I was very excited at the notion of getting my N3 today. I drive like a mad man to the Sprint store closest to my home. I was expecting to see SOME type of crowd...(2 p.m.).the store was absolutely empty! So I tell the rep that I want to buy the N3, she said they never got any, not even 1 for launch day? In fact, she said that during the morning conference call, there was no mention of the N3 at all, WTF? She didn't know model numbers or anything else about it, do people really hate the Samsung line that much? After driving to the 3rd Sprint store, I bought the only one that was shipped to their store. Overall, I'm kind of miffed that even the store reps aren't/weren't prepared, knowledgeable or even slightly enthusiastic about this launch, but I'm glad I got my phone!
i went straight to best buy and got mine this morning but they did say they had a limited quantity and no accessories.. so i went to the sprint store around the corner to get a case.
they were excited to see mine said they have never seen the phone and didnt get any in
Local Clearwater store had plenty. Despite all the hype of the Note 3, it's always a sleeper at the Sprint store. The same thing happened last year at the Note 2 launch, and that was even more of a bigger hype since it is the first time the Note series is available from Sprint.
You took the time to complain because there was no rabid crowd like the iPhone zealots do every year? You should be thankful. The store I was at had limited stock AND some stores got their shipments and could not locate them.
atuarre said:
You took the time to complain because there was no rabid crowd like the iPhone zealots do every year? You should be thankful. The store I was at had limited stock AND some stores got their shipments and could not locate them.
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The sprint store here didn't receive theirs and one radioshack only got white ones while the other didn't get theirs at all. I just decided to order mine straight from sprint to avoid everything and to keep myself from being tempted into a white one.
No sign, accessories, or display model at the one i was at. However i was the 4th one sold within the hour.
Sent from my SM-N900P using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I had an appointment at Best Buy for 10:00 a.m. this morning. There weren't many people when I arrived but by the time I was done (took almost an hour!) there was a line of about a dozen people and and lots of talk about the Note 3.
Overall I am much more impressed with the look of the phone and the soft texture of the back; much better than I thought it might be based on many comments in the forums.
Best Buy also had the Galaxy Gear but it was tethered and the security device made the watch look so thick and impossible to test fit. The whole presentation did nothing to help sell the device. Overall from what I could see it looked nice but not for $300. I think Samsung and/or Best Buy really missed an opportunity by not offering some kind of Note/Gear bundle. Even $50 discount might have made me consider getting both.
atuarre said:
You took the time to complain because there was no rabid crowd like the iPhone zealots do every year? You should be thankful. The store I was at had limited stock AND some stores got their shipments and could not locate them.
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I was passing on an observation, not really meant to be a complaint. But it was if they had no idea that it was a launch date, no display units, no in-store posters, like they hadn't even heard of the phone. I just found it strange, maybe others here don't.
All the stores in Dallas/Ft.Worth got at least 10-20. I got there at 9am with 1 guy waiting and by the time i left after i kept telling the salesman i dont have to give them my phone that is not under contract..... I saw about 4 people leave the store with them.
boaz65 said:
I was passing on an observation, not really meant to be a complaint. But it was if they had no idea that it was a launch date, no display units, no in-store posters, like they hadn't even heard of the phone. I just found it strange, maybe others here don't.
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We are smartphone enthusiasts. Sprint employees or corporate generally do not care. If they do, they would be working with Sony to push their XPERIA line. With a little encouragement and dealing, Sony will add a CDMA version. Look at the mistake with the uniband Note 3 and the lack of waterproof phone.
Get a couple of enthusiasts from XDA to the Sprint corporate board room and the company will be profitable real fast. Sprint corporate is often clueless just like the people at HP, just like the idiots at LG and HTC that decides their phone do not need an SD card. They make $5 mistake that cost them lots of unsold phones and hundreds of millions. Samsung don't have to beat them when they keep making stupid decision like that. Of course, this is just IMHO.
If I was managing the Sprint corporate store, you bet I will be promoting the Note 3 or any flagship phone launch with posters, display, cases, hooking it up to the smart dock, etc.. Look at the home page at Sprint. They are pushing the Iphones. Nothing wrong with that but they should be pushing any new flagship phone launch. They do not have the passion like the John Legre dude at T Mobile.
boaz65 said:
I was passing on an observation, not really meant to be a complaint. But it was if they had no idea that it was a launch date, no display units, no in-store posters, like they hadn't even heard of the phone. I just found it strange, maybe others here don't.
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Thats because no one is trying to hear they only have one option for a plan. lol If you start advertising the Note 3 also people need to be informed that there plan is changing. People hate switching plans especially when the store reps even have a hard time explaining the new plans. Most people can care less about a new phone every yr. We are the minority. I personally thought you get $15 off the plan immediately. Then they tell me you have to wait 2 months. Just very confusing.
dallastx said:
Thats because no one is trying to hear they only have one option for a plan. lol If you start advertising the Note 3 also people need to be informed that there plan is changing. People hate switching plans especially when the store reps even have a hard time explaining the new plans. Most people can care less about a new phone every yr. We are the minority. I personally thought you get $15 off the plan immediately. Then they tell me you have to wait 2 months. Just very confusing.
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You have to wait 2 months for the 15$ off to kick in? They surely didn't tell me that.
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I pre ordered mine at the best buy in metro Detroit and had mine when I get off work at 2 pm. I got the black one
Sent from my SM-N900P using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I called sprint to get my upgrade today and the rep was asking me questions on how the galaxy gear worked. Lol.
He said they get a tiny ass powerpoint about the basics and that's it. When I worked for Apple (worst company), I would research online so that I knew everything. Better customer service, better results.
C'mon Sprint. Step your game up.
Sent from my SPH-L900 using Tapatalk 4
Got mine and a Gear, I really like the Gear. It really compliments the Note.
Sent from my SM-N900P using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
My Sprint store got the boxes from UPS as I arrived at 10am. They even had a Samsung Rep on hand doing Note 3 demos and Galaxy Gear. Cases were limited, all they had was the Body Glove case which is actually pretty nice. Overall this is a great phone and im so happy I exchanged my HTC One for this.
Sent from my SM-N900P using Tapatalk 4
atuarre said:
You took the time to complain because there was no rabid crowd like the iPhone zealots do every year? You should be thankful. The store I was at had limited stock AND some stores got their shipments and could not locate them.
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Click to collapse
My sentiments exactly. I dread going to my corporate sprint store. Yesterday, however, i was plesantly suprised that there was no traffic and i was served instantly upon walking into the store. TWICE. By 12 tho, it was filling up and i was glad i was finished.
It is very weird, regardless of what some will have you believe. I was first at one of my local stores to get one (was the only one in the store for the hour or so it took to futz with my account and activate the phone. Got there at store opening). They had not even taken them out of the shipping box yet. Had to go back to the store this morning and they said that I am still the only one to have gotten one. Inexplicable.
I realize the price bump to give preference to Apple (don't agree with it, but understand) but it's almost like Sprint didn't even want this phone to launch at all. Last to announce launch date. No marketing at all. With millions of Note and Note 2's sold, and several million Note 3's already sold world wide, I really can't figure out what's going on. I have seen companies do a lot of weird things, but whatever is going on with Sprint and the Note 3 is beyond me. Sprint's overall lineup of phones is horrendous anyway, getting a true flagship phone should be more of a big deal to them.
I have to say that I love this phone. Coming from a beat up Epic 4G Touch, this is like upgrading from a Pentium 4 to an i7. This is also the first time I have been able to use LTE and I love it.
There is a business aspect to this. Now trust me I don't want to give Sprint more credit than they deserve for being smart because at the retail level they are any thing but smart. However, the bigger push for Apple in all the stores may be a business decision and by design. If you recall, Sprint had to commit to hundreds of millions if dollars to Apple when they got the iPhone line.
Retail stinks anyhow for all manufacturers. I used to be a vp of salrs for a PC company and always felt like being held hostage to retail reps who can't add any value. I recall the days of ComputerLand when I got them to carry my new really cool laptop. There were two versions and we spent a lot of money and time training and motivating their retail team for the launch. I secret shopped the stores and when I asked the sales team what was the difference between model 1 and 2 he said $199 ....I was smart enough to calculate that myself ....the price was on the display.
