Spark sinks to a new low..

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Lias

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#239736 1-Aug-2018 16:21

Door to door sales people.. Really Spark? I expect that from garbage tier outfits like Trustpower and My Republic, but I expected better of you.

I don't think I can in good conscience recommend you to anyone now, even the mum and dad crowd who I usually direct your way.

I'm a geek, a gamer, a dad, a Quic user, and an IT Professional. I have a full rack home lab, size 15 feet, an epic beard and Asperger's. I'm a bit of a Cypherpunk, who believes information wants to be free and the Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it. If you use my Quic signup you can also use the code R570394EKGIZ8 for free setup.

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#2066404 1-Aug-2018 16:24

Aren't they just responding to inroads made by those companies you mention? It appears to work for the small players so it probably works for the big ones too.

e.g. https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/100032023/ufb-switch-saps-market-share-from-spark-vodafone

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Stu1

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#2066414 1-Aug-2018 16:44

I am gutted the SPARK door to door people don't come around any more last time their internet offer was great even offered to pay contract break fees. Best part was that Vodafone matched it and took an xtra tenner off. Door to door is great drives competition and really shows if the company you are with is willing to retain you as a customer

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#2066415 1-Aug-2018 16:48

The last Spark rep to struggle up this hill was giving away Tivos. How low are they sinking now? Vodafone are regular visitors.

hio77

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#2066422 1-Aug-2018 17:13

hold up, before throwing stones... is there an actual issue - eg, was there a poor experience? - or is this simply disapproval of D2D sales?

The only thing that is actually new, is they visited your area.

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#2066423 1-Aug-2018 17:14

Never had Spark visit me, but definitely Vodafone and TrustPower.

freitasm

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#2066461 1-Aug-2018 17:32

Explain how is this a low, please? Were they disrespectful, lied or coerced the home person somehow?

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#2066464 1-Aug-2018 17:39

Oh for the good old days when the Post Office owned all the phones:

mattwnz

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#2066465 1-Aug-2018 17:41

What is the deal they are offering? Am looking around at offers, and currently with Spark and near the end of my 12 month contract term.

Lias

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#2066468 1-Aug-2018 17:55

hio77:

hold up, before throwing stones... is there an actual issue - eg, was there a poor experience? - or is this simply disapproval of D2D sales?

The only thing that is actually new, is they visited your area.

Door to door sales have a long history of exploitation, hard sell,targeting the elderly and vulnerable and good old fashioned fraud. So yes, I disapprove of them (as do the majority of kiwis according to Consumer NZ). I personally consider that door to door sales are the realm of companies that either desperate, deceitful, or often both. It's not a tactic I would have expected from Spark, hence my disappointment. Double so when you consider that the area I live in is basically a giant retirement village (Kapiti), and there is a disproportionally large number of vulnerably elderly here.

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#2066472 1-Aug-2018 18:01

Lias:

hio77:

hold up, before throwing stones... is there an actual issue - eg, was there a poor experience? - or is this simply disapproval of D2D sales?

The only thing that is actually new, is they visited your area.

Door to door sales have a long history of exploitation, hard sell,targeting the elderly and vulnerable and good old fashioned fraud. So yes, I disapprove of them (as do the majority of kiwis according to Consumer NZ). I personally consider that door to door sales are the realm of companies that either desperate, deceitful, or often both. It's not a tactic I would have expected from Spark, hence my disappointment. Double so when you consider that the area I live in is basically a giant retirement village (Kapiti), and there is a disproportionally large number of vulnerably elderly here.

Until Spark actually do something wrong we should be fair on them.

Although you make a good point regarding the elderly - my grandma recently had her services moved to fixed wireless and VoIP after ringing the help desk purely to get help because her wifi wasn't connecting to her PC. If those tactics live in the call centers, what are the door knockers doing. And this push from Spark to get their low usage people on fixed wireless has been well documented over the last year or so.

But again, happy to give Spark the benefit of the doubt until someone actually screws up.

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#2066476 1-Aug-2018 18:17

Lias:

hio77:

hold up, before throwing stones... is there an actual issue - eg, was there a poor experience? - or is this simply disapproval of D2D sales?

The only thing that is actually new, is they visited your area.

Door to door sales have a long history of exploitation, hard sell,targeting the elderly and vulnerable and good old fashioned fraud. So yes, I disapprove of them (as do the majority of kiwis according to Consumer NZ). I personally consider that door to door sales are the realm of companies that either desperate, deceitful, or often both. It's not a tactic I would have expected from Spark, hence my disappointment. Double so when you consider that the area I live in is basically a giant retirement village (Kapiti), and there is a disproportionally large number of vulnerably elderly here.

Understandable.

bit of background, D2D sales have been around for a long time. i even trained along side a bunch.

it's my understanding the D2D folk are currently doing a push on being as professional as possible, improving things all around.

on a personal approach I'm seriously not a fan of D2D sales at all, but i can understand the business case for it.

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GarryP

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#2066485 1-Aug-2018 18:31

I agree with those people who ask to give Spark a fair go. If Spark's D2D people are behaving responsibly then I see no problem.

Anyhow, this may be worth a look regarding consumer rights. http://www.comcom.govt.nz/fair-trading/fair-trading-act-fact-sheets/door-to-door-and-telemarketing-sales/

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#2066486 1-Aug-2018 18:33

freitasm:

Explain how is this a low, please? Were they disrespectful, lied or coerced the home person somehow?

I can't quite understand what the complaint is, beyond the use of a salesperson. The simple reality is door to door is effective compared to flyers (easy to bin), TV (ignore), websites and so on. With a salesperson you can try and blag a deal, but a computer is just binary and cant be bargained with.

Of course this sales style has a poor reputation, is very expensive for the RSP in terms of commissions and cleanup etc. But there you go, the market requires a more personal touch. CEO must be loving having to employ humans again...

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#2066510 1-Aug-2018 19:04

Personally my objection to door-to-door sales is the disruption. Most people these days are far too busy to just drop what they're doing at any random time to listen to a sales pitch.

ResponseMediaNZ

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#2066529 1-Aug-2018 19:33

Hmmm, I remember Spark (Telecom back then) D2D sales back like 10 years ago... They have been using them for years..

I have always found them the better ones out of the lot when they came round in the past. I would also say there is a dedicated 0800 number for complaints or queries that hits a team skilled in what they are doing out in the streets..

Yes D2D sales can be a pain but let's be real here.. I can have worse service in a shop than seeing someone at my door. Also remember these guys are making a living just like the rest of us and are more than likely on a 100% commission pay.

Like others, until they do something wrong lets not instantly bag them aye..

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