CNN Report Suggests Verizon Reps Pushing Android Phones over iPhones

[DaDroidDude]

So what?
Is Verizon contractually obligated to give equal time to the iPhone?
If not, they are at liberty to sell how and what they like.

I got no sales pitch either way when I bought my Rezound.

In my shopping I found that it kicked the iPhone's ASS!

It has 4g, a removable battery, a separate memory card to list only a few benefits.
Either one of the above would disqualify the iPhone for me, just like the lack of removable battery ruled out the Razor.

Frankly, I would WANT a salesperson to point out such strong weaknesses in the iPhone or any other phone.

 

[IDroid4s]

this has been known for a while now .. verizon wants to push all 4g LTE phones over any other phone... they want a huge head start from the rival companies to have the most LTE users. to simply promote how fast it is!

 

[Snoking]

I have not talked to a VZW Rep in the last six months that did not push the Razr! That is in store, chat or phone! Sorta like motorcycle cops being beat with chains before being sent out on patrol!

Morning staff sales meeting Mon-Sat, OK today we want you to push the Razr! As we still have a zillion in the warehouse! Maybe someone by mistake put a extra zero in a Razr order.

 

[osirhis]

This article makes it sound like the iPhone is a better phone than the current line of top tier Android smartphones... Which is so not true. I can name almost a dozen Android smartphones that are better in every measurable way than the iPhone 4S.

If you are a customer walking into a Verizon store and you give off the impression that you are wanting the best phone, why WOULDN'T they try to sell you on Android?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I777 using Tapatalk 2

 

[561427]

yeah it has nothing to do with the people who already have an iPhone walking into the store or the fact that the iPhone has been out for 8 years or so now.

 

[Dave12308]

Verizon pushes 4G LTE devices, plain and simple. Since the iPhone is not, they don't like to push them and will try to steer you away. Try purchasing any other 3G smartphone from them and they will steer you away, as well. Even if you don't live in a LTE area.

 

[Dave12308]

iPhone has been out for 8 years or so now.

iPhone turns 5 at the end of June, if I am not mistaken.

 

[aaf709]

iPhone turns 5 at the end of June, if I am not mistaken.

Right, it was unveiled 5 years ago last January. http://www.droidforums.net/forum/dr...iphone-no-haters-just-fyi-but-cool-watch.html

 

[mykl376]

I can understand some people's confusion. It's right in the name, iPhone4S. So the number "4" is stuck in your head. Then you take a look at your friend's iPhone on AT&T, and notice it actually says "4G." Unless you're a techie and have really researched it, the only logical conclusion would be that if you get an iPhone with Verizon, it'll be 4G.

I wonder if there are a lot of iPhone returns on Verizon, or if this is simply a 3G issue. I went in to Verizon store last November and asked for an upgrade, since I was still rocking the enV Touch. She asked if I had any specific ideas of phones. I had done my own research and said I wanted the Bionic. That's the length of that conversation, and I was soon walking out with my new 4G phone. I don't know what would have transpired if I had mentioned a 3G phone, but I knew what I wanted before I walked in.

I'm sure when the next iPhone comes out, if it has an LTE antenna, then it will be higher on their list of phones to sell. At that point, the only difference as far as Verizon is concerned would be the initial subsidized price of the phone.

 

[kodiak799]

Don't forget the bloatware that VZW makes $$$ on with the purchase of an Android phone!

I also have no idea (but VZW would) how many customers come in looking for an IPhone and end-up buying from AT&T. It's faster on AT&T, so it certainly stands to reason that unless you're someone who values VZW for its, you know, call quality that most IPhone buyers would go with AT&T. They might also have excess 4G inventory because acquisition has been shockingly low, but until there's a 4G IPhone I'd guess VZW might be losing a lot of customers to AT&T still.

 

[kodiak799]

Try purchasing any other 3G smartphone from them and they will steer you away, as well. Even if you don't live in a LTE area.

Which actually makes some sense. Sell a 3G phone to a customer who gets LTE in their area even 6 months later and eventually some are going to feel hoodwinked.

And the other side of it is, even a customer buys a 3G phone, you still want them to know about 4G because people talk and that could generate sales you might otherwise have lost to AT&T or Sprint.

 

[mykl376]

There's also that double data promo Verizon has done/is doing. I told my friend about it, he has the iPhone 4. I didn't realize that promo is only for 4G phones. So if you buy a 4G phone, and don't have an unlimited data plan, you can get twice the data for the same price.

My wife first got the 3GS when it came out. We were both on Verizon, so she had to switch. She's since upgraded to the 4S, and still has the unlimited data, so she doesn't want to switch back to Verizon. I've done speed tests where we live, which is 10 miles from the closest Verizon 4G coverage area. Her 4S on AT&T is easily 3-4 times faster than my Bionic on 3G. I know my 4G would be faster, but in our normal use that's almost never even an option.

 

[Vulcan1600]

Honestly, no one needs to sell the iPhone, or even push it. It sells itself when you think about it.

Exactly. It's for people who want to only have limited knowledge of smartphones but think it's a status symbol. My family share plan includes my wife, daughter, son in law and son, and they all have the iPhone. Nobody had to hard sell them on it at all. The Razr Max is a much superior phone to the iPhone any day.

 

[Xplorer4x4]

I'll bet this stops when the iPhone5 drops.

Assuming Apple has decided to embrace LTE, which they will...

http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d197/Narsil007/578697_195496880567110_100003203985.jpg

Perhaps, but only time will tell. Keep in mind, as the article mention, VZW, and any carrier, make more money off Android phones because Apple refuses to negotiate and sell there phones to carriers at a more fixed rate price. So until Apple sells there phones to carriers at a cheaper price, they ultimately make more money from an Android then an iPhone regardless if they are loosing money selling either phone at contract prices. If they loose money on phones sold at contract price, they lose more money upfront and in the long run by selling iPhones over androids. If Apple notices a drop in profits because carriers are trying to push Android over iPhones, they may be inclined to sell to carriers at a more reasonable price. For now though, carriers have to pay the Apple premium or risk loosing customers who are dead set on buying iPhones.

yeah it has nothing to do with the people who already have an iPhone walking into the store or the fact that the iPhone has been out for 8 years or so now.

What difference does it make if the iPhone is X years old ir it is not sold anymore? The iPhone 4S is less then a year old, guessing off the top of my head, I would say it is about 6 months old. If you been living in a cave for the past 5-8 tears, Apple release iPhones with a tick tock release schedule. 1 Year an entirely new iPhone is launched, the next year a variant of that model with some updated features is released.

 

[MissionImprobable]

I'll bet this stops when the iPhone5 drops.

Assuming Apple has decided to embrace LTE, which they will...

Yeah, doubtful. Apple is still going to charge VZ out the wazoo for their phones, and VZ will still have to turn around and sell them at subsidized prices, taking a harder hit on them than they do on any other devices. They'll carry the new iPhone because over a two-year contract they still make profit on it, but they're making much more per unit from companies like Moto and Samsung who sell them devices at a reasonable price point.

This is a win-win for everyone. Some people get their eyes opened to android, die-hards are still free to buy their iDevices.

Well, guess several people mentioned this above me, so feel free to ignore this.