AT&T and Apple

Yesterday I had to stop in at the AT&T Store.  While I was standing at the counter waiting for the guy to find me in the computer, I couldn’t help but overhear the young girl standing next to me.

It seems she was having trouble with her iPhone.  The problem, she said, was that the screen just went dead.  One minute it was working, the next it was not.  It wouldn’t turn on, it didn’t need to be charged, and it wouldn’t work.  The sales guy asked if she dropped it, or got it wet.  She said, no.  I could tell he didn’t believe her.  He didn’t know what to do with it, and his only solution was to sell her a new one.

Thus ensued the phone call to the parents to authorize said transaction, and trying to get them to upgrade a line that was eligible that would entail changing phone numbers.  The more complicated it became, the more amazed I was that the sales guy was trying so hard to orchestrate something so complicated.  The parents didn’t appear happy with the plan either, which entailed them having to come to the AT&T store for security purposes.  I could tell they weren’t happy by the way she was pleading her innocence.

“I swear I haven’t dropped it, or got it wet!  I would say if I had!”  she said, sounding slightly desperate.

Since the sales associate helping me wasn’t actually helping me, I leaned over to get the girl’s attention.  I proceeded to tell her she should call apple, and that they could walk her through trouble shooting and probably get it working again, as the same thing had happened to me.

The guy behind the counter seemed mildly perturbed by this.  “What did they do?” he asked in a slightly snide, disbelieving manner.

I shrugged.  Not being a techie, I didn’t know and said as much.  “But they were able to get it running again.”

The girl left the store, thanking me profusely.

I am appalled at the AT&T sales people.  They sell a product, but they can’t trouble shoot it at all.  And that is understandable.  I don’t think they should necessarily have to.  What I find offensive is the fact that he didn’t say, “Hey look, we don’t trouble shoot them, you’ve got to go to Apple for that.”  Instead, they tried to sell her another phone, and then seemed offended when it was suggested she try Apple first.  I don’t regret stepping in, and I’m sorry the  sales guy was offended.  But it makes me wonder how the sales staff are counseled with regards to selling these products, and how many times they make a sale when someone doesn’t know to go to Apple first.

As for the young girl, I hope she got her phone working again.  Sometimes it really does take a village…