Yesterday was another good example. I went to the Sprint store and there were no notes on display although they were in inventory. Then I drove to the Best Buy mobile store. Again nothing on display but a bunch in stock. Talked to store manager who said she was given a demo unit by Samsung a few days ago but didn't open it. She also had a Gear which she said she hasn't opened.
A Samsung experience in BestBuy stores is a good idea to help overcome the retail inefficiencies but ultimately we will pay the extra cost. No wonder internet commerce is a multi billion dollar channel
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Premium HD app
inmnbob said:
There is a business aspect to this. Now trust me I don't want to give Sprint more credit than they deserve for being smart because at the retail level they are any thing but smart. However, the bigger push for Apple in all the stores may be a business decision and by design. If you recall, Sprint had to commit to hundreds of millions if dollars to Apple when they got the iPhone line.
Retail stinks anyhow for all manufacturers. I used to be a vp of salrs for a PC company and always felt like being held hostage to retail reps who can't add any value. I recall the days of ComputerLand when I got them to carry my new really cool laptop. There were two versions and we spent a lot of money and time training and motivating their retail team for the launch. I secret shopped the stores and when I asked the sales team what was the difference between model 1 and 2 he said $199 ....I was smart enough to calculate that myself ....the price was on the display.
Yesterday was another good example. I went to the Sprint store and there were no notes on display although they were in inventory. Then I drove to the Best Buy mobile store. Again nothing on display but a bunch in stock. Talked to store manager who said she was given a demo unit by Samsung a few days ago but didn't open it. She also had a Gear which she said she hasn't opened.
A Samsung experience in BestBuy stores is a good idea to help overcome the retail inefficiencies but ultimately we will pay the extra cost. No wonder internet commerce is a multi billion dollar channel
Sent from my SPH-L900 using XDA Premium HD app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I almost teared up reading this........ Everything you have stated is correct...
Sprint isn't a very effective VAR for Samsung products and I think they are in so deep with the fruit that they are beginning to regret their metric quotas they are obligated to meet on a quarterly basis in order to be in compliance with the distribution contract they signed in order to get into the very lucrative (Icraze) business model/ecosystem.
I wish Samsung would open a retail brick and mortar but the cult-ish following isn't near the same level as Apple.
So for the near future, we will have to go through the regular channels and hopefully the Samsung experience @ BB can get a foothold and become a starting off point for something better and a more customer orientated experience for Samsung users.
Related
I walked into a Sprint store at lunch today. I was just looking at the Photon and mentioned that BB had it for $99 plus trade in money for my Evo. They countered with $125 for my Evo so it would be $75 for the Photon. I said it is still cheaper at BB. So then they said even up trade plus a case for my Evo. So, I walked out of the store with a Photon and a case for no money. I didnt even bring my wallet with me. That was awesome! Just wanted to let everyone know that you still can get the Photon from a corporate store for gratis.
pinch55 said:
I walked into a Sprint store at lunch today. I was just looking at the Photon and mentioned that BB had it for $99 plus trade in money for my Evo. They countered with $125 for my Evo so it would be $75 for the Photon. I said it is still cheaper at BB. So then they said even up trade plus a case for my Evo. So, I walked out of the store with a Photon and a case for no money. I didnt even bring my wallet with me. That was awesome! Just wanted to let everyone know that you still can get the Photon from a corporate store for gratis.
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Click to collapse
Do you like phone?
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I tried to get a corporate Sprint store to match the Bestbuy $99 deal. I also said I would buy a HD dock and Car Dock if the matched the Bestbuy price on the Photon.
The sales rep said they couldn't do it. I even brought a printout showing it was available just 3 miles down the road at Bestbuy for $99.
I asked to see a manager. He went and got the assistant manager and I asked him for the same deal as above. He also said he couldn't do it. I expalined that I am a Gold Premier Sprint customer with 5 lines on a business account. I've also been with Sprint over 12 years.
He said that it didn't matter. He couldn't do it.
I was amazed that a corporate Sprint store couldn't match a 3rd party retailer even after I said I would also buy an additional $130 worth of accessories.
I'm very disappointed. I ordered it from Bestbuy and I'm suppose to pick it up in the morning.
People do not understand the difference between buying a phone from a corporate store and a third party store. The difference from buying a phone in an actual corporate store is the customer service that they get. Im a manager at a sprint store, its true that it might cost you more from buying it from us but you will definitely get your moneys worth. The customer service and the experience is pretty much what you are paying for... when you buy something at best buy or radio shack, you are just like buying from a retail store (luckys, walgreens, etc) when you buy something the cashiers just ring you out, just like at best buy, they just ring out the phone and give it to you, heres your phone have fun with it.. if you buy it from an actual store you're like buying it from like a bmw car dealer. You will be helped and get assisted by a consultant, we are the experts on these phones, we get trained hours of hours, we know the phones inside and out. Before you leave we make sure your emails are set up, we teach you how to make a call, send a txt msg, etc... we make sure before you leave you are an expert and you are using your phone to its full potential, we make sure you are getting your moneys worth. I have a customer who bought an evo 4g from radio shack, its been 3 months, she came to me and asked why her phone always dies so quick, 3 hours after she unplugs it, its already dead.. i ask where she got it and she said she got it at radio shack because it was free,i looked at her phone and her bluetooth is on, wifi is on, 4g is on..she didnt even know what the toggle widgets are for...worst part she ddnt even know about the android market...i helped her out and explained to her everything and all the cool features she can get, the end of the day, she was very happy and told me next time she gets a phone she will get it from me, she might pay a lil more but she will know how to use her phone fully so its worth the money
I'm not saying do not buy phones from best buys or radio shack, there are always pros and cons, for people like us here who already knows mostly everything about androids we might want to buy it there because were just searching for a better price...but for majority of people out there who doesnt know anything about these devices, its definetly worth buying it from a corporate store, they will get the customer service and the knowledge they will need to use these new devices. Its worth the extra money. Hope yall fellas understand why it cost more in a corporate, its the experience and the customer service that you are paying for
Sent from my MB855 using XDA Premium App
bienperezii said:
People do not understand the difference between buying a phone from a corporate store and a third party store. The difference from buying a phone in an actual corporate store is the customer service that they get.
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Click to collapse
You obviously do not work in the corporate store in my area. Not sure they even know what customer service is. Lying to customers, now that they know how to do.
bienperezii said:
People do not understand the difference between buying a phone from a corporate store and a third party store. The difference from buying a phone in an actual corporate store is the customer service that they get. Im a manager at a sprint store, its true that it might cost you more from buying it from us but you will definitely get your moneys worth. The customer service and the experience is pretty much what you are paying for... when you buy something at best buy or radio shack, you are just like buying from a retail store (luckys, walgreens, etc) when you buy something the cashiers just ring you out, just like at best buy, they just ring out the phone and give it to you, heres your phone have fun with it.. if you buy it from an actual store you're like buying it from like a bmw car dealer. You will be helped and get assisted by a consultant, we are the experts on these phones, we get trained hours of hours, we know the phones inside and out. Before you leave we make sure your emails are set up, we teach you how to make a call, send a txt msg, etc... we make sure before you leave you are an expert and you are using your phone to its full potential, we make sure you are getting your moneys worth. I have a customer who bought an evo 4g from radio shack, its been 3 months, she came to me and asked why her phone always dies so quick, 3 hours after she unplugs it, its already dead.. i ask where she got it and she said she got it at radio shack because it was free,i looked at her phone and her bluetooth is on, wifi is on, 4g is on..she didnt even know what the toggle widgets are for...worst part she ddnt even know about the android market...i helped her out and explained to her everything and all the cool features she can get, the end of the day, she was very happy and told me next time she gets a phone she will get it from me, she might pay a lil more but she will know how to use her phone fully so its worth the money
I'm not saying do not buy phones from best buys or radio shack, there are always pros and cons, for people like us here who already knows mostly everything about androids we might want to buy it there because were just searching for a better price...but for majority of people out there who doesnt know anything about these devices, its definetly worth buying it from a corporate store, they will get the customer service and the knowledge they will need to use these new devices. Its worth the extra money. Hope yall fellas understand why it cost more in a corporate, its the experience and the customer service that you are paying for
Sent from my MB855 using XDA Premium App
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Click to collapse
You've clearly never been to the Sprint store in Jackson, MS!! They didn't know their ass from a hole in the ground. I had to educate four of the employees on their phone selection. What the differences were in the Photon and the Evo (aside from looks) and had to explain what rooting and unlocked bootloaders were. They seemed disinterested in helping anyone...even though I bought a total of 400$ worth of equipment from them, they acted like they could care less. I also had an appointment and waited about an hour to be serviced, meanwhile they serviced every walk-in that came in after me. My experience with Sprint "service" has been weak at best. I'd fully recommend going third party store....better deals, better treatment (at least at my local BB), and overall the only way I'm ever going to get my equipment anymore.
