Text from Metro by T-Mobile District Manager to his reps details a shady plan to sell accessories
A text message from a Metro by T-Mobile District Manager (DM) to his reps shows just how important accessory sales are to the T-Mobile pre-paid unit. The text is titled "Easy hack for Accessories Sales when taking bill payments" and explains a shady technique that Metro reps working under this DM can use to get customers to purchase accessories when in the store only to pay their bill.
The text says that Metro reps should inform a customer in the store to pay his bill that they will provide the customer with a coupon for accessories. Next, the rep should use the customer's phone to call Metro customer service and pretend to be the customer. While acting as the Metro customer, the rep informs customer service that he/she plans on leaving for another wireless provider because this other firm is offering a free first month of service. Metro customer service will then issue the customer a credit as an enticement to stay with Metro.
While this sounds bad enough, the text then says that this credit given to the customer should be used "strictly for accessories or [for] adding a new line to their account." The reps are told to post a picture of the receipt to the group. Following an example of how this scheme would work with a Metro customer in real life, the District Manager writes that the customer pays the amount he came into the store to pay, but leaves with a new accessory. The DM calls it a "win-win" situation.
Text from Metro District Manager to his reps reveals shady plan to sell accessories. | Image credit-u/Leftsuitcase
Remember, with this plan, the rep is supposed to tell the customer that he is giving him a coupon to purchase accessories. By doing this, the customer isn't suspicious when he walks out of the store with a free accessory. The comments from Redditors were pretty much in line with what you would expect with one posting that this plan is illegal and another stating that the DM wants his reps to commit fraud. "How are these people not in jail?" asks another.
The best way to avoid getting put in this position as a Metro customer is to buy your phone online and pay your monthly bill online. One response on Reddit said the same thing as one Metro customer said that he only went inside a Metro store twice. One time was when he first signed up as a Metro customer, and the second time was to do a SIM swap. This sounds like good advice.
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