A short while ago, I quickly exited from the second of two Verizon Wireless stores here in Orlando, FL. I lasted less than two minutes inside one today. I was greeted the moment I entered the...
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A short while ago, I quickly exited from the second of two Verizon Wireless stores here in Orlando, FL. I lasted less than two minutes inside one today. I was greeted the moment I entered the store door (Orange Blossom Trail), and asked if I needed assistance. I thanked her for the offer, and said I'd like to browse around the phones for a few minutes, and then I'd ask any questions that arose. Her response: "You want to just . . . browse . . . the store?" I confirmed that was my intent. She then wanted to know what phone I was interested in checking, so I offered it was the newest Samsung Galaxy S7 that I was eligible for as an upgrade according to the e-mail I'd received from Verizon, but that I just wanted to check out an actual phone for a few minutes. I walked over to the display, and before I reached the phone, I was asked for my phone number so she could check for any potential upgrades. Although I'd just advised that was confirmed, I gave her my number and hoped that would satisfy the buying process for a brief while. Nope! I was then asked to provide her with my drivers licenses so that she could verify my account. All this before even touching one single phone. People shop in different fashions. Some have done zero research, and need immediate hand-holding. Some have done full research and need zero assistance beyond ringing up the merchandise. In my case, I'd done a good deal of research, and merely wanted to have a tactile experience with the product before committing to a sale (especially now that VW has gone to full device price plans). I'd been very nice, but also made it clear I just wanted a bit of time on my own, which this particular store apparently couldn't accommodate. I explained my surprise, concern, and dissatisfaction of that process and that I'd be leaving the store immediately. Her response: "OK". Is this a new normal for all/most Verizon retail stores?? If so, I'm absolutely positive I won't be re-entering another one ANY time soon. I went a few blocks down the street to the local Best Buy retailer, which has a nice Samsung display available for my 'browsing'. I was asked if I needed assistance, and after a few minutes I did have some questions, and every single one was fully answered. I'm going to upgrade to this new device, and will have to do that ordering online (which should be easy) since going into an actual store for assistance creates a selling frenzy of sorts. This is a popular phone, so it doesn't seem possible they'd be hurting on sales so bad that they'd run off long-term customers.