[houshinto#IM]

I think Best Buy made a mistake. They're clearly talking about themselves.

I never recommend Best Buy to anyone unless their willing to pay the "ignorant tax" on their purchases.

I don't want to say that the professional and courteous etiquette is all but dead in retail, but if you look at the society in general you figure out why that is.

And no, it's not an age thing.

[reeneebob]

I don't know. I don't ignore either. I complain, too, and see nothing wrong with with taking steps and working toward getting the anti BlackBerry salesperson fired. Hit him where he'll feel it: in his wallet.

I gotta say, that is a horrible thing to do to someone over a god damn cell phone. He didn't kick your puppy.

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[reeneebob]

I think Best Buy made a mistake. They're clearly talking about themselves.

I never recommend Best Buy to anyone unless their willing to pay the "ignorant tax" on their purchases.

I don't want to say that the professional and courteous etiquette is all but dead in retail, but if you look at the society in general you figure out why that is.

And no, it's not an age thing.

If you knew the way I have seen customers treat me because I work in an electronics store and have ovaries you'd be shocked.

I'm always polite to a customer. Always. End of story. However, I do admit to a couple of times reacting to being ignored when I ask if I can help or answer questions and have some man put his hand in my face and beeline for a male staffer (it happens at least once a week) to ask them a question about their cell phone. My male coworkers are great, they will always defer back to me and say "Renee is the one to ask about that" and I'd be lying if I didn't admit to occasionally saying "I don't know, I'm just a know nothing woman who should be in the kitchen, but I'll sure try to answer this for you" ...

The worst thing that ever happened was the saying "the customer is always right" - it led to a complete lack of common human decency on the part of a segment of customers who think that means they can treat retail staff like rabid animals and we aren't allowed to react. The worst I ever saw was a guy who berated a trainee cashier into tears. He demanded to see a supervisor and I was the responder (this was years ago). He then told me how slow and stupid she was and she's sitting there in tears. In looked at him and finally said "did it make you feel like a man to make a 16 year old girl cry? You feel like a master of the universe now?" when he demanded MY manager, he came down and threw him out of the store and banned him when I said what happened.

I love this attitude that all store staff are playthings to toy with. Sure get them fired because they don't like your frigging cell phone. That's manly and reasonable.

Grow up. /rant

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk 2

[tmelon]

So he took advantage of your granny, aren't you mad about it?

Well he was just doing his job. And granny is pretty happy with her new iPhone. (Videochatting with my 93 year old Grandma was something I never thought would happen)

The point that I'm trying to get at is that their job is match people up with phones. A salesperson probably only reads the headlines "RIM stock drops XX%", "BB7 devices EOL'd" and thinks he's doing you a favor by pointing you towards something different.

Whining to a manager about the anti-BlackBerry salesman is definitely not going to get him fired. In fact you'd probably be the angry customer he's laughing with all of his coworkers about.

If you want salespeople to recommend BlackBerry then you should show them some of the unique things BlackBerrys can do and maybe they'll have a change of heart. Being that annoying customer who throws a fit to the managers portrays BlackBerry users in a negative light.

[belfastdispatcher]

Well he was just doing his job. And granny is pretty happy with her new iPhone. (Videochatting with my 93 year old Grandma was something I never thought would happen)

The point that I'm trying to get at is that their job is match people up with phones. A salesperson probably only reads the headlines "RIM stock drops XX%", "BB7 devices EOL'd" and thinks he's doing you a favor by pointing you towards something different.

Whining to a manager about the anti-BlackBerry salesman is definitely not going to get him fired. In fact you'd probably be the angry customer he's laughing with all of his coworkers about.

If you want salespeople to recommend BlackBerry then you should show them some of the unique things BlackBerrys can do and maybe they'll have a change of heart. Being that annoying customer who throws a fit to the managers portrays BlackBerry users in a negative light.

The way I see it the salesman's job is t complete the paperwork for the phone I want to buy. He's not a matchmaker.

[Virmaline]

Whining to a manager about the anti-BlackBerry salesman is definitely not going to get him fired. In fact you'd probably be the angry customer he's laughing with all of his coworkers about.

Whining to the manager is not the best way to get results. Now contacting Best Buy corporate with complaints about the employee and the smarta$$ manager ... Well, I doubt anyone in that store will be laughing about it.

[tmelon]

Whining to the manager is not the best way to get results. Now contacting Best Buy corporate with complaints about the employee and the smarta$$ manager ... Well, I doubt anyone in that store will be laughing about it.

What would be a legitimate complaint about the employee?

He didn't like my cell phone? He thought Android phones were better than BlackBerrys?

Unless the employee was incredibly rude to you then contacting the corporate office is a waste of their time and yours.

[flavio5x]

When i went in to my Best Buy store in Milton, ontario, the sales guys were both using 9900. They both were telling a customer that for email the BB cant be beat and if you wanted a toy go with iphone or android. I was surprised but glad they were honest as opposed to Rogers store which was a show;

[Rello]

smh at people wanting people fired for recommending another phone. If you really want a product, someone else's opinion probably isnt going to change that.

