T mobile - two stories
Nov. 9th, 2008 11:11 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chrisvenusI think I promised that I'd tell the story of what excitement buying my new phone was. So after a second chapter of it hit today I thought I'd tell the tale...
So I'd decided that I wanted a G1. I wanted a black one. The Oxford t mobile shop was only going to have white ones at launch so I'd have to wait at least a week. Normally I wouldn't mind that too much but after a tough week at work I decided to treat myself so I planned to go to London to buy one.
So I travelled down, went to Oxford street where I knew there were three shops and wandered into the first one I came to. I checked they had G1s and they did and I said that I wanted them in black, he said they did have some and so we talked about contracts and such like. Then he went back to get the phone and they only had white ones... They'd sold out of all of their black...
I said that I knew there were other shops on oxford street so would they have them? he was kind enough to phone them... he took about five minutes doing this. Once he came back he said he'd checked the shops both ways down oxford street and they didn't have them. He didn't think anywhere had them...
So after a lot of persuasion he got me to buy a white one. I wasn't keen but I did want one on the day rather than waiting. So as we were filling in paperwork I overheard another salesman talking to another customer. In fact on the phone while the customer waited and I heard him say words to the effect of "You do have one? Ok I'll send him down to you then". And my thoughts were "What phones are likely to be out of stock here right now? Well, there's at least one I know that is..."
I actually still have no idea what they were actually talking about but it made me think that maybe he was leading me on... So while he had wandered off briefly in the process I took the chance to copy down a couple of the neighbouring store numbers from their little directory. It felt a bit spy-like though I'm sure I could have got them as easily from directory enquiries.
This was pretty much as we were done so on leaving the shop, still of two minds as to whether I was being lied to I found the first other shop. Nope. No black phones. Ah, maybe he was being honest after all and I'm just paranoid. Then I phone the second shop. Yup, they have black G1s. yes, they are sure. Yes, they are definitely sure. Yes, they are just by bond street station and they look forward to seeing me...
So I wander into the shop. Do they have black G1. yes? Are you sure? Can you actually go and look to confirm because I was told by this other shop that they didn't... At this point I was pretty sure I'd been played since the five minutes of phoning that he went off to do was 2 15 second phone calls for me and quick enough that there really was no reason to go elsewhere for it...
So they can't just do an exchange, I have to go take the first phone back and then come back and buy a second phone. SO they understand and tell me that they'll hold onto a phone and see me in a bit.
So back in shop 1 I explain that I'd like to return the phone so I can buy what I want from elsewhere. I'm annoyed, I'm going to take no crap from them and am willing to phone around and find legalese to start quoting at them. Or maybe just stand in the middle of the shop saying very loudly "You lied to me in order to sell me something." As it turns out he decided to be co-operative which was almost disappointing. He phones up shop 2 and tells me that they do have black G1s but they are all reserved. Are you sure? OK, because they told me they had some...
It was only after I left the shop to go confusedly to shop 2 that I realised that it was possible that one of those reserved phones was mine but I wanted to be sure this time... So back in shop 2 again and I talk to the nice girl again and she reassures me. I ask if the manager is around because he can probably get some ass kicking done and it turns out that one of the other staff members hanging around was the manager. He said much the same and had somebody credit check me. Because I'd already got my first phone this was likely to come up as a second line and this would need an additional credit check. So I pass that and as I'm finishing that off he grabs my details and phones shop 1.
I'm chatting with these people - they are much nicer, chattier and friendlier. We've established that salesman in shop 1 was a lying toerag who conned me into buying the phone off him. I am trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but I really know that he was a git. So the manager, Tim, comes back and tells me that he's talked to the acting manager (the normal store manager wasn't working that day apparently - no surprise that the salesman are taking liberties). So having talked to teh acting manager he knows the score and will make sure I get a refund. Tim also says as I'm leaving that I'll probably find that the manager guy is out back with the sales guy giving him a good solid bollocking. I'm wondering how much of an earful Tim gave the guy or if he just stated the facts... I suspect there is a certain amount of rivalry between stores for a start...
