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Phones4U - OK
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Recommendation added: 04/06/2007 21:51
By: katygriff (YSUK rating +504)katygriff has been thanked 0 times for this contribution
"Now phones4u, there are so many things to tell you and I will. You see I have insider information because I spent seven months working in one of the stores in Birmingham and because I have also been a customer of phones4u for several years hopefully this review should make for a good read.
I have to tell you my first experience with them was a bad one. I bought a prepay phone from them when I was 18 and although I cannot remember the exact type of phone it was a Nokia and a huge one at that which commonly got referred to as 'the brick' by my university housemates. Stupidly I dropped 'the brick' down the toilet so of course when I had fished it out it wasn't working. I tried everything to dry it off but nothing worked (not even my hair dryer on full heat). This phone was now taken to our local phones4u store where they told me they would send it off for repair and it should be back in 3-4 weeks. Well 8 weeks later and we got a phone call saying that my phone could not be repaired and it was being retained by the store and to get it back I had to pay them £20. Of course I was at university and did not want to waste valuable drinking money so I bought another phone instead.
After university I needed money fast so I could pay for my driving lessons. This is when I got a job at phones4u in Birmingham. The company is huge and therefore you stick to your store and just make friends there. Now phones4u do not pay you a great basic salary as you get a chance to earn a lot of commission in the job. The staff are given a role play to act out in front of every customer which you will never hear them doing when the manager isn't looking as I found that a smile and a friendly chat made the day go faster.
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The phones:
The one thing I was impressed with is how many phones phones4u actually has in stock. Although some people prefer to go to the individual shops i.e. if you have o2 you go to the o2 store the thing to remember is that each network has individual phones for that network. The good thing about phones4u is that they store them all and they have a very good selection. They have huge deliveries every week (which I had to sit and unpack) and at Christmas the deliveries are bumped up so you can get phones coming through every day. Also if they do not have the phone you want in store then they can get it for you by transferring it from another store.
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The tariffs:
The tariffs in store are basically the same as everywhere else. The difference comes with how far the member of staff is willing to go to help you. For the short time I was a sales assistant there (about 2 weeks before I was promoted) I would do anything I could to help a customer. The rule I would use is get over every objective so I would get the customer to tell me exactly what they want down to every little detail. In every instance I could get them to smile and accept my offer because I am literally giving them what they want. The thing for customers to remember is yes the staff are on commission and yes they will approach you but they are also shop assistants and like to be kept busy so they will try their best to help you. I used to hate standing around and although I was disappointed when somebody didn't buy a phone, I still felt glad that I had given the store a good name and made a customer smile. I mean it even the angry ones used to be smiling after I had spoke to them. If you have a query about a tariff just ask but in most cases you will not have to as a good phones4u salesperson will cue sheet you. Do not be scared if they ask you to do this it is just to make sure that they have all the information they need to make a decision on what is best for you.
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Returns:
Now I will let you know that I was hopeless at remembering how long customers had to return certain products. Usually it is 28 days for a contract and 10 days for a pre-pay phone. If you are not sure when you get in there just ask and they will be happy to tell you. For one they would rather you know then bring it back 2 months later angry and upset. When I was working there I saw many angry customers because nobody had told them how long they had to return a phone but honestly most staff members will try their best to find some way to help you. What I would do if you are getting irate with the staff is ask to speak to the manager of the store or one of the sales managers as they are the ones who can make all of the big decisions.
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Repairs:
Repairs at phones4u have generally got better. You will be told your phone will take 4-6 weeks to be repaired but the majority of cases are back within 2-3. They have to be processed by the shop and then sent to the repair centre. There they will be analysed and tested depending on the fault description the customer gave the shop assistant when they bought their phone in for repair. If they are tested to be fine they will be sent straight back. If they need a part replaced then it may be a little longer. What I will tell you is keep up with the shop. I was generally good at processing the repairs as that was one of my jobs as administrator but I have seen shops that have had repairs there for weeks without even realising they haven't sent them off. Make sure they have your right phone number and my advice is before you send your phone in for repair to jot down the IMEI number which you will find by removing your battery and you should see it. This will make sure that if they are being slow that they can track down your phone. Also if I was you I would phone them every week to check if it is back as this will also remind them to send it off if they haven't done so already.
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The shop:
The phones4u shop is always updated with the most recent news in telecommunications. As well as having daily briefs with their managers, they are also updated with new offers and tested on what they know. All members of staff should be able to answer any question you may have but if it becomes obvious that they do not go, do not get frustrated and just ask if they know anybody else who would know the answer. When I was new I had far too many people act really angry just because I told them I didn't know the answer but would get somebody else. Also day to day if there are any updates on prices or products they are automatically put onto the system so if you go into a shop you should be able to see the most recent information.
Now I have to say I loved working there because of the atmosphere. It is not as bad as you would think for competition between staff members due to commission. Everybody I met in the company was friendly and informative and although I have left I still speak to all of my old work colleagues and even recruited one into my job in recruitment. The company is very harsh on its employees though and as a staff member you do get a lot of information drilled into you and are expected to know it all of by heart instantly. I guess my point is here that phones4u staff should be able to help you with any query or problem you have and if they cant they will definitely point you in the right direction. Phones4u has always had a reputation for the staff being a bit cocky but trust me that a lot has changed and now customer service is a number one priority for everybody in there.
The standard of the shops are fantastic and if you do ever have a problem or comment then tell the manager as although they are busy all day, they still help at every opportunity they can. And as a last thought remember that the staff will try to help you in any way they can and do not constantly think they just want the commission as believe me it is not that good.
Thanks for reading.
xxx"
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