SO here's a NOOB question for you guys. I have a sprint store with repair center near by that's actually owned by Imobile or something like that. Since this is owned by another company I'm assuming that this is NOT an actual corp store correct? I'm hoping I can get them to price match.
Also yeah... I don't shop anywhere for the customer service, because there is no such thing anymore unless you're buying a BMW or something along those lines, if I want to be informed about what I'm buying, I research it myself. It's all about scoring the best price.
bienperezii said:
You will be helped and get assisted by a consultant, we are the experts on these phones, we get trained hours of hours, we know the phones inside and out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really, is that why I have to tell the Photon designated "expert" at my local store the features of this phone? The guy is nice as can be and I always go back to buy phones from him, but not because he knows the phones so well. I went in after 3 days of owning my Photon to buy a screen protector and I knew more about the features on the phone than he did. He doesn't even own the phone and the store made him the Photon Specialist.
bienperezii said:
Before you leave we make sure your emails are set up.
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Click to collapse
Wrong again. The store set up email on my Evo 4G on launch day and haven't set up a phone since. I have bought another EVO 4G, Epic 4G, 2 Evo 3Ds and the Photon during that time and was never asked to set up my email.
Nice try though.
HYDE1000 said:
Really, is that why I have to tell the Photon designated "expert" at my local store the features of this phone? The guy is nice as can be and I always go back to buy phones from him, but not because he knows the phones so well. I went in after 3 days of owning my Photon to buy a screen protector and I knew more about the features on the phone than he did. He doesn't even own the phone and the store made him the Photon Specialist.
Wrong again. The store set up email on my Evo 4G on launch day and haven't set up a phone since. I have bought another EVO 4G, Epic 4G, 2 Evo 3Ds and the Photon during that time and was never asked to set up my email.
Nice try though.
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Click to collapse
On his defense, they are supposed to do that. Sadly like in all jobs you have lazy employees. For instance, at Best Buy, we are also supposed to set up everything and demo an app or a feature for you (unlike what he said) and good stores do it very well (like mine) yet stores poorly run probably don't.
Even still all it takes is one bad experience and all stores and employees are casted as idiots.. For the most part, it SHOULD be a walk out working experience IF the employee cares about his work.
Sent from my MB855 using XDA App
I always buy my phones from the same corporate store. I had pro lens with my moment and 3 months after I bought it the manager switched me out for a EVO. The EVO was great, bought the new EVO 3d and 3 weeks out of my 30 days the same store switched me into a photon after a ton of problems with my 3d. First day I had the photon it started rebooting like crazy, the same store gave me another photon. I think if I had all these problems at best buy they would tell me to pack sand. Best buy wouldn't even repair a camera for me that bought the insurance on and was clearly broken.
Bottom line, sprint corporate store did everything they could to make sure I had a properly working phone and im a happy camper.
Sent from my Motorola Photon using Tapatalk
HYDE1000 said:
Really, is that why I have to tell the Photon designated "expert" at my local store the features of this phone? The guy is nice as can be and I always go back to buy phones from him, but not because he knows the phones so well. I went in after 3 days of owning my Photon to buy a screen protector and I knew more about the features on the phone than he did. He doesn't even own the phone and the store made him the Photon Specialist.
Wrong again. The store set up email on my Evo 4G on launch day and haven't set up a phone since. I have bought another EVO 4G, Epic 4G, 2 Evo 3Ds and the Photon during that time and was never asked to set up my email.
Nice try though.
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Click to collapse
Yes its true im not going to deny, some employees are jusy lazy and dont want to do their job right...but like what i said, guys like us here in xda would more likely buy it at a third party because were looking for the best price, we dnt need the customer service because we already know the phone. Sadly We know so much about the phone we make the employees look like idiots when we ask questions like rooting and all those stuff. Employees are only trained to certain extent, enough to answer basic questions for customers. In conclusion, guys like us here would benefit more from buying it in a third party store, but new comers and noobs like parents who is just about to start with a smartphone would benefit more from buying from a corporate because employees there are more educated with their product compare to those guys at best buy or radio shack.
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The past few years have definitely been better, for me at least, as far as customer service....until now.
/begin rant
We are Corporate-Corporate members. 9 lines, ALL OF WHICH ARE CURRENTLY UP FOR RENEWAL.
Ordered Photon through my Dedicated Care Rep and received it in the middle of last week. I see over the weekend that Best Buy is offering them at $99. I call my rep back and ask her about a price match. She said she could not do that. BB was also offering the screen protector with the phones. Even paying a restock fee, which I was willing to do at the time since it was my choice, I thought it would be in my best interest to return the one I had. She said I could just return the one I had to a corporate store and buy the one from BB.
I go to corporate store on Tuesday morning of this week.(~12 miles away) They do the return and charge me $35. I call BB to make sure they have one in stock and the sales rep says to check back with her during the day to see when my upgrade resets. She informs me over the phone about 4 hours later that it has reset and I head to BB.(~10 miles)
I get there and she has left for the day. The sales rep I deal with tells me that my upgrade has in fact NOT reset. He gets Sprint on the phone and 20 minutes later the reset is in. He hangs up and starts the sale.
Couple minutes later, he tells me the system won't let him sell me the phone. Again, he calls Sprint. 25 minutes later I'm told that I am outta luck and that BB can not sell phones to corporate corporate members. Noooo. That's not information that would have been useful earlier, WHEN THE OTHER REP WAS LOOKING AT MY ACCOUNT.
I go home PISSED. Email my Dedicated Care rep. She is out of town and I am given a different rep to deal with. I call her Tuesday afternoon. She tells me she doesn't know why BB told me that, they should be able to sell me the phone. She asks me if I want her to send me another. I ask her to credit my account the $35 restock fee for the run around I was getting. She asks to call me back, to get approval. She calls back and says that she can credit the acct. I ask her if I could just go to a Sprint store and re-purchase the phone at the original $199 price I paid and put this whole issue to rest.(to keep me from having to wait until the next week for the phone to arrive) She says that would be fine and apologized for my troubles.
I get to Sprint store Tuesday evening and they tell me they can not sell me a phone but they could order it over the phone for me! I call Dedicated Care from right there in the Sprint store and get a different (my 3rd) Dedicated Care rep. She tells me that I should never have been told to return my original Photon to a store (not even a Corporate store), that I should never have been told that I could purchase a device from anyone other than my rep, unless I let a store order it but why in the hell would I drive to a store to have them order a phone from someone that is in my current phone's contact list?
Again, I am asked if I would like her to mail me another. I tell her to take the nearest phone to her, turn it sideways and....well, I wanted to say that.
I tell her to forget it and just make sure my account is reset, both upgrade and contract obligations, and I will just hold off and weigh my options at this time.
I'm mean...holy cow! 3 Dedicated Care reps, 2 Best Buy sales reps and 2 Sprint reps on the phone at BB. Does information not get pushed down to the folks that are actually moving phones?
