Since the dawn of the strip mall, corporate and retail stores have been walking the Earth. And, like our ancestors, we’ve had to hunt and gather items (and service) from them in order to put the grease on the wheels of our everyday lives.
Before I throw a spear through the heart of this thing, let me clarify what we’re talking about here:
Corporate store: Individual store outlet that is a part of a group of similar stores with the same (read: corporate) management and ownership.
Retail store: see above, less same management and ownership (read: you and I could own one).
On the face of it, integration and curb appeal is likely seamless; however, service, and potentially product availability/connectivity can be comprised.
Welcome to my Monday.
I’m on the hunt for an iphone (making the Blackberry jump). And in Canada, if you want an iphone, you have to jump through the Rogers hoop….which comes with Rogers customer service and doesn’t involve any beer.
So here’s where the Rogers customer service train left the station, without the passengers:
- Over the past two weeks I’ve visited two Rogers locations in downtown Vancouver (which unbeknownst to me, were not corporately owned);
- I asked the same questions at both stores about the transition from my Blackberry Curve to the iphone; and
- I received two different answers with respect to contact and number portability, and package pricing (in fact, one priced my iphone on a Blackberry contract!)
Receiving two (or even three) different answers to the same question seems to be happening to me more often than not lately.
Tell the conductor that I want off the train…yesterday!
So…I gave Rogers one last shot and called their customer service number (1-888-ROGERS-1, in case you need it).
And, like a bagel feels when it meets a knife full of cream cheese, my problems were lifted away with sharp responses, knowledgeable staff, and suggestions about how to approach the store when I’m ready (including how to get rid of my old phone).
My representative even went so far as to include the addresses or the corporately owned stores closest to me in the hopes that the selection would be appropriate, and to protect against having a representative speaking and coming across like the server in the restaurant whom you ask for a Coke and instead, brings you a carton of milk.
darren
Hey, Thanks for the commentary. I found it it funny, tragic and helpful all at once. Maybe you can help me out. I would like to get the locations of those corporate stores in downtown vancouver if you would be so good.
Hey Xenon.
The corporate store I used, and would highly recommend, is in Pacific Centre in downtown Vancouver. When the phone rep gave me the addresses, she indicated that there were two.
She was right and wrong…two addresses for one location (it’s at an intersection). For someone sitting in another city, I gave her the benefit of the doubt.
Go to Pacific Centre…you’ll be happy that you did. Kiosk right below the Apple store.
Thanks Darren!
It seems that whatever the representatives tell you in the stores or on the phone overrides the contract signed. And, there is undisclosed information that every 30 months you are eligable for a phone upgrade. That means that if you are in a 36 month (3 yr) contract you can get a new phone and sign on for another three years before the first 3 years is even over. Having moved to Canada in 2007 I signed on for a 3 year contract and got my phone at the local Rogers store. In 2009 this phone died. I went in and was informed that I needed a new phone and according to my eligibilty/records I could get a good discount. So I got a new phone and evidently started the 3 year contract all over again.
In spring/summer of 2011 I wanted to upgrade this flip phone to a more current cell phone. I phoned Rogers and they told me that I would not be eligable for a new phone until September 2011. The hidden secret here is that I was not aware of the every 30 months code for “eligable”. So I waited until September. September came and went and I did not use my phone but a few times (my usage of the cell phone is extremely low anyway but for the priviledge of service I paid 40some dollars a month for maybe 0 to 5 minutes per month usage) I did not want a contract cell phone service again and from the phone conversation in the spring of 2011 was under the impression that my eligibilty was at a turning point in September anyway. This is what I understood as end of contract not the secret code for 30 months thing. I switched to Kudo and used same number…this auto canceled Rogers account. When I phone them to varify I was not going to renew my contract they informed me that I had 11 month left and would be billed for $20 per month plus even though my balance was “0″ would also be billed for November of 2011 with no phone service at all and early penalty of 3 year contract. There was no consideration of the misrepresentation and information I had gotten…the bottom line is you sign a paper they don’t care if you have been misinformed by their representative. You get more consideration of circumstances in traffic court than you do with Rogers Wirelss. I am starting a new trend for curse word “Rogers”
Once you get to know how to approach layout with CSS then everything will seem natural that way. I actually find laying out sites using tables a bit of a bind now. I’d liken switching from tables to CSS to switching from procedural programming to OOP you just need to change the way you solve problems.
Major thanks for the post.Much thanks again. Want more.