The journey from there to here
Published on April 5, 2007 By Gideon MacLeish In Misc

I wasn't going to take the call. Last week, a salesman called me four times in a row. As in called, when the voice mail picked up, called again. Four.Times. About a half hour later, he called again and I picked up. I didn't want to, but occasionally (ever so occasionally) it is important.

This one wasn't. It was a deal for Dish Network. A pretty good one, actually, so I listened to his pitch (we've been considering getting television again). It was within our price range, but I needed to wait until Wednesday to have ample funds in my checking account. So he agreed to call me back on Wednesday at 2:30pm.

Wednesday at 2:30 pm, there were no calls. The remainder of the day went by without calls.

Thursday morning at 11:00 am, I got three straight calls in a row from this guy. Again, ring, no voice mail, hang up and call back repeatedly. I was quite busy and could not field the call.

At 2:30 pm, I was again occupied. I don't leave blocks of time set aside for these poo chewers. Five straight calls this time, same MOS. On the fifth call, I picked up. He stated he was only calling repeatedly because I had scheduled him to call at 2:30. I reminded him I had scheduled him to call at 2:30 on WEDNESDAY, and that this was not Wednesday, and that 11:00am was not 2:30. I then instructed him to lose my contact information. He asked why, and I told him it was because of his aggressive tactics.

He then began arguing with me, stating that I had told him to call. I then reminded him of the day, time issues that had ticked me off in the first place and again demanded that he lose my information. He continued to argue.

I then told him I would be happy to discuss the matter with his supervisor. He thanked me and told me to have a good day.

Now, this guy is the perfect example of the worst salesman in the world. He HAD the sale. it was a done deal. But because he was an asshat, he lost it.

I think I WILL have that talk with his supervisor.


Comments
on Apr 06, 2007
I just plain dont talk to telemarketers.  If I want someting, I will go out and get it.  I dont need them to push me to get something.
on Apr 06, 2007
Still, Gid, for someone who's worked the shit jobs you've had to work, you're awfully unforgiving towards others who find themselves in similarly shitty jobs.


No, he told me flat out he was calling me back to back to back like that intentionally. Also, he 1) did not keep a scheduled appointment; 2) called me back on a time that wasn't agreed upon; and 3) called me back TWICE in the middle of important business. I have voice mail, he did not use it.

If there was a deferred payment deal, he did not know how to set it up.

If you had been through this, I don't think you'd agree I was unforgiving. The 11:00 am call and the missed Wednesday appointment were what ultimately did the deal in. Add to the fact that when I did answer, there was no apology whatsoever, and blame was assigned to ME for not answering the phone on the first call when he called Thursday at 2:30 pm.

Missed appointments to me are a VERY big deal, LW. If you can't at least acknowledge and apologize for a missed appointment, you are asserting that your time is more valuable than mine. And considering my hectic schedule, I consider that wholly inexcusable.

Had he at any time apologized for his oversight, had he apologized for the intrusion, I would have taken the deal. But when he tried to assign blame I decided then and there that this is an individual with whom I do NOT want to do business. I have contacted the business itself, and if they want my business, they know where to find me. If not, oh well.
on Apr 20, 2007

Curious if you ever got any satisfaction on this issue Gid, or if you've opted to just continue without for now?

(And even more curious as I think about it, knowing you are a displaced fan of the M's -- had you seriously considered DirecTV during their become a customer and get Extra Innings for free promos?)

on Apr 21, 2007
Honestly, terp, I haven't looked much at DirecTV's packages at all (nor, for that matter, much at Dish Network's). I'm usually not a "big package" kinda guy, and Extra Innings, or something like it is about the only extra I would consider (I already have Gameday Audio, the best bargain on the net, but a few TV games would be cool).

I may get ahold of you once we get the summer semester underway...gonna have to foot half summer's tuition myself or get a student loan (which I'm trying to avoid...I've been strongly considering grad school once I knock off my Bachelor's, so I'd rather save money early so I can use it later if need be). I'm definitely interested, it's just not absolutely essential.
on Apr 21, 2007

Honestly, terp, I haven't looked much at DirecTV's packages at all (nor, for that matter, much at Dish Network's). I'm usually not a "big package" kinda guy, and Extra Innings, or something like it is about the only extra I would consider (I already have Gameday Audio, the best bargain on the net, but a few TV games would be cool).

I may get ahold of you once we get the summer semester underway...gonna have to foot half summer's tuition myself or get a student loan (which I'm trying to avoid...I've been strongly considering grad school once I knock off my Bachelor's, so I'd rather save money early so I can use it later if need be). I'm definitely interested, it's just not absolutely essential.

I agree completely with you about the MLB Gameday Audio.  It is an excellent value at $15 for the entire season's radio broadcast for every team in the league.  Not that I want them to raise the price, but I honestly think it's enough of a value that they could probably charge about 3 times as much for it and not lose many (if any) customers.

MLB also has the MLB.TV broadcasts, but they charge more for them.  Again, probably a bargain if you are a fan of a team outside your own home market, and considering that you get video of every team it really isn't that expensive.   Not something I'd pay for myself, but I can see where it is a value for many.

If I had to choose between Extra Innings (which I believe Dish Network dropped out on this season while DirecTV had tried to get an exclusive on it...   In the end I know that cable was able to keep it on In-Demand, and DirecTV definitely kept the package too) and the MLB.TV stuff, I'd be hard pressed to really put the money in DirecTV's hands considering Extra Innings costs more and really doesn't offer anything you can't get over the net  (except I guess for the opportunity to easily watch on the bigger screen).

If you haven't signed up for either service, then I'd tell you to hold out as long as possible.  Not that I don't like DirecTV (I love my DirecTV equipment and service and the channels I want from the package I get), but if you are trying to save money or have other priorities, then you are better to skip DirecTV for as long as possible.  Same for Dish Network.

I'm really glad that both Dish and DirecTV are there to compete against the cable companies, and I'm glad that Verizon is competing hard against Time-Warner, Comcast, and others.  If you do have the money to spend, you can find some nice bargains among the cable companies and phone companies currently.  Comcast offers a nice package of Phone+Digital Cable Service+Hi-speed internet for $99 (plus taxes).   Verizon has been offering the same.  Competition is a wonderful thing.

Even better (which you probably have already found) is the cheap DSL service that you can get from phone companies.  To me those services are "good enough" hi-speed internet.  Not the fastest, but most certainly good enough, and typically dirt cheap in comparison to cable or FiOS service.

Anyway, you seem to have the priorities for your spending right, and the spending you are doing on your education will most certainly return many times over.  Keep going there, and eventually you might be interested in cable, satellite, etc.  It'll give you a chance to ask everyone's advise again and we can pile on some comments for that article when it's time

 

on Apr 21, 2007
Even better (which you probably have already found) is the cheap DSL service that you can get from phone companies. To me those services are "good enough" hi-speed internet. Not the fastest, but most certainly good enough, and typically dirt cheap in comparison to cable or FiOS service.


Uh, you forget I work for an ISP...DSL sucks...lol!

My neighbor has the basic DSL package. He gets about 500kbps down, about 300 kbps down for $15/month. When I consider my speeds of 1.2-1.4 mbps down, 600-900 kbps up on a package that retails for $34.99, I'd take my service even if I didn't get it at a huge discount.

I still wish I could get a SOHO package, but it isn't offered in our community by ANY service provider.