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members suggests that long distance telephone company incentive checks have not
exactly ceased to exist. The companies in question, however, dodge specifics when it comes
to inquiries regarding these promotional incentives.
Multiple calls to both MCI and AT&T home customer sales lines yielded
little in the way of clarity. The salesperson on each of these many calls attested
that their company had canceled the incentive checks programs “almost a year
ago” or within the “last few months.”
When pressed with accounts of checks being sent and cashed within the last
six months, the sales rep in every case stuck to the script, “We don’t send
out checks.”
Hmmmmm, interesting. Bernadette Noll’s experience with long distance
“love” happened within the last 12 months with both AT&T and MCI vying for her
affection. I, myself, have cashed two checks from AT&T since fall, 1996. One editor
here at the Chronicle says that she cashed a $50 incentive check from MCI
within the last six weeks.
The incentives, even when not in the form of checks, are still quite
lucrative. The incentive deals range from Sprint’s offer for four tickets to see the new
film Men in Black, to frequent flyer miles and car rental points accumulated after
staying with a company (MCI and AT&T) for one year. And of course, let’s not
forget discounts on long distance phone charges. This is, after all, what this whole racket is
about, right?
David Flanary II, major account manager from the locally owned and based
Austin Bestline Telecommunications says his employer takes a different approach:
“We don’t put money into incentives and tell the customer how to spend our
savings. We don’t limit where you can spend it and where you can’t.”
The only long distance sales rep willing to talk at length about the state
of these promotions, Flanary laughed when asked about the spate of incentive
checks and how his small local firm can compete with such extravagant corporate cash
cows. “We love it!” he says, “You know and I know the customer is
paying for it. It’s no secret. If the [large corporations] have all this cash to
give out, it’s got to be coming from somewhere.”
Despite the number of folks in our circle who were willing to chase after
the tail of the latest cash incentive and bounce from long distance company to
long distance company, many quizzed have remained loyal to one company for years. The
reasons are varied, from appreciating a corporate identity, professionalism, quality of
service to having a percentage of their bill going to socially responsible causes or
personally knowing a sales rep. Perhaps money and loyalty are mutually exclusive.
The word in the industry is that despite what you see in your mailbox, the
checks promotions will not be long for this realm. If one of the major companies
sends you a check, read all the print, re-read the fine print, then go ahead and cash
the check and give them your long distance business.
…at least, until the next check comes.
— Kate X Messer
This article appears in June 27 • 1997 and June 27 • 1997 (Cover).