The sorry state of the UK mobile retail market - a review
Terrence, a regular SMS Text News reader (and Scrabble regional finalist) , decided to test the UK mobile retail market from the point of view of a standard customer wanting to buy a pay as you go handset. Fascinating results. Have a read…
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With all the talk of contract, tariffs, mobile browsing and cool new services, we often forget that the high street shop is the main point of interaction that customers have with their phone company.
So, I set myself a simple challenge. Go and buy a Sony Ericsson K800i on prepay from each of the major operators – Orange, O2, T-Mobile, Three and Vodafone.
So, what’s the buying experience like at the sharp end of phone retailing? Given that CarphoneWarehouse and Phones4U limit the number of handsets you can buy in one transaction, I decided to try the networks’ own stores in Central London…
Orange
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The two sales people were engaged with customers and chatting (fairly accurately) about the phones on offer. After five minutes of pointed browsing and trying to catch someone’s eye, I got bored and left.
Score: 0/10 maybe I’d have had better luck in a bigger store.
Three
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Took a quick peek in their store. Was pounced on by an eager sales assistant’s, “Can I help you?”
“I’d like a K800i on prepay please.”
“Yes sir!”
…
…
Fifteen. Fricking. Minutes. Later…. It took four sales assistants to work the till. They kept trying to charge me £300 for a phone that
cost £129.99, they couldn’t register my details, they were confused by shiny objects floating in the air.
Score: 3/10 I got my phone but it was like pulling teeth.
T-Mobile
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A busy store, but I managed to grab a salesman. He whisked himself away to the basement to fetch my phone. And never returned.
ell – he did several minutes later. Only to be distracted by customers trying to complain to him. When he finally extracted himself he sauntered over with a cheery “None in stock, mate.” No effort to cross sell, no indication as to where I could buy one. He was obviously more interested in a contract commission than a prepay sale.
Score: 1/10 not the way I expect to be treated as a potential customer.
O2– – –
I was promptly greeted as I entered the store. On informing them I wanted a prepay phone, I was shuttered off to Brian The Trainee. I’m not sure whether Brian The Trainee was mute or just sullen about not selling any iPhones. The whole transaction proceeded in silence, no small talk, no cross sell, nothing. Service was slow, but I’ll make allowances as he was only learning the ropes.
core: 7/10 good competent service.
Phones4U
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I’d vowed never to set foot in a P4U after they sold me a second hand phone with someone else’s details still on it. Still, that was 7 years ago – so maybe it was time to give them a second chance.
Sales assistant was brisk, efficient and chatty. No pressure to buy insurance or anything like that – the total antithesis of P4U’s reputation.
He did have to spend some time on hold to Orange to register the handset – apparently Oranges online system was offline – but he kept me informed the whole way through what was happening.
Score 8/10 a good sales experience marred by Orange’s systems.
CarphoneWarehouse
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The greeter snootily dismissed me to one side of the shop as soon as the word “Prepay” passed my lips. The sales assistant vanished into the basement to fetch the T-Mobile SIM and K800i. In the meantime, I was treated to two sales assistants complaining about their boss, their customers and their lives in general.
he sales assistant reappeared, took a puzzled look at the order screen and scurried away again. I was left listening to his colleagues try and get their head office on the phone to resolve a customer complaint.
hen the sales assistant reappeared, he had an unbranded phone with him.
“Will that work with T-Mobile T-Zones?” I asked.
“Ummmmm…. dunnno… should do.”
“Should do or will do?”
“I’ll get the manager.”
The manager explained how to get the settings on the unbranded phone – visit the website, type in your phone number.
“D’ya won a memikid?” said the sales assistant.
“Excuse me?” I said
“Do. You. Want. A. Mem. Ory. Card?” He said with barely concealed contempt.
“No thanks”.
Overall score: 5/10 I got my phone but it was not a pleasant sales experience.
Vodafone
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I’ve not written about my experience in a Vodafone store. I work for Big Red (they pay my bills but they don’t pay me to blog) so I don’t think it would be appropriate to comment. Besides, I’d be accused of being biased. But I’d be interested in hearing what you think.
On returning home I got a phone call from my credit card company. They’d detected an unusual purchasing pattern on my card and had blocked my account!
Conclusions
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Customer service is dead. It has ceased to be. Bereft of life….. you get the picture. At times I felt like I was in Royston Vasey – in a local shop for local people.
If I was treated this way in any other type of shop, I wouldn’t return in a hurry. But I guess that’s what most shops bank on – they sell
once and don’t see you for another 18 months, if ever.
Prepay customers are second class citizens – the sales staff are really only interested in making a big commission on a contract and will turf you to a trainee if you’re not going to make them any cold hard cash..
In any other store picking a box off the shelf, swiping it through the till and taking payment would take less than a minute. In the world of mobile you’ll be lucky to be out of there within ten minutes.
Oh, and don’t buy a bunch of prepay phones on credit card. The police will probably think you’re a terrorist….
Am I alone in receiving such appalling service in store – or are all stores this bad?
