Sprint no longer selling Pre over the phone

[substring]

Sprint no longer selling Pre over the phone

Too early to tell what this means. But it might confirm the earlier report the Palm Pre is not selling well at the Sprint Stores.

[andrewa124]

Well palm had a whole month. So long palm.

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[BlaqkAudio]

Originally Posted by substring

Too early to tell what this means. But it might confirm the earlier report the Palm Pre is not selling well at the Sprint Stores.

IMO, that report was BS. There are still people on waiting lists to buy a Pre at a Sprint store. And then the report did not take into account Best Buys, Radioshacks, and Walmarts.

[tumer]

So what if people are on the waitn list that doesn't mean the report is b/s they are going to start to offer those people something else something new isn't thr a new bb coming out for sprint very soon each one of those people on that list is a sale they wouldn't just send them away think of it like a game of poker

[nem0nic]

I'm sure it's a combination of the issues mentioned in the article. We know that there is a shortage of stock right now, and getting the customer into a store allows a better opportunity to upsell them on accessories that they have a good margin on (like the Touchstone). Also, I know that Sprint is trying to change their image of having poor support, and one on one attention for an in demand product is one way to differentiate it in the marketplace.

Also, from a purely support oriented standpoint, it's a sneaky way to check the phone beforehand and verify that it's working properly. It's also an easy way for Sprint to go over basic functionality that might not be covered in the quick start (and isn't in a printed manual).

I think it's a mistake not to sell it every way possible, but I'm sure we'll see this policy change when the device is released on more carriers.

[dd214]

I just broke the screen on my Pre and had a new one sent out. There is a 5 day back order wait for something that is usually done overnight. The Pre is selling well.

Also, if you have Sprint and get the $7 a month insurance plan, you still have to pay $100 deductible to get a new phone.......Kinda BS

[avt123]

Originally Posted by dd214

I just broke the screen on my Pre and had a new one sent out. There is a 5 day back order wait for something that is usually done overnight. The Pre is selling well.

Also, if you have Sprint and get the $7 a month insurance plan, you still have to pay $100 deductible to get a new phone.......Kinda BS

That sucks. It was the same way with the Bold on AT&T (don't know if it's still like that). Had to pay $150 though.

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[Swoopster]

Originally Posted by nem0nic

Also, from a purely support oriented standpoint, it's a sneaky way to check the phone beforehand and verify that it's working properly. It's also an easy way for Sprint to go over basic functionality that might not be covered in the quick start (and isn't in a printed manual).

I think it's a mistake not to sell it every way possible, but I'm sure we'll see this policy change when the device is released on more carriers.

The word sneaky implies that it's a pseudo-malicious move on Sprin't part...which it isn't.

There isn't anything "sneaky" about it to me; in fact it makes perfect sense to not offer the Pre through phone/telesales for now. I don't see it as a "mistake" to NOT sell it every possible way; I simply see it as a mistake to not ship out more units for in-store purchases (as it stands now).

[stuaw11]

Originally Posted by dd214

I just broke the screen on my Pre and had a new one sent out. There is a 5 day back order wait for something that is usually done overnight. The Pre is selling well.

So because there's a 5 day backorder, that leads to it selling well? Do explain that logic how it could be NO other possible scenarios for a delay. That makes no sense to equate one to the other.



And I agree its incredibly stupid not to sell this phone any way they can. Great, they want to improve the user experience with the device, but that wont bring new customers in the door. If busy people cant order online or over the phone theyre going to choose another device or carrier and not put up with the hassle of having to trek to a store. Not everyone has a local store within reasonable driving distance either.

Last time I checked this phone was supposed to be a "savior" of both Sprint and Palm. Palm will be ok, theyll sell the phone to other carriers eventually and make money. But if sprint doesnt sell the device any way they can, theyre in for the same hurting theyve been taking the past 2 or 3 years straight now. This was really their last chance turn around point with the Pre. They have no other mass market "hot" device in the near future to offer (Tour and Touch Pro2 only cater to a small crowd, not mass market appeal).

[BzB]

sprint probably can't wait to get a new blackberry. i bet the pre is turning into a disaster for them.

[xxxxpradaxxxx]

Why do you think that BzB?

[nem0nic]

Sprint doesn't care if phones have wifi - several of their phones do (including Blackberries). Was the Tour supposed to have it? It isn't mentioned on the product website.

[Ethrem]

I hope Sprint wises up and stops selling this phone altogether until the QA issues get fixed. They probably moved it to the stores because of all the returns due to defects and such, particularly in the screen.

And before anyone calls me a troll, I had one from launch day til Thursday morning. I burned myself constantly talking on the thing while it was charging or while doing heavy web browsing, both phones had screen issues with the second being the worst of the two and the phone froze on 3 separate applications. When the 1.0.3 update came out, reception went wild... I was over it.

[BzB]

Originally Posted by xxxxpradaxxxx

Why do you think that BzB?

Because the blackberry is their bread and butter smart phone. The pre came along and gave them a temporary boost in subscribers and sales, but I'd bet (based on the news, my experience, and reading comments from various other owners) they're seeing a lot of returns, support nightmares, and lost subscribers. A new blackberry would probably result in the same net sales and fewer support nightmares.

I feel for sprint. I was also hoping the pre would be a hit instead of a dud.

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[dd214]

Originally Posted by stuaw11

So because there's a 5 day backorder, that leads to it selling well? Do explain that logic how it could be NO other possible scenarios for a delay. That makes no sense to equate one to the other.



And I agree its incredibly stupid not to sell this phone any way they can. Great, they want to improve the user experience with the device, but that wont bring new customers in the door. If busy people cant order online or over the phone theyre going to choose another device or carrier and not put up with the hassle of having to trek to a store. Not everyone has a local store within reasonable driving distance either.

Last time I checked this phone was supposed to be a "savior" of both Sprint and Palm. Palm will be ok, theyll sell the phone to other carriers eventually and make money. But if sprint doesnt sell the device any way they can, theyre in for the same hurting theyve been taking the past 2 or 3 years straight now. This was really their last chance turn around point with the Pre. They have no other mass market "hot" device in the near future to offer (Tour and Touch Pro2 only cater to a small crowd, not mass market appeal).

No, because the normal time of getting a new one out is backed up by 4 times the normal wait time. The lady on the phone also told me they were selling out all over..