And I Rest My Case

A letter from Verizon Wireless Employee sedgar13:

I am sending this in response to your opinion of Lowell McAdam. You are obviously just another narrow minded consumer who has never had any experience working in a retail sales environment and has passed judgment on one the industries highest proven leaders because you didn't get what you wanted and how you wanted it.

You are blaming the COO of the largest and most successful wireless service provider in the US for a poor experience you had with a manager and sales associate that Lowell doesn't know, and probably never will know. This Mike and his rep could have provided you with other options to solve your dilemma but according to what you have wrote failed to do so. The manager and sales associate were concerned with selling you an upgrade so they could acquire a contract for commission. If anyone is to blame for this it is Mike's District Manager. Mike's DM and the Director of Retail for the NY Metro area would be the only people who would know Mike's management and service style, not the COO.

Do you expect someone with Lowell's position and stature to micromanage his company and know what each of his 1000+ managers are doing? You had an unpleasant experience with a particular manager and rep and immediately formulated an opinion of the Operations Officer of the company that Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and the Wall Street Journal have all ranked as the number one service provider in the industry. Verizon Wireless has also been one of the Top 100 companies to work for in the United States. Do you actually think that Verizon Wireless came to that stature by having a poor Operations Officer? Open your eyes man. I am not excusing the actions and behavior of those you dealt with, but I am encouraging you to think for more than a few seconds before passing judgment.

I am also curious about these "posters" on the walls that you referred to . There is nothing on any sales floor that states "Sell 2yrs. Service only! Accept nothing less", and I can guarantee that. As a Verizon Wireless customer you have the option to choose a either a 1yr or 2yr contract, or go prepaid. As far as the warranty is concerned, Verizon Wireless backs the manufacture's warranty of the products it sells. If you had a video camera made by Sony but was purchased at Best Buy, and the battery was defective and out of warranty and Best Buy would not give you a free battery, would you then race home to type another article bashing the COO of one of the nations leading electronic retailers? Verizon does not produce the phones that it's uses and is only able to warrant what the equipment manufacturer does; as does many leading retailers and or service providers.

Your third point is one of the most ridiculous statements that I have ever read. Considering that ninety percent of you wrote was nothing more than you ranting, your last statement was not a surprise. "His poor leadership causes his company's employees to not respect themselves, their customers, or their own company." What the hell are you talking about? Again your narrow and small minded outlook has led you to loose your composure and scribble that absurd statement. Unless you work for Verizon, which you don't, who are you to speak on our community and how we work, operate, and portray ourselves? If anyone should plead ignorance it should be yourself, I am surprised you were educated at Yale and Harvard.

I'm sure by now you have realized that I am an employee of Verizon Wireless, and I do respect myself, company, and my customers. I have been working in the wireless telecommunications industry for over four years and in retail for over six years. I have worked for T-Mobile, AT&T wireless, and am now happily at Verizon Wireless. During my tenure at Verizon I have worked, trained, and assisted at over sixteen locations so I actually have an idea on how we are trained to service and sell our customers, which again you do not. If you think we our COO has dropped the ball by all means give me your cell number, I'll let you out of your contract, and then you can have fun with whatever wireless carrier you choose and then they can have the pleasure of putting up with you.

If I was to do the same about you, considering that I have never met but basing my opinion off of your bio I would say that you are a stuffy, cocky, arrogant, stereotypical Northerner who whines, complains, and threatens to write letters to "management" if you don't get what YOU want; not what company states but what YOU want. I know because I deal with people such as yourself on a daily basis. But guess what, that's why you are not the COO of the country's leading service provider and Lowell is.

I suppose the most damning phrase of sedgar's letter is his incredulity that one should expect "not what company states but what YOU want."

Hey S: that's what the customer service business is all about!!