Previous Post
Next Post

How To Talk To Customer Service Reps–IMPORTANT For Trading & Life

Posted by timothysykes on Thu 21st of Aug, 2008 06:23:03 PM
  Tags:

When I was booking my Japan trip, I impulsively booked a flight combo that was a really good deal, relatively speaking. Think $4k for 2 people for 3 roundtrip flights (my girlfriend and I are also going to her cousin’s wedding outside of Vancouver aka the initial excuse to travel so faaaaaaar), but when I had to change 1 of those flights, it cost me several hours talking to customer service reps from both Air Canada & Orbitz, everybody telling me it was impossible to change just 1 out of 3 international flights…but I didn’t believe a one of them.

And then, one kind Air Canada customer service soul, Jane, told me everyone else was lying and she processed my transfer rather quickly and for only a $200ish fee!

The key to my eventual success was not believing any customer rep, even when their supervisor told me the same thing, even when their supervisor’s supervisor said the same thing, too.

Because customer service reps, like brokers, are your bitches.

That’s right, you heard me–you the customer are always right, the people you deal with are just lil bitches. Even when you’re wrong, they’re still your bitches. You can always complain, whine and moan and get your way…eventually. Or at least some free stuff.

Why do I bring this up here?

Cuz when you chat with the friendly Thinkorswim customer service rep who tells you that you cannot short stocks under $3, you close the chat window and chat with someone else who knows better and/or bends the rules. Cuz you can. I have. Others have. Even after they allegedly changed their rules to prevent this kind of shorting.

More importantly, don’t even think about listening to reps at other shitty brokers that say it’s impossible to short stocks under $5. They’re either ignorant or trying to keep you at their shitty brokerage. Cuz there’s no SEC rules that prevents this, just a ton of shitty brokers. Brokers like Scottrade…good for buying stocks, good for cheap commissions, horrific for shorting Penny Stocks.

Spread This Post:
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • Facebook
  • Google Bookmarks
  • MySpace
  • StumbleUpon
  • Technorati
  • TwitThis
  • Yahoo! Buzz

TIMstore Monthly DVD Specials:

See all TIM DVD specials HERE

Related Reading

Previous Post
Next Post
  • getshorty
    Completely agree.

    Worked retail my previous life, if the client makes enough noise, will get its way.

    Also don't forget not to ask but to command. Don't ask, "can you change my flight?" But say "Change my flight to ....." and if you MUST ask, ask how to do it, not if it can be done.

    Tried to get a park that was full, people was asking if they could get in and where told no. I asked "HOW do i get in" and told to wait at a side, 20 minutes after I was in.

    Don't even get me started with bouncers at clubs...
  • getshorty
    Superman
  • Alex
    Good posts getshort...thanks.

    Another tip I read about (haven't tried it yet) that's useful for getting service reps to bend or go the extra mile is to tell them "I'll write or email your manager to tell them how professional and helpful you are and make me want to continue doing business..blah, blah blah...just give me their contact info"...then proceed to ask them for the big favor you need.

    You don't want to rude to them cuz they can always "put you on hold"
  • getshorty
    thats right, command with a strong firm voice but with your widest smile.
  • jcastellon
  • i work at a restaurant and i know exactly what you mean by complain enough and you'll get rewarded for your act
  • Kmdom3
    getshort

    that affirmativeness may work with some customer reps, but that ones with attitude don't like taking orders.

    I'm a bank teller, with a lot of strict rules to follow, and a lot of strict rules that can be bent and broken haha But when someone demands something from me, the last thing i wanna do is give them what they want. We had some dude walk in today with a big check and no ID, and when we turned him down he started throwing out F's and mother F'ers. We kicked his ass out.

    So here's my hint, be nice to the good folks at TOS, people are much more likely to bend the rules if they know they're bending them for someone who deserves it
  • younggunz
    The easiest way to get around ToS's inconsistent $3 shorting rule is to always ask them to put in the order at a price above $3 then when you're done cancel and replace the order. That also may be the reason some people have been able to short stocks under $3 is because they forget they originally had the broker put the order in at a really high price so they could come back later when the chart was looking ready to short.
  • younggunz
    VFIL was a nice short from $3 to $2.50. Risky being a superman pick, we'll see how it turns out in the morning. I tried to get a scalp going long when it crack $3 thinking it broke resistance and would jump higher but it stalled out and the spread was getting crazy. ended up jumping ship with a commission loss.
  • getshorty
    KMDOM, you misunderstood me, I worked as a bank as well, as personal banker, and what you said is true, at the bank, where cash is handed people is very caotious.

