Yesterday I popped into the Vodafone shop to try to buy a Dongle - for the technically challenged - a device which lets me connect my laptop to the internet via a mobile phone signal using a device the size of finger.
"Sold out" they told me.
Deflated I walked through the shopping mall and saw a "phones 4 U" store.
"Do you sell dongles?" I asked.
"Yes, Vodafone, T Mobile etc" said the spotty lad called Mark.(I have avoided stating the obvious about Vodafone)
"Which would you recommend?" I enquired.
"T Mobile, they have the best coverage these days."
£30 lighter I left the shop with my new dongle.
Two hours later sitting in Starbucks (I was looking for a WiFi signal and a good cup of coffee, got one not the other!) the dongle did not work. The dongle not working was why I was in Starbucks using their WiFi to try and sort out T Mobile's dongle problems. Having read all the instructions and registered the device I was nowhere nearer a solution. I returned to the Phones 4 U store.
Mark was still there.
"Hi, I bought this dongle from you and I cannot get it to work."
Mark took the packaging and read the instructions.
"Are you able to get a signal?" he asked.
"Yes, look can you see the green light, according to the instructions that means I have a signal."
"Is ti not connecting then?"
I kept calm and avoided any hint of sarcasm..
"No that is why that light is green. It should turn blue when it connects to the internet."
"Oh. Have you topped it up?"
"No, because you told me that it came with three months free!"
"Oh yeah!"
Eventually using a WiFi signal I showed Mark where I had set up my account on the T Mobile site. It asked for a PIN.
Mark entered the PIN number having chosen the number with "PIN" written next to it. This number was rejected as incorrect.. Mark thought the PUK number might work until I explained what a PUK is for.
The site said it would send me a new PIN so I said "yes please" and it decided not to.
By now Mark was sharing my frustrations. He rang T Mobile who passed him through three different departments and left him none the wiser. I sensed that Mark, spotty youth as he was, was fast becoming a grumpy old man.
"They said that they are sorry and would you like a free £30 top-up?"
"Mmmm. How would I use a top up voucher on a dongle that doesn't work and through a website that won't let me access it?"
"Ah. I see your point."
In the end Phone 4 U agreed to give me my money back, although that did require a clearance from senior people in London first. Still maintaining my calm outlook I asked Mark...
"How do Phones 4 U make any money when you have spend two hours of your time trying to sort out T Mobile's mess and have lost a sale in the process?"
"To be honest, we have nothing but major problems with T Mobile, they are absolutely rubbish!"
I smiled and decided to wish him a pleasant day.
"Sold out" they told me.
Deflated I walked through the shopping mall and saw a "phones 4 U" store.
"Do you sell dongles?" I asked.
"Yes, Vodafone, T Mobile etc" said the spotty lad called Mark.(I have avoided stating the obvious about Vodafone)
"Which would you recommend?" I enquired.
"T Mobile, they have the best coverage these days."
£30 lighter I left the shop with my new dongle.
Two hours later sitting in Starbucks (I was looking for a WiFi signal and a good cup of coffee, got one not the other!) the dongle did not work. The dongle not working was why I was in Starbucks using their WiFi to try and sort out T Mobile's dongle problems. Having read all the instructions and registered the device I was nowhere nearer a solution. I returned to the Phones 4 U store.
Mark was still there.
"Hi, I bought this dongle from you and I cannot get it to work."
Mark took the packaging and read the instructions.
"Are you able to get a signal?" he asked.
"Yes, look can you see the green light, according to the instructions that means I have a signal."
"Is ti not connecting then?"
I kept calm and avoided any hint of sarcasm..
"No that is why that light is green. It should turn blue when it connects to the internet."
"Oh. Have you topped it up?"
"No, because you told me that it came with three months free!"
"Oh yeah!"
Eventually using a WiFi signal I showed Mark where I had set up my account on the T Mobile site. It asked for a PIN.
Mark entered the PIN number having chosen the number with "PIN" written next to it. This number was rejected as incorrect.. Mark thought the PUK number might work until I explained what a PUK is for.
The site said it would send me a new PIN so I said "yes please" and it decided not to.
By now Mark was sharing my frustrations. He rang T Mobile who passed him through three different departments and left him none the wiser. I sensed that Mark, spotty youth as he was, was fast becoming a grumpy old man.
"They said that they are sorry and would you like a free £30 top-up?"
"Mmmm. How would I use a top up voucher on a dongle that doesn't work and through a website that won't let me access it?"
"Ah. I see your point."
In the end Phone 4 U agreed to give me my money back, although that did require a clearance from senior people in London first. Still maintaining my calm outlook I asked Mark...
"How do Phones 4 U make any money when you have spend two hours of your time trying to sort out T Mobile's mess and have lost a sale in the process?"
"To be honest, we have nothing but major problems with T Mobile, they are absolutely rubbish!"
I smiled and decided to wish him a pleasant day.
No comments:
Post a Comment