Latest news with #TPR
Phone Arena
01-06-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Why reps at T-Mobile corporate-owned stores hate those working at TPR stores
In the past, we've explained the differences between a T-Mobile COR (corporate-owned) store and a TPR ( T-Mobile Premium Retailer) retail location. The latter stores are owned and operated by third-party companies and while the branding and the products are mostly the same, the TPR stores are independently run. T-Mobile and the third-party company typically sign a contract that details the obligations of both sides. It might not be easy for you to determine whether you are inside a T-Mobile corporate store or a TPR. There will be small signs, possibly on the storefront window, that say "Authorized Retailer" or "Independent Retailer" at a location owned and operated by a third-party. But these are usually much smaller than the huge brand signage that screams " T-Mobile ." In the past, we've told you about the metrics that T-Mobile reps must meet every month. Those working at TPR stores supposedly have higher goals to meet than the reps working in corporate-run stores. That might explain why we hear that shady sales practices take place more often inside TPR locations. You know what we are talking about. Adding accessories such as a case, a battery charger, insurance, additional phone lines, and other items to a customer's purchase without their consent has been a major issue at stores run by third-party companies. Leaked image shows monthly goals for an unnamed rep working at a T-Mobile corporate store. | Image credit-Reddit Reps working at corporate stores are getting tired of having to deal with the fallout caused by the shady practices of some TPR reps. One COR rep wrote on Reddit, "...franchise/authorized retailers get away with the wildest tactics just to hit their numbers. We're out here doing things the right way — no shady pitches, no burying add-ons just to hit goals — and somehow we end up cleaning up the mess they leave behind." One former TPR rep who was laid off said that in the short time he worked there, "I've seen some stuff." The rep in the corporate-owned store says that credit for a sale should go to the person who completes the port-in if a customer is moving over his existing number from another carrier. "If the sale starts in a channel, it should finish there," he writes. One reason why he says frontline reps are tired is because they are dealing with "the mess of every other channel." Besides having to clean up messes made by TPR reps, it appears that some members of the COR sales team are getting stressed having to handle "every aspect of someone's digital life." This corporate store rep notes that "Customers now expect us to store their passwords, reset Gmail or Apple logins, or fix their third-party apps like we're Genius Bar techs." This hits T-Mobile reps right in the wallet because it uses up time that could be used to make sales which is the only thing that these reps get paid to do. Many believe that T-Mobile is slowly transitioning to a business model that does away with all stores altogether relying instead on an app that customers would access to make changes to their T-Mobile account, buy new phones, and chat with a T-Mobile employee to solve an issue. This model is similar to how several pre-paid MVNOs do business such as Verizon-owned Visible. Such a business model might allow T-Mobile to reduce prices. The carrier has started pushing its T-Life app as a tool that customers can use in almost all situations. We've reached out to T-Mobile for a response. If the company responds, we will update this article. Switch to Total 5G+ Unlimited 3-Month plan or Total 5G Unlimited and get a free iPhone. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase Buy at Total Wireless
Phone Arena
26-05-2025
- Business
- Phone Arena
Even a successful manager of a T-Mobile TPR store has no job security
Besides the corporate T-Mobile stores owned by the company itself, there are retail locations known as TPR ( T-Mobile Premium Retailer) which are owned and operated by independent firms that have the permission to use T-Mobile branding and sell the same products you'd find in a corporate store. According to a social media post written by an employee who works for one of the independent operators of T-Mobilr TPR stores, it sounds as though job security at these stores is pretty low even if you're a successful store manager. For example, Redditor prodbyfear wrote a long post explaining what happened after he started working at an unnamed T-Mobile TPR in February 2022. Two years later he became assistant manager as his sales numbers put him among the leaders in his district finishing in the first quintile every month. He was promoted to store manager last August and, as he put it, "me and my reps were making wonderful commission checks way into the new year." Outside of a T-Mobile store in Butler, New Jersey. | Image credit-T-Mobile The first problem occurred this past January when two of his reps (one with the "override" code) applied an unauthorized discount to iPhone 16 purchases in their employee accounts. The store manager was out at the time, and didn't even know about the discounts until loss prevention put the hammer down and canned the two salesmen. This left the store manager without two of his best reps forcing him and two other employees to put in outrageous hours. In February the store fell into the fifth and bottom quintile. Making matters worse, the company that owns these stores raised the metrics that its reps have to meet or face losing their jobs. The monthly goal of activating 90 voice lines (125% of the target) rose to 120-130 voice line activations (again, this was 125% of the monthly goal). For a store that is struggling, making the metrics