Verizon Experience

[Bankswood]

Didn"t know where to post this so sorry if it's in the wrong place. So I was at the Verizon Store today to by a mobile hotspot. While the rep was handling my purchasre there ws a guy there with his Droid X trying to get some help. It was his third time in. First time in he told me it was because the battery was completely draining in only a few hours and the battery was gettinh so hot it was burning his leg while in his pocket. The tech took a look at it and said he didn't see anything wrong and just let it break in. He returned a few days later and they said the problem was the battery and they gave him a new battery. When I met him, third time in, we talked a few minutes and he let me see the phone. First he had the screen on full brightness, second he had the phone scanning for a wifi connection full time and finally he had no battery savings options setup. Now this guy has come to Verizon 3 times and the tech has yet to help him set his phone up to work more efficiency. I firmly beleive this is the best phone on the market but Verizon needs to do better with helping there customers solve these problems.

 

[BCox]

customers should also learn how to use their phones...sounds like he was complaining about bad battery life, and didn't check to see what his settings were...i'd split the blame 50-50 at the least...

 

[butthead007]

I agree with both of you. The reps do need to do a better job at teaching customers how to optimize the device and the customer also bears some responsibility in learning their device.

The bottom line is this: not all reps are tech savvy, and customers certainly are not. Some of the only information some of these reps have on these devices is the training they receive and I can assure you the trainings do not discuss things like optimizing battery life. Also, should the customer be diligent and actually RTFM, the manual does not address it either.

It is definitely an area of opportunity and it is good there are sites like this where those who are inclined to use google to try to find answers can stumble upon a source where good information can be obtained. And not all information posted here is correct or good. But hey, it's a start

 

[Steven58]

I've always had good service from VZW. Some CSR's know more than others, that's all.

 

[mlclm]

The bottom line is this: not all reps are tech savvy, and customers certainly are not. Some of the only information some of these reps have on these devices is the training they receive and I can assure you the trainings do not discuss things like optimizing battery life. Also, should the customer be diligent and actually RTFM, the manual does not address it either.

I know that everyone isn't tech savvy, but if you're a salesperson it's your responsibility to understand the products you're selling. Under no circumstance should batteries get so hot that they can be described as "burning" (whether the guest was exaggerating or not isn't clear), so the first rep should have taken a look at his phone and battery to attempt to understand why. And it's pretty common knowledge that there's an indirect relationship between battery life and screen brightness, and there's no reason a Verizon rep shouldn't know that. Besides, these aren't DX-specific issues, so carriers should be educating their employees on stuff like this.

A bit off-topic, but this reminded me of a story I heard years ago. Someone was complaining about a co-worker who switched desks and took their original phone with them because they thought voicemails were actually stored in the phone. They were telecom salespeople.

 

[BCox]

And it's pretty common knowledge that there's an indirect relationship between battery life and screen brightness, and there's no reason a Verizon rep shouldn't know that. Besides, these aren't DX-specific issues

Just playing devils advocate here, but with that in mind, shouldn't the consumer also know that there is a (in)direct relationship between screen brightness and battery life?

Yes we could argue that the Verizon rep should have known about it since its his/her job, but (if the op's description of the phone's settings is accurate) then it sounds like the customer had intentionally set everything that way, as that is not how the phone comes out of the box.

Also, I'm sure they get people coming in all the time saying one thing or the other, which usually turns out to be bullsh*t so the customer can get free stuff...So if I had a customer telling me that their battery gets to hot it "burns my leg" I'd probably have them talk to a manager, but still think they were full of crap...

 

[sund0wn]

Just playing devils advocate here, but with that in mind, shouldn't the consumer also know that there is a (in)direct relationship between screen brightness and battery life?

Yes we could argue that the Verizon rep should have known about it since its his/her job, but (if the op's description of the phone's settings is accurate) then it sounds like the customer had intentionally set everything that way, as that is not how the phone comes out of the box.

Also, I'm sure they get people coming in all the time saying one thing or the other, which usually turns out to be bullsh*t so the customer can get free stuff...So if I had a customer telling me that their battery gets to hot it "burns my leg" I'd probably have them talk to a manager, but still think they were full of crap...

i agree. the phone will shut down before it gets so hot it will burn the skin. so, if he's lying about that, he's probably lying about how fast it'll die.

 

[rehpyc]

People exaggerate.. especially older or conniving individuals. That's no surprise.

