In terms of Stress vs. Pay it's a sweatshop. - Wireless Sales Representative; Michigan Russell Cellular Employee Review

1.0
Mar 5, 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

SALES EXPERIENCE! And hey, it IS a paycheck, better than zero. (Kind of.) I like helping customers, and I have learned a lot about the latest phones from having a couple really great coworkers- I turned into a wannabe techie, something I never thought I would want to be! It's interesting stuff! And I did want to expand my scope of knowledge, and sales was something I had never done before, so I went after this job pretty seriously.... What a treat....

Cons

Training: ZERO Job Security: ZERO Advancement Opportunities: ZERO Working hard to complete your specified daily amount of calls, all so another worker can step on your toes and take the few customers you did happen to land: 100% It's not worth it to sell a phone unless they are buying the cheapo accessories (TWO colors of phone cases: Black & Pink) and insurance (the kind you sell, NOT on the phone bill!) Because if you just sell them the phone and let them walk out the door then you are only making about $7.75/hr (with commission) and your average on the almighty "Scoreboard" will plummet so far, that you will indefinitely be jobless within two months. This is the worst company I have EVER worked for, and it was amazing to me that I truly realized this and BELIEVE it with all my heart. This company's motto should be: Russell Cellular: In Competition With OURSELVES! Because that is essentially what is happening here. The amount of stress I feel at this job is not worth minimum wage (yes, it's a job, and I will be here until I find other work.) I am thankful for that. But it's so frustrating because you know that you are just constantly being lied to and led on. They will tell you that you can make a great living on this job... And when you can't seem to ever make that happen, it is always your fault, NOT the fault of the company, for, say, it's locations? Or how about the PRICES!? And I will never take advantage of somebody and talk them into using their grocery money to purchase a phone. Being an aggressive sales person does NOT mean you have to scam them, or lie to them. Many customers just end up going down the road to WalMart. The price difference is a no brainer. I was truly let down by Russell Cellular. I wanted this job SO bad, because I had been without work for a bit, and I wanted to try my hand at Sales. I went after this job and got it! (Yeah, because they can't keep employees and are always short staffed, so I got RIGHT IN. And it had nothing to do with my professional attitude, or my charming personality. They'd hire a rock to sell for them, as long as that rock could make phone calls.

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Russell Cellular Response
12y
Dear Employee: We encourage you to reach out to the HR department at our corporate office in a professional manner if you have concerns regarding your employment at Russell Cellular. Russell Cellular wants to offer the BEST employee and customer experience, and it is not our goal for employees to feel stressed or our customers to feel as though they are being lied to. Thank you for your feedback.

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Potential for good income Ample downtime Base pay + commission instead of commission only LGBTQ+ friendly, name tag does not need to be your legal name

Cons

Poor management Values KPIs above customer needs (you'll still get plenty of emails telling you to not, but verbally it is encouraged to do whatever it takes to meet number goals) Poor/minimal hands-on training (everything is video webinars that are basically just power point slides. No in-person coaching unless you get lucky and have a good manager.) Unlikely to progress to higher paying positions.

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