Official: Rate your Verizon store

[Palmwebos]

Bump, because this is a good thread, keep writing your reviews

[Palmwebos]

100 Wall Street, New York, NY, United States‎ - (212) 510-6160‎

A. Display: 5
B. Knowledge:5
C Effort: 5

Comments: The sales person was so enthusiastic when I asked her about the Palm Pre Plus and Pixi Plus and she said that I would love the phone and it is a great choice. She also went on to talk about how useful Palm Synergy is and listed all of the benefits. She spoke to me about how the mobile hotspot will be very enjoyable for me and is a great value. She also said that it is a very popular phone and they are receiving tons of phone calls and orders for them and they are selling tons of them.

WOW!!! Maybe Verizon reps are finally begining to tell people of the benefits of a Palm phone and they are selling a lot of them. Sounds very good

At least there's some people on Wall Street positive about Palm

[Pitxitxita]

Originally Posted by bluenote

Pitxitxita, do you know what street the store was on? I think there are at least 2 Verizon stores in Beaverton.

The real Verizon store - on Cedar Hills.

I made the mistake of trying to do business with Go Wireless (pretending to be a Verizon Store) in the past - will never do that again. The Verizon Manager had to call The Go Wireless manager and tell him how to do his job - they still refused to fix it. After several trip[s between stores, Verizon manager fixed the problem and muttered something about letting corporate deal with them.

[Palmwebos]

Bump because this is a good thread

[hooliganhjp]

I bought my Pre in the end of January. Like many I could not find anyone who knew the phone.

There was no help and the phones on display actualy were not charged.

I knew what I wanted. I did not care what the sales people said I wanted a Pre. I have not regreted any thing but paying the full price.

My Dad has his heart set on the iPhone....but I have played with them and I love the pre.

Why is verizon still so quite on all the smart phones? they had the best coverage when I was traveling (Respiratory Therapy Traveler). I had friends who could not use their phones when I could.

But man they need to really improve the service and knowlege of the staff.

[bluenote]

hooligan, what was the store address where you bought the pre?

[MP5_ForTheWin]

I. Address: 7720 W Broad St Richmond, VA 23294

II.
A. Display: 5
B. Knowledge:3
C Effort: NA

III. Had to return my Pre Plus since the plasic holster took a chunk out the top of the Pre Plus. But return/swap was painless. While I was there 6 other people were activating Pres(new purchases).

[Yellowhammer]

Address: 925 Ann St, Montgomery, AL 36107

A. Display: 5
B. Knowledge: 2
C. Effort: 0

This store, where I bought my Pre Plus in late January, has a nice Palm display with working Pre Plus and Pixi Plus devices right next to the entrance. Another pair of Palm phones were in a smartphone display with other brands, but I don't know if those were working or not.

I told a salesman I was interested in a second phone and was looking at the Pixi Plus. The salesman immediately tried to get me to look at first a Blackberry and then a Droid, saying that the Palm phones had problems. I asked him what specific problems were being reported, but he refused to answer, saying only that there were too many to mention. He also said that the Palm products probably wouldn't be around much longer. Even after I showed him my Pre Plus he kept on trying to show me other phones.

After that experience, I doubt that I'll ever set foot in that store again.

[Palmwebos]

Bump :d

[vreihen]

I.
Verizon Corporate Store
444 Rte 211 E
Middletown, NY 10940
(845) 326-9000

II.
A. See comments
B. 5
C. 5

III.
Store visit on 4/2/2010. I went to the store specifically to purchase a Pre Plus, a day after MHS was announced as free from VZW. When I entered the store, I started to walk towards the display phones when a sales person asked me if he could help me with anything. This is the first time that I have ever walked into a corporate Verizon store and not had to take a number and wait 45 minutes to even talk to a sales person. Hence, my answer on II.A. above, since I never even made it to the display phones!

I told the sales rep that I had a "new every 2" pending, and wanted to buy a Pre Plus since they had just announced the free MHS. He commented that I had a really good source of information, knowing about the MHS offer so quickly. (Thanks, PreCentral!) He turned around, reached into the cabinet behind the desk, and pulled out the phone. Less than a minute later, the phone was provisioned and I had the paperwork signed. No sales pitch for the Droid, no badmouthing Palm, and the only negative thing that they said (if you can call it that) is that there's a 30 day return policy if I'm not happy with my new phone for any reason.

