Why does At&t hate Wp8?

[Blake Seaman]

There's much discussion over the obnoxious carrier exclusives here in the states, but I'm more curious as to the carriers themselves.

I took my mother into the At&t store to upgrade her for mother's day. She was sitting on an Iphone 4 (and hating it), but took quite the liking to my L920. For various reasons, I decided to get her the 1520. When I went in, my mother was doing some discussion with the sale's rep on her plan; and so I was standing happily by her, him, and the one area with three Lumia devices. When she told him she like the 1520, what I heard was shocking.

The First thing he said was that Wp8 is good for some people, but software support is a huge problem if anything goes wrong.
The second thing he (rather eagerly) said, was that the android *gesturing* stuff over there has much more capability, and the new iphone *gesturing* is an excellent upgrade from yours.
The last thing he said (as usual), was that there aren't really any Apps available too.

I had to politely step into the conversation and guide it towards what we intended to buy in the first place.

Driving my mother home, the thought occurred to me that THIS is why Wp8 is so unpopular: because the average person who doesn't digest the internet with an IV and inject technology like heroin is too easy to mislead; too often, if you don't walk in to buy a Windows phone, you will not walk out with a windows phone.

This experience is not isolated, and even if it's rare, why does it happen at all?
Why does Msoft not work with the carriers to advertise better?

Or is my perception falsely distorted.

thoughts?

 

[anon(5445874)]

Verizon also hates WP. It would almost be best if MS just bought or created their own cell network.

 

[AV2RY]

Well, Verizon doesn't even have WP phones (Icon) in the store now. I was looking for Icon in local store, the sales rep told me I have to order it because they don't have (hold) them in the store because they can't sell them (we know why). And the funny and sad part is it's Verizon exclusive phone.

 

[anon(5445874)]

FYI, Last time I went back home to see my parents, we went to the Verizon store to get icon's. They had just returned their galaxy note 3's. The guys at the Verizon store talked to us like we were stupid. They told us that they would return the icons the next day. They said over 90% of people who buy windows phones return them. They tried to push android crap to my parents. I had already convinced my dad and mom that wp was cool, so they didn't listen. They were pretty much refusing to sell the Icons so my dad was said "if you're not going to sell us the icon's then we're going to leave". The Verizon store employees (2 of them) just stared at us like idiots, so we just left and went home to buy the phones online through Verizon. And all that was after having to wait our line at the Verizon store for an HOUR. And that whole thing was a few months back. Unlike what the Verizon employees said, my parents did not return the icon's. INFACT, THEY LOVE THE PHONES.

 

[MaxyBley]

Who knows... :S

 

[peacefulberry]

T-Mobile hates WP too...most US carriers do! The reason is simple...BONUSES! Carriers get bonuses for selling the other phones. If Microsoft doesn't give out bonuses or gives low bonuses for selling the WP, sales reps and carriers will continue to not like WP, because they feel like they are not getting anything in return. In other words, if you were told to sell 3 cars: 1 red, 1, blue, and 1 yellow. But you get an extra $100 for each red & yellow car you sold, you might convince buyers that the blue cars have been painted with blueberry jam and would melt in the sun! LOL.

 

[peacefulberry]

Well, Verizon doesn't even have WP phones (Icon) in the store now. I was looking for Icon in local store, the sales rep told me I have to order it because they don't have (hold) them in the store because they can't sell them (we know why). And the funny and sad part is it's Verizon exclusive phone.

Yep...its a catch 22! Stores only sell what's popular...and WP is not popular because they refuse to sell it! This is why if Microsoft /Nokia doesn't start selling unlocked versions of their phones, they'll get BlackBerried. At one point, BlackBerry refused to sell their phones online, now looked what happen. If they sold the 1520.3 at the Microsoft store or online, they would have sold out by now!

 

[thron]

This is an issue in Canada too. I had a store rep at wind mobile refuse to sell me an HTC windows phone but tried pushing over-priced samsung's on me multiple times before I left the store empty handed.

 

[BobLobIaw]

ATT doesn't hate Windows Phone, but their employees often suffer from groupthink, which favors Android and iOS.

 

[oditius]

I think that is funny. When I was trying my frozen 1520, the rep was telling me of the great features of Samsung and the smart watch. I kindly told the young lady that after having 5 bad S3's, that Samsung can kiss the area where the sun don't shine. The note 2, was a good phone, but not trusting the galaxy series anymore. And after all the rooting and flashing roms I did with Android, I was done with them. I really liked the 1520, even if it did freeze. I love the replacement one. But when I was in the store, 3 WP devices was sold. One to a old lady who couldn't be talked out of it. She got mad at the sales person and swung her purse at the kid. The manager came in and sent the kid home. She pulled a 1020 out of her pocket to show granny how out worked. Then sold her one right then and there.

Sent from my Nokia Lumia 1520, w/AT&T using Tapatalk

 

[bbpohlmann]

I don't think the problem is that most carriers hate WP, but the sales people lack the training and/or objectivity needed to provide customers with the answers they need. Watch what phones most of them carry. Few, if any, have a Windows phone. They are going to push what they know and what they have bias for.

