Can someone explain the benefits or drawbacks to using a retailer store vs corporate Verizon store?
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Verizon: Corporate vs retailer store?
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ShaggyKids
Well-known member
Re: Corporate vs retailer store?
I wouldn't buy anything from our local retail store. They have idiots behind the counter that never know what they're talking about. They're there to make a profit so my guess is they charge a little more too. They never have anything in stock so their favorite phrase is "We can order it for you." If I wanted to order something I do it myself online.
Deb from my Note 3
I wouldn't buy anything from our local retail store. They have idiots behind the counter that never know what they're talking about. They're there to make a profit so my guess is they charge a little more too. They never have anything in stock so their favorite phrase is "We can order it for you." If I wanted to order something I do it myself online.
Deb from my Note 3
VidJunky
Well-known member
Re: Corporate vs retailer store?
The benefits vary but here is my experience.
Retailer Pros
Usually get a better price on the device than at a corporate or authorized dealer. Some retailers will also give you the rebate price on the spot vs. a mail in rebate from the other. Best Buy is great for this.
They usually allow you to up grade slightly earlier than the Corp./Auth. Dealer. The Corps./AD hold you to your up grade date with few exceptions.
Corp. Pros
Equipment purchased at Corp./AD can be exchanged there. With on line retailers you usually have to mail the equipment back and wait, or in the case of Best Buy they will give you a loaner phone (always cheap and not usually the same caliber as you orig equipment) then send it off to be evaluated. Most only offer a turn around of 14 days.
Corp. stores will transfer your info/data/contacts to the new device from your old device. Not sure what triggers a charge for this but I've been asked to pay for this service but I've also received this service for free??
Other info
Most retailers will offer you their preferred insurance for your equipment. This can be a plus or minus. You will have to weigh the insurances based on your own needs. Most retailers will not allow you to buy their insurance if you purchased the equipment somewhere else, however they will allow you to buy the Corp. insurance too. So in that way you get more options for insurance. Corp stores will not accept coverage on someone else's insurance leaving you to deal with the outside insurer. Which means you may have to mail in your device or allow them to send it in to their repair center for evaluation.
These are just the things that come to mind someone else may have more input but hopefully this helps.
The benefits vary but here is my experience.
Retailer Pros
Usually get a better price on the device than at a corporate or authorized dealer. Some retailers will also give you the rebate price on the spot vs. a mail in rebate from the other. Best Buy is great for this.
They usually allow you to up grade slightly earlier than the Corp./Auth. Dealer. The Corps./AD hold you to your up grade date with few exceptions.
Corp. Pros
Equipment purchased at Corp./AD can be exchanged there. With on line retailers you usually have to mail the equipment back and wait, or in the case of Best Buy they will give you a loaner phone (always cheap and not usually the same caliber as you orig equipment) then send it off to be evaluated. Most only offer a turn around of 14 days.
Corp. stores will transfer your info/data/contacts to the new device from your old device. Not sure what triggers a charge for this but I've been asked to pay for this service but I've also received this service for free??
Other info
Most retailers will offer you their preferred insurance for your equipment. This can be a plus or minus. You will have to weigh the insurances based on your own needs. Most retailers will not allow you to buy their insurance if you purchased the equipment somewhere else, however they will allow you to buy the Corp. insurance too. So in that way you get more options for insurance. Corp stores will not accept coverage on someone else's insurance leaving you to deal with the outside insurer. Which means you may have to mail in your device or allow them to send it in to their repair center for evaluation.
These are just the things that come to mind someone else may have more input but hopefully this helps.
vegasdroid
Well-known member
Re: Corporate vs retailer store?
Probably means a certified reseller of Verizon service.
When dealing with mobile phone companies, (that goes for all of them) always, always, go to a corporate store. Better customer service, sometimes better deals.
Plus, if you ever have a problem in the future. A corporate store, is better equipped to handle problems then a reseller is.
Sent from my DROID MAXX!!!!
Probably means a certified reseller of Verizon service.