So back to shop 1 and I get there and no sign of my sales guy. I ask for the manager whose name I have and he's apparently out back... So after waiting a couple of minutes my sales guy comes out. Looking very subdued, very apologetic. He explains that he doesn't really know what happened and there must have been some confusion, etc. At this stage I didn't feel the urge to say "Its because you lied to me about the neighbouring stores stock levels" and just nodded and smiled. He'd already heard it all. He knew what he'd done, he probably figured that I knew (after all I did check on the facts that he had given me) and end of the day he'd already got his warning for it - I suspect given the manager of a neighbouring store got involved that they couldn't easily sweep it under the carpet.
So eventually it gets done. This guy more and more gives me the impression of being a noob since earlier he didn't seem to know his way around the computers much and indeed when trying to cancel the account had to have detailed instructions from other staff.
Eventually it gets done and I go buy my new phone from shop 2. All in all this took about two and a half hours. (though I did get some good exercise walking up and down several times).
So that was the saga of the lying salesman.
What reminded me to post today is that I opened my first T mobile bill. For 80 quid... It appears that I was billed for two phones... Memories of this guys incompetence spring to mind and I worry that he's screwed me again. A quick call to T-mobile customer services reveals that it seemed to be a timing problem (which I had suspected most likely to be honest). The account was activated cancelled and billed all on the same day and things apparently just got done in the wrong order. So it is ok after all.
As I was thinking of how he could have messed up the cancelling to screw me in some way it occured to me that he hadn't bothered checking the contents of the box I gave back to him. If I'd wanted I could have had the phone at the very least out of the box. And given he'd already tried to screw me could probably also have pinned it on him if I was feeling totally malicious. Though in fact its more just that my roleplayer mind always looks at situations and tries to work out what you could exploit or leverage...
So I'd decided that I wanted a G1. I wanted a black one. The Oxford t mobile shop was only going to have white ones at launch so I'd have to wait at least a week. Normally I wouldn't mind that too much but after a tough week at work I decided to treat myself so I planned to go to London to buy one.
So I travelled down, went to Oxford street where I knew there were three shops and wandered into the first one I came to. I checked they had G1s and they did and I said that I wanted them in black, he said they did have some and so we talked about contracts and such like. Then he went back to get the phone and they only had white ones... They'd sold out of all of their black...
I said that I knew there were other shops on oxford street so would they have them? he was kind enough to phone them... he took about five minutes doing this. Once he came back he said he'd checked the shops both ways down oxford street and they didn't have them. He didn't think anywhere had them...
So after a lot of persuasion he got me to buy a white one. I wasn't keen but I did want one on the day rather than waiting. So as we were filling in paperwork I overheard another salesman talking to another customer. In fact on the phone while the customer waited and I heard him say words to the effect of "You do have one? Ok I'll send him down to you then". And my thoughts were "What phones are likely to be out of stock here right now? Well, there's at least one I know that is..."
I actually still have no idea what they were actually talking about but it made me think that maybe he was leading me on... So while he had wandered off briefly in the process I took the chance to copy down a couple of the neighbouring store numbers from their little directory. It felt a bit spy-like though I'm sure I could have got them as easily from directory enquiries.
This was pretty much as we were done so on leaving the shop, still of two minds as to whether I was being lied to I found the first other shop. Nope. No black phones. Ah, maybe he was being honest after all and I'm just paranoid. Then I phone the second shop. Yup, they have black G1s. yes, they are sure. Yes, they are definitely sure. Yes, they are just by bond street station and they look forward to seeing me...
So I wander into the shop. Do they have black G1. yes? Are you sure? Can you actually go and look to confirm because I was told by this other shop that they didn't... At this point I was pretty sure I'd been played since the five minutes of phoning that he went off to do was 2 15 second phone calls for me and quick enough that there really was no reason to go elsewhere for it...
