So, this past weekend I decided I wanted a new phone.
I'll preface the story with a disclaimer. I HAVE HORRIBLE LUCK WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE PEOPLE. I am very conscious of the fact that customer service folks aren't the problem. However, when they are rude, unknowledgable, or simply dumb-as-a-stump, I become frustrated. I get even more frustrated when the customer service process is as severely broken as Cingular's is.
I began my quest for a new cell phone online. I am a Napster subscriber, and Cingular has three phones compatible with the service. The first is the Blackjack (way too big), the second is the 3125 (way too expensive), and the third is the SYNC (AKA the Samsung a707). I wanted to see the 3125 and SYNC side by side in action to figure out which one I wanted. I called around, and apparently, the 3125 is discontinued. So, I found a store that had both, called ahead to make sure someone was willing to actually take them out of the box and show them to me. (At Hawk Electronics, the display phones are hunks of plastic that do not funciton). Jonathan, an employee of Hawk, was cordial on the phone and encouraged me to come on down and try them out.
When I arrived (20 minutes later) Jonathan had left for the day, and I was left with a hispanic woman with an attitude. I don't recall her name, but she was obviously a kept woman forced into the workplace by an overachieving husband. She rolled her eyes and clicked her tounge when I asked to see the phones. She'd only bring out one phone at a time, and then wouldn't turn them on for me. After putting up with the attitude for 10 minutes or so, I left angry and without a phone.
Later, I found out that in order to get the $100 rebate on the 3125 (which is the only way it became affordable) you had to sign up for a $40 a month data plan. That made absolutely no sense to me since I wouldn't be using the phone for a data device. So, I was left with the SYNC.
The next day, I went to a Cingular Wireless store that had the SYNC. I walked in and was asked to sign in on the list. I was the only person in the store, and there were five Cingular employees mulling about aimlessly and there were no other names on the list. Against all logic, I signed in on the list. The person behind the counter walked around, crossed my name off, and asked, "How can I help you?" I knew I was in for a treat.
I said, "I want to buy the Samsung A707." She responded with a puzzled look. I repeated my request following it with, "you do sell phones here, correct?" She smiled and asked for my account information and typed it into a computer. She looked at my account information for a short time and the quoted me the price for the phone, $119. I asked her why it was more expensive in the store than the $99 price advertised online. She didn't know but said that if I upgraded my plan and paid $20 more a month, she could bring the phone down to $99. At that point, I had enough. I left the store, again angry with no phone.
On my way back home, I called 611 from my Cingular handset to speak with an online customer service representative to buy the phone, well, over the phone. They were closed. I wanted to throw my phone out the window into oncoming traffic.
I saw a T-Mobile store on my way home and considered switching service, but decided against it. Instead, I went home, got online, and within 5 minutes ordered the phone and printed a receipt. I hopped on EBay, bought some accessories, and 15 minutes later was relaxing on the couch.
If you know me, you know I hate people. In general, people are stupid and lazy. My experience with Chiquita Bonita Barbi and the Cingular Marketing Geniuses only reinforce my views.
Moral of the story: computers are better the people
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