Is there a difference?

Today I read where someone gets a discount from their cell phone
companies based on the companies they work for. I contacted a
customer rep and asked if there was a discount for active or retired
military members and here is what I got as far as to the military
eligibility. Just thought it might be of interest to some!

"There is NO requirement in any federal laws, including any telecom
act, to provide discounts to retired federal employees, and we DO NOT
provide such discounts. We do provide discounts for our service
provided to active federal employees, but those discounts are
voluntary and not required by any telecom act."

Do any of the other companies provide discounts to retired military or
disabled veterans? I know I am willing to change over based on the
above statement. Especially when there are discounts available to
large company employees just because they can put a company name on
their emails.

Hey this is just my personal opinion!

Lee Bray

Lee wrote:
> Today I read where someone gets a discount from their cell phone
> companies based on the companies they work for. I contacted a customer
> rep and asked if there was a discount for active or retired military
> members and here is what I got as far as to the military eligibility.
> Just thought it might be of interest to some!
>
> "There is NO requirement in any federal laws, including any telecom act,
> to provide discounts to retired federal employees, and we DO NOT provide
> such discounts. We do provide discounts for our service provided to
> active federal employees, but those discounts are voluntary and not
> required by any telecom act."
>
> Do any of the other companies provide discounts to retired military or
> disabled veterans? I know I am willing to change over based on the
> above statement. Especially when there are discounts available to large
> company employees just because they can put a company name on their emails.
>
> Hey this is just my personal opinion!
>
> Lee Bray

Don't feel slighted. The discounts are also very anti small business. A
clerk at home cheepo gets a 25% discount from VZW while a small business
employee gets nothing.

At 15 Jan 2008 12:36:26 -0500 Lee wrote:
> Today I read where someone gets a discount from their cell phone
> companies based on the companies they work for.

Correct- it's a bone thrown to large companies whn wireless carriers secure
a large corporate contract. If Sprint, for example, gives 15% off to GE
employees, it's because they have a contract for x# of 1000 phones with GE,
not because Sprint likes light bulbs.

> I contacted a customer rep and asked if there was a discount for
> active or retired military members and here is what I got as far
> as to the military eligibility. Just thought it might be of
> interest to some!
>
> "There is NO requirement in any federal laws, including any telecom
> act, to provide discounts to retired federal employees, and we
> DO NOT provide such discounts.

Again, because retired employees don't belong to an organization uspending
millions of dollars with your carrier.

> We do provide discounts for our service provided to active federal
> employees, but those discounts are voluntary and not required by
> any telecom act."

Because the feds do huge business with Verizon, Verizon offers a small
discount to federal employees.

> Do any of the other companies provide discounts to retired military
> or disabled veterans? I know I am willing to change over based
> on the above statement. Especially when there are discounts
> available to large company employees just because they can put a
> company name on their emails.

Not "just because they put a company name on their e-mail, but because it's
either a courtesy because of, or actually written into, the company's
contract with the carrier.

If your bowling league signs a contract for 500 phones, they'll get a
discount too.


> Hey this is just my personal opinion!

Fair enough- I just wanted to explain why the practice is so prevalent and
seeming random- i.e. why Goodyear employees might get a discount, but
Firestone employees don't, etc.

"George" <george@nospam.invalid> wrote in message
news:J4ednYQrXf5DkxDanZ2dnUVZ_vadnZ2d@comcast.com. ..
> Lee wrote:
>> Today I read where someone gets a discount from their cell phone
>> companies based on the companies they work for. I contacted a customer
>> rep and asked if there was a discount for active or retired military
>> members and here is what I got as far as to the military eligibility.
>> Just thought it might be of interest to some!
>>
>> "There is NO requirement in any federal laws, including any telecom act,
>> to provide discounts to retired federal employees, and we DO NOT provide
>> such discounts. We do provide discounts for our service provided to
>> active federal employees, but those discounts are voluntary and not
>> required by any telecom act."
>>
>> Do any of the other companies provide discounts to retired military or
>> disabled veterans? I know I am willing to change over based on the above
>> statement. Especially when there are discounts available to large
>> company employees just because they can put a company name on their
>> emails.
>>
>> Hey this is just my personal opinion!
>>
>> Lee Bray
>
> Don't feel slighted. The discounts are also very anti small business. A
> clerk at home cheepo gets a 25% discount from VZW while a small business
> employee gets nothing.

I rember someone metioned about putting in an email address for an executive
from verizon, then you can continue to register under your own name, but get
their discount. I do not know if this is true or not, or if it was on
Verizon Wireless or some other website. You can try it.

Also, just curious, does anybody know how much of a discount a verizon
employee gets, active or retired.

PB

Todd Allcock wrote:

> Fair enough- I just wanted to explain why the practice is so prevalent and
> seeming random- i.e. why Goodyear employees might get a discount, but
> Firestone employees don't, etc.

Hi Todd

I consider yours a very good and reasonable explanation! Thanks for
taking the time.

Lee

Lee wrote:
> Todd Allcock wrote:
>
>> Fair enough- I just wanted to explain why the practice is so prevalent
>> and
>> seeming random- i.e. why Goodyear employees might get a discount, but
>> Firestone employees don't, etc.
>
> Hi Todd
>
> I consider yours a very good and reasonable explanation! Thanks for
> taking the time.
>
> Lee

I think you should still be offended that you are asked to subsidize the
service of others. The significant discounts that people get for simply
being an employee just don't make sense because VZW still has all of the
expenses of dealing with the user directly.

It would make sense if the company negotiated a discount and then resold
service to their employees because then VZW wouldn't need to maintain a
separate account and do billing, collections etc.

> I think you should still be offended that you are asked to subsidize the
> service of others. The significant discounts that people get for simply being
> an employee just don't make sense because VZW still has all of the expenses
> of dealing with the user directly.

> It would make sense if the company negotiated a discount and then resold
> service to their employees because then VZW wouldn't need to maintain a
> separate account and do billing, collections etc.

Just for the record, I work for one of those government entities that
gets a discount but I don't take it because it's only something like 5%
AND if I leave VZW regardless of the date or reason I always would have
to pay the ETF in full! So, give me a bone up front and take it back
later...can you say bait and switch?

IOW, those "discounts" aren't always what they're cracked up to be and
VZW Marketing never tells the whole story. Myself and another staff
member had to do some serious digging to find out these details.

YMMV.

Drum--