When dealing with mobile phone companies, (that goes for all of them) always, always, go to a corporate store. Better customer service, sometimes better deals.
Plus, if you ever have a problem in the future. A corporate store, is better equipped to handle problems then a reseller is.
Sent from my DROID MAXX!!!!
raichur0xx0rz
Well-known member
Re: Corporate vs retailer store?
The only two instances of when I went to a corporate location for any carrier was due to having a legacy plan (Sprint SERO) or because I had a buddy working there that I wanted to help out.
Otherwise, you will almost always get a better deal from a third party retailer (Best Buy Mobile for example). I sold Verizon at an hhgregg and they are willing to price match RadioShack, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon (to a certain extent), etc. There may also be promotions at only authorized retailers that do not exist in at corporate locations, such as waived activation/upgrade fees, bill credit, or store gift cards with upgrade.
I just get less hassle at authorized retailer locations than at the Verizon store when it comes to buying accessories. Of course, I would avoid a location like Walmart where they may not have properly trained employees to handle mobile transactions.
EDIT: As far as some of the mentioned cons above, I think you will see bad customer service or unreasonable charges (like for contact transfers) when you go to a location that isn't in another store (meaning like a kiosk or something). I would stick to places like RadioShack or Best Buy if you go third party.
I would say that's another reason I'd avoid those other standalone Verizon stores. Verizon Corporate locations have a set price on their devices and those prices aren't always the best price and they won't price match. But other places like Best Buy are able to discount the phones, and I believe it's because Best Buy isn't paying employees to sell phones, per se. Verizon's employees are paid to sell the phones, so they need the revenue to pay the employees. Best Buy doesn't benefit from selling Verizon really as those service fees belong to Verizon. Best Buy just wants you to buy the other stuff so they can afford to discount the actual handset.
The only two instances of when I went to a corporate location for any carrier was due to having a legacy plan (Sprint SERO) or because I had a buddy working there that I wanted to help out.
Otherwise, you will almost always get a better deal from a third party retailer (Best Buy Mobile for example). I sold Verizon at an hhgregg and they are willing to price match RadioShack, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon (to a certain extent), etc. There may also be promotions at only authorized retailers that do not exist in at corporate locations, such as waived activation/upgrade fees, bill credit, or store gift cards with upgrade.
I just get less hassle at authorized retailer locations than at the Verizon store when it comes to buying accessories. Of course, I would avoid a location like Walmart where they may not have properly trained employees to handle mobile transactions.
EDIT: As far as some of the mentioned cons above, I think you will see bad customer service or unreasonable charges (like for contact transfers) when you go to a location that isn't in another store (meaning like a kiosk or something). I would stick to places like RadioShack or Best Buy if you go third party.
I would say that's another reason I'd avoid those other standalone Verizon stores. Verizon Corporate locations have a set price on their devices and those prices aren't always the best price and they won't price match. But other places like Best Buy are able to discount the phones, and I believe it's because Best Buy isn't paying employees to sell phones, per se. Verizon's employees are paid to sell the phones, so they need the revenue to pay the employees. Best Buy doesn't benefit from selling Verizon really as those service fees belong to Verizon. Best Buy just wants you to buy the other stuff so they can afford to discount the actual handset.
Re: Corporate vs retailer store?
Costco offers a 90 day return/exchange policy but note that your contract is locked after 14 days. Best Buy silver cardholders I believe get 60 days, same 14 days for locked contract though
I bought my first Note 3 from a Verizon corporate store for $90 on contract on release day.
I bought my Note II from BestBuy over a year ago for $37 on contract. So really you can get a deal from any place though retailer is more likely
I bought my second Note 3 from comcast for free after visa prepaid card, which is technically a third party but the order was charged and fulfilled by Verizon.
I have ordered previously from best buy and Costco. Keep in mind that some third party besides Costco and Best of buy has a secondary etf of $400 if certain changes are made within 181 days
dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 via Tapatalk Pro
Costco offers a 90 day return/exchange policy but note that your contract is locked after 14 days. Best Buy silver cardholders I believe get 60 days, same 14 days for locked contract though
I bought my first Note 3 from a Verizon corporate store for $90 on contract on release day.
