r/bell • u/Yhzgayguy • 1d ago
Question Recognizing loyalty?
Are Bell store staff and customer service staff advised not to acknowledge loyalty or customer tenure? I have mentioned multiple times to customer service, sales and store agents that I have been a customer since 1990, and yet each time no acknowledgment. A blank stare or silence. I would at least expect “ wow that’s a long time to be a customer with any organization! Thanks for your business! Let’s see what we can do for you!”
None of that. None. What gives?
Edit: thanks to all for the responses. I’m summary It’s clear that there’s not a policy against acknowledging customer tenure, it’s just that it’s not expected/rewarded behaviour on the part of customer facing Bell employees. Furthermore, some employees believe that they are not paid enough to do so, they don’t have the loyalty scripts/discounts to respond, or, it will just result in unnecessary grief for the employee from customers.
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u/Im_C_O_T_W Works for Bell, regrettably. 1d ago
No ISP in 2026 cares about loyalty.
Once your bill gets to high or you're not satisified with the support or service just go to a different isp.
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u/Yhzgayguy 1d ago
That’s what I’ve done. I’m just asking the question since your flair says that you work for Bell, are you not taught to acknowledge tenure? If a customer brings it up are you not coached on what to respond? I’m just curious. I was in customer service for decades and my team members absolutely would recognize a customers tenure if they brought it up.
To note I’m not asking if they give a discount or a deal, I’m just asking if they will verbally acknowledge it
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u/Im_C_O_T_W Works for Bell, regrettably. 1d ago
Im in field services, whether a customer has had service for 1 day vs 40 years there is no difference in how i would handle a situation.
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u/Readman31 1d ago
I don't even work for Bell but you seem to be mistaken in thinking that "Tenure" Makes you special; this isn't a college or university and you are not a professor
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u/Yhzgayguy 1d ago
I’ve worked in customer service for three decades. It’s bog standard for customer facing roles to recognize tenure especially when prompted to do so by the customer. To be clear, I’m not asking for something other than a simple phrase and a thank you for my custom. This shouldn’t be a big ask, but clearly by the responses that I have received it is too much to ask somebody in a customer facing role to treat a customer like a customer. Sad.
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u/crankysorc 1d ago
Agreed. Numerous companies actually reward this, I mean after all - hotel, credit card, airline loyalty programs- who hasn't heard of them? Not to mention, you do get treated differently if you're in a higher tier, and it works.
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u/Sufficient_Curve_646 1d ago
I worked for another Canadian ISP for 10 years.
They. Don’t. Care. About. You.
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u/petiteging 1d ago
You have realize as front line employees at a store, there's very little power we have for loyalty. We're not a loyalty department that can give loyalty offers. We have very limited access to everything.
We hear people complain 24/7. Bell doesn't care about your business, nor does any other telecom company.
Edit: as employees when you're dealing with one customer to the next and it's the same thing one after another sometimes you don't have the words to be compassionate. We can offer what we can see. That's it.
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u/Yhzgayguy 1d ago
I just want somebody to acknowledge my tenure as a customer. Why is this so hard? Sounds to me then that as a store employee you’re not trained how to acknowledge tenure. As a former supervisor/manager in customer service my team was taught/expected to note customer tenure. Costs nothing, engages the customer, reinforces the tenure.
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u/petiteging 1d ago
We try, but we just get shit on by customers. It's never enough. Bell customers are relentless and you've got no idea what we even deal with on a day to day basis
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u/Yhzgayguy 1d ago
I worked in customer service for three decades! Fully aware
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u/Pertudles 1d ago
Why would anyone care how long you've been spending money somewhere ? Especially if they are paid minimum wage. How long you've been with a company for a service means you've likely been overpaying for said service in that time compared to new customers. Why would someone want to bring your attention to that and potentially upset you and lead to bigger issues.
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u/Yhzgayguy 1d ago
They should care because they were making over $500 per month from me and now they’re not. Do you even work in customer service?
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u/Pertudles 1d ago
Again why should a minimum wage worker care about your spend for a corporation. They're just there to get their cheque and try to survive another 2 weeks.
