It seems like Verizon may be training its sales associates to convince customers to buy an LTE Android phone instead of an iPhone.
At least, that appears to be the conclusion drawn by a recent report on CNN, which noticed an interesting trend on mobile phone forums. It found a notable number of users who had stories of going into a Verizon store wanting to buy an iPhone but being convinced to buy something like a Droid Razr instead.
Reporter David Goldman wrote, “I had 10 conversations with Verizon sales representatives in New York stores, on the phone, and in online chat sessions, asking about my options for a new smartphone.”
“Here’s what I found: Next time you walk into a Verizon store looking to buy a smartphone, expect the hard sell on a 4G Android device,” he continued.
He said that in 100% of his discussions, the sales reps pointed him toward the Droid Razr, the Droid Razr Maxx, or the Lucid – all of which are powered by Verizon’s high-speed LTE network. Not once did he receive the iPhone as a recommendation.
There is no version of the iPhone that runs on the 4G LTE network, which is Verizon’s current pride and joy and it has a dedicated mission to grow that into a huge connected user base that it can brag about.
Goldman said that one of the sales reps even told him, “The iPhone is a great phone, but it’s on 3G. I’m not going to recommend a phone that’s outdated.” Other reps, he claimed, gave similar answers when asked about the Apple product.
It seems unlikely that each of these employees would independently come up with that talking point, which suggests a corporate directive to show off 4G LTE Android phones as the cream of the crop, not the iPhone.
In response to Goldman’s report, Verizon released a statement saying, “Our sales force’s mission is to ensure customers are familiar with our product line and to match the customer with the right device to best meet their needs.”