However, I've often found the salespeople in 2 local stores near me to be pretty useless. They know only the very basics about phones themselves and not more technical things about the products they are actually pushing heavily (ie the Droid X, Global, and Fascinate). If you're a department store with a vast array of products, that's understandable, but they're working at a store that sells just phones for the most part. At the very least, you'd expect the store managers to know their stuff, but even they don't.

With that said, it sounds like maybe this person didn't know much about the phone. A lot of people buy these smartphones and use it mostly on the stock level. Whether getting the phone is mostly their choice or if they were heavily pushed by a silly sales rep will be an unknown.

 

[Caveman419]

However, I've often found the salespeople in 2 local stores near me to be pretty useless. They know only the very basics about phones themselves and not more technical things about the products they are actually pushing heavily (ie the Droid X, Global, and Fascinate). If you're a department store with a vast array of products, that's understandable, but they're working at a store that sells just phones for the most part. At the very least, you'd expect the store managers to know their stuff, but even they don't.

I was in a Verizon Corporate store a few weeks ago letting my wife try out the Android lineup so she could decide for herself which phone was right for her. The CSR behind me was trying to sell the Ally to a woman behind me and I heard him tell her that the Ally shot video in 720p HD. I could not believe my ears. Yes, it is the responsibility of the customer to do a little research before making a major purchase (two year commitment). You get the same kind of service when you go to a store like Best Buy too. These people are there to sell products, not understand them.

 

[MCPO117]

I would like to throw my 2 cents in seeing how I am the manager of a VZW store and deal with stuff like this on a daily basis. I will be the first to say it is my responsibility and the responsibility of my employees to know as much as possible about every device out. With that said please consider that the average lifespan for a device is about 6 months tops with means we have very little time to get to know each device intimately. Something as simple as a battery life complaint I hope everyone of my employees would be smart enough to check the screen settings and data connection. But if you do this job long enough you will find that some people wouldn't be happy with a phone that cooked, cleaned and shit gold bricks because that's just the way they are. When customers are unsatisfied then they are much more willing blow everything out of proportion. You would not believe the number of customer going from a non-smartphone to a smartphone and they get pissed because they have to charge the phone everyday as compared to their old phone which only needed a charge every 3rd day. Some people are just never pleased unfortunately.

 

[Deleted User]

Incidentally, I think blaming the consumer here is a pretty lame excuse for what happened.

I think we might all lose sight of the fact that this is, first and foremost, a phone. It's a phone. It's marketed to people who carry phones. Nowhere in the commercials or the store or the literature does it say, oh by the way, this is really a tiny computer and has the quirks and flaws as such. It's just a phone and accordingly, everyone assumes it's going to be as stable and easy to operate as their regular phones.

Smartphones are becoming pervasive but people still aren't aware that they fall under all of the same problems and flaws as computers. The Verizon reps should understand that and be providing information accordingly, otherwise people are only going to become soured to Verizon simply because they don't understand why their phone is not operating properly.

 

[bigbadwulff]

I'll give you my experience with Verizon below. Most times the experience has been good. Some times I found the staff knowledgeable, sometimes not so much. But this one takes the cake.
Stood outside on a pretty cold morning on launch day of the BB Storm. I was like number 5 in line. They came out a little early and took names to speed up the process(but left us outside in the cold. No big deal I understand). So when they opened the doors, they called people in by name on the sheet but didn't call my name. I immediately went up to the guy and said I was number 5 in line and number 5 on the list and no one called my name. He said "Oh, sorry what is your name". I told him and he told me to go to(the area you go with problems with your phone). i thought that strange but thought maybe they were just using the whole store for launch day to speed things up. This is where it gets interesting.
Here I am standing there in scrubs with my NAME and the name of my business on the scrubs. I am a Doctor, not that I think that entitles me to any special treatment and actually I purposely downplay that in this type of setting so as not to look like a dick.
The tech person asks me my name and accnt phone number. then asks me the main name on the account. She says "THAT INFORMATION IS NOT CORRECT".
Long story/short:
I had told them my name is Bill. The account name is under William.
What friggen idiot doesn't know Bill is short for William? No, this wasn't in a multi-cultural big city. This is a small, rural city with Bills and Jims and Joes and Johns and you get the idea.
I did get a phone but left a little dismayed to say the least.

