.
Final Example: I know, I know, I know.... do your research first. I felt calm, cool, collected, knowledgeable when I walked in the door to AT&T. The employee pitched me the first BS and I batted that BS out of the park. The first line of BS was a tablet offer. I was eligible for a free Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 because I had picked up the Edge 6 Plus. Freeeee, you say!? I'll bite. Are there any charges involved? I just have to sign a 2 year contract for a data plan at $10 a month, that doesn't sound bad. How much data does that get me? Oh, it doesn't get me any data, it comes off of the data plan I'm already on. So it's actually a $240 tablet that can be found on Amazon for practically the same price. No thanks, I'll just continue to use the better tablet that I already own.
I felt GREAT! I had just kicked this marketing in the face. And then came the hardball: do you want to pick up a protective case?
Me....I kind of do. I've had one for my HTC one and it's protected at least a dozen drops, what options are available?
Employee (Paraphrasing)....Well, we have the $50 one, and the $40 one.
Me (Paraphrasing) Um, no.
Employee....Well, you know you'll have a good amount of in store credit.
Me....I will?
Employee....Yes, $130 (at this point, it did not click that this was the $200 phone trade in credit - 70 for the taxes on the new phone)
So I picked up a Fit-Bit Surge, which I was going to grab for my girlfriend for Christmas anyway, at an after-tax cost of $270. I didn't want to pick it up this early, and I didn't particularly want to purchase it at AT&T, since I'd get 5% back by purchasing it at Amazon with a certain credit card. But hey, for $130 off, I felt good about it.
After a bit more banter, I realized that this $130 was not just some in-store credit that was on top of everything else, this was my $200 trade in credit, at which point came the following....
Me....Can I use the trade-in credit towards my bill?
Employee....(And then the lie!) No, it has to be used in store.
So I used up my $200 trade in credit for the $70 in taxes and $130 towards the FitBit, and paid an additional $140 on my credit card.
It was less than a week later when I realized that I may have picked up the wrong size FitBit, and realized I'd need to exchange it. I was concerned that I may run into an issue trying to exchange it, and I also noticed that it was cheaper on Amazon than in store for the smaller version. So I found my offer e-mail, which stated.... "Trade-in Credit: Provided either an instant credit or a promotion card. Private label AT&T Promotion Card ("Card") issued by MetaBank™ or CenterState Bank of Florida NA, via a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. In AT&T-owned stores provided an instant credit to spend that day or Card. If do not spend entire instant credit, balance may be used to pay wireless bill or get Card."
During my return, I confronted the employee that lied to me, and believe me when I say confrontation is NOT my thing. He readily admitted that they are trained to get people to use their credit in-store, though he did throw out the generic "every offer is different" line, another lie. He took the item back, and I further stated that at this point, there was no consequence for them, and that I was the one who suffered in all this. He then told me to come back when I got my first bill and he would see what he could do. So I left, realizing that my first bill was probably already available, but without the emotional energy to return that day. I realized when I returned home that none of the $270 that I had paid for the FitBit was going to refund to my credit card, it was ALL going towards my future bills, as I now had a $140 odd credit on my bill and my first months' charges were approximately $130.
...So that is where I am at now, and after writing all that and thinking about having to go back in to confront the employee again for some kind of additional bill credit, I've lost a lot of energy.
I shared some of this story with a friend, who shared that he had a friend who worked for T-Mobile, who said "I'm basically paid to lie to people all day".
Ultimately, I'm not looking for pity. I'm well off and these problems for me are more emotional than they are financial. I don't like being F***ed in the A**, and other than the daily screwing that every citizen gets by our corporate friends, it's not often that I let them pull one over on me.
But I do know there are millions of others who this can have a greater effect on, and I also know that companies being able to train to employees to lie is the most blatant proof there is that they are way too powerful.
I like my daily dose of Facebook (though I have managed to avoid it for 15 months), and my Starbucks and my Wendys. I'm not against corporations. I am against being raped.
