SFist Rants: Kevin, at the Cingular Store
Complaining about cell phones..what's next, airplane food? We know. But this really pisses us off.
We've been a loyal (if "fear of change" counts as "loyal") Cingular customer since 1999, if you can believe it. We're currently on our third phone, and it's time to make another upgrade. Fun!
Last Friday, we went to the Cingular store (an actual Cingular location, not one of those kinda shady vendorships) at 701 Market Street (at 3rd Street). When we walked in the store was empty. Then again, maybe it always is because all of the employees were hanging out behind the counter giggling like a pack of eighth grade girls. An employee (nametag reading "Kevin") reluctantly parted from his cadre and approached me.
SFist: Hi, I'd like to upgrade my phone. I need something with Bluetooth. What are my options?
Kevin: (silence)
SFist: Right now, I'm using this (we hand Kevin our phone)
Kevin: Uh-oh, this isn't Bluetooth
SFist: Well, that's immaterial, I'm asking for a new Bluetooth phone, but, actually, it is.
Kevin: (Walks away with our phone, which he hands to another guy, who clicks and clicks at it.)
SFist: Hey, what's the deal? I just want to get a new phone.
Kevin: We have to check and see if it's Bluetooth. I'm pretty sure it isn't.
SFist: Yes it is! See that flashing blue light! That means Bluetooth! Besides, what does it matter? I'm saying I want a new phone that ALSO has Bluetooth!
Guy Behind Counter: (clickety-clickety for about 45 more seconds) Yeah, it has Bluetooth. (Hands phone back to Kevin.)
SFist: Why wouldn't you believe me? I told you it was Bluetooth.
Kevin: Most of our customers don't know s**t. Now, stop being so nasty and tell me what you want.
Dear readers, all of you know us well enough that this is not what you want to say to us because a) "being so nasty" is all that gets us up in the morning and b) that was really, really rude.
SFist: You know, I'm going to take my business elsewhere (snatches phone back)
Kevin: Fine with me.
SFist: Asshole.
Enraged, we shot over to the Apple Store to look up Cingular's customer service information so we could put the kibosh on Kevin for all eternity. Of course, there's no information like that to be easily found on the Cingular site, so we were forced to take advantage of our bully pulpit with the post you see before you.
If we were an exec at Cingular (and I'm sure thay all read SFist), we would be floored that a person who provides a direct interface between my company and the public spoke to a customer (especially a customer set to spend the 200 or so bucks a Bluetooth phone costs) in that fashion. If we were an exec at Cingular, we'd can Kevin, reprimand the rest of the 710 Market Street staff (because we suspect an attitude like Kevin's doesn't happen in a vacuum), and send a nice, apologetic email to SFist, so we can go buy the phone we really want without feeling like the message our purchase will send is that we think crappy-ass customer service like that is OK.