    But what I meant was not to get unpolite, just self assured.
    I am very affirmative and most of the time end up friend with the representatives and get what i want. Exchanges instead of repairs, extra discounts, discounts for paying in cash, extra credit. What I mean is that by asking if something is possible, you are making it very easy for the other part to say no.
  • getshorty
    HDLM looks as it can keep on running, then a squeeze, then short time, hope it materializes
  • yukumbawa
    Looks like FMD is primed. At least $1 downside...what do you guys think? I'm kind of new at this, should I play it?
  • total_keops
    FMD I really dont like this thing.
    I shorted KRY.
    Still short in SOBM and HMX.
    Took a loss on APAC.
  • shortit
    MITI gonna b a short soon... p&D
  • jesterdood
    Damn! Tried to short MITI through Ameritrade & was given a mssg that MITI is not available to short sell. Anybody know why? I'm wondering if I have to upgrade to another service/broker or if I need more $$$ in my account. Would have made some $$$ Kinda new to this. BTW, great site & insights. I hope to learn from you all.
  • Jason
    Think or Swim kicks ass. Just the name is funny. But I think Interactive Brokers is cheaper.

    lol nice post about getting your way as a customer/consumer/trader.

    this is a good site
    http://consumerist.com/
  • marmaladeskies
    LOL you sound like my mom. my mom always complained to those bitch reps and when i was a kid i would tell her to calm down, because they know what they're talking about. i couldn't have been more wrong. my mom scalped a few hundred bucks each time they fucked up.
blog comments powered by Disqus




Start Here

Who Is Timothy Sykes And Why Should I Care?

See Tim's full bio HERE. Tim turned a few thousand dollars into a few million by taking small gains time after time on hundreds of volatile penny stocks, discovering that his trading strategy, while consistently successful, works best for those with smaller accounts.

Determined to teach others this PennyStocking trading strategy (learn more HERE), he went back to his original $12,415 roots (already $58,000+ even though the stock market has crashed) to show everyone how to turn thousands into millions, even while having a life (somewhat) and making plenty of mistakes. Currently he is the #1 ranked trader out of 25,000+ on Covestor)

How Can I Consistently Make Money In The Stock Market?

Hard work, Determination and Know How.

Hard work to learn how the greatly misunderstood niche of penny stocks provides opportunities every now and then on which you should pounce.

Determination to seek those probable profits out and know how in order to actually profit from them.

Long story short, wait for stocks that are extremely volatile - for whatever reason - and then aim to take small profits (between 10 and 50% within a few hours, days or weeks) here and there, either from betting on higher or lower prices (yes, you can make $ betting on lower prices, it's called Shortstocking (learn more HERE).

Why Penny Stocks?

As Tim explains in several ALL-NEW instructional DVDs (see them HERE) and in over 2000+ blog posts, penny stocks are the most hyped and corrupt niche in the entire investment world. These two qualities make them the easiest to profit from (legally) because the vast majority of people who play penny stocks are suckers and all-around ignorant people. If you have any intelligence whatsoever, you have a clear advantage and it's like playing basketball against mental midgets.

Where Do You Find Stocks To Trade?

This is the #1 FAQ (see more HERE) and it is answered in THIS instructional DVD.

Of course, that's just a brief introduction - to receive a full education, there is Tim's book An American Hedge Fund which is the story of his remarkable rise and lessons learned.

To truly increase your odds at profit, Tim has designed an entire set of detailed instructional DVDs, covering all the variables that amount to over 24 hours of instruction (see them all HERE)!

TIM Trades

View All
Date Stock Buy Sell Net
Nov 6 QXM $4.31 $4.80 $1936
Nov 4 COT $8.66 $8.88 $642
Nov 4 QXM $4.61 $4.89 $822
Oct 30 DDRX $25.70 $26.53 $812
Oct 29 CTDC $4.00 $4.42 $781
Oct 26 AWSL $3.24 $4.10 $2516
Oct 23 RODM $5.27 $5.23 $301
Oct 22 AMLM $2.69 $2.97 $820
Oct 22 USEG $6.12 $6.09 $85
Oct 20 CBOU $8.93 $9.06 $243
Oct 16 VRMLQ $16.79 $18.65 $2773
Oct 13 YONG $11.05 $11.66 $1202
Oct 13 NPHC $0.59 $0.71 $583
Oct 12 IMGG $0.60 $0.70 $682
Oct 9 ZAGG $5.50 $6.10 $2380
Oct 7 GVBP $0.03 $0.27 $702
Oct 1 NPHC $0.70 $0.85 $1482

Total: $92,304 (644%)