Apparently, the reps are obligated to sit down with each customer and do an orientation session to show the customer how to use their new phone. I pulled my (work-provided) Sprint Pre out of my pocket, put it on the counter, and said that I really didn't need an orientation. The rep asked me if I could set up my e-mail in the store, and let him use it to send a message to corporate that was apparently tied to his commission. The Pre Plus comes out of the box with a forced orientation tutorial and mandatory video that you must watch and can't be swiped away, so I had to sit there for a few minutes talking with the rep about Palm waiting for the video to finish so that he could send his message. Another sales rep was nearby, and she came over to say that her brother is a WebOS App developer, and said that I made a good choice in phones. My rep said that the Pre and Pixi were great phones, and the only reason why they weren't flying out the doors was because the Droid hit VZW right before the Pre did. He didn't say that the Droid was better, just that it was the first touchscreen on VZW and had the momentum of being first.

I went in loaded for bear, expecting to be pushed towards a Droid from what I've read here. The only time that the Droid was mentioned was after the sale, and FWIW the sales rep's personal phone sitting behind the counter wasn't made by Palm.

On my way out the door, I noticed that the only posters in the store's windows were for the Pre/Pixi BOGO offer, so I can't even say that they were trying to hide Palm phones from potential customers because the poster was hanging right there on the front door. Long story short, this particular VZW store isn't a problem for Palm, although I have no idea how it would have gone if I didn't know what phone I wanted before I walked in the door.....

[Palmwebos]

Originally Posted by vreihen

I.
Verizon Corporate Store
444 Rte 211 E
Middletown, NY 10940
(845) 326-9000

II.
A. See comments
B. 5
C. 5

III.
Store visit on 4/2/2010. I went to the store specifically to purchase a Pre Plus, a day after MHS was announced as free from VZW. When I entered the store, I started to walk towards the display phones when a sales person asked me if he could help me with anything. This is the first time that I have ever walked into a corporate Verizon store and not had to take a number and wait 45 minutes to even talk to a sales person. Hence, my answer on II.A. above, since I never even made it to the display phones!

I told the sales rep that I had a "new every 2" pending, and wanted to buy a Pre Plus since they had just announced the free MHS. He commented that I had a really good source of information, knowing about the MHS offer so quickly. (Thanks, PreCentral!) He turned around, reached into the cabinet behind the desk, and pulled out the phone. Less than a minute later, the phone was provisioned and I had the paperwork signed. No sales pitch for the Droid, no badmouthing Palm, and the only negative thing that they said (if you can call it that) is that there's a 30 day return policy if I'm not happy with my new phone for any reason.

Apparently, the reps are obligated to sit down with each customer and do an orientation session to show the customer how to use their new phone. I pulled my (work-provided) Sprint Pre out of my pocket, put it on the counter, and said that I really didn't need an orientation. The rep asked me if I could set up my e-mail in the store, and let him use it to send a message to corporate that was apparently tied to his commission. The Pre Plus comes out of the box with a forced orientation tutorial and mandatory video that you must watch and can't be swiped away, so I had to sit there for a few minutes talking with the rep about Palm waiting for the video to finish so that he could send his message. Another sales rep was nearby, and she came over to say that her brother is a WebOS App developer, and said that I made a good choice in phones. My rep said that the Pre and Pixi were great phones, and the only reason why they weren't flying out the doors was because the Droid hit VZW right before the Pre did. He didn't say that the Droid was better, just that it was the first touchscreen on VZW and had the momentum of being first.

I went in loaded for bear, expecting to be pushed towards a Droid from what I've read here. The only time that the Droid was mentioned was after the sale, and FWIW the sales rep's personal phone sitting behind the counter wasn't made by Palm.

On my way out the door, I noticed that the only posters in the store's windows were for the Pre/Pixi BOGO offer, so I can't even say that they were trying to hide Palm phones from potential customers because the poster was hanging right there on the front door. Long story short, this particular VZW store isn't a problem for Palm, although I have no idea how it would have gone if I didn't know what phone I wanted before I walked in the door.....

Good to hear about some positive experiences. Anyone else wanna review a Verizon store?

[vreihen]

Originally Posted by Palmwebos

Good to hear about some positive experiences. Anyone else wanna review a Verizon store?

I should also throw in a plug for Verizon corporate's support for the Pre. I have received a series of e-mails from Verizon about my new phone, pointing out features and online references that they publish. Verizon has also texted me and called my home phone over the past few weeks, to ensure that I am 100% happy with my phone and know how to use it. VZW seems to have invested heavily in their own user support program for Palm phones, almost as if they had intended to push WebOS onto first-time smartphone buyers like they are currently doing.....

[jezeric]

My first post on the forums, and this seems like a good place to start.

