Sprint store required me to buy accessories with iPhone 5

[astral125]

I read about this yesterday. Terrible.

http://www.imore.com/sprint-retailer-only-sells-iphone-5-if-customer-buys-accessory-bundle-too

 

[docprego]

Also go back with your new iPhone and take some videos/pictures. If corporate doesn't respond, post that on here and YouTube. Im sure someone will pick it up. I hate shady businesses - especially a corporate chain.

This is my mission tomorrow.

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I read about this yesterday. Terrible.

http://www.imore.com/sprint-retailer-only-sells-iphone-5-if-customer-buys-accessory-bundle-too

To everyone critical of my actions, follow this link. Many people are sadly being treated the same way.

 

[indyzzzz]

I'm hardly a sap. Just caught up in the moment.



I'm a mistreated customer, I didn't mess up anything.



You guys are brutal. I've been at this phone game since the beginning and never encountered anything like this before. I fell victim to the excitement in the moment, simple as that.

What do you expect us to do? mollycoddle you? Im not your mommy. Grow up and stand up for what you think is right. Dont give us the BS about "ooooh I couldnt wait a week or two to get a shiny new toy, so I let them rip me a new one." You will find no sympathy for your "plight" since your weakness is what caused it. Stores are getting fresh stock everyday and some of the major ones are getting stock a few times a day. But you could not wait.

And after realizing what is the right thing to do (hope you did, or are u just a troll ?), you still want to take the easy,lazy, "Im just a weak, dumb customer" path. You are asking for the brutal responses.

This is my mission tomorrow.

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To everyone critical of my actions, follow this link. Many people are sadly being treated the same way.

Like I said, i love you saps. Just because others fell for the same trap, it does not make you look any better. If anything, it makes it worse, that you are still pursuing this "Im not the only dumbass, look there are others!" defensive avenue, instead of righting the wrong that was "done to you".

 

[lawlbringer]

There are a lot of stores doing this...you should know better. I realize you want the new phone, but these types of business practices are beyond pathetic and should be reported. Retail is a dying business in general, so these stores are desperate to make numbers/margin with accessories.

While I was waiting for the clueless kid at RadioShack to activate my iPhone 5(he was asking 'WHERE'S THE SIM?' rofl...) his manager was helping another lady get hers. The manager told this lady, and I kid you not: "we're not allowed the sell the new phones without a case."

I was appalled. This is a really bad business practice a lot of retail stores are resorting to because they are poor salespeople and/or are straight up lazy and completely lack integrity. If you can't sell a case to someone, especially at launch when ALL cases are overpriced, then you should work in fast food or Walmart.

 

[renesandy]

At the 4 launch AT&T corporate store forced Apple Care onto me. I later returned it at another store.

 

[lawlbringer]

At the 4 launch AT&T corporate store forced Apple Care onto me. I later returned it at another store.

I really hope you reported this to AT&T corporate.

Anyone else who gets cornered in to this BS should really make it be known. Don't feel sorry for whoever gets fired, it's retail...they'll find another job.

 

[SAD*FACED*CLOWN]

That's called "bundling" and it's illegal. Apple and Sprint clearly advertised the price of the phone, and it wasn't contingent upon buying accessories you may or may not need. Write a letter to your state's attorney general complaining about it, and cc: the CEO of Sprint, Tim Cook, and the manager of the local store. You will get a response very quickly. Include any specific statements you recall. If you know anyone else who got the runaround, all the better.

Apple wants its re-sellers to follow the rules. I'm sure Sprint corporate does too.

Bundling is not illegal you have a choice to buy or walk out...RadioShack did this to me with my purchase of a iPhone 4 in 2010, they forced an AppleCare plan on me...I wanted the phone which was in limited supply at the time so I bought it and the bundled apple care

 

[Arcsylver]

When I bought my iPhone 5 at the Evanston Illinois Sprint store what I was offered was 20% off any accessories at the time of purchase of the phone.

No bundling, just a flat rate discount on the accessories. This sounds like a manager desperate to get corporate off his back because his accessory sales are down and her is catching hell from corporate.

 

[KPOM]

Bundling is not illegal you have a choice to buy or walk out...RadioShack did this to me with my purchase of a iPhone 4 in 2010, they forced an AppleCare plan on me...I wanted the phone which was in limited supply at the time so I bought it and the bundled apple care

Bundling can be illegal if it's misleading. In other words, if Sprint made it clear that their phones were available for a set price at any of their corporate stores, and then "required" people to buy bundles to get the phones at the advertised price, it would be misleading.

A private re-seller who advertises that a phone is $279 or $199 if you buy $80 worth of accessories is in the clear.

 

[PhoenixMac]

This is one of the reasons I buy direct from Apple on launch.

 

[rever3nce]

I work wireless retail and I know some people at other stores will say " the phone is free when you purchase X Amout of $ in accessories" it truly is sad!! Just give the customer what they want and they will always come back to you

 

[Bathplug]

I hope Liam Neesons your dad because you got taken lmao

 

[JTToft]

If that had happened to me, I would have walked out, filed a complaint immediately and the company would have lost a costumer for life.