I will prbly end back up with the Photon. I really did like the phone but I didn't want to give them a sale at the time and am holding out hope that my personal Ded. Care rep realizes that my business has ZERO contractual obligations with them at this time and will offer me something to make up for it.
/rant. Sorry for length. It was very therapeutic though.
newalker91 said:
Being a corporate sprint store doesn't make them miracle workers, it's actually quite the opposite. Said stores are direct representatives of the corporate offices, which requires them to follow regulations to a T. These employees have little to no flexibility in their ability to bend the rules for customers, and if they were they are a thousand times quicker to get fired than someone at, for example, Best Buy. They are bound to making you do mail-in rebates, pay sticker price and whatever else the corporate offices feel like narcing on at that moment. Quite frankly, if I were lucky enough to work at corporate I would be doing the same thing they are so I dont jeopardize my very well paying job.
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Click to collapse
I work at a corporate store and i must say its nice to see someone that gets it. Believe me if i could change the price of the phone i would. I get paid on phones so why in the hell would i turn away a sale if i had the means to keep it.
Well, the OP said it was a corporate store that gave him the deal. I've read of other people that said corporate stores discounting phones but know you guys say it can't be done or if it is the sales person could loose there job.
Sprint is willing to loose a sale to bestbuy (Sprint has to give Bestbuy the contract renewal bonus) but can't take care of a LONG time customer.
I've pretty much got to be one of there best types of customers.
1) Been with Sprint/Nextel about 12 years.
2) 5 lines all with unlimited data yet I average only about 1.1gb of data a month combined between all 5 unlimited data lines.
3) All 5 of my lines use less than 400 anytime minutes a month and usually less than 1200 total minutes combined a month.
4) I've never returned a phone for any reason (I see some peopel have indicated that they have had multiple bad phones and I wonder how many of them are full of crap) I've never returned anything, thus not costing Sprint.
5) I've never asked for nor received a "credit" of any sort by complaining about service/coverage/droped calls etc...
6) I've had insurance on every personal phone of mine (1 of the 5 phones) that I've had for the last 10 years or so. Yet I've never made a claim, ever!
I don't need customer service. I need a phone at a decent price, I would of thought Sprint could of done that for me. I guess not.
BTW: I did get my Photon today from Bestbuy. What pleasent experiance. I ordered it online last night for instore pickup today. I got my email this morning saying it was ready. I walked into Bestbuy and 10-15 min. later I walked out with my new phone. No mumbo jumbo trying to "set up" my phone for me. I just wanted a new phone and that is what I got.
bienperezii said:
People do not understand the difference between buying a phone from a corporate store and a third party store. The difference from buying a phone in an actual corporate store is the customer service that they get. Im a manager at a sprint store, its true that it might cost you more from buying it from us but you will definitely get your moneys worth. The customer service and the experience is pretty much what you are paying for... when you buy something at best buy or radio shack, you are just like buying from a retail store (luckys, walgreens, etc) when you buy something the cashiers just ring you out, just like at best buy, they just ring out the phone and give it to you, heres your phone have fun with it.. if you buy it from an actual store you're like buying it from like a bmw car dealer. You will be helped and get assisted by a consultant, we are the experts on these phones, we get trained hours of hours, we know the phones inside and out. Before you leave we make sure your emails are set up, we teach you how to make a call, send a txt msg, etc... we make sure before you leave you are an expert and you are using your phone to its full potential, we make sure you are getting your moneys worth. I have a customer who bought an evo 4g from radio shack, its been 3 months, she came to me and asked why her phone always dies so quick, 3 hours after she unplugs it, its already dead.. i ask where she got it and she said she got it at radio shack because it was free,i looked at her phone and her bluetooth is on, wifi is on, 4g is on..she didnt even know what the toggle widgets are for...worst part she ddnt even know about the android market...i helped her out and explained to her everything and all the cool features she can get, the end of the day, she was very happy and told me next time she gets a phone she will get it from me, she might pay a lil more but she will know how to use her phone fully so its worth the money
I'm not saying do not buy phones from best buys or radio shack, there are always pros and cons, for people like us here who already knows mostly everything about androids we might want to buy it there because were just searching for a better price...but for majority of people out there who doesnt know anything about these devices, its definetly worth buying it from a corporate store, they will get the customer service and the knowledge they will need to use these new devices. Its worth the extra money. Hope yall fellas understand why it cost more in a corporate, its the experience and the customer service that you are paying for
Sent from my MB855 using XDA Premium App
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I manage a Best Buy Mobile store and while I'm not going to say you don't provide great customer service in your store, it's inaccurate to state that Best Buy Mobile doesn't provide quality service as well. We perform all the services you stated, for free, in addition to having better prices and impartial service in a non-commission sales environment. Not all consultants or stores are created equally, and I'm sure there are good/bad Best Buy Mobile's just as there are good/bad carrier stores, but to say that you're the only store that provides quality service and goes above and beyond for customers is wrong.
pfroo40 said:
I manage a Best Buy Mobile store and while I'm not going to say you don't provide great customer service in your store, it's inaccurate to state that Best Buy Mobile doesn't provide quality service as well. We perform all the services you stated, for free, in addition to having better prices and impartial service in a non-commission sales environment. Not all consultants or stores are created equally, and I'm sure there are good/bad Best Buy Mobile's just as there are good/bad carrier stores, but to say that you're the only store that provides quality service and goes above and beyond for customers is wrong.
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if you're trying to say that Best Buy goes above and beyond for customers then you are dead wrong.
Best Buy is the worst electronics store i've dealt with, even Comp USA is better to deal with than best buy.
DualSportDad said:
if you're trying to say that Best Buy goes above and beyond for customers then you are dead wrong.
Best Buy is the worst electronics store i've dealt with, even Comp USA is better to deal with than best buy.
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Like I said, not all stores or employees are equal. But I see it every single day. A company does have to keep an eye on it's bottom line in order to stick around, and sometimes the requests of our customers are so far beyond profitable that we couldn't stay in business if we met them, but in my experience the average day to day experience for customers in my store is very positive.
I have been around long enough to see some douchy things but they are definitely not the norm.
pfroo40 said:
Like I said, not all stores or employees are equal. But I see it every single day. A company does have to keep an eye on it's bottom line in order to stick around, and sometimes the requests of our customers are so far beyond profitable that we couldn't stay in business if we met them, but in my experience the average day to day experience for customers in my store is very positive.
I have been around long enough to see some douchy things but they are definitely not the norm.
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i bought a lot of stuff from best buy at one point all around the same time. it was a wide range of things from computer hardware, camera, Sirius satellite stuff etc. i bought the extended warranty on everything. the items that did end up needing to be repaired were denied. i called corporate, the warranty company everything, i was told to go pack sand.
i should have known what a total POS company best buy was when i bought my camera and when i got home and tried to use it it wouldn't turn on. i took it back and they didn't have the same model, you wouldn't believe how much trouble i had to go through to get a replacement camera. i mean the camera was literally about an hour old.
i never had any request that were unreal, i just wanted my stuff working and i paid for the warranty on all of it, and even the one hour old camera was a pain to get resolved. with sprint i bring a phone back months later and they do their best to make sure that i get a properly working product. i pay for the extra warranty and i have used it once to get a speaker replaced on my evo and no questions were asked the phone was fixed in less than an hour, even with my phone rooted with CM7 on it.
a little extra: my friend just bought a evo at best buy for $1. they talked her into some sort of best buy tracking software (or what ever the hell the program is) that cost her $40, and then a screen protector that is a pile of crap vinyl distorted looking thing and a really, really really cheap silicone case for i think she said another $40. the person at the store didn't help her try to understand her phone at all. the next day she went back to try to get help setting up her e-mail and best buy told her to call sprint for help or go to their store and have them show her how to do it.
