I will never forget the elderly customer who came into the cellular retailer I worked at in Greenfield in tears over the bill they had received in the mail that they could not afford. Charges upon charges that they were not made aware of before setting up their plan.

Were these those infamous “hidden fees?” No. They were charges such as “insurance,” “optional upgrade charges,” and placement on a higher charging plan than they initially asked for. Why did this happen? Because those employed at these retailers are specifically trained to do so. During my training I was told to add these extra charges to any customer, regardless of whether I got customer consent, told that “when they notice, it’s not our problem anymore, just tell them to call customer support.”

In an age where a phone is a necessity, and every penny matters to all of us, these morally reprehensible actions need to be called out. I no longer work at this business simply because I could not continue to steal others’ hard-earned money for the commission I was told I would receive.

We aren’t talking about simply the “dark arts of sales,” what is happening is theft, what they are doing to you, is theft. The more of these add-ons a retailer puts on your account, the more the store managers, regional managers and so on gain — they are profiting on your ignorance, and your inability to see the computer or tablet they hide behind.

Don’t get me wrong — this isn’t a specific to one location, the same retailer elswhere continues to employ salespeople who go as far as knowingly adding lines with new devices to accounts that cannot be removed until the $1,000 device is paid off, telling you that adding the line will “save you money.” Let’s not mince words here, this is fraud.

So, be aware, ask every question, demand to see the computer or tablet these sales consultants are hiding behind, for their actions will cost you hundreds of dollars, and they will not be held accountable for their theft. I demand we all ask for accountability — stop stealing our money.

Zach Sherburne

Turners Falls