Verizon Corporate Store
Findlay, OH

Display: 4
Knowledge: 4
Effort: 5

Verizon Kiosk
Findlay Mall
Findlay, OH

Display: 3
Knowledge: 5
Effort:4

Comments:

I was a happy Centro user when I heard about the webOS phones being released, and as such, I expected to be looking for a Pre or Pixi initially. I had gone to a couple of locations to do some hands-on examination of the Droids, and just didn't like the aesthetics, layout, or interface of them, and Blackberry was much the same, especially since I was looking specifically for a touchscreen physical QWERTY phone. Each time I went to either of the Findlay corporate locations, the sales people there were willing to listen to my wants and interests, and happily showed me whatever phone I wanted to see. They were reasonably knowledgeable about the Pre/Pixi, and even when they admitted that it wasn't what they were familiar with or used themselves, they didn't knock it or try to encourage adoption of something else.

3 specific examples (all at the corporate store, not the kiosk):
1 - My mother had decided that she was finally going to get her first ever cell phone. As what she really wanted was the contacts, connectivity, and interface capability, she decided a smartphone was the way to go. I had already decided that I was going for the Pre, and when the buy one, get one offer came up, I took her to the store to let her get a hands on feel for the phone. The man helping us was one of the shift supervisors and when other folks were looking at the Pre display (reasonably visible in the middle of one wall and available), he took his own out that he had just gotten and handed it over for her to try and explore. He admitted that it was his first day with the phone, and that he was still learning a lot about it, but that he liked it and was impressed with the qualities of the phone. Mom decided it was the phone for her from that visit, but we chose to wait a week for my new/2 discount to kick in.

2- The day came to purchase my new Pre, and I was delighted. I went in and ended up being helped by the tech specialist in the store, who happens to be a Droid user, and he was pleasant, supportive, and perfectly comfortable to sell me the phone I came in for. No pressure to change selections, and no bashing of the Pre at all. He didn't know it incredibly well, but was able to readily set it up, get it initialized, and ready to go, with a brief illustration of how it navigated and operated. The woman working next to him was able to chime in on a few more things and discussed how she'd just been to a familiarization session on the Pre, and how there was a lot of capability that wasn't obvious at first glance. With two Pre Plus boxes under my arm, I left the store a happy customer.

3 - I ended up taking my Pre back due to a hot spot in the display and non-functional GPS (which seems to be more the result of Verizon's limitations than the hardware, but I hadn't found you all here yet), and dealt with the same young man. He spent quite a bit of time trying to get the GPS problem dealt with, and made every effort to make sure I was happy with what I had purchased. He asked whether I wanted to change phones, but not with any pressure to it, just checking to make sure he knew what I wanted to do. Again, I left a happy customer.

The few times I have visited the mall kiosk, mostly just in passing, the Palms were displayed as openly as anything else, but there were no accessories in sight, while Droid pieces were everywhere, thus the lower display score. I stopped in there the other day just to ask about the Navigator/GPS issue, and while the person I was dealing with didn't have any great insight into that specific issue, he had been using a Pre himself for a while before, enjoyed it, and was very competent in dealing with, navigating, and offering suggestions on operation.

Overall, I'm very happy with these two locations.

[bluenote]

Originally Posted by jezeric

My first post on the forums, and this seems like a good place to start.

Verizon Corporate Store
Findlay, OH

Display: 4
Knowledge: 4
Effort: 5

Verizon Kiosk
Findlay Mall
Findlay, OH

Display: 3
Knowledge: 5
Effort:4

Comments:

I was a happy Centro user when I heard about the webOS phones being released, and as such, I expected to be looking for a Pre or Pixi initially. I had gone to a couple of locations to do some hands-on examination of the Droids, and just didn't like the aesthetics, layout, or interface of them, and Blackberry was much the same, especially since I was looking specifically for a touchscreen physical QWERTY phone. Each time I went to either of the Findlay corporate locations, the sales people there were willing to listen to my wants and interests, and happily showed me whatever phone I wanted to see. They were reasonably knowledgeable about the Pre/Pixi, and even when they admitted that it wasn't what they were familiar with or used themselves, they didn't knock it or try to encourage adoption of something else.

3 specific examples (all at the corporate store, not the kiosk):
1 - My mother had decided that she was finally going to get her first ever cell phone. As what she really wanted was the contacts, connectivity, and interface capability, she decided a smartphone was the way to go. I had already decided that I was going for the Pre, and when the buy one, get one offer came up, I took her to the store to let her get a hands on feel for the phone. The man helping us was one of the shift supervisors and when other folks were looking at the Pre display (reasonably visible in the middle of one wall and available), he took his own out that he had just gotten and handed it over for her to try and explore. He admitted that it was his first day with the phone, and that he was still learning a lot about it, but that he liked it and was impressed with the qualities of the phone. Mom decided it was the phone for her from that visit, but we chose to wait a week for my new/2 discount to kick in.