I bought my Note II from BestBuy over a year ago for $37 on contract. So really you can get a deal from any place though retailer is more likely
I bought my second Note 3 from comcast for free after visa prepaid card, which is technically a third party but the order was charged and fulfilled by Verizon.
I have ordered previously from best buy and Costco. Keep in mind that some third party besides Costco and Best of buy has a secondary etf of $400 if certain changes are made within 181 days
dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 via Tapatalk Pro
Re: Corporate vs retailer store?
By retailer I meant a Verizon My Bullfrog store vs a Verizon corporate store
They call themselves a premium retailer
By retailer I meant a Verizon My Bullfrog store vs a Verizon corporate store
They call themselves a premium retailer
Re: Corporate vs retailer store?
Not familiar with that retailer. Just keep in mind that returns must go through the place of purchase. Some places might allow longer, the same, shorter, or even no returns. Make sure to read all terms before agreeing
dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 via Tapatalk Pro
Not familiar with that retailer. Just keep in mind that returns must go through the place of purchase. Some places might allow longer, the same, shorter, or even no returns. Make sure to read all terms before agreeing
dpham00, Android Central Moderator
Sent from my Verizon Samsung Galaxy Note 3 via Tapatalk Pro
vegasdroid
Well-known member
Re: Corporate vs retailer store?
I would, definitely choose to go to a corporate store over "my bullfrog."
It's been my experience, that you get better customer service from a corporate store.
Sent from my DROID MAXX!!!!
I would, definitely choose to go to a corporate store over "my bullfrog."
It's been my experience, that you get better customer service from a corporate store.
Sent from my DROID MAXX!!!!
raichur0xx0rz
Well-known member
Re: Corporate vs retailer store?
There wouldn't be a problem going through them, but I wouldn't really expect much from stores such as these. Seems like a regional franchise, but if your options are between a franchise store and the corporate store, I would go to the corporate store. Just personal opinion.
If you want to go through a third party like that, then like dpham said, just make sure they don't have any additional restrictions on your purchases, or at least that they are made known to you.
There wouldn't be a problem going through them, but I wouldn't really expect much from stores such as these. Seems like a regional franchise, but if your options are between a franchise store and the corporate store, I would go to the corporate store. Just personal opinion.
If you want to go through a third party like that, then like dpham said, just make sure they don't have any additional restrictions on your purchases, or at least that they are made known to you.
Mooncatt
Ambassador
Purchases made at a Corp store or 3rd party have to be serviced through the same type of store for returns, exchanges, etc. That's not a set pro or con either way, just something to consider when buying. Like if you bought one at a Corp store while on a trip away from home, but only have authorized dealers near your home, you could face more hassle if there's any problems.
There are 3 types of Verizon stores:
1. Corporate Store
2. Premium Retailer
3. Authorized Seller/Dealer
Each has there own pros and cons and really do differ wildly by location/owner.
Corporate stores are Verizon owned and operated. They have fixed pricing, flexibility with all levels of customer service (to a degree) to help manage your account returns and exchanges from online, in-store, and over the phone. These seem to be fairly consistent experiences in all locations. In my opinion: the sales people can be a bit pushy but always nice, the prices are higher then most places, and the lines tend to be long.
Premium Retailers make up the majority of Verizon's stores. They have specific guidelines they must follow to deliver the Verizon experience they way Verizon wants it. The plans are exactly the same and they have the same Verizon training made available to them (not all use it). They tend to be smaller and more personable (again this varies by location). When it comes to pricing they tend to be in the same price point as a Corporate store, but depending on the market might be up or down. Ask if they price match and show them the website, some do some don't. They are setup to honor all Verizon mail rebate and bill credit promotions and most do participate. Some will even give you the markdown in-store or fill out the rebate for you. Your accessories are always the same or less then the corporate store and they tend to have more flexible bundle deals. Some will offer additional services: cell phone repair, alternate insurances, or refurbished phones upon request. Do yourself a favor and check their Yelp reviews before you go, If you see a particular person mentioned as great ask for them & vise versa.