Some of you people really make this site an very irritating experience and im glad the mods have started banning...

[pantlesspenguin]

The way I see it the salesman's job is t complete the paperwork for the phone I want to buy. He's not a matchmaker.

But think of the majority of people who go in to get cell phones. They go in and say "Yeah gimme that Droid iPhone thing." At that point the salesperson should indeed step in and ask the customer what they're looking for in a device. When someone comes in and says "I'd like to buy the BlackBerry Bold 9930, please" and the sales rep starts in with "Well, actually you might have better luck with..." then the customer could respond back with "Look, I've been using BlackBerry for X years, I've done my research on what BB7 is bringing to the table, and I know this phone will fit my needs perfectly. Now kindly bring me my new phone."

[Moonbase0ne]

Maybe RIM should step in and help fix the issue where stores that they let sell their producsts are bad mouthing it. Of course they wont get to everyone, but if it bothers some of you so much, write a letter/email to RIM, let them know about it, and let them deal with it.

[the_sleuth]

Your emails are bigger than 11MB on average??

The following is a list of new features being introduced with BlackBerry Internet Service 4.1:

Improved large email and native attachment support
Subscribers using BlackBerry smartphones with BlackBerry� 6 and BlackBerry� 7 installed can:

receive email messages that are up to 11MB in size
download attachments in their original format that are up to 8MB in size
view up to 300KB in an HTML email message

There is a lot of misinformation in this thread....

RIM limits your email in ways no other platform does. This limits the size of your emails and prevents you from getting large attachments. They get a kickback from the carriers for doing it because it limits the customers' use of data. So yes, in some ways Blackberry email is inferior, right now, today.

[jonno_atamaniuk]

It's funny because I'm a girl so everyone assumes I know nothing about cell phones. LOL

I always start with "What do you want to be able to use your cell for?" and go from there. I'll ask "Do you need a physical keyboard or are you comfortable with a touchscreen?", "Do you send and receive a lot of email, are you using it for work as well?" - stuff like that. If they say they like a lot of app selection, I'll ask what kind of apps. I will ask if they say they have a lot of music if they have an iPod - that way if they have any paid apps they can share them on an iPhone if that would best suit their other requirements.

We end up with a lot of the Futureshop or other stores sales coming to us for help with the phone because they can't get help from where they bought it and they were sold the entirely wrong phone for them. It's frustrating.

Wow, and I thought I was the only one who did that! I'm glad to see I'm not the only person who, when approached by a wireless client, asks "So what do you want to do with your phone?" and work down the list from there. I try to get the other staff in my store to do the same, and it seems to be working out a lot better for us. Besides, we come off a lot friendlier and more carring about what the client wants that way!

I agree with you about a lack of help from the big-box stores. I work at... well not really a "big box store" but we're not a corporate store either technically... and the number of people I personally help with their phones (regardless of make or carrier) is astounding! I honestly feel like certain carriers don't care one little bit about making sure the client knows how to use their phone, and the same goes for the big-box stores too. I hope the whole teaching a client how to use their phone thing changes soon, so people are more informed about their devices, how to use them properly, and have fewer complaints about an over-sized bill when they accidentally do something on the web that they didn't mean to :P.

[tmelon]

Maybe RIM should step in and help fix the issue where stores that they let sell their producsts are bad mouthing it. Of course they wont get to everyone, but if it bothers some of you so much, write a letter/email to RIM, let them know about it, and let them deal with it.

RIM has no authority over Best Buy.


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

[jonno_atamaniuk]

Salespeople not recommending BlackBerrys? What else is new?

They probably don't want to deal with people coming back and whining about how they aren't getting BB10 or how their favorite apps aren't in app world. These are employees who are trying to make a lasting sale and there's nothing wrong with them giving advice.

No, as a sales person and employee at a Canadian retailer of wireless products, I can personally tell you that a salesperson not recommending Blackberry IS a problem WHEN they haven't taken the time to uncover what the CLIENT wants and/or needs. If someone says they need the phone for e-mail, messaging, and phone calls, guess what's among the phones I will recommend to them every time?

There are still reasons to recommend a BlackBerry device over some of the latest and greatest devices, and some of them are in direct contrast to what people believe the carriers are after. Perhaps it's helpful that I don't get paid a bonus depending what phone I sell and therefore have no additional reasoning to sell someone an Android phone or an iPhone over a BlackBerry, but even if I did I don't care about that. I care about a client getting a device that will serve them well for the period that they have their phone. Sometimes it's a BlackBerry. Sometimes it's an iPhone. Sometimes it's a Samsung Galaxy phone. Sometimes it's an HTC. Sometimes, believe it or not, it's a flip-phone!

