Lack of enthusiasm and excitement at the AT&T store

[feizai77]

Having already preordered one last Friday online, I have yet to actually seen one in person since the closest store was about half hour away, the one in my town closed a couple of months ago .
So, took my two sons out for lunch (Spring Break) and decided to drop by the AT&T store to take a look at it.
Walking in, was greeted graciously by a nice rep. I then asked if they had the lumia 900 demo to look at. His face then contorted, the smile was gone and said not for another week. He then asked around if any of the other reps had one. Finally found one rep who said she had one, but it was in the drawer. LOL.
He brought the black Lumia to me and was trying to tell me about it, but he had no clue what to say. Guess the training hasn't been really enforced.
I broke his awkwardness by saying that I already use a WP7 (Focus) and I just wanted to take a look at it. He was relieved.
I then asked for the sake of conversation if it will be available for sale on the 9th. He looked up for help and a "supervisor" holding an iPad said the 14th. I then defended saying that it said the 9th on the AT&T site. He said that's only for online orders.
I let that roll...
I left with mixed emotions, thanking the rep for his time.
Happy to hold the unit and loving how beautiful it was, frustrated that the sales reps are going to be one of the biggest obstacles for Nokia and MS to succeed.
Oh well...just 4 more days....
Happy April everyone!!!

 

[Jnbs]

It is normal AT&T reps still think that the iPhone is the best phone. That's going to change soon (hopefully).

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

 

[dangish]

Sounds like you walked into an Authorized Dealer. Go to an official at&t, corporate owned store. The difference is the authorized ones are limited on what they do, they're franchised. The franchisers don't have the training the corporate stores do nor the demo phones.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[kenosando#AC]

Yeah, that doesn't sound like COR store. The one I went to (albeit they all differ) EVERYONE had their Lumia 900 out (save for one guy, who had some ugly HTC) and were doing different things on it. The rep that met me at the door whipped his out when I said I wasn't sure on the cyan or black version, and his was cyan a beautiful. I didn't need him to tell me all the features, but I should have tested him. I was sold on the blue the minute I held it. I hope your experience is few and far between for those who aren't already set on the 900 and hopefully some people are steered towards it.

 

[feizai77]

Sounds like you walked into an Authorized Dealer. Go to an official at&t, corporate owned store. The difference is the authorized ones are limited on what they do, they're franchised. The franchisers don't have the training the corporate stores do nor the demo phones.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

That's the sad part. It was a corporate store. I have an authorized retailer in my town.

 

[dangish]

I think you've been fooled. There are some Authorized Retailers that appear to be corporate stores that even I have trouble recognizing them.

Two things to check: By the entrance under the at&t globe or on the front of the door did it say Authorized Retailer.

Did they have all live phones on the walls or non active phones?

3rd would be when you buy something, if it says something other than at&t on the receipt. Like Wireless Advocates, Planet Cellular, etc...
Another would be to ask. They must identify if they are corporate or authorized dealer.
If corporate, call 18003010500 and make a complaint.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[jd914]

Why does anyone give these reps the time of day or even actually care what they have to say? I avoid at all costs, going to retal stores because of the tools that work there.

My last visit to an AT&T corporate store was to purchase the Titan on release date and they had no clue what the Titan even was. Lesson learned, store reps are there just for a paycheck and are totally oblivious about whats going on in the cellular world.

 

[krayziehustler]

Why does anyone give these reps the time of day or even actually care what they have to say? I avoid at all costs, going to retal stores because of the tools that work there.

My last visit to an AT&T store was to purchase the Titan on release date and they had no clue what the Titan even was. Lesson learned, store reps are there just for a paycheck and are totally oblivious about whats going on in the cellular world.

because the problem with WP7 reaching the masses starts and ends there. Most people take their word as gospel...and if they don't care will most likely end up in losing a sale to Android/iOS

 

[jd914]

because the problem with WP7 reaching the masses starts and ends there. Most people take their word as gospel...and if they don't care will most likely end up in losing a sale to Android/iOS

The problem isn't that they don't care, they aren't even smarter than the average customer that walks in their stores.

What you can expect from these store reps:
misinformation
absolutely no technical expertise
biased opinions
and complete ignorance.

Remember iPhone blew up not because of help from store personell but because it's a fantastic product. A good product will sell itself.

 

[RiseAgainst94]

Every time I walk in to my AT&T store and ask when the Lumia 900 is coming out (for fun) I get different answers from all the employees. The only useful person was the one who looked it up online.

 

[hubgoblin]

The problem isn't that they don't care, they aren't even smarter than the average customer that walks in their stores.

What you can expect from these store reps:
misinformation
absolutely no technical expertise
biased opinions
and complete ignorance.

