WOW! No loyalty or Bad Marketing from Sprint Reps working in Sprint Stores?

[WUESTSIDER]

I will start off by saying, I personally have NOT had any problems with Sprint Customer Service "As of yet" (Knock on Wood). However, I stopped by my local Sprint store the other day, and like always (Since the release of the Almighty EVO) there is a line of people inquiring about the availability of the EVO. Well, I was surprised to hear the Sprint Reps "Down play and/or criticize" the EVO and immediately try to push the Samsung Epic at everybody walking through the door.

Now as a loyal customer to Sprint, I have an issue with this, these are the same "yahoos" who (2 weeks ago) could say nothing bad about the EVO, but now all of a sudden they are treating the EVO like a second class android phone (Oh' and we do remember what they did to the HERO), just to push another new shiny toy (Samsung Epic).

I know its business, but damn! At least show some loyalty, don't start putting down your so-called "Flag Ship" phone just to get a sale. I agree with trying to make money, but be honest, if you don't have an EVO in-stock just simply say "The EVO is currently in very high demand and we don't have any in-stock right now. But, we do have another Android Smart Phone, which is similar to the EVO, as regards to the Android operating system". The reps, can simply explain the features of each phone to the customer and let them make their own choice. I feel it is very bad marketing to "Down Play" a phone just to make a sale......

Just my two cents worth.... I am still a little wounded over Sprint and HTC just up and leaving the HERO high and dry.... I know it may be to soon, but I am still worried Sprint may leave the EVO out in the dust for the next best thing.... I know business is business, but loyalty goes a long way, and I hate to refer to the sissy fad driven IPhone, but at least Apple is still loyal to its original IPhone owners by providing them with upgrades and support. THAT IS THE ONLY COMPLIMENT I WILL GIVE THE IPHONE......LOL I mean if anybody wants a un-personalized phone with a few screens full of nothing but Icons.... More power to you....lol

The has been an early morning rant brought to you by a fellow EVO'nite.... WUESTSIDER X!!!!

 

[Shawnz]

Well, they have the Moment / Intercept piling up in their stores at $99. Now they have a $250 craptastic Samsung (ok, that was harsh - lol) coming in the door. It's gonna be expensive to stock pile these while people still come in looking for an Evo.

The Epic almost can't help but be a nice phone but Samsung has a history of screwing up Android and pretty much phones in general. I had an opportunity to add an Epic to my plan but after looking into it I just did a 3rd Evo.

I think they are tyring to build hype before they get stuck with an expensive stock-pile of this phone.

 

[asaberan]

One of the top five rules of sales is "Sell what you have in stock."

 

[YaBoiD]

One of the top five rules of sales is "Sell what you have in stock."

Exactly!

 

[ThatNewAndroidGuy]

But why is the Evo STILL so hard to find? Didn't they solve the problems yet? And there's another post saying they are shipping with 2.2 now, which was one of the "possible" reasons they were holding back. Shouldn't they be in full swing at making them now...

It IS our flag ship device, and they are already killing it off, and so many more people want it, they are losing sales. At least they're still making commercials for it, so there's hope there.

 

[bvbull200]

One of the top five rules of sales is "Sell what you have in stock."

Agreed. We called it "SWAT", "Sell What's Available Today", but its the same concept.

 

[novox77]

I hate to refer to the sissy fad driven IPhone, but at least Apple is still loyal to its original IPhone owners by providing them with upgrades and support.

Tell that to my wife, who owns an iPhone 3G, and when she installed the iOS4 update, her phone got majorly nerfed. Google iPhone 3G iOS4 and you'll see a ton of people are really pissed. Why? Because Apple's official stance is:

1) iOS4 for the 3G was offered as freeware and "use at your own risk."
2) get an iPhone 4. it will resolve all issues.

As for the loyalty you speak of.... If the Evo was readily in stock, I'm sure Sprint stores would be pushing the Evo just as hard as the Epic. But seeing as there are no Evos to be found, it's only logical they push hard for the Epic. I don't see what the problem is.

Sprint's stance on the Evo has no bearing on my personal enjoyment of my Evo.

 

[exBBuser]

They just trying to make the sale before that potential customer leaves the Store empty handed.A nice explanation regarding the availability of the Evo does not bring any revenues to the store meaning that if they have to criticize their best selling phone as of now they will in order to make a sale on the spot.

And I bet u any other carrier will do same in order to get those sales up to the roof.

 

[neutron]

I was just at the Sprint store closest to my work so that we could get my wife out of her Moment and into a Lotus Elite that she picked out, and I think I annoyed the reps by loudly saying how much of a POS the Moment is. There was a guy looking at that and the Intercept and he backed away when he heard me talk about the Moment.

Fortunately both Sprint stores I went to didn't try to talk me out of the EVO and actually told me the EVO was Sprint's best phone and they wish they would get more shipments of them in.

 

[novox77]

I went to my sprint store last night with my wife to hopefully get to play with a demo Epic. Sprint guy comes up to me and asks if I need anything. I ask if they have any demo Epics I could try out.

Sprint: Nooooo, we don't expect any for at least 3 weeks... Launch date is the 31st, and we probably won't have any until one or two weeks after that.

Me: oh, that sucks. you won't have ANY demo units before launch?

Sprint: no, sorry. But you can find lots of pictures of the epic online.

Me: well, yeah, I know what the phone looks like. I was hoping to try out the keyboard.

Sprint: yeah, try back in 3 weeks or so.


lol. didn't even try to sell me anything. sounds like they're doing just fine with presales.

 

[exBBuser]

I went to my sprint store last night with my wife to hopefully get to play with a demo Epic. Sprint guy comes up to me and asks if I need anything. I ask if they have any demo Epics I could try out.

Sprint: Nooooo, we don't expect any for at least 3 weeks... Launch date is the 31st, and we probably won't have any until one or two weeks after that.

Me: oh, that sucks. you won't have ANY demo units before launch?

Sprint: no, sorry. But you can find lots of pictures of the epic online.

Me: well, yeah, I know what the phone looks like. I was hoping to try out the keyboard.

Sprint: yeah, try back in 3 weeks or so.


lol. didn't even try to sell me anything. sounds like they're doing just fine with presales.

To me sounds like his getting paid by the hour and not selling does not affect his pocket in any way.

 

[FunDroid]

The problem is you just can't get the Evo in a normal time frame. Its hard to sell something you can't get easily or you just don't have. Sprint and HTC have shot themselves in the foot with the Evo they have the device everyone wants but they have no device to sell, sad really. And who is ultimately going to benefit from this? Samsung.

 

[Tre Lawrence]

The problem is you just can't get the Evo in a normal time frame. Its hard to sell something you can't get easily or you just don't have.

Agreed.

 

[Cobravision]

As mentioned, you sell what you have. But you can't sell the Epic and tout the Evo at the same time -- the customer will waffle if you do that. So you have to downplay or downgrade the Evo to pump up the Epic. Otherwise, there's a chance it won't sell.

And who knows -- maybe some of the salesmen are spec nerds who think the Epic craps all over the Evo. That happens.

Enjoy your phone.

 

[Raekwon]

Pretty much every employee I saw at the sprint stores when I was looking for my Evo acted the same. They would say anything to get the commission. Including trying to say they had phones in stock that were every bit as good as the Evo. The bottom line is commission. The sales kids at the stores don't care as much about you leaving the store empty handed and unhappy as they do about you finding that Evo somewhere else and them not getting the commission. Talking up a product you can't get a hold of to sell is bad for their paychecks.