disappointed...

[Galway 77]

So yesterday I went to a T-Mobile store to check the lumia 640.I'm with Verizon now, and was thinking about changing to T-Mobile so I thought I'd check out if I could do the two week test drive promotion.well, they were not very helpful as far as Windows phone was concerned. Told them I was tired of Android and always liked Windows and now with the way Windows is going, thought I'd take a chance on the 640. Didn't even have it displayed and told me they were phasing out Windows phone because nobody liked them.I have a note 4 now, and tried to push me towards LG since I told them I was done with Samsung.I told them that no wonder nobody was buying them with the attitude they gave me about the phone I wanted.. Then tried to steer me towards iPhone... I just walked out. I'll probably try a different store, but if I want a Windows phone, if I get a response like I did yesterday, I don't think I'll hold my tongue as well as I did yesterday.anyway, I guess that's what Windows phone is up against...

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[Tony Clegg]

Maybe if either the store or staff are commission based, it's likely they will receive bigger payments from Apple for their products. This kind of mentality is everywhere sadly. Chances are that you will get a store worker trying to sell you something you don't want just because he/she has a better understanding of how the product works and they get higher commission.

I would also leave the store laughing at them saying they have idea. Always leave having the last laugh.

 

[Galway 77]

Maybe if either the store or staff are commission based, it's likely they will receive bigger payments from Apple for their products. This kind of mentality is everywhere sadly. Chances are that you will get a store worker trying to sell you something you don't want just because he/she has a better understanding of how the product works and they get higher commission.

I would also leave the store laughing at them saying they have idea. Always leave having the last laugh.

Well, he said Windows phone is going nowhere... And I asked him about Windows 10 for mobile... If he knew anything, he pretended like he didn't.. Insisting on Android...might try to pick up a used icon.. Had one before and loved it, but returned it because of all the fiasco about updates...Didn't know enough about Windows really at the time...

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[RumoredNow]

Galway77,

Get a Factory Unlocked phone and take it to whatever GSM network you want at any time.

End the fiasco of the carrier being in charge of what phone you can have and if it will maybe, kinda, sorta (please please please let me ride another round) get updated by the carrier in their "benevolent wisdom."

I don't trust a single American Carrier to allow upgrade of any current Windows Phone to Windows 10 Mobile. They would much rather sell you a new phone and STILL try to force an iDroid on you anyway.

 

[Galway 77]

Galway77,

Get a Factory Unlocked phone and take it to whatever GSM network you want at any time.

End the fiasco of the carrier being in charge of what phone you can have and if it will maybe, kinda, sorta (please please please let me ride another round) get updated by the carrier in their "benevolent wisdom."

I don't trust a single American Carrier to allow upgrade of any current Windows Phone to Windows 10 Mobile. They would much rather sell you a new phone and STILL try to force an iDroid on you anyway.

I know this may seem like a dumb question, but you seem to be a good person to ask, if I bought an unlocked phone for T-Mobile, say the 930 that dos'nt get LTE, is there any point getting their unlimited data for 80 bucks when the phone dos'nt get LTE or does their hspa+ count as LTE on their plans?

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[RumoredNow]

That is a very good question...

The fallback speed after you use up your speed allotment is EDGE, so I do believe they count H+ as high speed data. Especially since LTE is not blanketing their entire service area.

 

[fatclue_98]

I know this may seem like a dumb question, but you seem to be a good person to ask, if I bought an unlocked phone for T-Mobile, say the 930 that dos'nt get LTE, is there any point getting their unlimited data for 80 bucks when the phone dos'nt get LTE or does their hspa+ count as LTE on their plans?

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

The Unlimited Plan on T-Mo is as truly unlimited as you'll find. The only drawback is if they consider you one of the top 3% of bandwidth hogs. They don't throttle you to EDGE anymore but they do put you at the "back of the line" as far as access. I begrudgingly switched to T-Mo in May and the service has been refreshingly consistent and my bills have been equally consistent. Unlike another US GSM carrier whom I won't mention. Hint: they use white and orange boxes for their phones and use a stylized blue globe as their logo.

 

[MrockNroll]

Go to Wall-mart and pick up the new T-mobile 640 for $ 99.00 in the prepaid phone section. Insert your t-mobile Sim card and enjoy truly unlimited LTE data. I am loving this phone.

 

[KeegdnaB42]

If you ever go into any store and they give you what you know is deliberate misinformation, report them immediately. If they didn't have anything to back up their claim that "they're phasing out windows" then they deserve to answer to their manager. It's one thing for them to be biased, but that is a factually wrong statement, and it should be no different in any sort of retail or customer service environment. The only way things like this will stop happening is if the offending reps are actually being held accountable.

 

[fatclue_98]

If you ever go into any store and they give you what you know is deliberate misinformation, report them immediately. If they didn't have anything to back up their claim that "they're phasing out windows" then they deserve to answer to their manager. It's one thing for them to be biased, but that is a factually wrong statement, and it should be no different in any sort of retail or customer service environment. The only way things like this will stop happening is if the offending reps are actually being held accountable.

We'll have 15% unemployment overnight. Managers in the US have become statisticians instead of managers. The number 1 role of a manager is to grow profits and develop a "bullpen". Turnover kills the bottom line and it's incumbent on management to teach/coach current associates rather than churning and losing money already invested in an employee. An uninformed rep can say anything. It's his/her bosses' responsibility to properly train them so they don't say it in the first place.

 

[AndyCalling]

It seems strange to me that in the US, I keep seeing here, one is expected to justify one's choice of product to the store police before being allowed to buy it. They even hide products away to discourage custom? We are talking about phones here, not a gun, right?

In the UK I just go in to the shop, ask for the product I want, which is invariably on the shelf, and that is what I get (assuming it is in stock). Never have I had the store police challenge me about my choice.

