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Several years ago I worked at an "Authorized retailer" for one of the major wireless providers, meaning it wasn't run by the provider itself, but rather a 3rd party company and really sleazy one at that.
When I started I like my manager and other coworker, we got along and things were great. Two months later it all started to go downhill.
This company was BEYOND hardcore with their sales quotas. My manager happened to come up short for a particular month and even though we as a store improved over the previous year, the company was not happy.
So they told her she could either find another job, or stay at our store but as a regular associate and she would be knocked to $8/hr. They weren't exactly nice about doing this either. She left early one day in tears after talking to corporate on the phone.
She decided to quit and even apologized to me for doing so because she wouldn't be around to finish my training and I would have to learn some things all over again.
The new manager came in and BOY was this woman a piece of work. The company not only brought her in, but also replaced my other coworker as well. Unfortunately my new manager and new CW were practically family. They were not related by blood, but knew each others families very well and their husbands were apparently close friends too. So you can see I had the deck stacked against me from the beginning.
It just went downhill from there:
- She flat out stole a couple of commissions from me by altering the info in the system. I never caught her doing this, but did discover later on she somehow made commissions on days she was OFF and I happened to be here. She blamed the problem on a "computer glitch" and said she'd report it to corporate.
- She got mad at me for saving a sale. Yes you read that right. I had to call the cell providers customer service and work it out with them but bottom line, I got two activations sealed up and right at the end of the month to boot but because I didn't do them EXACTLY the way I was supposed to, she ripped me a new one.
- She was a control freak. She made it clear to me that I had no authority whatsoever and if a customer had an issue on a day she was off I was to call her and if I couldn't get in touch with her, have her call the customer back when it was convenient for her. Anything at all that went outside standard procedures was forbidden for me. This made things very difficult.
- I had to eat a write up because one night I forgot to drop the deposit off at the bank before I went home. I called her and offered to go back that night or drop it off in the morning. She told me it was ok to drop it off in the morning. Three weeks later, I get a talking to and a formal write up from the District manager for not dropping off the deposit that night. I told DM that my manager had told me to take it in the morning. Nope, not good enough, I had to take the write up. Did I mention my manager was PRESENT FOR ALL OF THIS AND DIDN'T DEFEND ME ONE BIT?
The company itself had issues:
- Nowhere did they advertise we were an authorized retailer. The only name in the store, on the doors, on the sign out front was the name of the major provider. Customers would get pissed all the time when they found out that were only an authorized retailer and for example, it would cost them $5 to pay their bill with us vs. a no fee payment at a corporate store.
- They did repair at several locations and apparently didn't do it very well. The same phones would come back again and again and again.
- When the recession hit in early 2009, I finally saw the writing on the wall and put in my two weeks notice. The very first day I came back to work after that, DM called and told me to turn in my keys and go home RIGHT THEN AND THERE. I understand the company was within their rights to do this, but it still burns me that they did.
Well, I happened to drive by the store the other day and what did I see? It was EMPTY. Completely empty. I think they finally did themselves in. There was no "We've moved!" sign or other indicator they are now in a different location, just a big ol' empty store.
I don't think I've ever smiled wider.
Good riddance.
When I started I like my manager and other coworker, we got along and things were great. Two months later it all started to go downhill.
This company was BEYOND hardcore with their sales quotas. My manager happened to come up short for a particular month and even though we as a store improved over the previous year, the company was not happy.
So they told her she could either find another job, or stay at our store but as a regular associate and she would be knocked to $8/hr. They weren't exactly nice about doing this either. She left early one day in tears after talking to corporate on the phone.
She decided to quit and even apologized to me for doing so because she wouldn't be around to finish my training and I would have to learn some things all over again.
The new manager came in and BOY was this woman a piece of work. The company not only brought her in, but also replaced my other coworker as well. Unfortunately my new manager and new CW were practically family. They were not related by blood, but knew each others families very well and their husbands were apparently close friends too. So you can see I had the deck stacked against me from the beginning.
It just went downhill from there:
- She flat out stole a couple of commissions from me by altering the info in the system. I never caught her doing this, but did discover later on she somehow made commissions on days she was OFF and I happened to be here. She blamed the problem on a "computer glitch" and said she'd report it to corporate.
- She got mad at me for saving a sale. Yes you read that right. I had to call the cell providers customer service and work it out with them but bottom line, I got two activations sealed up and right at the end of the month to boot but because I didn't do them EXACTLY the way I was supposed to, she ripped me a new one.
- She was a control freak. She made it clear to me that I had no authority whatsoever and if a customer had an issue on a day she was off I was to call her and if I couldn't get in touch with her, have her call the customer back when it was convenient for her. Anything at all that went outside standard procedures was forbidden for me. This made things very difficult.
- I had to eat a write up because one night I forgot to drop the deposit off at the bank before I went home. I called her and offered to go back that night or drop it off in the morning. She told me it was ok to drop it off in the morning. Three weeks later, I get a talking to and a formal write up from the District manager for not dropping off the deposit that night. I told DM that my manager had told me to take it in the morning. Nope, not good enough, I had to take the write up. Did I mention my manager was PRESENT FOR ALL OF THIS AND DIDN'T DEFEND ME ONE BIT?
The company itself had issues:
- Nowhere did they advertise we were an authorized retailer. The only name in the store, on the doors, on the sign out front was the name of the major provider. Customers would get pissed all the time when they found out that were only an authorized retailer and for example, it would cost them $5 to pay their bill with us vs. a no fee payment at a corporate store.
- They did repair at several locations and apparently didn't do it very well. The same phones would come back again and again and again.
- When the recession hit in early 2009, I finally saw the writing on the wall and put in my two weeks notice. The very first day I came back to work after that, DM called and told me to turn in my keys and go home RIGHT THEN AND THERE. I understand the company was within their rights to do this, but it still burns me that they did.
Well, I happened to drive by the store the other day and what did I see? It was EMPTY. Completely empty. I think they finally did themselves in. There was no "We've moved!" sign or other indicator they are now in a different location, just a big ol' empty store.
I don't think I've ever smiled wider.
Good riddance.
.
The closest supervisor is 5 registers down and the lines are to the back of the store. 
I don't think I was ever so happy to hear about something going out of business. 
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