Thursday, March 18, 2010
Possessed....
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I had a terrible experience with Verizon Wireless tonight. Until now, I have been pleased with the cellular and customer service. But tonight, many things were revealed to me.....
My wife, Kellye, is up for a phone upgrade. She has had the same dinky phone for 2 years, and so we wanted to get her a new one that had a full keypad for texting. We had already visited a Verizon retail store at Easton Mall, looked at various phones, and had made a decision about which one would be good for Kel. So Thursday night, we decided to go to the store and do all the paper work and jump through the hoops.
We live in Grove City, and there are two Verizon stores within 2 miles of our house. We chose to go to the closer one because it is in a strip mall that gets no business. We figured it would be a quicker experience. We told them the phone we wanted and started to get the bottom line prices.
The representative told us it would be $120 with a $50 mail-in-rebate. We questioned it a bit, but then figured that was the price so we'd pay it. But something didn't feel right. So when I got home, I called the store at Easton.
I learned that we had visited an "independent retail" location, not a "corporate store." Apparently there is a HUGE difference. At the corporate store, the same phone that cost us $70 after rebate would have been FREE. Online, it is FREE with overnight shipping. When we questioned the salesman about the price, he told us it was because Kellye had a "secondary" line so the discount was not as high.
He was lying. He determined the price of the phone. He knew he was charging us more than the corporate store would. He also tacked on a $20 programming fee. When I inquired about that with the Easton location, they said it was bogus. The Easton store also told me that independent retailers like to take the old phone from the customer and then attempt to resell it to people as a "back up." The salesman had done just that, but he claimed he would donate it to a battered women's shelter or "the troops."
After learning that we had been overcharged $70, I decided to return the phone. I was calm and civil, and simply told him I didn't feel right about it and I didn't want to explain. He asked a few questions, but eventually gave me a full refund.
I was reminded of a few important lessons tonight:
But also hopefully to remind myself not to get so caught up in the items I can purchase and own. Cause the adage is so true: Our possessions end up possessing us.
I had a terrible experience with Verizon Wireless tonight. Until now, I have been pleased with the cellular and customer service. But tonight, many things were revealed to me.....
My wife, Kellye, is up for a phone upgrade. She has had the same dinky phone for 2 years, and so we wanted to get her a new one that had a full keypad for texting. We had already visited a Verizon retail store at Easton Mall, looked at various phones, and had made a decision about which one would be good for Kel. So Thursday night, we decided to go to the store and do all the paper work and jump through the hoops.
We live in Grove City, and there are two Verizon stores within 2 miles of our house. We chose to go to the closer one because it is in a strip mall that gets no business. We figured it would be a quicker experience. We told them the phone we wanted and started to get the bottom line prices.
The representative told us it would be $120 with a $50 mail-in-rebate. We questioned it a bit, but then figured that was the price so we'd pay it. But something didn't feel right. So when I got home, I called the store at Easton.
I learned that we had visited an "independent retail" location, not a "corporate store." Apparently there is a HUGE difference. At the corporate store, the same phone that cost us $70 after rebate would have been FREE. Online, it is FREE with overnight shipping. When we questioned the salesman about the price, he told us it was because Kellye had a "secondary" line so the discount was not as high.
He was lying. He determined the price of the phone. He knew he was charging us more than the corporate store would. He also tacked on a $20 programming fee. When I inquired about that with the Easton location, they said it was bogus. The Easton store also told me that independent retailers like to take the old phone from the customer and then attempt to resell it to people as a "back up." The salesman had done just that, but he claimed he would donate it to a battered women's shelter or "the troops."
After learning that we had been overcharged $70, I decided to return the phone. I was calm and civil, and simply told him I didn't feel right about it and I didn't want to explain. He asked a few questions, but eventually gave me a full refund.
I was reminded of a few important lessons tonight:
- Possessions are attractive easily entice, but they never deliver full and lasting satisfaction. I am as much a sucker for new, flashy electronics as anyone. I wanted a new phone for Kellye, tonight. I was hoping for a quick, easy consumer exchange, but instead got a lot of frustration and deceit.
- The American consumer economy is largely built upon lies. That might seem really harsh, but as I was driving home, I realized that outside of a barter system, this has to be the case. No one can charge what an item actually costs or really is even "worth." Prices are jacked up to cover costs, and there hooks and grabs and tricks and ads to get consumers in the door. Some lies are more obvious than others (like those we experienced tonight), and others are built into layers and layers of marketing. But in my opinion, it is all lies nonetheless.
- Consumption is a drug. I wanted to get a new phone tonight and feel good. When the deal went sour, I was almost tempted to just pay the $70 extra so I could just have the phone tonight! When I realized I had wasted my time, I was really mad. The drug didn't deliver, and I was upset.
- I need to have my eyes set on goals bigger than just the "here and now." It can become very, very easy to have material possessions be the focus of life. A new stereo. The newest Apple product. A new car. New landscaping. New TV. These things can keep us occupied, busy, interested, entertained, and ultimately lulled into doing absolutely nothing greater with our lives. I am one person who longs to be more than the sum of my purchased products.
But also hopefully to remind myself not to get so caught up in the items I can purchase and own. Cause the adage is so true: Our possessions end up possessing us.
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1 comment:
i had a horrible experience with verizon as well!!! the manager at the "independent retail location" told me our aircard would work internationally and we would not be charged for roaming.
then i got a $1600 bill....and the manager at the independent retail place was super cool and was like oops - yea - i remember you, i remember telling you there was no roaming. what? you got a bill for $1600?! ill get that taken care of right away.
then it had to go up in verizon's ranks and i was told:
He was not a verizon employee - therefore even though he admits it is his mistake - it is not Verizon's fault -It was my responsibility as a customer to check all details of the plan
(why would i do that? when the manager tells you something, you believe them!)
so frustrating!!!!!!
and yes, i agree - consumption is a drug. a drug that is killing not only us, but also our planet - which kills us faster-a vicious cycle. i think the best medicine/ antidote - it is to be outside, in nature, totally stripped free of labels and definitions and commercials and advertisements and mirrors.
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