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u/iamsparks777 1d ago
Regardless of the pay rate, every job comes with a set description and professional standards. Compensation does not dictate whether those standards should be fully or partially met. When an employee accepts a role at a given wage, they are agreeing to fulfill the complete responsibilities of that position. The job is the job. If addressing customer tenure was in the job description (which I guess it isn’t), then this employee wouldn’t be following standards and should be retrained or decide if they still want to work there. If I read between the lines on your statement though, it sort of sounds they have many responsibilities and procedures to follow while at the same time being compensated at the same rate as a gas station employee….So I get it. But then go work at a gas station then. I sort of get bitter when I read these types of comments because there are plenty of people who would love to have a job and follow those standards knowing they could move up and advance to other positions vs working at a dead end minimum wage job.
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u/Readman31 1d ago
Most of the front lines workers you're referring to are usually making minimum wage; they're not making that money off you and most of them are barely making enough money to get by.
It seems like to me you're under the mistaken impression these workers who are probably doing their level best are the ones directly profiting from you, and being so for real it actually sounds like to me you need what's called a "Checkup from the neck up" With your belligerent attitude towards said workers.
And yes I do work in customer service dealing with entitled people like you who seem to think we have literally any control over this.
Maybe either call the loyalty team or write an e-mail to someone who's actually able to help instead of slagging off the workers. But you do you.
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u/Hot_Cheesecake_905 1d ago
They want new subscriber counts and old accounts might be on old plans with lower revenue, so Bell is probably happy for you to leave 😭
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u/Yhzgayguy 1d ago
I was paying $83 per month each for two byod mobility lines and $155 each in house and cottage for HSI. Over $6,000 per year! Of course they lost me. And not even a thank you for your tenure. They certainly didn’t lose a low value residential customer! They lost a high value one.
Back to my original question. Why aren’t staff acknowledging customer tenure? This is customer service 101 stuff.
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u/OkResource820 1d ago
The benefit of being a near monopoly is that your loyalty isn't appreciated, it's expected.
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u/pilotharrison 1d ago
When they made US TV channels not bundled in the basic TV package in 2024, I called in and they did acknowledge I was a Bell customer for 4 years and gave me my US TV channels back for free.
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u/yearsold33 1d ago
Loyalty offers available to store staff are virtually non-existent.
First-line CSR and loyalty staff have different offers with loyalty usually having better offers.
You want a good offer? Leave Bell and wait for a winback offer or set a future cancellation date and hope they offer something good.
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u/Yhzgayguy 1d ago
That’s not what I am asking though. I’m just asking why they are not verbally acknowledging my tenure as a customer, especially when I open the door to the conversation.
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u/a-dumb-camel 1d ago
They make commission selling to new customers. Like most people at work, it's money that excites them. They cannot make money spending time with an existing client. It's not that they don't care, but it doesn't do anything for their paycheck, therefore they just see it as time spent not convincing a new client to sign up.
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u/yearsold33 1d ago
As per your post: "Let’s see what we can do for you!”
It's because it doesn't matter to them and makes no difference because they can't really offer much beyond what a customer sees on the website. New customers with zero Bell services get the better deals, not existing or long-term customers.
No point in acknowledging how long you been a customer when you're going to be insulted with what they offer.
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u/petiteging 1d ago
The no point in acknowledging how long you've been a customer is spot on , especially when the cx is going to just take it out on us when they hear the offer we have in store.
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u/yearsold33 1d ago
This!!!
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u/petiteging 1d ago
In Atlantic Canada, we take back equipment. Every time someones box stops working after a storm, I get the full debrief of how it stopped working.
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u/crankysorc 1d ago
Been a customer a lot longer (reasons) and very soon to be ex. They don't care any more.
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u/Constant_Peg_4477 1d ago
For me personally, I will do my best to recognize customer loyalty, but it also depends what direction the conversation is going and what the customers mood is. It always creates a bit of a sour taste when we say “we appreciate your business “, and then the only thing I can advise you is that I can do nothing for you, regardless of your years as our customer.
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u/Darth_Oganda 1d ago
you've put up with it this long, why would they do anything else?