[rzanger]

Buying a Blackberry in Saskatchewan has reached the point of stupidity. We currently have 5 BB10 devices and 3 out of 5 were an adventure. But my latest experience was the icing on the cake. This one was not my experience but I find myself being drug into it. Long story short my 84 year old father with Parkinson's disease had an iPhone pushed on him by SaskTel not once but twice, well actually 3 times which is the reason for this post. On a recent family visit I let him try a Q10 and amazingly enough the ability to feel the keys was of great comfort. This past week he tried to return iPhone #2 which was for my 74 year old mother, which sits unused, and well we all know how that goes. So now to the part that really pisses me off, he asked about a Q10 and i Diot sales associate stood there and told him that an iPhone was much better while providing little or no assistance. Now next week I have to make the 150 mile trip to Swift Current to go and deal with it. This time a gift certificate won't cut it because by the time I leave I will know whether this is quota driven corporate policy or not.

[OniBerry]

Which has nothing to do with BlackBerry or Apple but rather SaskTel.

All entities that do business abide by a simple model. Maximize profit / minimize loss. BlackBerry is not selling units as quickly as other manufacturers. There are only two courses of action. You can drive the lagging items by introducing massive specials and savings, or you can stop selling it, and move on to something that does bring in profit.

If SaskTel did pressure an 84 year old man suffering from the onset of Parkinson's disease to purchase something he otherwise would have not, then these people would love to hear about it Home - Saskatchewan BBB

This thread belongs in the carrier or rant section.

[jaydee5799]

Blast them! Get what you want for your Dad (god bless him and your Mom. My own Mom turns 80 this week) and get them what you think would benefit them.

[mEntal8y]

I like you lady ^.. got style for your age I'm no pervert lol, still in school
I agree (what I actually wanted to say)

[DaSchwantz]

Go straight to corporate headquarters office and cc the press with your story. Watch the sparks fly. Upselling is one thing but purposely selling a person with a medical condition something that they can't use is something else entirely.

Posted via CB10

[rzanger]

Sorry but this has everything to do with BlackBerry. It is not just SaskTel. Tried Bestbuy lately? There was a time when the customer was always right. There is a big difference between selling and actually pushing a consumer away from a product. Btw this isn't a rant this is actually happening so it would be more like speaking out. I don't really care what the trolls on these boards think or any apologists. We like our Blackberrys very much thank you but at the current rate we could have them stolen away. I just want a phone that I can abuse the crap out of it and does what it should do.

[silversmith75]

my friend just went and upgraded his torch slider to a q10.. he loves his keyboard... anyway it took 3 stores to actually find one. and then the clerk didn't want to sell it... if you can belief that.. it was to the point where he was making fun of him for buying a blackberry.. hope you don't use any apps cause blackberry doesn't have any, was one of the comments.. the other...blackberry won't be around to update this phone in 6 months then went bankrupt... and my personal favorite. this will only be good to use as a phone cause there are no apps and no support for it....you know opposed from using it as a truck...hahaha

anyway my friend got his q and hasn't looked back...

oh and keep us posted i would be interested in hearing what they have to say..

[rzanger]

Go straight to corporate headquarters office and cc the press with your story. Watch the sparks fly. Upselling is one thing but purposely selling a person with a medical condition something that they can't use is something else entirely.

Posted via CB10

I actually choose to fight this battle one person at a time. The situation will be resolved with SaskTel as it was with Bestbuy. I learned many years ago all you need to be is well informed to bring down the walls.

[rzanger]

my friend just went and upgraded his torch slider to a q10.. he loves his keyboard... anyway it took 3 stores to actually find one. and then the clerk didn't want to sell it... if you can belief that.. it was to the point where he was making fun of him for buying a blackberry.. hope you don't use any apps cause blackberry doesn't have any, was one of the comments.. the other...blackberry won't be around to update this phone in 6 months then went bankrupt... and my personal favorite. this will only be good to use as a phone cause there are no apps and no support for it....you know opposed from using it as a truck...hahaha

anyway my friend got his q and hasn't looked back...

oh and keep us posted i would be interested in hearing what they have to say..

Yep. Heard em all times 3.Going back over 2 years. Funny you mention apps because when it comes to tools we download them only to see for functionality the phone can already do what is necessary.

[BBstarBB]

Next month I am going with my brother to Sasktel in my town ,and he is determined to get the Z30, and he is going to!!

[mjs416]

People cannot be surprised by this. Incompetent sales people selling phones to people who can't or don't want to use them. Sounds pretty typical to me.

Posted via CB10

[rzanger]

Next month I am going with my brother to Sasktel in my town ,and he is determined to get the Z30, and he is going to!!