DualSportDad said:
i bought a lot of stuff from best buy at one point all around the same time. it was a wide range of things from computer hardware, camera, Sirius satellite stuff etc. i bought the extended warranty on everything. the items that did end up needing to be repaired were denied. i called corporate, the warranty company everything, i was told to go pack sand.
i should have known what a total POS company best buy was when i bought my camera and when i got home and tried to use it it wouldn't turn on. i took it back and they didn't have the same model, you wouldn't believe how much trouble i had to go through to get a replacement camera. i mean the camera was literally about an hour old.
i never had any request that were unreal, i just wanted my stuff working and i paid for the warranty on all of it, and even the one hour old camera was a pain to get resolved. with sprint i bring a phone back months later and they do their best to make sure that i get a properly working product. i pay for the extra warranty and i have used it once to get a speaker replaced on my evo and no questions were asked the phone was fixed in less than an hour, even with my phone rooted with CM7 on it.
a little extra: my friend just bought a evo at best buy for $1. they talked her into some sort of best buy tracking software (or what ever the hell the program is) that cost her $40, and then a screen protector that is a pile of crap vinyl distorted looking thing and a really, really really cheap silicone case for i think she said another $40. the person at the store didn't help her try to understand her phone at all. the next day she went back to try to get help setting up her e-mail and best buy told her to call sprint for help or go to their store and have them show her how to do it.
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Click to collapse
If your warranty claims were denied they were probably caused by something that is explicitly not covered by the warranty. (Accidental damage, water damage). Two versions of most plans are offered, one covers accidental, one doesn't. The camera you purchased sounds like it was the last one in stock. Even big box retailers have a limited quantity of product they keep in the store and have to be replenished. We don't charge $40 for tracking software. The phone locating and remote lock software is included with the optional accidental damage warranty on phones, the other $30 is to allow her to sell back the phone for up to $300. We don't carry $40 silicone cases, silicone cases are $20. The screen protector is fine, Zagg brand, it just looks like crap if you don't install it right, which she probably chose to not have us do because we guarantee the install and she could have it reinstalled if she isn't satisfied.
Email they should have offered to set up and should not have turned her away. I'd suggest having your friend mention it to their manager so they can correct the behavior.
kgbcapthowdy said:
I work at a corporate store and i must say its nice to see someone that gets it. Believe me if i could change the price of the phone i would. I get paid on phones so why in the hell would i turn away a sale if i had the means to keep it.
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I concur.... I hate seeing people walk because BB or RS offer the exact same phone for a fraction of the price that we do. I wish we had the capabilities of price matching. People have a very bad misconception of the power that we as corporate stores have.
It's actually pretty sad because shortly after, they normally walk in the store stating "BB or RS or Sam's or insert random store here told me to come here to get my contacts transferred over" and like the corporate tool that I am I must oblige even though you didn't bother to buy the phone from me at all. Then as soon as I try to upsell on the opportunities that were stolen from me, I'm told "Oh well RS or BB has that cheaper"...
When i found out Best buy was taking pre orders for the Note and offering a free case i went down and tried to pre order. I was buying the phone outright for retail as im not elgible to upgrade. When i got there i found the phone was selling for $749.99; $100.00 more than at&t, however ive had no problem with getting them to price match before hand. So i asked the employee if they would and he confirmed with the manager however he said i would not be able to pre order due to the price match descrepency and that i would have to come in on launch day to get one and i would still get the case just let the manager know the situation. So when Sunday came i was the second person there. First of all i had to wait about 30 minutes for 3 of Mobile Dept employees were tending to the only person before me, then when i asked the employee about the phone he didnt even know what it was!!! He went to the "manager" and the manager came out and showed me the phone and started telling me about it. This is where i started getting p!ssed off. He first tends to tell me they dont have the phone in blue... only black... :-].. HUH?? secondly he starts talking about how its "cool because it has a stylus like the nintendo DS"... I kinda told him it was an S-Pen and what it could do and he just looked at me and said "same thing" and walked away!!!. At this point i was annoyed after waiting and the employees lack of professionalism/knowledge so i wanted to get the phone and just leave. I told the other employee i would be buying without contract, about the price match policy and that i had still wanted the free case that i was promised. He called the manager back and the manager said the most they could do is give me the case for 50% off since i waited for so long!!! We argued back & forth as i felt i was lied to and jipped. I told him i was paying $700+ for a phone choosing to go thru them only for the black tie protection plan and it was crap that I was told otherwise about getting the free case. He kind of chuckled at me then told me "i was free to go elsewhere but thats what he could do"!!! Then when they finally opened my phone and activated it all 3 employees and the manager were looking at it and playing with it for a good minute or 2 before even giving it to me! It got to the point where the manager was like "ohh sorry but weve never seen one of these things powered on and we wanted to look at it"... This particular location used to be awsome. Im a Silver Rewards Zone member and i would know all the employees by name... i knew as soon as i walked into a dept i would be harassed by that dept rep if i needed help. They were knowledgable and friendly. Those days are sense gone and now they have a whole new slew of workers that dont know anything, and look annoyed to even do their job. Its impossible to get them to even help you out if you need it without having to chase one of them down. Did anyone else have any issues with Pre-ordering or price matching?
Please use the return key.
jthornton71707 said:
When i found out Best buy was taking pre orders for the Note and offering a free case i went down and tried to pre order. I was buying the phone outright for retail as im not elgible to upgrade. When i got there i found the phone was selling for $749.99; $100.00 more than at&t, however ive had no problem with getting them to price match before hand. So i asked the employee if they would and he confirmed with the manager however he said i would not be able to pre order due to the price match descrepency and that i would have to come in on launch day to get one and i would still get the case just let the manager know the situation. So when Sunday came i was the second person there. First of all i had to wait about 30 minutes for 3 of Mobile Dept employees were tending to the only person before me, then when i asked the employee about the phone he didnt even know what it was!!! He went to the "manager" and the manager came out and showed me the phone and started telling me about it. This is where i started getting p!ssed off. He first tends to tell me they dont have the phone in blue... only black... :-].. HUH?? secondly he starts talking about how its "cool because it has a stylus like the nintendo DS"... I kinda told him it was an S-Pen and what it could do and he just looked at me and said "same thing" and walked away!!!. At this point i was annoyed after waiting and the employees lack of professionalism/knowledge so i wanted to get the phone and just leave. I told the other employee i would be buying without contract, about the price match policy and that i had still wanted the free case that i was promised. He called the manager back and the manager said the most they could do is give me the case for 50% off since i waited for so long!!! We argued back & forth as i felt i was lied to and jipped. I told him i was paying $700+ for a phone choosing to go thru them only for the black tie protection plan and it was crap that I was told otherwise about getting the free case. He kind of chuckled at me then told me "i was free to go elsewhere but thats what he could do"!!! Then when they finally opened my phone and activated it all 3 employees and the manager were looking at it and playing with it for a good minute or 2 before even giving it to me! It got to the point where the manager was like "ohh sorry but weve never seen one of these things powered on and we wanted to look at it"... This particular location used to be awsome. Im a Silver Rewards Zone member and i would know all the employees by name... i knew as soon as i walked into a dept i would be harassed by that dept rep if i needed help. They were knowledgable and friendly. Those days are sense gone and now they have a whole new slew of workers that dont know anything, and look annoyed to even do their job. Its impossible to get them to even help you out if you need it without having to chase one of them down. Did anyone else have any issues with Pre-ordering or price matching?
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The moral of the story is, order directly from AT&T next time. Best Buy always jacks up the off-contract price. It has never been worth it to buy a mobile phone from them. They could give me a free case studded in diamonds and I still wouldn't buy the phone from them.
Also, paragraph breaks are your friend.
Sorry to hear your issues in getting your GNote. I have bought at Best Buy and always had good service. Looks like Best Buy and ATT borked up the pre-ordering for this phone. I heard stories of people who had pre-ordered from both finally give it up and walk in on launch day and buy the phone.