goal harder to top might not have been such a smart thing to do. The store manager made a critical mistake in retrospect when he told the company he works for that he needed help. The firm told him that he shouldn't need to ask for additional help and that there is no reason for the store not to remain profitable and remain a top 50 store in the company. The store manager got involved in a personal issue that had nothing to do with the store (he was arrested for a misdemeanor outside of work and the charge has been cleared). Still, when he returned, the District Manager came by the store, and out of camera view he told the store manager that he was going to be demoted and if he didn't agree to the demotion the company would "kick rocks" at him and get him fired. The only thing I can think of reading this is that when it comes to some of T-Mobile 's TPRs, shady does as shady is. I know many of you younger phone enthusiasts out there might consider a career selling the devices you love so much. One thing I learned as a younger smartphone fan before I got the PhoneArena gig is that reps really don't care about smartphones. Nor do they keep up with the news in the industry. I used to visit a Verizon store near me and chew the fat with some of the reps about upcoming phones and not one rep I spoke with knew what new phones were on the horizon. That seemed surprising at first until I realized that it is a sales job and their job is selling the inventory they have, not telling a customer to wait for the next model because it will have a better ultra-wide camera sensor. If you do decide to check out mobile device sales as a possible career, my advice would be to stick with corporate-owned stores and stay away from the seamy, slimy side of smartphone sales that you could experience by working for the wrong third-party authorized dealer. We have reached out to T-Mobile asking for a comment on this article. Any response will be added in an update to this story.
Fashion Value Chain
24-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Fashion Value Chain
Stellan Monk: Luxe Leather Monk Shoes by Language®
LANGUAGE® Shoes, known for its blend of craftsmanship, quality, and cutting-edge style, introduces the Stellan Monk—a standout piece in its premium footwear collection. Designed for those who make bold fashion choices, the Stellan Monk pairs classic monk strap elegance with a modern edge. Crafted with a hand-painted leather upper and striking brogue accents, the shoe commands attention. Inside, soft leather lining and a cushioned footbed offer all-day comfort, while the TPR sole ensures reliable flexibility and grip, perfect for any occasion. Available in unique finishes, the Stellan Monk is priced at ₹7,990 and embodies the ideal mix of luxury, longevity, and versatile design. It's footwear redefined for today's confident, style-forward individual. You can shop the Stellan Monk at LANGUAGE® boutiques across major cities including Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Indore, Ludhiana, Patiala, Bathinda, and Chandigarh. It is also available online at and For updates, new releases, and fashion advice, follow LANGUAGE® Shoes on Instagram and Facebook.
Finextra
22-05-2025
- Business
- Finextra
The quiet revolution of AI in pensions
0 This content is contributed or sourced from third parties but has been subject to Finextra editorial review. A quiet revolution is happening in the pensions industry, as it starts to embrace the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for more than number crunching. AI has been used in pensions for several decades, but this has largely been for back office work, such as analysing large data sets associated with pension schemes, which have thousands of members and billions of pounds of assets. Opportunities and concerns The advent of generative AI brings greater opportunities. Pension scheme members are using AI in their daily lives and the industry needs to keep pace. Both major industry regulators - The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and The Pensions Regulator (TPR) - are supportive of pension scheme initiatives involving the use of AI. The regulators also employ AI in their own work. TPR recently reported that 'a coalition of fraud fighters' had used AI to help build a new tool to detect pension scam websites, which would have had the potential to reach thousands of pensions members, putting their retirement savings at risk. However, the pensions industry needs to overcome some concerns before AI is more widely adopted in its interfaces with scheme members. The Treasury Select Committee recently issued a call for evidence on 'The use of AI in banking, pensions and other financial services'. To inform its response to this call for evidence, the Society of Pension Professionals (SPP) used their 2025 AI survey of its members, which had assessed the current use of AI in the pensions industry, how this is expected to change in the future and to identify any barriers to more widespread adoption. 