Over the years, I’ve worked at many call centers for different wireless telephone companies (I won't name them but they’re in Canada) as a customer service agent and sales representant. The more I advance in the company, the more I become familiar with the products and how to deal with the customers. One thing you have to learn is that the Customer is ALWAYS right no matter what! So based on this knowledge, you can already do a lot, but knowing the real secret behind the way big telecommunication companies work and handle their clients gives you much more power in a negotiation conversation with an agent. Of course, you need experience in knowing the right argument and knowing when to use it but all of that comes with practice. The secret to get anything you desire (or almost anything, let's be realistic) from the cellular phone companies is cancellation. The trick is so easy that anyone can do it, even if you have a contract.
If you have a contract of 1 or 2 years, you're good to do it but if you JUST signed a contract with the company, you will have to wait at least 6 months unless you just took a contract and they did not offer anything with it, then you can call and complain. Basically, everyone is allowed to ONE upgrade per year (for a free new cell phone) and sometime "if you have been a good customer" they will let it slide for 6 to 8 month of usage for the free phone. It always depends on the agent you’re talking with (good or bad mood makes a difference).
If you do NOT have a contract, they will gladly give you what you desire but with the condition of taking a contract. Usually they give you a 2 year or a 3 year contract. Don't be afraid of a 3 year contract because most of the companies have a cancellation ceiling of 200$. Before you do anything, make sure the companies that you’re dealing with has a ceiling, because if they don't, they will calculate every remaining months of your contract and the bill can come up to around 700$. So make sure they have a price ceiling and you’re golden! Like I mentioned earlier, don't be afraid of the 3 year contract because what most people tend to do is, when they have 2 years remaining on their contract, they call for a new phone, or a huge discount or free phone, then the agent will have to give the customer a NEW 3 CONTRACT. Don’t get fooled. You will only get 1 additional year on the contract; they will NEVER add up both contracts (old and new one) together to give you a total of a contract of 5 years. If they ever do (which seems impossible to me but you never know) they will tell you about it, but it's always a good idea to ask.
The way to get a free phone and free features - It is very simple but you must do everything step by step. Call to the customer service of your cell phone company and ask for the department of cancellation. They will usually ask why and THEY will try assist you. DO NOT let the customer service agents get involved in the cancellation process because you can loose a LOT of time with them because at the end, they will have to redirect you to the cancellation department or they will offer you something good....but not good enough. Don't forget, your intentions are not to cancel your account but to make them think that you will be canceling your contract with the company. If they really push it and insist on helping you, just say that you’re going to cancel no matter what OR that you have problems with everything and that you’re switching to their competitor. They would usually transfer you right away to the cancellation department, which is also called Retention department. Just make sure that they know tha you’re going to cancel you’re contract and that they can't do anything to help you. Once the retention agent gets on the line and asks what’s going on, complain about the following things in a very calm and polite way.
- Reception (complain that your cell phone never gets antenna)
-Price (complain about the high price that your paying)
-Cell Phone (complain that your cell phone is almost dead or that it doesn’t work at all)
-Customer service (complain that you have waited half an hour on the phone for an agent to pick up)
So what I usually do is start by saying "yes well I have lots of problems with this phone, every time I make a call, it always cuts and I have to call back all the time, I can hardly receive calls and when I do, either the line cuts or the phone dies on me (blaming the "broken" cell phone and the wireless reception). I also find I pay to much for this phone and I can't really afford this, Company X (find a competitor’s name) is giving me much more minutes and cheaper calling features than you, that's why I’m going with them and I want to cancel my account. I'm already in a bad mood because I had to wait a half hour before I could speak to someone so please cancel my account." After saying all that, in a very polite and mature way, they would try to offer you something MUCH better at a cheaper price and with a free phone. That is their job, TO KEEP YOU WITH THEM! So they have to find the best possible offer for your needs in order to keep you. They have to negotiate with you before they actually cancel your account. And if they ever say that they’re going to process your cancellation, hang up right away and call back another retention agent because they are not allowed to cancel your account without keeping you on the phone with them until you confirm that you agree for the cancellation. And when you call back, if they ask, just say that the line got cut because of your "broken" phone.
You can do this every couple of months for the cheaper or possibly free calling features (an example would be free voicemail or free caller ID or even a cheaper bundle) and you can do it once a year for a free cellular phone. Sometime you can call after 6 to 8 months to see if the agent will give it to you. I personally pay 25$ a month for 250 minutes in the day time, unlimited after 6pm and weekends, free caller display, free voicemail and 125 free text messages, unlimited calls between people in the same company, 100 minutes long distance calls in Canada and a free phone every year. All I’m missing is unlimited incoming calls, but that’s my next target. But keep in mind that I did not get all that from only one call, it’s usually one (free/cheap) item per call...maybe two if you’re lucky.
So if we recap, the customer is ALWAYS right, complaining as much as possible about the product is good as long as you stay polite and kind. Make sure you complain about what you want to upgrade or get for free. And always sound serious about your cancellation and your interest for their competitor’s products. But, if the agent tries to go with the cancellation, just hang up and try to get a new retention agent. And you shouldn’t feel bad thinking that you’re abusing them because if you think about it, they are overcharging everything. It doesn’t cost them anything if you talk 24/7 on your wireless phone, so why should they charge you incredible amounts of money for every extra minutes used. Think about that. The retention agents are paid for that and it doesn’t hurt to know a secret way of getting things for free.
Good luck and enjoy!
