Roller coaster - Retail Sales Consultant AT&T Employee Review

3.0
Aug 10, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Pay is great I've been working here for over 5 yrs and usually make on average 45-50 k a year. The benefits are great and the 401k and pension plan is awesome. You get paid vacation which increases after certain milestones are reached. A lot of people complain about the discounts which is obsurd to me. 50% off everything but the actual phones and devices themselves. For 6 people we pay about $200 a month all smart phones and 40gb of data. 50% off accessories and we are about o get an awesome deal on DTV. When I first started we only got 40% on accessories and only 19% off service. So we have come along way since then.

Cons

Sometimes the stress of the job almost makes the pros not worth it. Constant changes in management for no apparent reason other than they don't want managers developing close relationships with employees meaning they don't want managers that care about the employees as people so it's easier for those managers to discipline and write people up. Upper management all seem to be greedy and have a I don't care who I have to step on to get to the top mentality. Every time we get a good management team they are dissolved in less than a year. rhe goals are always changing and not always for the better. The micromanaging is ridiculous. I feel like I have to be a robot to do my job. Here is what they expect in every interaction: You are supposed to greet a customer within 10 ft or 10 seconds of them walking into the store. You are supposed to give them your name and get their name as well. After determining what they came in for you are supposed to ask them 5 qualifying questions to offer them a solution ( this solution 95% of the time involves selling them something they didn't come in for.) these questions include asking about where you work and if you have a business or personal account, asking questions about your home life to uncover needs for tablets, and home products. And you can't forget about accessories. So a customer may come in for a simple upgrade or accessory or SIM card switch and I have to cram all this extra stuff down their throats whether I believe in the products or not. I'm starting to feel like a sleazy sales person and I don't like it. I'm tired of being compared to other sellers who resort to lying and unethical practices to make sales, when half of those sales are canceled or returned because the customer felt cheated or tricked into buying it. There are 12 different metrics I have to hit every customer on top of taking care of what they even came in for and on top of their other questions and things they would like me to do. It's way too much and at least 3 or 4 of those things aren't even things I get paid commission on. To make matters worse if a manager does an observation on you and hears you miss anything it could lead to you being written up leading to discipline and termination. There's always a feeling of job insecurity and I feel like I walk on egg shells everyday. And don't even think about speaking up with your true feelings unless you want to paint a target on your back. We take these employee surveys every year that are supposed to be anonymous but you still have to sign in with your employee global login before you can take the survey I asked about this and they said no ones names are displayed it's just so they know what market and area they are from. Yea ok I voiced my negative concerns in a survey once and next thing I know I have management trying to write me up over not opening doors for customers . Did you get that? I was on the verge of being fired because when walking customers to the door I didn't open the door for some of those customers. That was the last time I was ever completely honest in a survey. There's also way too many politics involved when trying to move up its usually a popularity contest and is based on who likes you in upper management and not what you bring to the table and other employees opinions are of you.

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5.0
Mar 26, 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good benefits - 401k, discounts, facilities

Cons

Return to office, out of touch leadership

5.0
Sep 23, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

1 of the best things about AT&T is the training you receive as a New Hire. The company sends you to a designated location for a month's worth of training. They teach you the basics of sales and how to maximize your customers in-store experiences. While at training if it is necessary, they will pay to put you in a hotel, give you an American Express card for daily meals and reimburse you for any travel expenses in a very timely manor. The training you receive is top of the line. Next, lets talk pay. At&t pays their employees extremely well. With a base salary with paid overtime and full benefits and a compensation program, you won't want to leave the company just for that reason. They take care of their employees for the time you spend with them. Room for advancement. At AT&T moving up is a breeze if your motivated and a hard working individual. My current assistant store manager has only been with the company 10 months and is already looking at becoming a small business rep.

Cons

The work and life balance. The hours are long and tiring to the point were when you get home all you want to do is sleep and on your days off as well. Customers you have to deal with and the ability for a sales rep to control the interaction . That is one of the biggest complaint I have about the company. A lot of times customers come into the store hot and as sales reps we don't have the discretion or ability to waive ridiculous fees or fix issues. Everything seems like it has to be refereed to customer care which makes for a bad customer experience in store.

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AT&T Response
11y
We pride ourselves on providing world class pay, benefits, training, and growth opportunities. Thank you for acknowledging one of the things we do well. But more importantly, thank you for your overall feedback and what we can improve upon. We look to develop and empower our employees and make every experience, whether internal or external, seamless. We will ensure your feedback is heard. Thanks again.
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