I did not pre order, but I get mine on launch day. It seems like these phones are launching so quickly that all employees are not up to speed on all the phones, specs or even that they are launching that day. That is why once you get someone good, stick with them!
jthornton71707 said:
When i found out Best buy was taking pre orders for the Note and offering a free case i went down and tried to pre order. I was buying the phone outright for retail as im not elgible to upgrade. When i got there i found the phone was selling for $749.99; $100.00 more than at&t, however ive had no problem with getting them to price match before hand. So i asked the employee if they would and he confirmed with the manager however he said i would not be able to pre order due to the price match descrepency and that i would have to come in on launch day to get one and i would still get the case just let the manager know the situation. So when Sunday came i was the second person there. First of all i had to wait about 30 minutes for 3 of Mobile Dept employees were tending to the only person before me, then when i asked the employee about the phone he didnt even know what it was!!! He went to the "manager" and the manager came out and showed me the phone and started telling me about it. This is where i started getting p!ssed off. He first tends to tell me they dont have the phone in blue... only black... :-].. HUH?? secondly he starts talking about how its "cool because it has a stylus like the nintendo DS"... I kinda told him it was an S-Pen and what it could do and he just looked at me and said "same thing" and walked away!!!. At this point i was annoyed after waiting and the employees lack of professionalism/knowledge so i wanted to get the phone and just leave. I told the other employee i would be buying without contract, about the price match policy and that i had still wanted the free case that i was promised. He called the manager back and the manager said the most they could do is give me the case for 50% off since i waited for so long!!! We argued back & forth as i felt i was lied to and jipped. I told him i was paying $700+ for a phone choosing to go thru them only for the black tie protection plan and it was crap that I was told otherwise about getting the free case. He kind of chuckled at me then told me "i was free to go elsewhere but thats what he could do"!!! Then when they finally opened my phone and activated it all 3 employees and the manager were looking at it and playing with it for a good minute or 2 before even giving it to me! It got to the point where the manager was like "ohh sorry but weve never seen one of these things powered on and we wanted to look at it"... This particular location used to be awsome. Im a Silver Rewards Zone member and i would know all the employees by name... i knew as soon as i walked into a dept i would be harassed by that dept rep if i needed help. They were knowledgable and friendly. Those days are sense gone and now they have a whole new slew of workers that dont know anything, and look annoyed to even do their job. Its impossible to get them to even help you out if you need it without having to chase one of them down. Did anyone else have any issues with Pre-ordering or price matching?
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Click to collapse
Sorry those people sucked haha it does happen sometimes. I work for BBYM and I can tell you that some are not the most knowledgeable.. Hell my boss has absolutely no idea on different specs or upcoming phones. But he's not really supposed to. Do you know how many new phones come through every couple weeks? The ATT rep will hand him a spec sheet with highlights and thats it. He certainly wont do any outside research. Its the sales people that should be the ones trained on phones. So for their incompetence I apologize.
As for the other stuff, our pre-ordering system blows. Know that. But, it can also reap some pretty good benefits if you are a little patient with it. The price matching thing does work on pre-orders as I have done it for a couple customers with the galaxy nexus.
So knowing what you do now, would you still get your phone from best buy? Just curious. As one of the top 50 performing stores in the company this past quarter, I like to gauge outside response on peoples experience.
Oh and enjoy your note!
imitenotbecrazy said:
Sorry those people sucked haha it does happen sometimes. I work for BBYM and I can tell you that some are not the most knowledgeable.. Hell my boss has absolutely no idea on different specs or upcoming phones. But he's not really supposed to. Do you know how many new phones come through every couple weeks? The ATT rep will hand him a spec sheet with highlights and thats it. He certainly wont do any outside research. Its the sales people that should be the ones trained on phones. So for their incompetence I apologize.
As for the other stuff, our pre-ordering system blows. Know that. But, it can also reap some pretty good benefits if you are a little patient with it. The price matching thing does work on pre-orders as I have done it for a couple customers with the galaxy nexus.
So knowing what you do now, would you still get your phone from best buy? Just curious. As one of the top 50 performing stores in the company this past quarter, I like to gauge outside response on peoples experience.
Oh and enjoy your note!
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If it wasn't for the black tie protection program I wouldn't go back there period. I got my iPhone 4 4s and nexus S with the protection and have loved it. But this particular location has gone down hill.
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jthornton71707 said:
wtl;dr
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Dude that sucks.. I know alot of the bbuy employees in my local one by name and get alot better service there compared to at$t/tmobile stores. You should have asked for the store manager not the bbym one.. And known the name of the one that said he would give the case to you for free.
Btw you know there was a 3x rewards coupon active for release day, should have been in your email.. Would have been almost 45 back in reward points.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using xda premium
This is why I opted to buy the phone through at&t. BB is not a good place to buy phones at a full price. Good for upgrading though, which is what I use them for.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using XDA App
Amazing, they still only have the note 2 out? Sometimes I really, really wonder if people even try. Here's the most powerful phone out right now and you don't even displace the note 2 that's on display?
Are they just trying to clear out note 2 stock?
Took me a little while to find one. (They lie)
Bought it off contract. The sales rep said they didn't have any more Note 3 in stock. I asked the manager, and they magically found one.
The sales guy the entire time was being an asshole, because they don't collect commission on off contract sales.
Did you ask them? I asked and I received. They had a note 2 on display also.
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not to defend them, but there are a lot of Verizon Stores that look like the official stores, but are only "authorized retailers." These places tend to not have the latest phones. I've been in two separate legitimate VZ stores since launch.... both of them had the N3 on display.
That is interesting. I visited two different Verizon corporate stores (not resellers) before launch, and they both assured me there would be plenty of Note 3s available for purchase on October 10. I didn't preorder because I figured I'd have no problem getting one on release day (which was correct). Did you try other stores?
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They sell enough iPhones now that they don't care too much about android powered devices.
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kisypher said:
They sell enough iPhones now that they don't care too much about android powered devices.
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I wouldn't say they don't care about android at all. They paid a ton of money for the Droid license, so Verizon probably wants salespeople to push those over other android phones. But iphone doesn't need to be pushed. Most iphone buyers walk into stores knowing that is what they will get. It's the sheep mentality.
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YoungSkeezy said:
Took me a little while to find one. (They lie)
Bought it off contract. The sales rep said they didn't have any more Note 3 in stock. I asked the manager, and they magically found one.
The sales guy the entire time was being an asshole, because they don't collect commission on off contract sales.
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Click to collapse
Same thing happened to me, I was told by the local corp store that they had plenty of both colors in stock but when I said I was paying full retail they lied and said they had sold out. So I went home, waited an hour and called them and was told they had plenty in stock. I explained that I was just in the store and they were out, and then was told they just got a shipment. So I go back to the store and a different clerk tells me they have them in stock, but when she finds out I am paying full retail she then says she cannot sell me a phone because all of their Note 3s are "allocated ". Store manager was an ass. I then went to bestbuy about 30 minutes away but they were sold out, then I saw another verizon corp store so I tried it and had no problem. In fact they even offered me a 6gb upgrade plan with a free watch for the same price, if I would give up unlimited data.
Very upset that my local verizon store lied to me and then became very rude about not selling me a phone at full retail.
Sent from my rooted Vzr Samsung Note 3 via Tapatalk
sublimaze said:
I wouldn't say they don't care about android at all. They paid a ton of money for the Droid license, so Verizon probably wants salespeople to push those over other android phones. But iphone doesn't need to be pushed. Most iphone buyers walk into stores knowing that is what they will get. It's the sheep mentality.
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Click to collapse
You're right about the Droid branding. However, I'm willing to bet with all the iSheep and the sales they generate that Verizon cares far less about android than they used to.
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griffis said:
Same thing happened to me... Very upset that my local verizon store lied to me and then became very rude about not selling me a phone at full retail.
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What a bunch of douchebags. I am surprised that store sells anything to anyone.
I discovered long ago that making a friend at a phone store can change your whole experience. If I were you, I would do some social engineering at the store farther away, and never go back to the local store. I would also file a complaint, either by calling Verizon or via their web site. And mention employee names if you remember them. It may not change anything, but then again it might. Some of those employees may have a complaint file, and yours may be the final straw. At the very least, you will have a little satisfaction of having done *something*.