So they can't just do an exchange, I have to go take the first phone back and then come back and buy a second phone. SO they understand and tell me that they'll hold onto a phone and see me in a bit.
So back in shop 1 I explain that I'd like to return the phone so I can buy what I want from elsewhere. I'm annoyed, I'm going to take no crap from them and am willing to phone around and find legalese to start quoting at them. Or maybe just stand in the middle of the shop saying very loudly "You lied to me in order to sell me something." As it turns out he decided to be co-operative which was almost disappointing. He phones up shop 2 and tells me that they do have black G1s but they are all reserved. Are you sure? OK, because they told me they had some...
It was only after I left the shop to go confusedly to shop 2 that I realised that it was possible that one of those reserved phones was mine but I wanted to be sure this time... So back in shop 2 again and I talk to the nice girl again and she reassures me. I ask if the manager is around because he can probably get some ass kicking done and it turns out that one of the other staff members hanging around was the manager. He said much the same and had somebody credit check me. Because I'd already got my first phone this was likely to come up as a second line and this would need an additional credit check. So I pass that and as I'm finishing that off he grabs my details and phones shop 1.
I'm chatting with these people - they are much nicer, chattier and friendlier. We've established that salesman in shop 1 was a lying toerag who conned me into buying the phone off him. I am trying to give him the benefit of the doubt but I really know that he was a git. So the manager, Tim, comes back and tells me that he's talked to the acting manager (the normal store manager wasn't working that day apparently - no surprise that the salesman are taking liberties). So having talked to teh acting manager he knows the score and will make sure I get a refund. Tim also says as I'm leaving that I'll probably find that the manager guy is out back with the sales guy giving him a good solid bollocking. I'm wondering how much of an earful Tim gave the guy or if he just stated the facts... I suspect there is a certain amount of rivalry between stores for a start...
So back to shop 1 and I get there and no sign of my sales guy. I ask for the manager whose name I have and he's apparently out back... So after waiting a couple of minutes my sales guy comes out. Looking very subdued, very apologetic. He explains that he doesn't really know what happened and there must have been some confusion, etc. At this stage I didn't feel the urge to say "Its because you lied to me about the neighbouring stores stock levels" and just nodded and smiled. He'd already heard it all. He knew what he'd done, he probably figured that I knew (after all I did check on the facts that he had given me) and end of the day he'd already got his warning for it - I suspect given the manager of a neighbouring store got involved that they couldn't easily sweep it under the carpet.
So eventually it gets done. This guy more and more gives me the impression of being a noob since earlier he didn't seem to know his way around the computers much and indeed when trying to cancel the account had to have detailed instructions from other staff.
Eventually it gets done and I go buy my new phone from shop 2. All in all this took about two and a half hours. (though I did get some good exercise walking up and down several times).
So that was the saga of the lying salesman.
What reminded me to post today is that I opened my first T mobile bill. For 80 quid... It appears that I was billed for two phones... Memories of this guys incompetence spring to mind and I worry that he's screwed me again. A quick call to T-mobile customer services reveals that it seemed to be a timing problem (which I had suspected most likely to be honest). The account was activated cancelled and billed all on the same day and things apparently just got done in the wrong order. So it is ok after all.
As I was thinking of how he could have messed up the cancelling to screw me in some way it occured to me that he hadn't bothered checking the contents of the box I gave back to him. If I'd wanted I could have had the phone at the very least out of the box. And given he'd already tried to screw me could probably also have pinned it on him if I was feeling totally malicious. Though in fact its more just that my roleplayer mind always looks at situations and tries to work out what you could exploit or leverage...
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(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-10 11:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-10 12:58 pm (UTC)Although having had horrid sagas with phones myself within recent memory I am not disposed towards being generous.
(no subject)
Date: 2008-11-10 01:03 pm (UTC)I did consider when I found the returns paperwork this morning which had under reason "Customer wanted different colour handset" to contact t-mobile head office and ask for it to be corrected to "Lied to by salesman" but figured that I had enough other things to do that I couldn't be bothered. :)