It can be challenging. The best way is to phone around to SaskTel dealers and when you find one that has one put a hold on it. I am currently working with SaskTel and within 1 hour on a Saturday have received a response to the issue and it will be rectified. On another note I inquired about doing the purchase online at SaskTel but it appears you have to phone which I didn't do mostly because I figure I would be fobbed off to the dealer network. Hopefully I will have clarification when I get a reply.

[rzanger]

People cannot be surprised by this. Incompetent sales people selling phones to people who can't or don't want to use them. Sounds pretty typical to me.

Posted via CB10

I am hesitant to blame sales people because I don't know what their marching orders are. I have found the smaller the company the better the experience. Go figure.

[bp3dots]

iPhones are actually well known for being useable by folks with various disabilities, and have a large amount of assistance style apps. Not to mention Siri, which can be very helpful for doing certain tasks.

Now maybe this wasn't the best phone for your person, but realistically, if recommending a phone for someone who will likely have low motor control and not the best vision, big icons and speech commands are probably advantageous over small keys and tiny screen.

Now the return objections etc, thats a whole different matter.

[Andy_bb_king]

This is why I started this thread below, if carriers don't want to sell, why BlackBerry not sell themselves ? And sell them in discounts to our loyals.

http://forums.crackberry.com/showthread.php?t=908327


Posted via CB10

[smis]

Good luck with the exchange.

[lynxs_claw]

Your family member should be able to get what ever phone they want as long as the carrier has it available. If they get any resistance, they should escalate it to the carrier's management and the difficult sales associate should be named. Better yet threaten the sales associate that you're going to go to the SaskTel directly and log a complaint referencing them. That'll hopefully put a stop to this kind of nonsense going on.

[KermEd]

Hurrah for Swift Current!

Posted via CB from my LE

[TgeekB]

Your family member should be able to get what ever phone they want as long as the carrier has it available. If they get any resistance, they should escalate it to the carrier's management and the difficult sales associate should be named. Better yet threaten the sales associate that you're going to go to the SaskTel directly and log a complaint referencing them. That'll hopefully put a stop to this kind of nonsense going on.

This is the issue. All merchants sell what is popular, that's normal. At the same time you, as a consumer, should be able to purchase what you want. The question is who is to blame?

Posted via my Nexus 10.

[ray689]

Hey OP, being a Sasktel customer myself, I'm curious to see if you resolved this issue. It's unfortunate that this happened.
In my experience so far....sales reps are misinformed and uneducated. There is no reason for a sales rep to give any sort of opinion to a customer asking for a specific product. If that's what they ask for, that's what they get.

Posted via CB10

[rzanger]

iPhones are actually well known for being useable by folks with various disabilities, and have a large amount of assistance style apps. Not to mention Siri, which can be very helpful for doing certain tasks.

Now maybe this wasn't the best phone for your person, but realistically, if recommending a phone for someone who will likely have low motor control and not the best vision, big icons and speech commands are probably advantageous over small keys and tiny screen.

Now the return objections etc, thats a whole different matter.

There is something you should be aware of. These are not hipsters interested in the latest and greatest technology but rather they are elderly people who have given to society their whole lives. The last thing they need to be told is they are to disabled to use a phone on top of everything else. Yes I took notice of your shot at tiny keys and small screen but tell me how big is the screen on an iPhone when you open the keyboard. They functioned just fine on a feature phone. When they call it is on a land line. They just need a little more from their phone that's all. I might also add I have a Z30 but always grab the Q for typing.

[bp3dots]

Hey OP, being a Sasktel customer myself, I'm curious to see if you resolved this issue. It's unfortunate that this happened.
In my experience so far....sales reps are misinformed and uneducated. There is no reason for a sales rep to give any sort of opinion to a customer asking for a specific product. If that's what they ask for, that's what they get.

Posted via CB10

You'd be amazed at how many people ask for things they don't actually need, but think they do. Being a good salesman is about finding what is actually best for them.

[rzanger]

This is why I started this thread below, if carriers don't want to sell, why BlackBerry not sell themselves ? And sell them in discounts to our loyals.

Sell discounted phones directly to loyals - BlackBerry Forums at CrackBerry.com

Awesome. I just have a sense it's a carrier issue. Why can't they just manage their networks, approve the phones and get the hell out of the way.


Posted via CB10

[ray689]

You'd be amazed at how many people ask for things they don't actually need, but think they do. Being a good salesman is about finding what is actually best for them.

I would rather a sales rep give me what I ask for (whether they or you think I need it) rather than push a product on me because the rep likes it...which in this case turned out to be neither needed or useful to the customer.

Posted via CB10

[rzanger]

You'd be amazed at how many people ask for things they don't actually need, but think they do. Being a good salesman is about finding what is actually best for them.

Seriously! I don't know where you are but we refer to going out and getting a BB either an adventure or a quest.