Last are the Authorized Sellers/Dealers. These are your big-box stores & small independent sellers. The big-box stores offer their own pricing on devices and accessories. They usually price match. They use their own training on sales people with input from the carriers. They run their own promotions and are considered independent. They have limits on what they can offer plan wise and usually don't offer Verizon insurance (some do). The small independent stores are really all over the map because its up to each store. They have much less oversight and have little affiliation with Verizon corporate. I tend to shy away from these due to the lack of consistency unless you find a really knowledgeable sales person or an amazing deal you have to have. Afterwards, be prepared to swing buy another store to check up on you plan and make sure you got exactly what you expected.
That's my 2 cents. Hope it helps!
1. Corporate Store
2. Premium Retailer
3. Authorized Seller/Dealer
Each has there own pros and cons and really do differ wildly by location/owner.
Corporate stores are Verizon owned and operated. They have fixed pricing, flexibility with all levels of customer service (to a degree) to help manage your account returns and exchanges from online, in-store, and over the phone. These seem to be fairly consistent experiences in all locations. In my opinion: the sales people can be a bit pushy but always nice, the prices are higher then most places, and the lines tend to be long.
Premium Retailers make up the majority of Verizon's stores. They have specific guidelines they must follow to deliver the Verizon experience they way Verizon wants it. The plans are exactly the same and they have the same Verizon training made available to them (not all use it). They tend to be smaller and more personable (again this varies by location). When it comes to pricing they tend to be in the same price point as a Corporate store, but depending on the market might be up or down. Ask if they price match and show them the website, some do some don't. They are setup to honor all Verizon mail rebate and bill credit promotions and most do participate. Some will even give you the markdown in-store or fill out the rebate for you. Your accessories are always the same or less then the corporate store and they tend to have more flexible bundle deals. Some will offer additional services: cell phone repair, alternate insurances, or refurbished phones upon request. Do yourself a favor and check their Yelp reviews before you go, If you see a particular person mentioned as great ask for them & vise versa.
Last are the Authorized Sellers/Dealers. These are your big-box stores & small independent sellers. The big-box stores offer their own pricing on devices and accessories. They usually price match. They use their own training on sales people with input from the carriers. They run their own promotions and are considered independent. They have limits on what they can offer plan wise and usually don't offer Verizon insurance (some do). The small independent stores are really all over the map because its up to each store. They have much less oversight and have little affiliation with Verizon corporate. I tend to shy away from these due to the lack of consistency unless you find a really knowledgeable sales person or an amazing deal you have to have. Afterwards, be prepared to swing buy another store to check up on you plan and make sure you got exactly what you expected.
That's my 2 cents. Hope it helps!
VidJunky
Well-known member
What is "Set up and go plus"? I went into a store and they charge $19.99 for that. I can install what I have on a new phone....why should I have to pay. They never asked either. Up above in VIDJUNKY's post ,he referred to charges that some do, and other times there is no charge. He didn't elaborate enough on which stores and exactly what they did.
Last edited:
You have to sign a contract with a retailer along with the carrier contract. I sold wireless with a retailer. Not everyone is an "*****" . Personally I prefer corporate stores. You can bill your account on accessories and you can't with a retailer. Also after the first 90 days on your contract they tell you to deal with your carrier directly. Retailers give carriers more customers and touch that customer base they might not get. Rural areas may have a retailer in their area but not a corporate store. I prefer corporate .
Retailers will run different promotions too
Posted via the Android Central App
Retailers will run different promotions too
Posted via the Android Central App
VidJunky
Well-known member
Sorry for the late reply but pretty much as Jude526 has stated, retailers are usually just in it for the money, they don't really care about you beyond the chance that you'll buy from them again or refer a friend. It sounds like you purchased a new device and they transferred your information over to the new device and then charged you for the their time and very little effort. Meanwhile. 2 yrs ago when this post was relevant there weren't a lot of transfer tools on at the Play Store. Today there are literally dozens.
