Good experience, not worth staying - Wireless Sales Specialist Russell Cellular Employee Review

2.0
Nov 21, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The store manager I worked under is amazing. We continuously out sold the rest of our district and did very well for a new store. As I showed my capabilities I was given more work and more trust by my store manager. I would work with her again. It was one of the best parts of that job. In spite of the other problems we faced I very much enjoyed making and maintaining the relationships I had with our customers.

Cons

Our store had crippling technical problems for months and as far as I know it still does. Problems like not being able to make calls from the store, a snail crawl slow at best internet connection that often crashed and many others. Those issues were barely addressed by upper management and we were completely forgotten about by IT. Other problems included a very high turn over. Which lead to meeting many great individuals and many not so great. We had 12 employees under the district manager (dsm). Within the first 6 months of opening 7 of the original 12 quit or were fired and 3 replacements also quit or were fired. By the time I left I was the only original wireless sales rep remaining from the original 9 (the 3 store managers were still there). Other reviews have mentioned a lack of pay in comparison to other third party retailers. This lead to us losing several wonderful team members because - hey - who doesn't want more pay for their work. I personally had a problem with making the same amount as coworkers who did far less that me and had less experience. I never missed the monthly goal but if you compared when I started to when I quit the difference in goals is astronomical (but the pay was the same). I never saw results from cold calling while working here. A few coworkers did but not many. Low stock is also a big issue. Most customers would rather go to a Verizon office in town than wait. Russell Cellular corporate needs to give approval (even to store managers!) for everything. Expect to spend a long time on the phone everyday with Verizon. Our Verizon account system is quite limited and if you need to do anything besides activating a new line you may need to call in and wait. We don't have an express line to Verizon. We call the same number as customers and wait like customers. TL;DR Low pay for the field Increased expectations without increased pay Higher management (DSM+) does not seem to value you High turn over Low stock, long wait time for orders Low stock amount of accessories, cases, etc. Corporate does not trust you and it is worn on their sleeve

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Russell Cellular Response
11y
Dear Former Employee, Thank you for taking the time to submit your review. We are glad to hear that you had an exceptional leader in your store manager. Building and maintaining customer relationships is very important in our business. In regards to some of your issues: 1. Low stock – inventory is based on sales by location; the more or less a store sells, the more or less inventory is sent to that location. 2. Lack of pay compared to other retailers – Russell Cellular introduced a new compensation program in 2014 that allows for more wage reviews and a simpler way to earn commissions. We appreciate your thoughts and concerns!

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Pros

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Cons

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Jul 14, 2026
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Pros

It's relatively easy to learn the software involved, and the company mascot is cute. The customers are like any industry, hit or miss- but I enjoyed helping them with their phone troubles and understanding the technology we all rely on now.

Cons

Literally everything else. There's no clear pay scale or raise structure, and HR is not forthcoming with this information, either. The commission structure makes little to no sense, changing mid-month in a point based system, random spiffs for anywhere from a day or two to a few months. It's so confusing that there's regular trainings and quizzes on how the structure works to make sure employees come even close to understanding it. The median monthly earnings in commission are only earned by 38% of employees, not the average or majority. The training is almost useless, and focuses on convincing you you can make good money rather than teaching you anything. They push ethics and "honest sales" in preaching, but not in practice; and punish you for "underperforming" if you don't slam account with extras, lie to customers, or commit blatant fraud. They actively discourage you from helping in any capacity if it doesn't create a sale of some kind, and push extra fees onto customers for something as simple as paying your bill in person. Regional supervision isn't required to follow the same standards as company policies, and there is very little hierarchy accountability. They expect you to answer a call at a drop of a hat even off the clock, but will actively ignore you or hang up if you need something when they're off the clock, even salaried. On top of that, upper management and the C-Suite is rife with nepotism, and even Verizon thinks they pay their employees too little. Not a great look.

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