“Evidence is mounting that Verizon may be pushing Windows Phones over iPhones to customers not sure on which smartphone handset to purchase,” Mark Reschke reports for T-GAAP. “Whether these are isolated incidents at a few stores, or a nationwide push by Microsoft to force their way into the smartphone war is not yet clear.”
“Microsoft attempting to inject themselves into markets they completely missed or believe is critical to the company is nothing new for the Redmond giant,” Reschke reports. “The likely game this go around is to spiff local Verizon representatives with per-handset bonus cash or via weekly/monthly sales totals.”
Reschke reports, “One T-GAAP-er just told us they went seeking a smartphone and were leaning towards an iPhone. The Verizon representatives highly suggested she should get a Windows phone instead. When the customer (she) decided upon an iPhone and wanted to know the difference between the iPhone 4 and 4S, the sales person became rude, rolled her eyes, and simply went through the motions to sell the phone.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: If true, Apple would be wise to nip this in the bud as this has “Sears,” written all over it. (As in, salespeople from Sears et al. for years pushed shitty Windows PCs over superior Macs – which they neglected and often never even turned on – in order to cash in bribes (spiffs) paid by Windows PC makers.)
Has anyone else witnessed Verizon Wireless salespeople pushing Windows Phone or other phones over Apple iPhones?
Related articles:
Nokia paying AT&T up to $25 million for exclusive employee use of Lumia 900 Windows Phone – March 23, 2012
You want back into the Mac market? Apologize to Mac users first – September 4, 2006
Being an AT&T customer since the early 90’s the last time in to get a phone may 2011.the salesperson was pushing android phones even though I had 4 iPhones on my plan .apple needs to hit this action hard as salespeople control the sale over people easily swayed or uninformed .a friend of mine just purchased an iPhone 4s ,I just stayed behind him ,the salesperson tried to talk him out of it ,saying first all phones are the same ,then android will be here 5 years from now and apple won’t .this behavior is not acceptable .appke needs to look into it quick .
Frankly, I don’t think it’s a big deal. If something like this was going to affect iPhone sales in any meaningful way, it would have happened already. The competition has had special promotions and “2 for 1” deals, and that never adversely affected iPhone sales; Apple seems to be able to sell as many iPhones as they produce, at full price.
Verizon (or AT&T) is not going to want to rely solely on iPhone sales, so even if there wasn’t any financial incentive (these “spiffs”), they will always try to push alternate products. That’s nothing new either.
I think most of the customers who buy an iPhone walk into the store wanting an iPhone. The “sale” is already made; it just needs to be executed. Most of those people are not going to be talked out of buying an iPhone by a salesperson. The small percentage of customers who are “easily swayed or uninformed” can buy something else, and it does not affect overall iPhone sales; Apple will still sells as many as they make, at full price.
The most “vulnerable” (and not-so-small) segment is the uninformed who haven’t experienced the iPhone user experience and believe that all feature phones are created equal.
Apple could quickly drop CDMA support for Verizon.
Gawd! This is business in the real world!
Spiffs can sometimes mean the difference between making/missing a mortgage payment.
Apple has been contending with this since it went public and as Ken says, the company who has missed every major technological shift since 1997, is not a threat to anyone but themselves.
The very idea that Apple should somehow punish Verizon for accepting money for promoting a product is laughable.
All I ever heard about Apple vengence was vocalized by one individual regarding IP theft, iPhone, Android, and the process is pretty much ongoing.
Oh fricking please about your mortgage payment reference. Screw any salesperson who misleads customers to the wrong product for self-concerned, spiff-related reasons. You are a douche. There I said it. Meant it too.
Who said anything about misleading consumers? YOU as the customer walk out with whatever YOU settled for.
Case closed.
Wow, you just get sleazier. The job of a salesperson is to LISTEN to the customer, INFORM the customer based on what you the salesperson learned from the customer, and help the customer pick the product that will be best for them. Dude, you’re a piece of work and very much alone in this argument.
Really? After all this time you finally mean it? Ooh.
Girls, girls! You’re both pretty. Now kiss and make up.
That’s a great idea! Maybe Apple could drop support for what ever network you are on also. Heck Apple should drop support on all networks. That will teach those sales people.
It’s been suggested that Beta Video Tape went the way of the dodo due to the Spiffs offered by the VHS crowd.
Then same BS goes on in my business. So many sleazy cheaters. Just like Democrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah, glad the upstanding Newt is out there!
My goodness. I’d seek counselling to have that obsession dealt with. Not everything has to do with your obsessive hatreds.
Nice Swing Granny, nice. Now go back and take your meds.