 

[SayOw]

I dread going into the Verizon store.

The 2 Verizon stores in my town are staffed with "elitists dicks" for csr's. They will try and get you to buy a new phone or plan before they try and help you with your phone. If you even think about looking at a "free" or even inexpensive phone they won't even bother to talk to you.

I think the csr's for these stores have become that way because they are the only 2 official Verizon stores for, literally, hundreds of miles - yes, I live in the barren wasteland that is North Dakota. If you are planning on going to either of the Verizon stores in my town, you better take the day off from work and pack a lunch because from the time the doors open until the time the doors close those two places are crammed with people. When going in for warranty work I have never had service within 45 minutes upon arrival and once, when I thought I would beat the crowd, was within 10 minutes of them opening and I still ended up waiting 45 minutes...

I haven't set foot in a Verizon store in over 2 years now (knock on wood) and do all my transactions online or through a third party vendor now ... a way more pleasant experience...

 

[mxsjw]

I suppose I can see both sides, but I would like to say just this...

When I bought my truck, I didn't expect Toyota to teach me how to drive it and work the controls.

 

[bigbadwulff]

But if you brought your Toyota in because your battery was hot, they didn't expect you to diagnose whether it was the voltage regulator or a bad battery or who-knows-what.

 

[Deleted User]

I suppose I can see both sides, but I would like to say just this...

When I bought my truck, I didn't expect Toyota to teach me how to drive it and work the controls.

A) most people know how to drive and it is common knowledge that is passed from person to person because it is a required part of our lives. How to operate a computer and, more importantly, the nuances for why things might fail or behave oddly is not common knowledge.

B) you are forced to learn how to drive because you need to obtain a license. Last time I checked, there was no license to own a smartphone.

C) we're not talking about a similar ability. People can frequently operate a smartphone fine - he wasn't asking how to launch the web browser. Asking for help when your battery is hot and your phone lasts three hours is like going to a mechanic with the check engine light and a rough idle. Most people don't know why or how it got that way, and you certainly would not expect the average person to diagnose it and fix it.

 

[bigbadwulff]

Although it's EASIER to do than figure out a smartphone.

 

[mxsjw]

Wulff, But I would figure it out before I took it in...see that's the difference between some of us. We figure sheet out on our own, look to others owners to help, and last case...take it to the dealer cause we are still at a loss, covered under warranty, or it's beyond our repair capabilities. I bought a Smartphone knowing full well that they required tweaking to my liking and required some research to learn how to use the thing. Anyone who doesn't understand that, bought one as a status symbol/impulse buy, probably doesn't really need it, and is likely too damned lazy to do the research it requires to operate such a device.

I fear for the future of our society that seems to need a Nanny for everything.

 

[bigbadwulff]

Do you fix your Toyota when it breaks? Most things are very easy to fix(except obviously a stuck accelerator ). And don't state warranty because there is a warranty on the phones also.
You see a lot of people think the same "Let them worry about what is wrong with it because I paid them to do that already".
I don't begrudge anyone that does that. I also don't begrudge you for fixing it yourself either.

I have already "fixed" a lot of problems on my DX without bothering Verizon to do so. But I can see how some people can't or won't do that.

How many times have you heard "why didn't you bring it in earlier because we'd have replaced it back then...............and not now". Been there done that.

 

[eraursls1984]

I'll give you my experience with Verizon below. Most times the experience has been good. Some times I found the staff knowledgeable, sometimes not so much. But this one takes the cake.
Stood outside on a pretty cold morning on launch day of the BB Storm. I was like number 5 in line. They came out a little early and took names to speed up the process(but left us outside in the cold. No big deal I understand). So when they opened the doors, they called people in by name on the sheet but didn't call my name. I immediately went up to the guy and said I was number 5 in line and number 5 on the list and no one called my name. He said "Oh, sorry what is your name". I told him and he told me to go to(the area you go with problems with your phone). i thought that strange but thought maybe they were just using the whole store for launch day to speed things up. This is where it gets interesting.
Here I am standing there in scrubs with my NAME and the name of my business on the scrubs. I am a Doctor, not that I think that entitles me to any special treatment and actually I purposely downplay that in this type of setting so as not to look like a dick.
The tech person asks me my name and accnt phone number. then asks me the main name on the account. She says "THAT INFORMATION IS NOT CORRECT".
Long story/short:
I had told them my name is Bill. The account name is under William.
What friggen idiot doesn't know Bill is short for William? No, this wasn't in a multi-cultural big city. This is a small, rural city with Bills and Jims and Joes and Johns and you get the idea.
I did get a phone but left a little dismayed to say the least.

