If you are like me you didn’t notice the tiny asterisk in this image. But there is one. Do you see it?
This morning I intended on lining up at the Partridge Creek Apple Store to upgrade both of my AT&T phones to the smoking hot iPhone 3G.
Since I’ve been a loyal AT&T customer since 1998 I knew I needed to call their customer service and make sure there weren’t any surprises. And boy am I glad I did.
Not pictured here with Steve is the asterisk. You have to be a new customer or have an expired contract with AT&T to get this price. In the dozens of articles and videos I’d watched about the new iPhone I somehow missed this little detail. Stupid Adam, fooled again.
So, people like me who have been loyal to their wireless company are getting hosed. No love for us on the iPhone. The loyal customer price is $399. Even on the Apple site I can’t find $399 mentioned as the price, but that’s how AT&T has always treated loyal customers… horribly.
So, I talked to customer service. If you are like me and are looking to get an iPhone 3G for the advertised $199 instead of the loyal customer price of $399, here are a few tricks the customer service agent told me to try.
#1 Cancel your existing account. Yes, she told me that! After 10 years as a customer, I was told the best service I could get with AT&T was to cancel my account.
#2 Add lines, suspend lines. To get the $199 I could add 2 lines to my family plan for $10 per month and suspend my current 2 lines for free. Eh? She even told me I should just give away my other 2 lines “to anyone.”
#3 Keep calling AT&T until you get someone to agree to give you the upgrade price before your current contract expires. (Mine is in September)
#4 Open a new account under a new name. If you are like me and have a family plan, just close your account under one name and start a new account under the other.
Of course I am not going to do any of these. Next month we are moving across the country and I know
from experience with AT&T that they’ll offer me a new two year contract than. This may also be our time to try a new company, like Verizon.
AT&T has always had the worst customer service in the mobile phone industry. I’ve long held that AT&T is a great company as long as you never call the 800 number and that is re-confirmed every time I talk to “customer care.”
Here I am, a customer of 10 years that would like to re-up his contract for 2 more years at a rate nearly double what he currently pays and I’m told I can do one of 4 “tricks?”
Just thought I would share two annoying things that happened to us over the weekend from local retailers.
- Ritz Camera I’ve not been shy on Twitter about my desire to buy Kristen a killer camera. We finally decided on a lens/body package and headed over to the mall to pick it up. This wasn’t a small purchase and I expected the clerk at the store to treat it that way. What we ended up with was a gum chewing mall rat. She was very nonchalant about the whole thing and a little snobbish. I kept thinking to myself, “We’re spending more in 15 minutes than she’ll make in 2 months.” When we were checking out she repeatedly tried to upsell me. An extra couple memory cards? An extra battery? An extra lens thing? A bag? And my personal favorite… a 3 year replacement plan which costs 75% of the item! So I was annoyed already and ready to leave. Then we went to pay. And then she asked for my drivers license. I thought, “Kind of odd, but whatever.” Then she pulled our some 1995 looking binder and proceeded to start calling the bank. My blood pressure shot up as my blood boiled. We were spending some money, but not THAT MUCH money. After about five minutes of announcing to the small store all sorts of personal information like my bank account numbers, drivers license numbers, home address, phone number… you know, everything someone would need to open a credit card in my name. I was annoyed enough that I had wandered to the front of the store to calm down. Then she hung up the phone and loudly said from the back of the store, “Mr. McLane, you’ve been declined. Do you have another form of payment?” Right in that second I had to make a decision. Lose it or let it go? I chose to let it go and we left the store. The account we were drawing from had 3x’s the amount of cash needed to cover the cost… she was just a twit that couldn’t complete a simple transaction. Want my advice on buying a nice camera? Ebay. I came home, went on Ebay and got a better package deal for $200 less. Forget Ritz. They will be out of business soon anyway.
- There is a gas station in Romeo deserves some exposure. They’ve been running a little scam for a couple of months and it’s time someone says something. They very intentionally advertise their prices at $.10 lower than the gas station across the street. So right now the new station (with the Tim Hortons going in) is $3.99. The offending station has advertised $3.89. The trick is simple… they are actually charging $3.99 but you won’t know that until you put your card in the pump. It’s a scam. It’s stupid. And I hope they get fined for it.
I don’t wish ill-will on anyone or any company. But I just can’t stand bad customer service or false advertising. In the end, the consumer will not be deceived. They may get a sale or two… but business in retail is about repeat business and not single transactions.
There are a lot of businesses going out lately. The difference between winners and losers right now is obvious. And these are two companies that don’t stand a chance.
p.s. For those whining about gas prices. Gas is over $11/gallon in Northern Ireland. And I paid $4.88 in San Diego.
Walking into a bank is like walking into a casino. You walk into the building and think to yourself, “Where did they get all of this money?” The answer is simple: They make it from people like me.
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It’s St. Patrick’s Day! So it’s time to cover the only “Irish” place in town. We’ve lived in Romeo nearly 5 years and this location, 120 S. Main Street, there has been at least restaurants. Younger’s is the only one good enough concept to truly make it.
Location: Downtown Romeo. With ample parking in the rear and street parking, access is never an issue. As far as Romeo is concerned this is prime real estate.
Description: The first time I entered Younger’s I was blown away. I really felt like I had stepped into a place on Rochester Road in downtown Rochester. The owners of Younger’s completely transformed the space. And it looks great. Inside there are two completely different environments. The high top bar area (which I prefer) and the more traditional booth and table seating. It claims to be an Irish bar. And the main bar area could pass for such if the interior were less spacious and featured local football or rugby club decor instead of the “old Ireland” photos. But a noble attempt nonetheless.
The food itself is very good. I particularly enjoy the sweet potato fries and the bleu cheese burger. Soups are also quite good there.
Service: Holding Younger’s back is its service. The upscale feel, decor, quality of cuisine, and price are not always matched by the service of the staff. While they are appropriately friendly they tend to lack knowledge of their products and the food comes very slow. (Plan on lunch taking 70-80 minutes) This is probably fine when one is on a date… but when I’m on lunch or going after church this is simply too long to wait for food.
Cost: These are golf course prices. Typically, a lunch for one will cost $10-11. (burger, fries, pop, tip)
While the quality of the food makes up for that, I am normally so rushed to leave by the time the food arrives that the cost vs. quality equation pushes me to the “don’t come” at the moment of decision. (No such problems with two competitors in the same strip.)
Rating: Gosh, I really love the food here. And I am confident that Younger’s is going to make it. But this is a customer service report… they are “good.” I hope that they address these basics concerns to move on up towards excellence. (Speed, knowledge of product.) They can do better. And with lots of competition for food service business in Romeo at this price point, let’s hope they get it right soon.
Sidenote: I think I’m going to start giving lower ratings for local businesses who don’t have a web page. Heck, I’m willing to barter for food!
from experience with AT&T that they’ll offer me a new two year contract than. This may also be our time to try a new company, like Verizon. 
