[EdY]

Hi Folks,

I just jumped into a Rogers Wireless store at a high-end mall in Toronto (won't mention any names on location) and had a really BAD experience discussing Blackberry with the representative who approached me. I am thinking, is this something UNIQUE to me? Or do most people find that Blackberry is getting screwed over by customer service people? Is it just ROGERS?

To sum it up, my interaction was like this:

I walk in and check out some of the Android and Blackberry phones.

ROGERS rep approaches me and tells me Blackberry is going to go bankrupt, she's made a bet with a friend. She says Blackberry is bottom of the pile, Android in the middle, and iPhone at the top. She has NO iPhone on display, says that most ROGERS stores don't have iPhones on display because they continuously get stolen (sounds like bull%&# but who knows?). She says most Rogers reps have iPhones anyways so they just whip them out to show customers (I doubt it).

Then she goes on about how Blackberry isn't selling at all, they can't get rid of them, to the point that Rogers is calling people mid-contract to try to give them a free Blackberry. I also found out that Blackberry is one of the lower-costing phones as far as plan requirements, since the iPhone and Android need a minimum voice/data plan cost (I guess to pay off the contract phone cost). Blackberry may be less expensive so Rogers doesn't require as high a monthly service cost to provide it.

I asked her about OS 7.1 for Blackberry, why ROGERS still hasn't released it. She says ROGERS didn't get it. But from what I read in forums it is bull%$%, I told her that all the other major carriers seem to have it... Bell, Telus, etc. and I showed her my leaked OS 7.1 install. She was unaware that when you visit Blackberry website you have to choose your carrier, she thought Blackberry just releases the OS and it works for everybody.


SO BASICALLY....

I just wanted to share my experience and see if other people are noticing the same. Is it just ROGERS or every carrier? Are they simply not excited about Blackberry at all, do they have a vendetta to see Blackberry FAIL, or is it just that the phones are "old" and they are more excited about iPhone and Android? Is there a higher margin on those other platforms?

I am worried that when BB10 hits the shelves, no matter what RIM does, if we have people walking into stores with customer reps crapping all over Blackberry, they will not have any chance of even showing these to people.

Looking forward to feedback!!!! Try it out... I urge EVERYONE on Crackberry to walk into their local Carrier phone/store and ask them about phones, what they think and report back here!!! Let's do a SURVEY on your customer experience and what your local phone service people are saying about Blackberry.

[Flexin]

Walked into a Rogers store About 2 or 3 months ago. Rep walks up and asked if I needed help. I said I want to upgrade my BlackBerry Bold 9000 to the 9810. He looked down at the table and paused for a few seconds and then said OK. It looked like he was going to say something but didn't. While at the cash he said a few things that the other rep corrected (the other guy seemed to have more BlackBerry knowledge).

You will find almost any sales person will have their favorite products. Some might be because of the commissions or so on. Some might be because they like the product.

Will reps bash BB10 phones when they come out? I'm sure some will. If it gets really great reviews then it might be only the die hard fans of other brands that will.

It's not going to be easy. They have a huge job ahead of them. Thinks won't turn around overnight. If they can build a phone that can out perform the competition then it will be a little harder to ignore.

James

[ryzack]

Lol, why would they bring that up. Maybe Blackberrys are selling so fast they have to advertise iphones so they dont run out

Sent from my BlackBerry 9000 using Tapatalk

[Joltcola1234]

I've been into a Rogers store close to where I live in the last little while and the lady working in the store was pretty nice. I asked her a few things about the BlackBerry phones they had and a few of the Androids and she was fairly knowledgeable on both. She didn't really have anything negative to say about either.

You have to remember going into these Rogers stores that they are just contracted out by Rogers to sell phones, and nothing else really. Many of them are poorly trained, and have personal opinions. It is just like walking into any other retailer these days, you really shouldn't expect employees to be knowledgeable on the products because the companies don't particularly care about the consumer, they just want to shove a product down your throat and be done with it.

I don't personally think that someone in that position should ever be bad mouthing a product they are trying to sell, despite what they may feel personally. I just reflects poorly on them, and the company they represent. But then again, I'm not a complete knuckle head, and I also have morals and value respect.

[Jake90087]

When I went into vodafone and asked my rep about upgrading from my 9800 to a 9900 she was very helpful recommended the phone and all! Vodafone UK in Reading has AMAZING customer service and is one reason I am happy to pay so much for service with them.