The worst part of this story is that you walked out with a blackberry storm lol.

 

[BCox]

I guess the point I was trying to make was that the American consumer has become lazy, and when things don't go our way, we bitch and complain.

I will concede that sales staff are not the most knowledgeable, and they should probably have been able to identify the battery issue by looking at it.

HOWEVER, for the consumer in the OP's case to NOT KNOW that turning the screen on full brightness and searching for wifi connections constantly would eat away at his battery is a little disturbing. The DX does not come stock in this fashion (mine didn't).

As mentioned previously, we are becoming a society that needs a "nanny" for everything. Instead of trying to figure out how our gadgets work, we go to where we bought it want them to give us a new one for free, when all it would have taken this guy to fix his phone is to come online to this great community, and we would have happily advised him to turn down his brightness, and to use less wifis

 

[eraursls1984]

I guess the point I was trying to make was that the American consumer has become lazy, and when things don't go our way, we bitch and complain.

I will concede that sales staff are not the most knowledgeable, and they should probably have been able to identify the battery issue by looking at it.

HOWEVER, for the consumer in the OP's case to NOT KNOW that turning the screen on full brightness and searching for wifi connections constantly would eat away at his battery is a little disturbing. The DX does not come stock in this fashion (mine didn't).

As mentioned previously, we are becoming a society that needs a "nanny" for everything. Instead of trying to figure out how our gadgets work, we go to where we bought it want them to give us a new one for free, when all it would have taken this guy to fix his phone is to come online to this great community, and we would have happily advised him to turn down his brightness, and to use less wifis

My "search for WiFi" setting was on when I got mine nib the screen brightness was bright but not all the way up. We are becoming a nanny state but I don't think this applies to our gadgets. Most people won't use half of the features these phone have so why would they think "let me turn off WiFi" when they care nothing about it. If a salesman sales a gadget to a consumer it is his/her place to help them get acquainted with their gadget.

 

[icerado]

The worst part of this story is that you walked out with a blackberry storm lol.

hahahaha...I 2nd this

 

[rehpyc]

As mentioned previously, we are becoming a society that needs a "nanny" for everything. Instead of trying to figure out how our gadgets work, we go to where we bought it want them to give us a new one for free, when all it would have taken this guy to fix his phone is to come online to this great community, and we would have happily advised him to turn down his brightness, and to use less wifis

While I agree that society is turning into the type that needs things handed to them rather than the person putting a little more effort in for himself, this can't always be the factor to blame for people with smartphones. A lot of people getting touchscreen smartphones are coming from basic phones or blackberries, and thus they are presented with a new experience that they have to figure out. Some people are more tech savvy than others - there's still MANY people who don't really know how to use Word and Excel let alone a computer beyond opening programs and browsing the internet. What's worse is that I've seen far too many times a sales person at Verizon try to sell a customer a phone that he doesn't really need; they are pushed to sell the latest-and-greatest, and this leads to selling a smartphone to individuals that won't know how to fully operate it.

Even when I visited the store to take a final in-person look at the DX, a saleswoman immediately tried selling me the SF by talking it up and showing me all its great features. I knew I didn't want the SF, but I let her ramble on and waste her breadth since she didn't even ask about what features I desired in a phone before choosing one to attempt to sell me. Upon finishing, I told her I use the GPS a lot for work (I actually do) and that the SF has a widely known problem of having a faulty GPS. She was either ignorant of the matter, or she simply chose to play dumb. Nevertheless, I pulled up the GPS, and it showed our position being a few blocks away (after it took a while to even stop searching for our location). Had I been ignorant of the product myself and purchased the SF under her direction of it suiting my needs, then later go to the store and complain about the GPS not working properly, am I the one to blame?

 

[Exiled]

A lot of people just don't have the desire or time to learn how to use their phones properly. This is why Apple and the iPhone have done so well-- by appealing to those types of people. If you want a Mac or an iPhone, very little effort has to go into learning how to use it. You can just pick it up and have it work properly. Consequently, you are very limited in what your device can do in these situations.

Clearly that guy in the verizon store is more suited for an iphone...