87% of pensions professionals who responded to the SPP's 2025 AI Survey said that their firm uses AI, but 75% said that this is currently limited to only 1-5% of their services. It was widely acknowledged that AI saves time and reduces cost, but organisational nervousness was identified as the biggest barrier to firms adopting more widespread rollout. According to the SPP survey, within the next 10 years, the use of AI in the pensions sector is expected to increase significantly, with 18% of respondents expecting it to be used in more than 50% of their services. This implies some optimism that operational nervousness will lessen with the passage of time. The member engagement conundrum The use of AI to aid member understanding and engagement, particularly in the years leading up to retirement, is a hot topic at present. Some background information might be useful to understand why member engagement is a problem. More than 11 million UK workers have been automatically enrolled into a pension scheme since new employer duties were introduced in 2012. Automatic enrolment relies on member inertia (i.e. members have to take action if they wish to opt out of a pension scheme, and if they do, they are automatically re-enrolled three years later). Essentially, it is easier for the UK workforce to be in a pension scheme, rather than not to be in a pension scheme. Most of these automatically enrolled members are in Defined Contribution (DC) schemes, where the employer contributes a fixed percentage of payroll but the members bear the risks of assessing whether their contribution levels and investment choices will support the level of income they need in retirement. At the point of retirement, there are difficult choices to make. For example, members need to make decisions around if and when to purchase an annuity, whether to take drawdown income, or whether to take the whole pension pot as a lump sum (with 25% being tax free). These decumulation choices are complicated, but most members do not take financial advice. The FCA has issued proposals to provide more targeted support for scheme members, citing a survey in which '75% [of scheme members] did not have a clear plan for how to take their money out of their pension or didn't know they had to make a choice.' Further provisions will be included in this year's Pension Schemes Bill requiring trustees to provide decumulation pathways, but it is likely to be a few years before these new duties are fully in force. How is AI helping? There is a lot of potential for using AI in helping to guide DC members through various stages of their pensions journey. These include personalised communications or video clips to prompt members to consider if they are saving enough – this could be powerful if targeted at key birthdays, for example, or to coincide with an annual pay review. Greater technology is also being deployed to guide members through decumulation processes. The pensions industry is making technological strides in member support - particularly Master Trust Schemes and Pension Providers. This is acknowledged in a recent report by the Pensions Policy Institute (sponsored by TPR), which acknowledges a number of 'personalised, engaging, and practical' platforms that have developed to help individuals to understand and plan for their retirement. These include interactive tools and video content. But, as the report concludes, 'Considerations around regulation and consumer protection will be crucial in ensuring these tools serve savers' best interests, striking the right balance between accessibility, reliability and safeguarding against risks.' Looking to the future Regulatory clarity, particularly the work currently being undertaken by the FCA around targeted support, will hopefully provide greater certainty for the industry and reduce nervousness that new technology may stray unwittingly into regulated areas. This in turn should lead to greater confidence in investing further in AI based pensions technology. Pension scheme trustees need to additionally consider how any technological developments sit with their fiduciary duties. They need to make sure that advancements are in the best interests of scheme members, that the pace of change is appropriate for different demographics and that any AI used by third party service providers is subject to good oversight to minimise errors. Trustees should ensure that they have robust, GDPR compliant agreements in place with service providers using AI, and need to consider, for example, whether data protection impact assessments are required and whether privacy notices need to be updated. However, it is unclear if the general public are ready to trust AI to assist with important financial decisions. Generation X joined the workforce when desktop computers were a novelty and when the main form of external communication was a telephone conversation. Are they ready to now allow AI to help them with their retirement choices?
Business Insider
12-05-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Tapestry (TPR) Gets a Buy from Barclays
In a report released on May 9, Adrienne Yih from Barclays maintained a Buy rating on Tapestry (TPR – Research Report), with a price target of $98.00. The company's shares closed last Friday at $78.01. Protect Your Portfolio Against Market Uncertainty Discover companies with rock-solid fundamentals in TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter. Receive undervalued stocks, resilient to market uncertainty, delivered straight to your inbox. According to TipRanks, Yih is a 4-star analyst with an average return of 5.0% and a 48.48% success rate. Yih covers the Consumer Cyclical sector, focusing on stocks such as Tapestry, Crocs, and Bath & Body Works. In addition to Barclays, Tapestry also received a Buy from Goldman Sachs's Brooke Roach in a report issued on May 9. However, on the same day, BMO Capital maintained a Hold rating on Tapestry (NYSE: TPR). Based on Tapestry's latest earnings release for the quarter ending December 28, the company reported a quarterly revenue of $2.2 billion and a net profit of $310.4 million. In comparison, last year the company earned a revenue of $2.08 billion and had a net profit of $322.3 million Based on the recent corporate insider activity of 49 insiders, corporate insider sentiment is negative on the stock. This means that over the past quarter there has been an increase of insiders selling their shares of TPR in relation to earlier this year. Most recently, in February 2025, Todd Kahn, the CEO and Brand President, Coach of TPR sold 7,786.00 shares for a total of $681,975.74.