 

[peacefulberry]

This is an issue in Canada too. I had a store rep at wind mobile refuse to sell me an HTC windows phone but tried pushing over-priced samsung's on me multiple times before I left the store empty handed.

And you know its bad when the store reps would rather u walk out empty handed rather than with a Windows Phone! Its happened to me several times, so I know its happened thousands of times to others. This should be a wake up call for Microsoft. Keep the funny Lumia commercials coming, and sell the phones unlocked online.

 

[angusdegraosta]

You are right. Salesmen have a bias toward what they know and have been told. AT&T is just one part of the story. Once 8.1 models get on the market, they got to put live models on display in every store, including Best Buy.

 

[erzhik]

Because they get commission on every device sold and its easier to sell an Android or iOS.

 

[Elitis]

Its not really an issue with carriers as much as it is an issue for sales reps. The carriers themselves welcome WP with open arms (even if they don't show it), but the sales reps are bias towards Androids and iOS, and further enticed into selling Androids and iPhones by their managers.

 

[peacefulberry]

Its not really an issue with carriers as much as it is an issue for sales reps. The carriers themselves welcome WP with open arms (even if they don't show it), but the sales reps are bias towards Androids and iOS, and further enticed into selling Androids and iPhones by their managers.

I think it's a bigger issue with reps, but I think the lack of respect for other platforms comes from the carrier first, then trickles down to the reps. The carrier (tmobile in particular) doesn't have the same displays as the other OS. They refuse to push updates to some WP phones even though the manufacturer released them. So reps tell customers that if they get an Android it'll be updated regularly, but what they aren't saying is that the carrier chooses which phones to update or not update.

 

[jbfoster61]

I don't think it's AT&T, it's the dumb *** employee pushing what they like themselves instead of giving the customer all the info. I do admit I miss the app selection I had when I had a Android phone but I remember my first Android phone, there were hardly any apps.

Other than a small selection off apps I love my Windows Phone. I DO NOT miss the laggy **** Android does. I had to reset my Android phone every 5 months or so because of it lagging so much. Iphone is small and too locked down and I do not like Itunes and there is no MicroSD. Any way Windows is the only way to go.

Jim

 

[CyclingGuyNola]

I don't think it's AT&T, it's the dumb *** employee pushing what they like themselves instead of giving the customer all the info.

Jim

This 100%. I have found, the only way to really get a reps attention, no matter what carrier, is to look like you're interested in the phones they happen to like. This usually winds up being some Android phone. The minute they see you moving towards a WP they start trying to veer you over to something else.

It's not just a carrier store, stores like Best Buy are just as bad. Hell, I just recently got into an argument with a assistant manager at Best Buy over a DVP8. Guy tried to tell me they were discontinued last fall due to them being junk and I had to school him on just how uneducated he was for his department. The whole time he was trying to finger a Android tablet as if id be interested.

I also believe the carrier exclusives are holding WP back from really grabbing everyone. Being on Tmobile I am constantly in envy of the devices on other carriers and wishing Tmo would wake up. Get rid of the exclusives, put SD card slots in more phones, better advertising and WP will be the Next Big Thing.

 

[MDMcAtee]

I think the reasons have already been answered. Both reasons why,the commission and the the bias is in every AT&T store regardless where you go even though they may have 1or 2 employees who use them. They do push Ios first then Android and rarely mention WP.

The sales associates and manager tried telling me to wait for the next big thing at the end of March when I bought mine. They were hyping the s5 and the Tabs over everything.

I knew what I wanted which was a 1520 for me and a 1020 for the wife and got agitated at their insistence,so I educated them and some other folks in the store on my reasoning against any Samsung or Apple product after making them connect both to the internet which none of the WP were.


They sold 5 WP phones and 1 tablet because of me that day. Folks were genuinely interested in them and lived how easy they were to use and also the quality of them by feel and looks,and when a couple saw the 41 megapixel camera they fought over who got the stores last black one.
Another thing that really irks me is the lack of accessories available in the ATT store.I was told to go online or elsewhere and that bothers me too.

I know that the store has to make money,but,to purposely down play and outright lie about these phones just in order to push apple and androids is wrong.

I think that Microsoft should tell ATT and any other carriers if instances like this is going to continue, they wont take it lightly.

Microsoft has enough money to open stores and kiosk in malls all over the world to sell their own products and can do so without any of ATT bloat preinstalled they can also offer any plans available so they can turn the page against any carrier exclusivity and offer better pricing as well. That way with a properly executed add campaign can draw both old and young to them.

Mac

 

[AngrySprintUser]

Its not really an issue with carriers as much as it is an issue for sales reps. The carriers themselves welcome WP with open arms (even if they don't show it), but the sales reps are bias towards Androids and iOS, and further enticed into selling Androids and iPhones by their managers.

Yeah Verizon just got the Icon, Ativ SE and now a new HTC WP. I don't think that's really how a carrier shows hate towards WP. Now what Sprint is doing, well............