I just got back from the Verizon store... and can't believe the depths that they'll go to in order to lose me as a customer!
So presented for your schadenfreude pleasure, my trip to Verizon... in 3 parts
Part 1: PLEASE stare at me like a sexual object!!!!!
I walked into the Verizon store, credit in hand and ready to buy a new phone. As most of you know, I've been researching and debating (nearly to death) which phone I would buy next... a Blackberry from Verizon or the Iphone from AT&T. After talking to many of my friends and, remembering that I'm PC girl, I decided to skip the Iphone in favor of either the Blackberry Tour (new, but flawed) or the Curve (old, but everyone has one!).
My local Verizon store aspires to be high tech and cutting edge, so, upon walking in, we're supposed to sign in on a computer, watch for our name on the screen and wait to be called. I felt lucky, after signing in on the computer, I looked up at the screen and saw “#1. Karine F.”... which was nice considering that there were now 3 names after mine!
“Coolness,” I thought, “I'll be out of here in no time!” 20 minutes and three laps around the store later, I was still first on the list. Curious, I walked over the the sales counter, where I spotted both salesmen flirting with their respective female customers. “Really!?!?!?!,” I thought. Working at a cel phone store, I wouldn't think that they'd need to ask for their cel numbers!
Sitting down on a spinny chair (and spinning around to pass the time), I watched TV on the FIOS screen. Hearing the giggling and flirting was getting on my nerve.... 10 minutes later, I was thinking to myself that this might actually be one of those moments where I wanted to be stared at like a sexual object... at least perhaps they would've called me quicker!
Part 2: The Mindless, Soulless Sales Drone
After what seemed like an eternity of spinning on the chair, drumming my thumbs on the table and seething, a third, previously unseen, guy called my name. I was quite amazed by his zeal and passion for the job by the way he nearly robotically intoned “Kore-inh?” I could tell this guy was a dork of amazing proportions and, short of being able to demonstrate advanced knowledge of Star Trek AND being able to explain the purpose of a 10 sided dice, he probably would be condescending and talking down to me.
I flashed the million dollar smile and corrected him. “My name is Karine, I'm out of contract and looking to upgrade to a new phone. My old phone has horrible reception.... one bar at home... and I want to make sure that I don't get stuck with no connection at home for the next two years. I'm thinking about the Tour, which I know is new, but has problems... or the Curve, which everyone has”
Zombie boy told me that it was probably my house since the coverage map is yellow, ignoring me when I told him that I only have one bar outside of my place too. He refused to match the cheaper online price, telling me that, it costs more to shop in the store because it's a different experience. I decided not to tell him about my experience of waiting for 30 minutes and listening to the lonely salesmen try to make a date with their customers.
When I asked him about testing the phone for 30 days just to make sure my reception was ok, he told me that, it would be totally fine. Although, if I returned the phone, I would be charged $35. I couldn't believe that, if their phone didn't work well, I'd still have to pay the return fee!
Disgusted, I moved on, asking him about the differences between the Tour and the Curve. “The Tour,” he said, showing some enthusiasm for the first time, “is our newest and most advanced Blackberry. You will love it!”
“But,” I interrupted, “aren't there a lot of problems with the Tour right now... like not being able to save applications and data to the memory card?” Telling me that the phone had just been released, he said that these problems were just minor software issues that would be corrected.
lol, not being able to save data to your memory card is just a minor problem!?!?!? I told him that I was worried about having problems... like my friends did with their Storms. And then, he did it... he actually tried to convince me that there weren't any problems with the Storm (contrary to the opinions of ALL of my friends and countless people who posted reviews online). It was irritating, it was annoying... it was exasperating trying to get a real and truthful answer about anything from this guy.
Part 3: Seething and Loathing in Torrance
Looking across the counter, I stared at the phone geek and asked, “please help me understand... you can't sell me a phone for the cheaper online price, I get charged if I have to return the phone because its reception is bad and the Tour, the phone you're trying to sell me, isn't even working right ?”
He didn't answer, but the blank stare on his face told me everything that I needed to know. I couldn't believe that I wasted 45 minutes of my life to talk to this guy and I couldn't believe that one person could be so ΓΌber (note the use of the umlaut) useless!
As tempting as it was to jump across the counter and shake him like an Etch a Sketch, it wasn't worth breaking a nail over. At a loss for something other than a curse word, I clinched my jaw and said, “this has been a waste of time, you've not told me ANYTHING,” then turned around and walked out.
At this point in time, I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do. I'm not ready to risk PC/MAC compatibility issues with the Iphone or AT&T's shady billing practices. So, I may try to talk to someone competent from Verizon on the phone tomorrow and get better answers. Either way, it just seems like my local Verizon store is going out of their way to start drama with me!
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