You would think they knew SOMEthing

One of the minor treats being in Los Angeles late this week was the ease of gettign to and from things I wanted to check out without having to bum a ride, or take a cab. There were a few things I wanted to get done out there with national stores that I couldn’t get done here in Tampa Bay because of the disconnect and provincialism of the Greater Tampa Bay area.

One of those things was trying to find a T-Mobile store and get a demo of the G1, the Google phone. There were supposed to be demonstration versions of the phone in-store in several markets including Los Angeles. Places where they could utilize 3G technology and what not.

So, I got to Hollywood and Western and took a little amble over to the T-Mobile store… A nice place tucked away in a larger shopping plaza. Walking inside, I was almost immediately greeted by a sales rep. The problem was, and this seems to be a trend, the sales rep deffered me to their web site in dealings with the G1.

I shrugged it off and brought up the Blackberry handhelds. I told them that I have no access to a store where I am from (which is not outside the truth) and this would be my chance to check out a handheld in person. I also brought up the enigmatic Blackberry Javelin, which is to be the successor to the Curve. Once again, I got a rather clueless response that meets with the trend of an uninformed company rep.

That’s not trying to get on the Rep for not being able to answer my questions — I’m not deliberately trying to shoot the messenger here. I am more surprised that T-Mobile does not try to pass on information down to it’s staff in a timely manner. Keep them informed, keep them assessed of changes and the situation.

Never the less, the trip was a waste of time. I got to check out the Curve in person but I didn’t get anything I can’t get somewhere else.

2 Comments to You would think they knew SOMEthing

  1. Sarah says:

    Adam and I recently had a problem with the t-mobile store, too. I have t-mobile, and have dealt with everything online… never walked into a store until Adam decided it was probably time to get off of his parents’ plan. The first time, we got the manager, and we got the information we wanted to discuss. The second time we went back with our decision, we didn’t get the manager, and we got a less-than-informed stooge. She was on the phone with the manager 2 times during our visit asking about employer discounts and what not… We want to go through a store because my contract’s not over, and we want to add a line, and switch it to Adam’s name, otherwise, I’d use the web.

    But once again, this situation shows us that the web is not a replacement for true customer service.