If I sell someone a BlackBerry when they're really wanting the absolute best media experience, while they may learn to be happy with it, they'll probably never come back to me for their next phone no matter what the situation is. Same deal if I sell someone the SGSIII when what they really need is a basic, simple phone to make the occasional phone call in case of an emergency. On the other hand, if I listen to my client and find out what they need their phone to do, and put into their hand the device that will do what they need and want time and again, they're not going to care about anything other than the fact that I listened, got them exactly what they were looking for, and possibly even helped them learn more about that phone than they originally knew. THAT will have them coming back to me time and again, not only for me to answer questions about their phone, but also to buy their next one when either their term is up and they have a renewal offer, or their phone breaks and they need something to replace it.

[jonno_atamaniuk]

But think of the majority of people who go in to get cell phones. They go in and say "Yeah gimme that Droid iPhone thing." At that point the salesperson should indeed step in and ask the customer what they're looking for in a device. When someone comes in and says "I'd like to buy the BlackBerry Bold 9930, please" and the sales rep starts in with "Well, actually you might have better luck with..." then the customer could respond back with "Look, I've been using BlackBerry for X years, I've done my research on what BB7 is bringing to the table, and I know this phone will fit my needs perfectly. Now kindly bring me my new phone."

People would actually follow up with that? I was always under the impression that if someone did that, the client would just walk out of the store. Actually, I've seen that... If you're not willing to sell the client what they want or need, it comes back to bite you, usually with the words "alright, well I'll have to think about that and I'll come back and see you"... they don't come back and see you.

[bungaboy]

.
If I walk into a bar and I ask for a Guiness thats what i expect, not a suggestion for a glass of wine.

Now we're talkin'!

[anon(832122)]

Maybe RIM should step in and help fix the issue where stores that they let sell their producsts are bad mouthing it. Of course they wont get to everyone, but if it bothers some of you so much, write a letter/email to RIM, let them know about it, and let them deal with it.

So do you think that maybe...just maybe...there are clerks that have similar bias against Apple, Samsung, HTC etc? What about other products like TV's or stereos where a clerk has expressed their opinion about which product is better. There will be a line up outside Best Buy's door of angry OEMs and manufactures. LOL.

[RJB55]

RIM has no authority over Best Buy.


Sent from my iPhone 4S using Tapatalk

You are correct!

They do however have marketing/sales agreements with Best Buy as an authorized dealer and I suspect the agreements outline how RIM's products and product information are presented to potential customers. In other words, I doubt a sales person disparaging their products is in bounds. Best case it's unprofessional and unethical.

[anon(832122)]

You are correct!

They do however have marketing/sales agreements with Best Buy as an authorized dealer and I suspect the agreements outline how RIM's products and product information are presented to potential customers. In other words, I doubt a sales person disparaging their products is in bounds. Best case it's unprofessional and unethical.

Incorrect. The retailer reserves the right to not only carry competing products but also to recommend those competing products to customers if the retailer so chooses. This includes discounting competing products (except apple products who have pricing terms), offering promotions, additional warranties and in-store advertising. Retail is a cut-throat business.

[RJB55]

So disparaging or misrepresenting a product is ok then? Competition is a good thing we agree on that, but I believe you missed my point with all due respect.

[moretreelessbush]

How about RIM asking its employees to visit retail stores and act as blackberry advocates? Nokia is doing something like that.

"Under this plan, more than 1,000 North American employees have signed up to go to outlets selling Nokia phones, such as an AT&T store at a shopping mall. The effort has spanned from Tuscaloosa, Ala., to Chicago.

Employees are usually armed with food and coffee, and work to bond with sales people and interact with potential phone buyers. Conversations often turn to the breadth of Nokia's apps, such as its navigation system, which comes free with the phone.

In some stores, such as a nearby T-Mobile store, Nokia staff would find their Lumia 710 smartphone had already been moved off the main display despite being a relatively new entrant in the market. In this store, phones from Samsung Electronics Co. 005930.SE -2.03% and HTC Corp. get the most prominent placement."

Nokia Late to the Silicon Valley Party - WSJ.com

[anon(832122)]

So disparaging or misrepresenting a product is ok then? Competition is a good thing we agree on that, but I believe you missed my point with all due respect.

Had the employee misrepresented the product then perhaps RIM could do something if the issue was systemic. The OP wasn't specific about what the clerk said but I think it was more along the lines of...iphones/Android have more apps, have LTE phones, better cameras faster processors, higher resolution screens etc. There is nothing wrong with pointing those features out to a customer even if they come in asking for a specific product that don't have those things. As long as the clerk was being factual about what he/she said then what can you do.
It happens for cars, computers, gaming systems...you name it.

What do you consider the clerk said that was disparaging? Perhaps I missed it.

[RJB55]

Read the initial post by the OP.

For reference from Merriam Webster.

disparage
1: to lower in rank or reputation : degrade
2: to depreciate by indirect means (as invidious comparison) : speak slightingly about

IMO good selling is focusing on a given prouct's strong points as a reason to buy it and not on what you think are another products negative ones, especially when you don't have your facts straight. But that's just my view of things.

[belfastdispatcher]

Well, looks like they're letting 2500 people go, maybe he's one of them

It seems to be a big trend now, jobs going everywhere