BS.
Betamax went Pro and VHS went public. Americans aren’t going to pay extra for superior quality when there is a generic brand available. You know, like Android is to iPhone.
The movie studios and television industry wouldn’t have shit to do with VHS because it just wasn’t broadcast quality. Bring a promo to a TV station on VHS and watch them snicker and then reject your product. Half-inch tape rules in studio!
Not BS. Where I worked, Sony would give volume discounts to the business, so the sales staff didn’t see correct pricing. In addition JVC give spiffs to the sales guys on the floor. Though, you are absolutely right about the Pro side.
I have seen this when Verizon first got the iPad. The Zoom and other Android tablets were being pushed when I was in their store looking at their tablet selection. Cell phone stores, especially independently owned ones will always push where the money is. If they are currently pushing Windows 7 phones it simply means they are making more money on them. Not sure what Apple can really do to prevent this though?
This is likely a BS story. Verizon only sells 1 Windows phone (not “Windows phoneS”) and it is a bargain phone not anything close to an iPhone in any way, shape or form.
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/store/controller?item=phoneFirst&action=viewPhoneDetail&selectedPhoneId=5635
What part of the story mentions a “Windows phoneS”? Did I miss it?
I know three sales persons at a phone store and they all say they have to sell the stuff that does not sell itself. That includes promoting Android and Windows over the iPhone. They get more commission doing that.
this is the issue.
The phones don’t sell themselves, the salespeople get a bonus for selling the crap that doesn’t.
My parents owned a Yamaha dealership, same situation.
We sold every R1 and R6 we could get our hands on, but Yamaha did NOT give us a bonus of any kind for selling them. Virago 250… Different story.
My mom just got her 4S a few weeks ago. It was free from a promotion with a company she deals with, got it at the apple store and had to go to AT&T to fix the switching error the apple sales guy did… AT&T said it was a common mistake the apple store makes a lot.
My mom has the 4s in her hand… Contract already started, the AT&T sales guy was trying to get her to switch to android.
There was no way she’d switch, I was there anyway, but it was funny to listen to the guy beg her to switch.
Its all about the bonus from ms/google/carrier.
Apple doesn’t need one to sell the iPhone.
Stuffing tactics will backfire on Verizon. Customers have long memories.
The Verizon people did not push the iPhone they pushed the Motorrola crap. Oh, I bought two iPhone 4S.
Well, no matter what, come November when my AT&T contract is up I’m switching to Verizon and the new iPhone 5. I’ve waited long enough for decent coverage in my workplace, and Verizon has it in spades.
Yep, me too. I noticed when I got my iPad 3 that the reception was much better on Verizon than my old iPad 1 on AT&T. Hugely better. I have to use a MicroCell at home to even have the old AT&T be usable with my iPhone 4. So switcheroo to Verizon it is come iPhone 5, or just the “new iPhone”, day.
Gosh darn Peter, did you not think maybe the 4G LTE from Verizon would be better than the 3G non LTE rom AT&T? Would you also be surprised to learn that a V8 corvette is faster than your Kia 4 cylinder? Wow, you really understand technology, I am going to use your expertise next time I buy a phone. Yeah, right.
In his defense my city doesn’t have Verizon 4g only their 3g so if say he isn’t in a major city he may just be on Verizon 3g only, just a thought.
Reception, not speed. Read before you chide…
Gosh darn HughB………what Indentured1 said below +1000.
pete, ignore Hugh. Guy has anger issues.
Just the other day my friend went to buy an iphone to verizon and was convinced to get an android!! I couldnt believe he was so stupid.
Verizon stores push for anything other then the iPhone. The sales people must get a bigger commission.
‘Verizon stores push for anything other then the iPhone.’
Also ‘than’ the iPhone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I work part time at a Sprint retailer, iMobile, all of the sales people push Android phones bc they have a personal vendetta against Apple products. My theory is they are all conditioned due to having to badmouth the iPhone for not having it for so long. I have told them several times what they do is borderline criminal.
We’re also a tech repair center and it’s pathetic how many Androids come in and out of that place.
I wouldn’t buy into this conspiracy theory. If this was happening, we would have heard it from at least on Apple-fan employee. These are just geek salespersons who own Android phones themselves because they just hate Apple. Probably because iPhones are so easy to use and people won’t have to beg them to explain why those new apps won’t work on their phone that is only one year old.
I live where only Verizon has enough signal strength to work reliably. I had to wait for the iPhone long after most had the pleasure of using it. Of course, I bought at the beginning of the Verizon stage of iPhone availability and that being said, there was no wavering on the sales clerk’s pitch. That being said, I would bet on pushing the newest phone, on the manufacturers part or pushing the least subsidized phone, on the carriers part.