I can't believe that successful shops operate in this discouraging manner in the US or anywhere. Take your business to a proper shop, because when the ropey shop finally chases off its last customer you will find it shut down if you need to exchange your device which would be inconvenient.

 

[fatclue_98]

It seems strange to me that in the US, I keep seeing here, one is expected to justify one's choice of product to the store police before being allowed to buy it. They even hide products away to discourage custom? We are talking about phones here, not a gun, right?

In the UK I just go in to the shop, ask for the product I want, which is invariably on the shelf, and that is what I get (assuming it is in stock). Never have I had the store police challenge me about my choice.

I can't believe that successful shops operate in this discouraging manner in the US or anywhere. Take your business to a proper shop, because when the ropey shop finally chases off its last customer you will find it shut down if you need to exchange your device which would be inconvenient.

I wish I could say these are isolated incidents but US carrier stores do, in fact, operate in this manner. There will be no "ropey" shops closing anytime soon because - Damn It! That's the way we do things in 'Murica!

 

[AndyCalling]

Crikey, I would have thought competition would have been springing up all over the place. For example, I went in to the EE shop (my carrier) to see what deal they could do me on my 930. They could do one for me, but couldn't beat the deal that Carphone Warehouse offered me down the road which was for an EE contract 930. So I upgraded my EE contract there, got an unbranded phone with no cash up front and an excellent monthly charge that is cheaper than my previous 820 contract. Are there no independent dealers in the US offering contract phones? If not, open one tomorrow! They'll be breaking your door down to get your products.

 

[fatclue_98]

Are there no independent dealers in the US offering contract phones? If not, open one tomorrow! They'll be breaking your door down to get your products.

Sure! We have brick & mortars like Best Buy and Wal-Mart but they are just extensions of the carriers. What we need are retailers that sell factory unlocked phones and then let the carriers bend over for us to earn the business. I don't know about the UK, but here in the Colonies that's a pipe dream with an extra large bong.

 

[metalchick719]

To the OP - it could just be that particular store, although I can tell you that I was told the same thing by a rep at a T-Mobile store in my area a couple of months back. I had gone in there after the release of the 640 hoping that maybe, just maybe they might have it in the store. They didn't, but the rep who helped me at that time told me to call/come back in a few weeks because they could have it by then. Well, when I did revisit the store, the guy who helped me then said that that particular store would not be carrying that phone or ANY Windows Phone because they've always had poor sales of WP at that location. Sounds stupid to me.

Also, I noticed two days ago that T-Mobile's website no longer lists the 640. What the heck...?! The only WP they do have is the refurbished 635.

 

[AndyCalling]

Sure! We have brick & mortars like Best Buy and Wal-Mart but they are just extensions of the carriers. What we need are retailers that sell factory unlocked phones and then let the carriers bend over for us to earn the business. I don't know about the UK, but here in the Colonies that's a pipe dream with an extra large bong.

In the UK the mobile companies are hardly saints, but there's enough competition that we do have an effective market. Sounds like you guys would jump at a better deal if only someone wanted your money enough.

Hear that, US entrepreneurs? Have at it.

 

[tgp]

Crikey, I would have thought competition would have been springing up all over the place. For example, I went in to the EE shop (my carrier) to see what deal they could do me on my 930. They could do one for me, but couldn't beat the deal that Carphone Warehouse offered me down the road which was for an EE contract 930. So I upgraded my EE contract there, got an unbranded phone with no cash up front and an excellent monthly charge that is cheaper than my previous 820 contract. Are there no independent dealers in the US offering contract phones? If not, open one tomorrow! They'll be breaking your door down to get your products.

US retailers for the most part are very good. I've been in stores all over the world, and we're not lacking in customer service comparatively speaking for the most part.

This problem is pretty much isolated to carrier stores and WP. In the US, hardly anybody uses WP or is even looking for it, so this problem is pretty much only felt by the few people looking for Windows Phones. Those few people are congregated on fan sites like this one, so it appears to be a much bigger problem than it is overall. I mean, it IS a problem in this particular scenario, but please don't think all Americans are going into stores begging for items that retailers don't want to sell to them. This is felt only by the few Americans who want Windows Phones, and probably most of them have already commented in this thread! :excited:

Part of the problem is WP buyers themselves. The US carriers say that WPs have a higher return rate, so they do not want to sell them. If they make them easy to purchase, there will be more customers that buy them simply because they are available. Those buyers are probably the kind that bring them back when they realize they cannot do Snapchat or something. If someone goes in asking for a WP, it is probably less likely that they will bring it back. Of course, this does not explain why carriers hesitate when someone begs for one, although if they do have a higher return rate overall, the less sold, the less liability.

I guess I still do not understand why fans think that carriers don't like WPs only because they hold a grudge or something. For the most part, the phone is a pipe for the carriers to sell their service, which is where the real money is. All else being equal, it shouldn't make the carrier any difference if it is running WP, or iOS, or Android, or BlackBerry. There must be some reason they don't seem to like it. Maybe it is harder to configure, maybe it uses more carrier resources, maybe WP users don't spend as much money, maybe they spend more on customer support, or something. I don't know.

 

[RumoredNow]

https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1k6v65/im_a_sales_rep_for_one_of_the_major_cell_phone/

 

[negative1ne]

i've been on t-mobile for 2 years with a windows phone (unlocked).

had a problem with a sim card, they were terrible in trying to figure out what was wrong.

i got a new unlocked replacement, and it works fine now.

they kept trying to push a new android or iphone on me, and was surprised when i said no.
they are clueless about windows phones.

later
-1

 

[Yonic Boom]

US retailers for the most part are very good.

That seems generous.