An experience in an AT&T store yesterday

[+chorpeac MVC]

I went into the AT&T store at Metro Center yesterday to just look over the WP7 options. I didn't think they would have any working models, but thank fully they had to Samsung models. I'm waiting for the Nokia 900, but at least I was able to see and use a workable model, unlike some BestBuy stores around the area. I began to ask some questions about the phone and the WP7 features/specs, but the sales lady was so clueless. I mean, to the point that the lady asked if I worked for Windows. Really? Anyone here work for a company called Windows?

Come on AT&T, give your people some more training or at least try and hire some competent tech savvy employees. As much as I enjoyed and look forward to the new Nokia phones, I don't see how they are going to make it unless something changes in those stores. Maybe it is going to be huge shock, and things will turn around.

[Muhammad Farrukh]

I mean, to the point that the lady asked if I worked for Windows. Really?

:rofl:

[medium_pimpin]

I applaud you for giving WP7 a chance. I've had a Focus for a year and love it. But you're right. The sales people are not helping the cause.

[+chorpeac MVC]

:rofl:

You know I had to hold back from laughing histerically. Gosh...

I applaud you for giving WP7 a chance. I've had a Focus for a year and love it. But you're right. The sales people are not helping the cause.

Yea, I am excited man. I am just done with Apple phones. It was good at first, but it just got really old. I was going to get the iPad 3... but I may just hold off for a Windows 8 tablet.

[Rohdekill]

I've been in three cellphones stores, just looking around. All three had sales people say the exact same thing, "you don't want that, that's a windows phone".

[Rudy]

I went into the AT&T store at Metro Center yesterday to just look over the WP7 options. I didn't think they would have any working models, but thank fully they had to Samsung models. I'm waiting for the Nokia 900, but at least I was able to see and use a workable model, unlike some BestBuy stores around the area. I began to ask some questions about the phone and the WP7 features/specs, but the sales lady was so clueless. I mean, to the point that the lady asked if I worked for Windows. Really? Anyone here work for a company called Windows?

Come on AT&T, give your people some more training or at least try and hire some competent tech savvy employees. As much as I enjoyed and look forward to the new Nokia phones, I don't see how they are going to make it unless something changes in those stores. Maybe it is going to be huge shock, and things will turn around.

They try to learn the phones they deal with the most often, I'm guessing they just don't sell enough WP to make it worth it to train their staff on it

[Dot Matrix]

I've been in three cellphones stores, just looking around. All three had sales people say the exact same thing, "you don't want that, that's a windows phone".

"I think Android would be more to your liking...."

[Mystic Mungis]

I've been in three cellphones stores, just looking around. All three had sales people say the exact same thing, "you don't want that, that's a windows phone".

Yeah I was helping a friend choose a new phone recently and every shop we went into a sales person would try and direct our focus to another OS, they always seem to be more concerned about their own opinions and likes rather than what the customer is actually looking for. I love Android but I wouldn't force it upon others if they find another OS more functional or better suited to them, in the end he got a Lumia 800 and loves it!

[capr]

I can't say i experienced the same thing. I often go into atnt stores and they approach me and ask me what i am looking for rather than just showing me stuff.

think about it this way. Would it be ethically right if you showed a customer something you personally hate or know is useless? I had my htc titan for months and would never ever show it to anyone who is interested in buying a phone.

[lalalawawawa]

Totally different experience here. The girls working in my carrier's main store knew about WP, when I bought the Optimus 7 a year and a few months ago, and a week ago when I asked about Lumia.

[~Johnny]

They try to learn the phones they deal with the most often, I'm guessing they just don't sell enough WP to make it worth it to train their staff on it

Course'' the problem is, WP won't sell enough in their stores in the first place if their staff have no idea what it is, or tell people to stay away from it. They have paid staff working their to sell the products for their company, they shouldn't be paid to be ignorant to what they're actually selling :p

[Open Minded]

Anyone here work for a company called Windows

No, but I have a friend that works for iPhone.

[satukoro]

This sort of story makes me want to write the WP7 marketing team a letter saying that they need to make sure the store employees know the products they have for sale. At my local Best Buy, there is literally a two foot wide section displaying the two Windows Phones they offer. The saddest part is that there is a break in one of the Android display walls for people to walk through and the WP7 display is crammed onto one of the walls of the walkway. I asked about WP7 and the employee outright told me I didn't want one of those, to which I responded "No, that's kind of why I came here."

[Southern Patriot]

They try to learn the phones they deal with the most often, I'm guessing they just don't sell enough WP to make it worth it to train their staff on it

That's sort of a chicken and egg problem, isn't it? That being said, I had an HD7 for a few months, and while it had a few nice features that are lacking on other phones (the awesome voice enabled texting in particular that came with the Mango update), there were too many limitations for my liking, such as the utter impossibility of arranging your apps into anything other than a flat alphabetized list that scrolls in ONE dimension (vertical). And no, I was not about to try pinning all of my commonly used apps to the main screen and scrolling through that to find them either. The lack of variety of apps was a major turn-off as well when compared to iOS and Android's markets.