Mixed feelings here. Honestly can’t believe that people actually listen to “experts” when it is so easy to do your own research and become your own expert.
Either way its your responsibility…………so…………?
I did see att one AT&T employee pushing a windows phone over an iPhone.
I’ve overheard more than once and in mulitple stores, sales people upselling Android phones on the notion “you have to pay for IPhone apps, whereas Android apps are free”.
It is basic human nature: say ANYTHING to nudge the customer to that which you get a higher commission on.
I’ve often asked Salespeople what the difference is in their commissions between product A vs B. They’ll of course deny that there’s any difference .. but their rhetoric for Brand A vs B often softens quite surprisingly.
This one doesn’t need any bad MS conspiracy theory – – it is sure to just come down to the localized profit motivations. There’s no doubt that VZW must send out messages to its retail stores about which products to push…based on the profit that VZW will make on them, because that’s what all businesses do, from WalMart to Ford.
-hh
I haven’t experienced this personally, but know of several people who got this treatment only with Android handsets. One person I know was haggled for 45 minutes from a V sales associate because she wanted an iPhone and they were trying to convince her to buy a Droid. I warned my mother in law when she started smartphone shopping that they would push and push and push her to buy an Android, and would even try to scare her into buying one, event old her exactly what they would say. Sure enough, she walked home with an Android and told me all the things they told her to spook her out of the iPhone; same stuff I told her they would say. It’s a joke. The reality is that they make more off the Android and Windows phones than the iPhone, so they are always going to push the product that gets them, the sales associate, more sales to their name. The stores are a mess to go into. When I bought my Blackberry, I was in there over and hour. When I upgraded to my iPhone, I just called the corporate line and was done in 15 minutes tops. I stuck w/ V since ’07 when the original iPhone launched, said I would wait until it landed at V, however, if they muck this up and for whatever odd reason get their iPhone contract pulled… I WILL leave Verizon.
I know of at least 5 people who I have convinced to buy iPhones. They generally had older phones and were outside of their contracts. I simply point out that the iPhone has more uses, costs about the same as their current plans and why continue to pay for the old plan. Never pushy, just say why it is the best phone out there.
I think one of the reasons the store clerks push other phones is that the iPhone sells itself. Their ego drives them to try and convince customers to change their mind.
Never bought an iPhone from the cell phone company so I have not experienced their selling tactics. The Apple store is so much easier. In and out in 10 mins.
You only have to go to their website. There’s lots of stuff featured in the slide show at the top. All Android. They’re pushing free phones. There is a area in the lower left to get information on the iPhone 4s, but the iPhone is seldom prominently featured on either Verizon’s or AT&Ts site.
AT&t is pushing the new Nokia Windows phone also.
AT&T does not give their sales people any commission on an iPhone. One because it sells itself and two the subsidy they pay is so high. Therefore they will push Android phones to make money.
It isn’t surprising that Verizon is doing something similar with Windows. Hopefully Windows doesn’t have the fragmentation Android does. Once I explain that about Android and explain the resale value of the iPhone that convinces almost everyone to go with Apple.
Bottom line never trust a salesman that works for commission. Do your homework and understand what you are buying. But with how many people there still are to upgrade to smartphones plenty will still be influenced in what makes the most for the salesman and isn’t the best for the buyer.
“… Bottom line never trust a salesman that works for commission. Do your homework and understand what you are buying.”
This is great advice for almost everything – not just buying tech.
I can easily believe this. When I went into my local Verizon store a month ago to buy an iPhone 4s, the sales guy asked me no fewer than three times if I’d be willing to consider one of the other phones. I just kept saying Nope – Nope – Nope – but he seemed unusually slow at getting the message.
This has been going on for years. Surprised to see this as being news. The sales people will seek whatever makes them money.
People can be easily persuaded by aggressive sales jerks.
If true, maybe it was a temporary spiff by microsoft to V employees.
Apple doesn’t pander.
This would more than explain the drastic difference in market penetration when comparing iPods vs. iPhones. A store will want to get rid of whatever is taking up room on the shelves and not selling. So offer more commission or those products.
Not like Apple products have to try…
I wouldn’t get all excited about this if these are merely isolated reports. However, if Verizon is deliberately promoting Microsoft phones over iPhones this tactic will eventually bite them in the ass. Firstly, the customer will be dissatisfied and disappointed, and regret their association with Verizon. Secondly, Apple will find take notice and things will get very ugly indeed for Verizon.