 

[boomhower]

I would have walked out without a phone. That is insane. And they wonder why everyone makes fun of Sprint as and why they are by far and away the worst of the big 4 carriers. Coverage isn't everything. My Verizon store is completely incompetent but at least they are trying.

 

[ZBoater]

I would have returned the accessories to another store, then taken the receipt to the original manager and stuck my tongue out at him. Then I would have written a letter to Dan Hesse with the manager's name, store number, and would have given him a piece of my mind in two paragraphs or less.

 

[lsutigerfan1976]

I would have returned the accessories to another store, then taken the receipt to the original manager and stuck my tongue out at him. Then I would have written a letter to Dan Hesse with the manager's name, store number, and would have given him a piece of my mind in two paragraphs or less.

I still don't think some of you really understand what is happening. If they are doing what the COR stores are doing, you can't just return the accessories at another store. All of the Sprint stores would include accessories into their bundle prices. So if you tried to go somewhere else, they would just tell you sorry you can't because it is part of the bundle. That happened when i worked for AT&T. Your choice at the time was to either go to a place like Best Buy, and authorized rep etc. But if you went to an AT&T cor store, any cor store in my area, they would let you know that you could not buy the phone without the bundle included.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

I still don't think some of you really understand what is happening. If they are doing what the COR stores are doing, you can't just return the accessories at another store. All of the Sprint stores would include accessories into their bundle prices. So if you tried to go somewhere else, they would just tell you sorry you can't because it is part of the bundle. That happened when i worked for AT&T. Your choice at the time was to either go to a place like Best Buy, and authorized rep etc. But if you went to an AT&T cor store, any cor store in my area, they would let you know that you could not buy the phone without the bundle included.

Where are all those at&t customers who were forced to buy the iPhone 5 bundled with accessories then? We're certainly not hearing from them.

 

[swordfish5736]

what does the receipt say about returns?

 

[irod87]

I would file a complaint. Apple informs retailers they are not allowed to do this. Even if you wanted the case I would return it and buy from somewhere else just for their poor business practices.

 

[Primejimbo]

Remind me again why at&t is so bad.

Some do it too

I heard about some AT&T stores pulling shady moves like that.
I wouldnt bother and I would file a complain with the company. Making purchase something you dont want in order to get the phone? That's nonsense.

I remember Radio Shack doing this also

I agree. No way this was from a Sprint corporate store. Not to be a douche, but can you post the receipt from the store you got it from? If its just an authorized dealer, then you just just made that store a small profit as they make their money on activation and accessories.

Now maybe this changed, but I thought only corporate stores can sell the iPhone. The "authorized dealers" (either Sprint,AT&T, or Verizon) couldn't sell the iPhone.

Fact is these stores will do this because this is a hot item. Is it wrong? Maybe, but if you don't want to buy that stuff, wait on the phone. When the demands lower, this won't happen.

 

[phinsup]

I had the AT&T store tell me the same thing n the iPhone 4. She said they were saving the phones for people who bought accessories. I went strait to the manager and he sorted it out.

 

[drbf]

So what do they threaten you with if you bring back the accessories? I wouldn't have bought the phone with the accessories in the first place. But assuming i had done that, i would have not opened the accessories and brought them back. What could they have done? Nothing really.

yes, return the accessories. very bad business practice..................

 

[freediverdude]

Like Applejuiced said, immediately go and take pictures of the sign. If you feel uncomfortable going back in there, have a friend go in and casually do it with their phone. Then send this along with an email telling your story and copy of the receipt to Sprint corporate, and see what they say first. If they just ignore you, then go with the BBB and state attorney general. On the positive side, actually going through with the purchase instead of walking out gave you proof of what happened, so this is a good case to bring forward.

 

[imazu]

bundling items as an offer for buying an iphone 5 is different from requiring to buy the iphone 5. i do understand that you got cornered to buying accessories to get the iphone 5 cause they know if you don't somebody else will. at the same time it's never too late to take action and let them learn that it's not a proper business practice just for the store to keep on going or commission whichever or whatever the reason is no matter what the cost.

 

[Squid7085]

This is one of the reasons why I got out of retail. I never had the heart or the conscience to sell overpriced accessories to people who didn't need them. I always did my job, but I was up front with them about what they may or may not need. A no was a no, period. Ironically, my "honesty" with people kept me within the range of where my accessory percentage needed to be. Imagine that! However, it was well below those that said a TV NEEDS to have a screen cleaning cloth. When I was moved to management I was appalled by the things were were supposed to do to push accessories. I stuck to my moral guns about it, and of course being over shadowed by those who pushed things on people that they didn't need. I always told my employees to follow their own moral compass on pushing things to people, and not to push it too far. The day I got an office job and walked out of retail was the happiest moment of my life.