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I went to two corporate stores and only 1 had it a note 3 on display. Given the other store was partially under construction. While I was there it looks like the contractors blew a circuit since a bank of phones stopped charging and the display went dark.
toddnbrown said:
not to defend them, but there are a lot of Verizon Stores that look like the official stores, but are only "authorized retailers." These places tend to not have the latest phones. I've been in two separate legitimate VZ stores since launch.... both of them had the N3 on display.
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The authorized dealers don't have real phones on display..they only have dummy phones.
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P2o8wer said:
The authorized dealers don't have real phones on display..they only have dummy phones.
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Well that's just not true at all. And generally Verizon screws the indirect channel of stores and makes new phones (note 3) very unprofitable. They try to put out the phones that generate the most profit and so we're clear is never iPhones (everybody and their mother just wants one) They're not lazy.... They're just trying to run a business.
sumredhed567 said:
Well that's just not true at all. And generally Verizon screws the indirect channel of stores and makes new phones (note 3) very unprofitable. They try to put out the phones that generate the most profit and so we're clear is never iPhones (everybody and their mother just wants one) They're not lazy.... They're just trying to run a business.
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Click to collapse
I work for a Verizon retailer. The store never makes a large amount of money on the high end phones. There is a slim margin for profit on the high end devices. We have live displays of every high end phone and we typically get them on launch day. The only exception is with iphones where we get them a week or so after launch. There are several different types of Verizon retailers you can go to. Some are authorized sellers, some are premium retailers etc... What sucks is it really does vary location to location.
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Thoughts? Look at the pricing and availability towards the bottom of the page.
Says October 11th and $498. Seems like the legit Samsung site.
http://www.samsung.com/sg/news/local/samsung-gear-s-and-gear-circle-enhances-the-smart-wearable-experience
Is that only a Singapore date?
That's what I'm wondering, either way gives me hope of a US October release. Personally I'd like to grab my 4 and Gear S at the same time, like I did last year with my Note 3, Gear and Note 10.1 2014 in one purchase, made for an overwhelmingly good, fun night lol. But I'd like to kick start my Note 4 with a Gear S attached to it.
that`s about what $400 US?
No idea, I'd pay it though! Just need some US info, I'm more excited about the watch than any other device right now.
As much as I want one. I need to see a full review with a production model.
ronaldheld said:
As much as I want one. I need to see a full review with a production model.
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Eh, most product reviews are usually by idiots in my opinion that have no idea what they are looking at, I realized this last year with the Gear 1, people are still referencing uneducated early reviews about the Gear 1 when talking about the Gear S, I'm still using my Gear 1 that was "so horrible on battery" lol and its awesome on battery.
The reviewers usually know much less than we but occasionally proved useful information.
We still need to know full specs and capabilities.
Agreed, I'm a huge fan of reviews and unboxing videos prior to a purchase but I take them with a grain of salt and worst case scenario I just most stores return policy.
I find it odd that this watch is released before the Note 4 or Edge.
Based upon the leaked Australian pricing, the Gear S USA would be around $375. My guess is they round that to $350 which would make it about $15 a month on a 2 year non-binding agreement or maybe $100 on a 2 year contract.
Finally read the give print on the att site and got an idea of how they plan to set up the gear s. Figured I'd share for any that didn't know.
Dmac1984 said:
Finally read the give print on the att site and got an idea of how they plan to set up the gear s. Figured I'd share for any that didn't know.
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Click to collapse
I think that is a bit misleading. If the watch is 3G and has a sim card, you will be able to receive SMS directly without a cell phone. I think what they are trying to say is that you will be able to add your Gear S to an existing Smartphone Contract but you won't be able to have the Gear S as your only phone.
We'll see. A lot of confusing info out there. Would be nice of them to just give a for sale date and price though.
Saw a UK site (Sky News) saying they are taking pre orders at £349 !!!
Yes £'s
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obsydian said:
Saw a UK site (Sky News) saying they are taking pre orders at £349 !!!
Yes £'s
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That includes VAT and of course everything always costs more in England. We also don't know if that site is gouging people or not. My guess is $350 USD.
Lol I'm just getting frustrated with the mobile carriers and Samsung, Samsung did this last year with the Note 10.1 2014 all hush hush until a week before it's for sale, stupid move in my opinion especially for high end expensive products, if someone doesn't make a lot of money and they try to save they don't know how much or for how long, or if they are really in the market for something (ie; like me with a tablet last year, I really wanted the new note 10.1 but had to wait almost two months for just a release date, and I almost bought a different non Samsung tablet instead, luckily for Samsung and myself I held out) but to think that most people can just drop $4-500 on a watch or $7-800 on a tablet on their next paycheck like that, is just stupid and is what's killing their first week sales. I've had my Note 4, VR and especially my Gear S money sitting in a jar just piling up since IFA I've probably accumulated double what everything will cost, but then again I'm not sure lol, I'm sure I'll find out 3 days before it's time to finally get one and hopefully I have enough, or still want it.
I'm not sure who, Samsung or the cell companies, lol but for Christ sakes give people time to plan and not string them along for months with not even a rough estimate of price or what were in for as far as if it's another monthly phone charge. We're 25% through October and still nothing, I'm all about Samsung products so I'll hold out, but how many people do you think won't? And Samsung wonders why their profits are down 40 something percent since last year. Hate to say it, because I hate Apple as a whole, but they were shipping a week after announcing, hit em while it's hot, Samsung yet again announces and let's the oven cool, most people would of scooped this off the shelves soon after IFA because of all the buzz, wait two months and hear nothing about it again most people will move on and probably grab a Moto 360 or something, so Samsung is just hurting themselves.
I personally am not the type who gets more excited over months of anticipation, I get annoyed and frustrated, but I swear by Samsung products, how about the people who don't? That are willing to try them out over the new iPhone, but weren't willing to wait forever and just say screw it and grab the iPhone? There's your numbers Samsung, there's your profits.
I wish they'd Stop trying to beat Apple and worry about stealing their users, it won't happen, they're brainwashed and are not worried about specs or bang for their buck, spoke could release the iTurd and those kids would ready it up, so worry about the people who are diehard Samsung fans, they keep the lights on, I've personally converted about 5 iPhone users to Samsung s5's and Note 3's and will continue to do so.
If they keep us happy, we'll do more marketing then any reviewer or competitive release date will.
Lol so let's get some friggin' info already.
Side note (no pun intended):
I fear the day Samsung stops making removable backs with swappable batteries and micro sd card slots! they did it on the alpha, which I almost considered picking up to have as a side phone to my Note 4 until I saw no expandable memory, next goes the removable back and then we got an android (or Tizen) iPhone which is the opposite of what I want in a smartphone. I honestly won't buy a phone that I can't remove the battery or especially doesn't have expandable memory. The only ones really complaining about the plastic are people that use iPhones and don't plan to buy a Samsung anyways, 3 Notes deep, 4th in a few weeks and I've never had a problem with the plastic. We don't want iPhones Samsung, and iPhone users don't want anything besides an iPhone.
Nice!!!!
The at&t site has full specs up but no release date yet. We know that it'll be a "connected device" meaning $10/mo on mobile share plans & I'm guessing you'll have you have a phone on the plan even if you don't want it. The samsung ppl hinted that the calling/sms features will be tied into GVoice but that's just conjecture. It sounds like it'll either have something to do with hangouts, or an app on your phone that forwards everything to the watch under certain conditions.
I'm not saying i know, just guessing based on all the bits on info I've been given by the 2 companies. I'm wondering how it'll be added to grandfathered family plans, if at all.
But can we just use it like we use the 1st gear and gear 2 connected via Bluetooth?
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I know the 6P won't be sold through the carriers, at least not right away. I'm a Tmo subscriber and I was a little disappointed at first but buying the phone and paying for it in full is always the best route.
With that being said are you with Tmo? What area of the country are you in? Having issues or are new services going live? Questions about service with past or the new nexus device? Let's keep each other updated with what's going on with our carrier.