Remember iPhone blew up not because of help from store personell but because it's a fantastic product. A good product will sell itself.

You hit the nail on the head on all points. Most of the sales reps working in these stores aren't necessarily into phones, this is just their job. And unfortunately like a lot of retail sectors, they're not terribly interested in their jobs beyond whatever sales goals they have. It's so rare that I run across someone working in a carrier store that is actually enthusiastic about the product.

The iPhone was a triumph because of ingenious marketing that was backed by a fantastic product. I still think MS and their partners are going about this wrong with something I believe is an equally fantastic product. MS in conjunction with one of their vendors should have released their own "Droid" phone by now. Android wasn't on the map until the original Droid hit Verizon. I'm hoping the Lumia 900 can be their Droid but I have my doubts (I've pre-ordered one myself, so I'm certainly willing to put my money where my hopes are).

 

[dangish]

I can say that I understand your points but that isn't the case in my place of business.... Just saying we're all held accountable for Everything.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[jd914]

I can say that I understand your points but that isn't the case in my place of business.... Just saying we're all held accountable for Everything.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

Most places of business operate like that but that's not the case with mobile retailers. I have been with just about every carrier and it's the same all across the board with AT&T being probably the worst. Anytime i go to an AT&T corporate store I wind up leaving with a "where the F did they get these guys?" feeling.

 

[iphone4convert]

I can say that I understand your points but that isn't the case in my place of business.... Just saying we're all held accountable for Everything.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

I'm not certain all of your experiences, but my dealings in the Harrisonburg, Virginia COR store has been nothing but stellar. In fact, I was just there on Saturday to look at the Lumia. At least two representatives helped me; each very willing to show off their phone. The second person I dealt with was by far the brightest phone enthusiast I have ever had the pleasure to speak with. He was the consummate professional. Not only was he an enthusiast, he was a NOKIA enthusiast. He had many phones and was very happy to show off the Lumia and talk about operating systems, applications and various hardware. I think I spent over an hour with him just talking. I can't imagine going to any other store. So while others might not be that great, there are representatives out there who are knowledgeable, professional and enjoy their job.

 

[PhilR8]

When I went to the local corporate AT&T store last week to look at the Lumia, the rep who spoke to me didn't really seem all that impressed with it. She hit all the talking points decently enough but there wasn't any genuine excitement in her voice or demeanor.

 

[feizai77]

It was definitely a COR store. I've checked that before. The experience wasn't bad enough for a complain to the corporate....just disappointing. Change is always hard. The smart phone world has been immersed with iPhones, Androids and Blackberries for the past years. ****, when I first arrived in the US ten years ago the phones that was available in the market was atrocious. I brought my own Nokia GSM unlocked to use. Lol.

 

[tbeagl]

It is normal AT&T reps still think that the iPhone is the best phone. That's going to change soon (hopefully).

Sent from my Lumia 800 using Board Express

they're human so don't expect every rep to be ecstatic working a simple day job, just like you can't judge a company from one employee or store compared to the hundred others.

 

[jmerrey]

Not only that, but you can't expect everyone on the planet to love wp7. One of the gambles with such a visually striking interface is that some people just aren't going to like it. A sea of small icons is a much smaller risk. The girl who I dealt with has had iphones since they first came out, has hundreds of songs and apps purchased thru apple, and prefers ios. She still had some good talking points about wp7, etc.

 

[jimski]

Have a friend who is a long time rep at my local AT&T corp store. He still had his iPhone when I was there on Friday to pre-order my 900. When I asked if I could have a peek, a rep and the Manager both offered their black Lumias to me. The Manager assured me I could pick my phone up on the 6th (before that became general knowledge). No marketing materials up yet, but I will be back in on the 5th, just in case my phone can be released to me.

My rep is actually excited about the 900. With the iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy series and now the Lumia 900, as he stated, "AT&T has the best of everything". I think he made a good point.

Sent from my HTC Surround using Board Express

 

[Bkr11]

Walking in, was greeted graciously by a nice rep. I then asked if they had the lumia 900 demo to look at. His face then contorted, the smile was gone and said not for another week. He then asked around if any of the other reps had one. Finally found one rep who said she had one, but it was in the drawer. LOL.
He brought the black Lumia to me and was trying to tell me about it, but he had no clue what to say. Guess the training hasn't been really enforced.
I broke his awkwardness by saying that I already use a WP7 (Focus) and I just wanted to take a look at it. He was relieved.

Wow - that was almost the identical experience to mine in the Tustin, CA corp store. Had me wondering whether there is truly any excitement outside of us phone geeks since the obliviousness was strong.