Also if you are in sales why not have your manager add the waived activation SOC in your ordering system. I know its a possibility you have to get the manager to override it. I usually have no problem helping. My gripe is RM reps who have the same amount that they can credit who transfer to CCARE for credit. RM reps have higher SOA in management then we do, if you feel a credit is merited credit the account instead of passing it off to someone else!

I am a Manager of an Authorized Retailer. We are not able to credit bills in any type of way.

My RAE has told me to never EVER call in to get act fees waived.

😕

((still did it quite a few times though. 😁))

Really? My RAE even helps me at times.

Check again Shada...the account access for authorized retailer is exactly teh same as teh customer (account holder or calling on behalf of). Even if you select employee supporting customer, you will see that anyone calling can be helped as long as they can provide account name and passcode/ssn.

In my department this is what the decision flow for authorized retailer is telling me.

Account Verification Process for Indirect Dealer, Agent, and National Retailer Stores - BMCC

For Indirect Dealer, Agent and National Retailer Stores Calls

1 Obtain the Dealer or Agent's:

Full Name
Location

2 Request to speak to the customer. The customer must verify the account directly with BEUC/BRM before assisting the agent.

Verify the account according to account type VID policy.
CRU
Small Business
IRU Accounts
BRM reps, see VID - BRM.

3 After the customer verifies the account, the Sales representative may get back on the line for assistance.

Note: The customer must physically be located in the store in order for u...
(continues)

ok that explains it, biz care is different from regular consumer care in account access.

Thank you biz care for making things harder on everyone!!!

hey its not us it att i wouldnt care what store was calling in or who it was as long as they could verify but that our policy sorry

OMG are you serious??? what decision flow are you reading?!? it clearly says that even with an internal employee you must verify the account with the normal information! At no time does this state the customer must be put on the phone to verify teh account!!!

I figured it out, we're both right.

Consumer Care and Business Care have different verification policies.

I work in Business End User Care, we have to verify with customers when calls are placed from indirect dealers, agents, or national retailers.

I reviewed the policy Consumer Care follows and I agree that you guys don't have to speak with the customer.

i sure wish it was consistent. doesn't make sense to me, especially if it's an IRU...thats just a regular consumer account for all intents and purposes. That would make our agents/cor reps happier i'm sure. I mean it doesn't make sense, I can call on a biz account and say i am the mobile user (or even the account holder) and you'd help me right? But if I say I am a cor rep, then you can't. Punishing honesty is not a good thing.

Actually if you say you are a COR rep, we can take the call and VID like we would for an internal employee, because COR reps are considered internal employees and just like internal employees we are supposed to verify your ATTUID and the account information, the customer does not have to be present. Only when dealing with authorized retailers, national retailers etc, does the customer have to be present.

Yea it just gets old, we try to go the extra mile and help the customer by giving the good customer care and att CS fights us. I have had many people go to different providers due to the type of service we were NOT able to give them in a store. Customers dont want to call att and wait on hold then talk to a cs rep, they have better things to do. It just gets old when a CS rep fights the store rep. I have had many complaints filed on me cause they piss me off and I call them incompetent. They seem to hate that word.

Why not just hang up on the rep instead of fighting with an idiot and call back? We get monitored on repeat calls. 🙂

well the trick would be skibum, if it's just an IRU not a real business account, call in and don't put in the number, that way you get to consumer customer care and we don't have to have the customer in the store.

poor you, you have to have the customer present. for the most part Customer Service is doing what they are told to do. Just as you in your ignorance are doing what you are told to do. Unfortunately it seems that often what we in customer service are told and what you an authorized dealer are told, is completely opposite.

Now let's not get mean, remember that he, just like you point out, is only doing his job. Why call it ignorance?

So why is it so hard to help the customer, let them go on there day and take care of the issue without them there? Is that a lot to ask? Customer service is what customers want these days, not to sit at a store while the rep is on hold and wait while they could be doing other things. I just dont think its a big deal for us to be able to call in and help a customer while the customer is not there. I now know to dial all zeros to avoid business customer care. Thank you for everyone that helped with that. Also, sorry for being rude in the original post. It was the heat of the moment and I was heated.

skibum you had every right to be blunt/rude, considering how much this frustrated you. we are truly all on the same team and it's about time we start acting like it.