I've had just about every nexus phone while on Tmo. I had spotty service for awhile but over the years service has gotten much better for me in the Orlando area. This past year I've seen almost all the 3g towers turn into LTE. I got to use HD voice for the first time on my nexus 6. VOLTE got turned on. Band 12 going live (although not in my area, I've used it in other FL markets) Going forward to the 6P are we going lose some of these? I've already seen a report that band 12 will not be unlocked at launch for our device. Will volte be available? HD voice? None of these are deal breakers but it would suck to have such a cutting edge device yet it can't access some basic phone functions. What are your thoughts/insight?
Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk
when they see that sales are going down they will be dropping the price and eipin the phone just take a couple months
But i dont want to wait that long.. Ive saved my Jump and wanted the newest nexus again... Damn you
1SiK1500 said:
But i dont want to wait that long.. Ive saved my Jump and wanted the newest nexus again... Damn you
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why even bother with the jump program? buy phone outright and sell old phone. no restrictions, change phones whenever you want and probably cheaper.
unknown1205 said:
why even bother with the jump program? buy phone outright and sell old phone. no restrictions, change phones whenever you want and probably cheaper.
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I'm not a fan of jump either however not everyone can afford the full price, some people are fortunate to be able to.
I guess it's kinda like leasing your car but of course a way lower price.
I love buying unlocked phones and now that tmobiles prices are so low it really works out
Even with the jump program you are paying full price for the phone. It just gives you the option to trade in without worrying about negative equity, like a car. But I guarantee you the first time you buy a new car cash you'll set yourself up for life to never have a car payment again, this is so much easier to do with a phone... So much easier.
Sent from my Nexus 6
SymbioticGenius said:
Even with the jump program you are paying full price for the phone. It just gives you the option to trade in without worrying about negative equity, like a car. But I guarantee you the first time you buy a new car cash you'll set yourself up for life to never have a car payment again, this is so much easier to do with a phone... So much easier.
Sent from my Nexus 6
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I think most people who get the jump program get it because they can't afford to pay the full price up front, even if they are paying the same in the end or maybe sometimes you pay more for a device when you could've gotten an unlocked device (same or better) for cheaper
I actually began my Nexus 6 purchase through finance. I figured hey, it's 0% who cares. I started to think of bills and life from a more DTI based perspective vs my older, borrow at low or no interest and invest to get more mindset.
Once you start paying off everything with a payment (no matter how low the interest) you start to have so much excess cash monthly that you realize WTF you've been doing wrong your whole life. It also makes it a lot easier to save and invest.
Anyway back on topic, I don't think carriers will be getting the 6P. But if anyone did, it would probably be T-Mobile
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if anyone did, it would probably be T-Mobile
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Since the thing will not be supporting band 12 on t-mobile, at least not right away, I'd think not.
Edit: Hah! Soon!
https://www.reddit.com/r/tmobile/comments/3mzygu/google_nexus_team_ama_working_to_get_band_12/
Why pay full price for the phone? I have the original Jump program. So i pay $27/Month. In one year I paid $324 and traded the phone in for the next Nexus. I didnt have to shell out the full $650. I dont know but it works fine for me. Only phone i care about are the nexus devices. Its a Big deal when i can simply walk into the store hand them my old phone keep all my Chargers and accessories and walk out with a new phone paying only taxes..
I just pre-ordered one and I feel that Jump may not offer a good deal. I've been hearing a lot about Google Fi so that does seem like a better option overall. Also, you would lose out on the $50 play credit and three months of free Google Play Music unless you get it before Oct 25. I'll be using mine for T-Mobile and I'd only hold on ordering to look over reviews, but it's a Nexus device so it should be pretty solid. I agree with many in here that not everyone can pay full price, but with Jump you are still paying quite a bit of money. It's just better to buy it up front then sell the old phone after.
One of the things mentioned in the Reddit AMA today was they're attempting to work with TMobile on getting the Band 12 turned on prior to the device getting to everyone. So at least they're acknowledging the issue.
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They're not selling the Nexus 6P in U.S. carrier stores... So we don't have the option to use Jump! or Jump! On Demand. I have a Galaxy S6 on Jump! On Demand that I'm a few months into... I purchased a 6P outright and will use 1 of my 3 upgrades w/ T-Moible to go w/ something else, and not pay a dime at the store. I switch phones a TON so for me Jump! On Demand is awesome. I will say though, once I am done with this current EIP, I will try to stay with unlocked phones and just pay outright for them. My monthly bill will be a lot cheaper.
As far as the band 12 support; if they get it fixed by ship date, great. If not, oh well... I don't have access to band 12 where I am (Columbus, Ohio), so I'm not missing anything if they don't have it fixed. I'm sure when/if it gets activated here this will be fixed.
In the Reddit AMA;
They ignored every question about why they are not selling through US Carriers. This was the most commonly asked question.
I'm like thinking, that's one of the most important questions, why will this not be sold in U.S. Carrier stores ? Especially T-Mobile stores, as they have carried and stocked every single Nexus phone the past six years. I could see Verizon or ATT not selling it, but T-Mobile has been a big supporter of the Nexus phones, as far as carriers go.
So the Nexus 6P will be nowhere to be seen or played with in stores, you just have to hope you think you'll like it and order it online only ? That's crazy. I always want to hold it in hand, mess around it with it for 30 minutes in the store, really get a feel for the phone, before deciding.
Zorachus said:
In the Reddit AMA;
They ignored every question about why they are not selling through US Carriers. This was the most commonly asked question.
I'm like thinking, that's one of the most important questions, why will this not be sold in U.S. Carrier stores ? Especially T-Mobile stores, as they have carried and stocked every single Nexus phone the past six years. I could see Verizon or ATT not selling it, but T-Mobile has been a big supporter of the Nexus phones, as far as carriers go.
So the Nexus 6P will be nowhere to be seen or played with in stores, you just have to hope you think you'll like it and order it online only ? That's crazy. I always want to hold it in hand, mess around it with it for 30 minutes in the store, really get a feel for the phone, before deciding.
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I'm sure that They will be available at some point. Google has given exclusivity for the first couple months before, this time it's to themselves. Maybe they want to get the preorders out without a disaster like previous releases. On the bright side we get great pricing compared to the rest of the world
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Yeah, Rumor is they could offer them in stores later this month to avoid the instant rush of phone orders. They sell direct first then allow carries to carry a few models if wanted.
That Reddit AMA was filled with tons of questions asking about U.S. Carrier availability, and they didn't respond once.
Wonder if that got them thinking, hey maybe we should put this out to T-Mobile and other carriers maybe ? I could see that happening after the rush of Play Store orders, and be in stores come December. I bet T-Mobile at least carries it by Christmas, just my guess.
Zorachus said:
That Reddit AMA was filled with tons of questions asking about U.S. Carrier availability, and they didn't respond once.
Wonder if that got them thinking, hey maybe we should put this out to T-Mobile and other carriers maybe ? I could see that happening after the rush of Play Store orders, and be in stores come December. I bet T-Mobile at least carries it by Christmas, just my guess.
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I'm wondering if part of the reason is so they can say see how many devices we sold without you, you're not getting customized builds this time.
If they announce carrier availability it would just eat into their own direct sales.
I'd be shocked if this doesn't ultimately get on carriers in a quarter or so.
I'm still upset no Nexus 6P at U.S. Carrier stores, especially T-Mobile.
And I call BS on Google's excuse, that they want full control and no carrier slow downs no carrier involvement mucking things up.
Apple
Carriers don't get in the way of Apple and iOS updates. A Verizon or ATT iPhone 6S get's updated straight from Apple, you don't see Verizon users waiting longer for the iOS update, than an international iPhone user, or Apple having to give the update to ATT first and then let them, hand out the update later to it's customers.
Nope, if you have a Sprint, or T-Mobile, or Verizon iPhone, you just go to iTunes or Apple for the update, and they have the update available at the exact the same time, no matter which carrier phone you own.
My point is, carriers aren't in the way whatsoever, and Apple sells a **** ton of iPhone's through these carriers. How many sales of iPhone's are done directly through the Apple store and site only, like Google wants people to buy the Nexus 6P through the Play Store only ?
Google should sell the Nexus 6P at U.S. Carrier stores, and not give the BS excuse it's because of updates or some crap.