As if AT&T Stores weren’t getting a bad enough rap from reports that employees were straight-up refusing to bring Apple iPhones onto the showroom floor, it looks like there are some AT&T Stores actually forcing iPhone accessories down the throats of otherwise willing customers.
Gizmodo is reporting that there have been widespread reports of AT&T Stores forcing iPhone buyers to pick up at least two accessories with their $500-$600 iPhone purchase. The following stores are confirmed as super-shady:
University Village AT&T store at 4626 25th Ave NE, Seattle, WA (Phone 206-729-7184).
Hawthorne California AT&T Store at 5249 W. Rosecrans in Hawthorne California (Phone 310-725-9902)
Pike Street in Seattle
And, it doesn’t stop there. Some stores are even sealing the accessories with the iPhone box – so the store can still charge the 10% restocking fee just for breaking the outer seal, even if the actual Apple iPhone box is still factory-sealed.
We speculated that the AT&T Store shadiness was due to the lack of employee and/or store commission on every iPhone sale. But, it also seems that it mght have something to do with the sale of accessories as well. In case you didn’t know, one of the biggest money-makers for mobile phone retailers is the accessory rack. That $30 charger likely only cost the store a few bucks, so it makes sense to push accessories on customers – and those free accessory “deals” are just like a used car dealer giving you “free” floor mats, they seem like a great deal but they’re just a deal closing tactic.
Reports Gizmodo, “A reader tells us if an AT&T rep doesn’t sell between $60-$65 worth of accessories for each phone sale and $20-$30 worth of features, he can be written up and terminated if sales don’t improve within 45 days. If customers came and bought iPhones without accessories, this would have caused a big downwards drag on their record. Each accessory sold will count toward a rep’s sales goals, even if it’s returned the next day, plus he gets six cents on the dollar.”
So, make sure you buy that iPhone from an Apple Store. But, if an AT&T Store is your only neighborhood iPhone retailer, you might want to head on over to the Apple website and order and iPhone online. Apple doesn’t force accessories down your throat.
[Via: Gizmodo]