[123456789A]

You should have told her Windows works for you.

My experience at the AT&T store was "Yo this is da iPhone, it has an assistant that talks to you. This is the Google Android. You can customize it so it looks different. And this is the Microsoft phone. It has Microsoft in it, like Windows."

[George P Global Moderator]

That's sort of a chicken and egg problem, isn't it?

No, it's a sales rep bonus problem which MS is only now finally doing. If sales reps got a nice payout for WP devices like they do for the iPhone or the newest Android phone of the month they'd know and push WP in a heartbeat. This is just the way it is in retail when it comes to phones.

[jakem1]

That's sort of a chicken and egg problem, isn't it? That being said, I had an HD7 for a few months, and while it had a few nice features that are lacking on other phones (the awesome voice enabled texting in particular that came with the Mango update), there were too many limitations for my liking, such as the utter impossibility of arranging your apps into anything other than a flat alphabetized list that scrolls in ONE dimension (vertical). And no, I was not about to try pinning all of my commonly used apps to the main screen and scrolling through that to find them either. The lack of variety of apps was a major turn-off as well when compared to iOS and Android's markets.

So you admit that it's not impossible to arrange your apps in any way you like but you just chose not to do it :rolleyes:

[Southern Patriot]

No, it's a sales rep bonus problem which MS is only now finally doing. If sales reps got a nice payout for WP devices like they do for the iPhone or the newest Android phone of the month they'd know and push WP in a heartbeat. This is just the way it is in retail when it comes to phones.

I've worked in retail with phones before, and that wasn't how it worked with us. We didn't get any different bonuses depending on which phones we sold. Maybe some places are like that, but not all.

[Southern Patriot]

So you admit that it's not impossible to arrange your apps in any way you like but you just chose not to do it :rolleyes:

No, you can't "arrange your apps in any way you like". Even by pinning apps to the start screen, you are still stuck with a single vertical list, except that it then takes up even more room than it did before. That is simply NOT a solution to the problem of the poorly laid out app list in WP7. Having to type into the search box to find an app is likewise a poor alternative.

[halcyoncmdr]

I've worked in retail with phones before, and that wasn't how it worked with us. We didn't get any different bonuses depending on which phones we sold. Maybe some places are like that, but not all.

Yeah our sales reps don't have any kind of bonus usually for selling a specific phone. And usually when there is, it's because the phones they are trying to push aren't selling. The reason they don't sell? Because they suck. Not necessarily spec or feature suck, but just overall they may be lacking features or have poor manufacturer support.

The fact is that Windows Phone is fragmented already just like Android and it is still missing many of the features the other systems have had for a while now that people use daily. Add to that the fact that consumers either don't know what it is, or have used Windows Mobile in the past and are jaded against it, for good reason. Microsoft will never get over the Windows Mobile phase. It doesn't matter if Windows Phone has 0% of the code being the same, it's all about consumer perception.

[IICODECll]

Sounds like the time when I was looking to buy a Palm Pre 2.

[Obi-Wan Kenobi]

Nice story, bro. I mean, pics or it didn't happen, but nice fabricated story bro!

[+chorpeac MVC]

No, but I have a friend that works for iPhone.

Yeah a friend retired from Java two years ago... Shesh...

This sort of story makes me want to write the WP7 marketing team a letter saying that they need to make sure the store employees know the products they have for sale. At my local Best Buy, there is literally a two foot wide section displaying the two Windows Phones they offer. The saddest part is that there is a break in one of the Android display walls for people to walk through and the WP7 display is crammed onto one of the walls of the walkway. I asked about WP7 and the employee outright told me I didn't want one of those, to which I responded "No, that's kind of why I came here."

Oh yeah, I totally can sympathize here. The two BestBuy's I went to had WP7 on the end corners of the isle.... but the end was in between the two... Like this

-----| WP7here |-----

Nice story, bro. I mean, pics or it didn't happen, but nice fabricated story bro!

Nah man, all the truth. Only justice a pic would do would show how small the WP7 section is.

[slade37]

You can quickly get to any app by tapping the letter/symbol tile at the top of each section - #,a,b,c... and then choose the first letter of the name of the app. The list jumps to that section. For example, to get to iHeartRadio, go to the list of apps, tap on the "#" tile or the "a" tile (or a tile with any other letter on it), tap on "i" then the list jumps to the apps starting with i. (I already knew this from using my Zune HD.)

[fsX]

Microsoft will never get over the Windows Mobile phase. It doesn't matter if Windows Phone has 0% of the code being the same, it's all about consumer perception.

Never say never. Consumer perception was quite bad with Windows Me and Vista, yet Microsoft got over those phases by releasing better products, didn't they?