2- The day came to purchase my new Pre, and I was delighted. I went in and ended up being helped by the tech specialist in the store, who happens to be a Droid user, and he was pleasant, supportive, and perfectly comfortable to sell me the phone I came in for. No pressure to change selections, and no bashing of the Pre at all. He didn't know it incredibly well, but was able to readily set it up, get it initialized, and ready to go, with a brief illustration of how it navigated and operated. The woman working next to him was able to chime in on a few more things and discussed how she'd just been to a familiarization session on the Pre, and how there was a lot of capability that wasn't obvious at first glance. With two Pre Plus boxes under my arm, I left the store a happy customer.

3 - I ended up taking my Pre back due to a hot spot in the display and non-functional GPS (which seems to be more the result of Verizon's limitations than the hardware, but I hadn't found you all here yet), and dealt with the same young man. He spent quite a bit of time trying to get the GPS problem dealt with, and made every effort to make sure I was happy with what I had purchased. He asked whether I wanted to change phones, but not with any pressure to it, just checking to make sure he knew what I wanted to do. Again, I left a happy customer.

The few times I have visited the mall kiosk, mostly just in passing, the Palms were displayed as openly as anything else, but there were no accessories in sight, while Droid pieces were everywhere, thus the lower display score. I stopped in there the other day just to ask about the Navigator/GPS issue, and while the person I was dealing with didn't have any great insight into that specific issue, he had been using a Pre himself for a while before, enjoyed it, and was very competent in dealing with, navigating, and offering suggestions on operation.

Overall, I'm very happy with these two locations.

Thanks for the great post and welcome to the forums. You'll find people here very willing to help you or your mom with any questions as you get to know your pre.

[wushu2004]

I. 801 W Camp St
East Peoria, IL 61611

II.

A. Display: (4) Between 3 different visits, the Palm phones got moved around. For some reason, the Pixi Plus was out of commission.
B. Salesperson knowledge of the Pre/Pixi: (4.5) Good for the most part. I didn't really ask since I found this site and researched for a good while.
C. Sales effort: (4.5) Didn't try to turn me away from the phone. I came in knowing exactly what I wanted and she got me going really quickly.

[bluenote]

Originally Posted by wushu2004

I. 801 W Camp St
East Peoria, IL 61611

II.

A. Display: (4) Between 3 different visits, the Palm phones got moved around. For some reason, the Pixi Plus was out of commission.
B. Salesperson knowledge of the Pre/Pixi: (4.5) Good for the most part. I didn't really ask since I found this site and researched for a good while.
C. Sales effort: (4.5) Didn't try to turn me away from the phone. I came in knowing exactly what I wanted and she got me going really quickly.

Wushu,
Nice post. Welcome to the forums and enjoy your pre. If you have questions, you've come to the right place for friendly help.

[wushu2004]

Good grief, was I the last person to buy a Verizon Palm phone??

Come on people, share your experiences.

[JED-WEB-OS]

Address: Houston TX
Display: 3
Knowledge: 3
Effort: 3

comments: It depends on which sales person you talk to, some like the Pre Plus, some don’t. The lady tech in the service department carries a Pre Plus that is over-clocked and patched to the hilt. Go figure?

[manordwall]

Display-1, people somehow take pictures of "body parts" with the phones instore and they dont get deleted but rather set as the background
Sales Effort-5, as you guessed they really do try to make the sale, but for droids
Knowledge- -3, our store is full of idiots if they were any stupider I just might kill myself, sorry that was extreme but you get the point

[smscotten]

I. Address

768 Market Street
San Francisco CA

II. Rate the store on three areas from 1-5

A. Display 1
B. Salesperson knowledge of the Pre/Pixi 3
C. Sales effort 1

III. Comments

A. Pixi wasn't on display at all. Salesperson had to go in back and get one out of a box for me to look at. Pre was on display in the farthest, darkest corner of the store.

B. When it was clear I was buying the phone, she showed me all the basics about the Pre. Everything was accurate. No "advanced feature" information or anything. Just the basics, but she was clear about it all.

C. Salesperson actively tried to steer me away from the Pre. Told me that "nine out of ten" Palm units sold get returned.

On a return visit to buy a charger (I would have bought an additional charging cable on my original visit if I'd known that the Touchstone "charger" doesn't come with a cord to plug in the wall socket. Palm gets the demerit for that) the store not only had no Palm charging cables on display that there was not even one Palm charging cable in the back.

With friends like Verizon, Palm needs no enemies.