[FSeverino]

they dont need to have iphones on display because people will buy them regardless...

everyone is over saturated with the things that an iphone can do and what it is that they dont need them on display

plus, display models arent even hooked up to be used as phones, and they should be wired down

[EdY]

To follow up on my thread, I really am disappointed with the inconsistency of knowledge that I have encountered from phone sales reps. Some know nothing, are "fanboys" of some platform or other (like the Apple fangirl I encountered at the Rogers store), and TO MAKE THINGS WORSE than IGNORANCE... is that some will even tell you absolutely false things!

I can only imagine how many people that the above Rogers employee has steered completely clear of Blackberry, and sold them on an iPhone, without even giving a fair chance or comparison on what the customer might actually need. Maybe there are Blackberry-focused reps too or fanboys doing the reverse, which would also be wrong.

[dangerousfen]

When I went into vodafone and asked my rep about upgrading from my 9800 to a 9900 she was very helpful recommended the phone and all! Vodafone UK in Reading has AMAZING customer service and is one reason I am happy to pay so much for service with them.

I agree. Voda UK does seem to be very Blackberry minded. I've had the same experience in the Kidderminster branch and two of the reps were carrying BB's and spoke very highley of the brand.

Nice.

Sent from my old faithful BlackBerry 9700 using Tapatalk

[_StephenBB81]

To follow up on my thread, I really am disappointed with the inconsistency of knowledge that I have encountered from phone sales reps. Some know nothing, are "fanboys" of some platform or other (like the Apple fangirl I encountered at the Rogers store), and TO MAKE THINGS WORSE than IGNORANCE... is that some will even tell you absolutely false things!

I can only imagine how many people that the above Rogers employee has steered completely clear of Blackberry, and sold them on an iPhone, without even giving a fair chance or comparison on what the customer might actually need. Maybe there are Blackberry-focused reps too or fanboys doing the reverse, which would also be wrong.

I have a friend who is a manager for Koodo, and a VERY good one,
She knows very little about the geekness of the devices, she can fit anyone with a device to their price point, and a plan to their needs, she makes sure her staff are the same, they all can use every phone offered, and know how to make a call, add a contact, log into facebook, and send a sms, that is what the majority of people want to know, and the rest they just look at a phone and say it is pretty.


The Rogers/Bell/Telus/AT&T/Verizon etc reps are the same, they are not hired and trained to be experts on multiple devices, they need to know how to work the internal computer system to close a sale, they need to know how to use google and youtube to learn about devices beyond basic training, and they need a personality to close a sale and move people to more expensive service plans or devices.

The "experts" are usually people who make phones their hobby, OR they have moved into corporate sales from being just floor workers, the really skilled people don't work in the sub 40k per year floor jobs.

[robluck82]

I can believe this...like any store or place of business, your experience will vary.

Here's what I can tell you after working 10 years (and counting) in the wireless business, most of that in sales and customer service: unfortunately, personal opinion too often supersedes customer needs/wants/preferences. What I mean by that, is that most representatives will ask very few questions, if any, about the customer's lifestyle, work/social needs, etc...to gain an understanding of which device would best suit the customer. Instead, one of two things happens: a customer comes in or calls in with a preconceived idea of what they want, whether its a device OR an app (seriously - sometimes people just say "I JUST want to play Angry Birds" -- really?) or otherwise, they have no idea what they want, so the representative shows them two or three of his/her favorites, explains one or two features or benefits of the device, and asks for the sale.

I will say this, however: most carriers do a decent enough job of making job aids and device training available to employees, yet most are optional and so certain devices are ignored or not taken seriously. It's quite a shame.

[alexandros2011]

rogers has never been known for great customer service either through their call centres or in store, so this thread doesnt surprise me at all. and i agree with the poster above, it is a shame for sure

[Devhux]

This is similar to the posts about Best Buy reps bad-mouthing the PlayBook (or having non-functioning display units).

Sales reps in general have their own biases and will steer people towards what they want - not what is best for the customer. There are some that will actually listen to the customer (and not steer them away from something the customer wants), but it seems this happens infrequently.

[murnende]

. . . to the point that Rogers is calling people mid-contract to try to give them a free Blackberry.

Tell her they can feel free to give me a call. Just over a year into my contract on the 9780. Checked last week and was told it would cost me $149 for the phone, plus $270 early upgrade fee, plus $35 administration fee or some other crap. Doesn't sound free to me.