# Rude Front-line Sales Staff



## Luftwaffles (Feb 4, 2011)

I'm a new DirecTV customer. I was prompted to switch when my local cable provider, Time Warner, wanted to knock my rates up by $60. Once I knew they wouldn't give me any perks or specials, I immediately started looking for alternatives. Like any well-informed consumer, I shopped around and compared my options and prices for all three available companies - DirecTV, Dish and Time Warner. I think I may have had the worst (and I do mean worst) sales rep experience ever when I called Dish.

When I called Dish to compare pricing I talked with someone who spoke fast, garbled his words, mumbled incoherently from time to time and was pushy and eventually downright rude.

Aside from not hearing 50% of what he had to tell me, at the end of a 5-minute call he became very pushy and wanted me to sign up now now now! When I told him I wasn't ready to do it just yet, that I still had to talk to DirecTV and my cable provider, he wouldn't have it. He said he'd call me back in a few hours (It was 8PM). I said no, and he kept pushing it. Finally I told him, "No, I'll call you once I get this figured out, I just need to know I'm actually saving money here." He told me to have a good evening and hung up. If I would have heard his name the first time around I would've immediately called back and gotten a supervisor.

For that guy to get his panties in a knot over a 5-minute price check call, he must have really been lacking on his sales numbers, and I think I know why.

I may be new to DBS, but I'm definitely not new to customer service. I've worked in a call center before - granted, I wasn't selling anything, but the same principles apply. You should be pleasant to speak with, distinct in your enunciation and above all else, willing to accept when something's not going your way. Compared to D* and Time Warner, the Dish sales rep I spoke with had none of these qualities.

Does anybody else have any horror stories? Is this a common occurrence, or did I just happen to get the one bad egg of the bunch?


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## koji68 (Jun 21, 2004)

I'm sure there are other that had similar experiences. With millions of customers calling Dish, somebody somewhere is going to end up with a sales rep that just want to make the sale, is rude, or uncaring about the customer situation. The same will go with other companies. 

My experience with Dish is that they have good, bad, and in between reps and I have experienced them all. As an average I think they have good, quick and reasonable reps.


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## Nick (Apr 23, 2002)

Sounds more like you were talking to a dealer or sales rep. DishNetwork CSRs aren't perfect, but the ones I've encountered are not that bad, either.


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## thewallfisher (Feb 1, 2011)

"Luftwaffles" said:


> I'm a new DirecTV customer. I was prompted to switch when my local cable provider, Time Warner, wanted to knock my rates up by $60. Once I knew they wouldn't give me any perks or specials, I immediately started looking for alternatives. Like any well-informed consumer, I shopped around and compared my options and prices for all three available companies - DirecTV, Dish and Time Warner. I think I may have had the worst (and I do mean worst) sales rep experience ever when I called Dish.
> 
> When I called Dish to compare pricing I talked with someone who spoke fast, garbled his words, mumbled incoherently from time to time and was pushy and eventually downright rude.
> 
> ...


Do you know what phone number you called? I'm just curious to know if was Dish or a Retail sales company.


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## Luftwaffles (Feb 4, 2011)

I called 1-800-823-4929, which is the number on dish.com.

Unless they share a call center with other companies, I'm certain that it was a Dish sales rep.

I'd expect that a majority of inbound sales people for *all* companies are caring and helpful, but what really confuses me is how somebody can get a job in an inbound sales department yet lack the kind of rudimentary people-skills that I mentioned in the first post.


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## thewallfisher (Feb 1, 2011)

Yep, that's Dish Networks number. I don't think that rep will be working there for long.


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