The Android bias at Verizon continues...

[ranzabar]

Just had another salesperson at Verizon try to talk my wife out of a WP7 HTC Trophy for an Android phone. Got the same dance I got when I bought mine a couple of months back...'have you used this phone before?', 'It's not very popular', 'Windows Phone isn't mature yet', 'Android is well supported', 'Not sure you'll like it. Others who have tried it don't' Followed by the usual, 'we don't have any in stock'

While some of the comments are not untrue, they don't speak to the quality of WP7, just the current market penetration and pre-Mango version. And yet, it's still an awesome OS with far more potential for real user satisfaction than both Android and iOS.

I know Microsoft is aware of this game the carriers are playing, but can't they step up their education efforts to get these phones the rightful place they deserve in the sales lineup?

Maybe after Mango and Nokia?

 

[psychotron]

I probably would have asked to speak to the rep's manager. That's unprofessional and just plain wrong on his part. I read somewhere recently Microsoft is apparently beginning to deploy sales training people to the various carriers/stores. IMO, that can't happen too soon as we hear WAY too many of these stories.

 

[Jazmac]

Have her return it and get the phone she needs to have. Not mature yet? If a 30-40 percent return rate on android phones doesn't point to immaturity I don't know what does.

 

[psychotron]

When I think about it, if any carrier is going to have a heavy Android bias it's got to be Verizon. I mean they might as well have signs outside all of their stores that read "The House That Droid Built". They're undoubtedly the most top heavy Android device service provider in the country, and since most of their flagship devices are Motorola and Google is now their daddy I wouldn't be at all surprised if that bias continues to get much, much worse.

 

[theefman]

When I think about it, if any carrier is going to have a heavy Android bias it's got to be Verizon. I mean they might as well have signs outside all of their stores that read "The House That Droid Built". They're undoubtedly the most top heavy Android device service provider in the country, and since most of their flagship devices are Motorola and Google is now their daddy I wouldn't be at all surprised if that bias continues to get much, much worse.

It will, much worse.

 

[threed61]

When I think about it, if any carrier is going to have a heavy Android bias it's got to be Verizon. I mean they might as well have signs outside all of their stores that read "The House That Droid Built". They're undoubtedly the most top heavy Android device service provider in the country, and since most of their flagship devices are Motorola and Google is now their daddy I wouldn't be at all surprised if that bias continues to get much, much worse.

Yah, and AT&T is the house that iPhone built, Sprint is the house that Evo built and T-Mo has 12 different android models. None of these carriers go out of their way to promote wp.
FWIW, the sales person at the Verizon store I bought my Trophy at, knew all about the phone and told my I would really like it. This was a Verizon corporate store, the smaller independent stores I tried first didn't have it in stock, and didn't like it.
Every carrier has their pet phones, MS will just have to work harder to put wp in that category.
I saw an article today quoting a top VZW executive as saying that he thought that wp would become the number 3 operating system, so maybe they're not that hostile to wp.

 

[palandri]

That just the direction Verizon has chosen to go. I watched the X Factor tonight and couldn't tell you how many Simon Cowell Droid Bionic commercials I saw tonight, but there were a lot.

 

[Apoc]

Welcome To Windows Phone Tattletale - Windows Phone Tattletale
-Anyone with this type of experience at any store, should report their findings to this site.

 

[Donta79]

Just had another salesperson at Verizon try to talk my wife out of a WP7 HTC Trophy for an Android phone. Got the same dance I got when I bought mine a couple of months back...'have you used this phone before?', 'It's not very popular', 'Windows Phone isn't mature yet', 'Android is well supported', 'Not sure you'll like it. Others who have tried it don't' Followed by the usual, 'we don't have any in stock'

While some of the comments are not untrue, they don't speak to the quality of WP7, just the current market penetration and pre-Mango version. And yet, it's still an awesome OS with far more potential for real user satisfaction than both Android and iOS.

I know Microsoft is aware of this game the carriers are playing, but can't they step up their education efforts to get these phones the rightful place they deserve in the sales lineup?

Maybe after Mango and Nokia?

Well VZW like Android cause they load all their stupid bloatware on the phone. But i must admit the HTC trophy is a very average device, camera sucks and it's out dated!

 

[cckgz4]

Wave them away if they aren't saying anything useful. Yes it does make the product look bad but it's not just VZW employees that practice this. Whenever I go into a cellular store, I tell them right away I don't need anything if I'm just browsing. Don't need you to tell me what I already know

 

[Donta79]

i think WP7 is unofficially dead on VZW

 

[tiny]

That's pretty messed up - I mean the Trophy is nothing to write home about, but the fact that they attacked the OS and then don't have a single in stock is all pretty pathetic.

 

[ikkf]

Followed by the usual, 'we don't have any in stock'

Hah! you should have asked him if it's so horrible, why is it always sold out.

 

[Winterfang]

It is to expect though, Android is doing very well for them and the Trophy is as average as Windows Phones get.

 

[red grenadine]

On a broader level, the relationship between Microsoft and Verizon is not great after the Kin debacle.

Microsoft wanted it as a feature phone with no data plan necessary, Verizon stuck a full $30 plan on it. Lots of infighting and a huge failure of the product

 

[BORIStheBLADE]

I have a cousin that works for V. He told me that some guys will talk people towards a popular phone so they don't return it. If someone returns a phone they lose their commission.

 

[jfa1]

The chairman of verizon said he thinks that the third ecosystem in smartphones will either be Bada os or RIm will make a comeback so the anti WP bias is no great shock!

 

[threed61]

The chairman of verizon said he thinks that the third ecosystem in smartphones will either be Bada os or RIm will make a comeback so the anti WP bias is no great shock!

The article posted on Phone Arena, quotes Lowell McAdam, VZW CEO as saying that He believes Windows Phone will win the battle with RIM for the 3rd ecosystem.

 

[theefman]

The article posted on Phone Arena, quotes Lowell McAdam, VZW CEO as saying that He believes Windows Phone will win the battle with RIM for the 3rd ecosystem.

He says that, but the actions of his employees say different. If he means it he should send the word down the pipe and make sure that at least sales reps know what the heck they are talking about, rather than spreading misinformation. Also get a couple of new Mango handsets in. Talk is cheap.

 

[threed61]

I'm not defending the conduct of store employees. Report them to their managers and the carrier. When I went looking for a Windows phone, I went to 2 ATT stores, because they had the best selection. They didn't rip wp, it was a 'they're alright I guess' Kind of indifference. Ditto at the one Sprint store I went to. No US carriers seem that enthused about wp. If Microsoft want this to succeed, they need to promote them as actively as Google did for Android. If they want them on American carriers, they will probably need to let them have their way once in a while, because they got the power in the US cellular biz, not consumers. Sad but true.