I have been a customer of US Cellular in excess of 15 years, using the Madison East store all along. From Feb thru April, I received numerous calls & texts from THIS store, along emails from corporate, offering me promotional deals for being a "loyal customer." At that time, I did not need or want an upgrade. Just over a week ago, my phone died & cannot be repaired. I checked online for current promo offers & found them to be nearly identical to what was offered previously. I compared phones, made my choice & went in to get my new phone. I was told the promo does not apply to existing customers. I asked the associate if he realized I could go to nearly every competitor & get the same deal as a new customer. He stated he did know this. I went back home to research other providers. The next day, I received an email offering me the same promo as a current customer. Am I to believe the sales team is not aware of upcoming deals? When I went back in to the store a second time, I was told I must add a line to my existing plan to get the offer. I explained that I do not need or want a new line, just a new phone. I asked if he realized I could go to another company & get a similar deal as a new customer. He did & advised me to call customer , indicating he was certain I would be given the promo deal if I called. I was shocked that he did not offer to do this for me - especially since I have no working phone. He seemed to know I would get the deal but refused to help me get there! Once back home, I initiated a chat with customer service. I was told the store should have been more helpful. I asked if I could get a new line using the promo, then cancel my existing line. Yes, I could do that. But can't give me the deal & let me keep my current number. The person on the chat indicated I could call the "retention department" to see if I could get the deal without changing numbers. Absolutely senseless! Empower your employees & you won't need a retention department. The associates at this location show zero interest in providing effective customer service or earning commissions on sales. They are overly comfortable with allowing long time customers to walk away. I truly do not want the hassle of changing providers & numbers, but US Cellular is making it very difficult to remain with them. read more