Some platforms make apps for their device, like HTC has its own transfer tool, but there are tools at work across platforms, like Sammy to Moto or Windows to Android, but here's the kicker, in most cases you don't need to do anything. If you follow these simple rules Google provides everything you need without any effort on your part at all after setup. Google+ offers to backup your photos and videos with mighty verver. I know on my device every time I use a different app to take a photo it's asking me if I want to begin backing up this new folder. It doesn't matter if you are actually a G+ user or not setup your G+ account and allow it to backup your photos. Then anywhere you login to Google you can view and manage your backed up photos.
Contacts are backed up in many ways. Many carriers have or offer their own backup for contacts, photos and videos to, if you want to use the carrier's offering. Personally I prefer Google for this as well, but there is a caveat to this and it can be simple or you can make it more complicated, really it's up to you and here is how you choose. When creating a contact be sure to create it as a Google contact. That's simple enough, right? Well here is where it can be more complicated, if you have more than one Gmail account on your device you may have to choose which Google account to save it under. On most devices if you make this choice once you're done and it becomes the default, but you can change it anytime you create a new contact. If you look in your phonebook right now you probably have multiple sources selected from which to draw contact information from. This is easily checked by opening your phonebook and clicking the tab in the upper left corner and looking at the checkboxes. The advantage to using Google is you can manage your contacts from anywhere. A PC, other devices (on or off of your carrier plan), laptop, or anywhere you can log into Google. Add, subtract, modify with one login.
Apps are saved in your account on the Play Store. Anytime you open the PS touch the menu shortcut to the left of the screen and choose to view your "My Apps" page and there you will find two tabs, Installed and All. The All tab has every app you've ever downloaded for any device you've ever owned. This is misleading however, because not all apps are compatible with all devices. So just because it shows up there doesn't mean it will work on your new device. That's a rabbit hole for a whole different time and issue. Anyway, Google is smart somehow it knows when you have a new device and if you just login on the new device it will often ask if you want to restore apps from your previous device just by opening the PS. If it doesn't you can go to your "My Apps" area and look through your All list and pick what you want from there. Google is usually pretty on with what will work and what it thinks will not on that list and may disable the installation of some apps or otherwise show you that the app shouldn't be installed.
That concludes the major things people want to transfer, the why and how of it all and at zero cost. However there may be other things you want. That letter from your SO that you downloaded from an email or the PDF that you saved that tells you how to work the mixer you got 3 yrs ago and lost the manual to, and let's not forget your sound collection. You can do this the old fashioned and simple way by downloading them to a PC or laptop via a tether, and placing them on your new device the same way, or you can use a cloud service. Google makes Drive. With Drive you can place items in the cloud and retrieve them at anytime, you can play music from drive, view photos, watch videos, read PDF files. You can simply install Drive and view and move any files you want to and from it, and just like with the other Google products it is free and accessible from anywhere you can login to Google. Drive is also a great sharing platform. Put a file on Drive and select to share a link to the file, or do a whole folder, or do any combination of files and folders. I won't go into all that you can do with Drive but needn't to say it is a useful tool.
Yet another thing people often want is their texts. Personally I think too many texts are saved when they are not needed, but to each their own. There are several apps on the PS that will backup and restore texts, but if you have a major carrier like Big Red. Often when going through the setup they will ask or offer to restore texts. I know that the last time I reset my device Verizon restored 90 days worth of texts and MMS. Which I then had to sift through and delete. Anyway, there are lots of apps exclusively for texts on the PS, many of them are free, and some have free trials, My Backup Pro was one that offered an outstanding free trial.
Once you setup the Google stuff it pretty much goes on autopilot. And of course a Corp. store may do all of this for you for nothing, and some retailers, like Best Buy will also, but that kiosk in the mall they are going to charge you, that mom and pop place that sells mostly prepaid devices, they are going to charge you. So like Jude526 said Corp. is often better.
I have a vz prepaid line and the retailer near me wanted $25 for a replacement sim while the corporate store gave me one free. I prefer corporate stores for the technical stuff.
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Posted via the Android Central App
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