Mobile Phone & Carrier Comparison Shops?
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I rarely do mobile phone shops anymore. When I used to do them, the biggest problem was long waits. When I shopped locations that sold plans for different carriers, the salespeople often seemed to push certain products (be they plans or phones) because selling those products would be good for the salespeople. They did not seem to be trying to find the best plans or phones for me.
Is this the one where you have to go to two different locations within an hour of each other and compare? I asked for the guidelines and haven't gotten them yet, so I'm hesitant to request the shop just to get the guidelines. I've found that's usually a warning sign.
@wrosie wrote:
Is this the one where you have to go to two different locations within an hour of each other and compare? I asked for the guidelines and haven't gotten them yet, so I'm hesitant to request the shop just to get the guidelines. I've found that's usually a warning sign.
Yes, that's the one. I haven't read the guidelines word for word yet, but it seems like two "normal" cell/service shops--just done back to back and with the same exact information required. You actually don't get the full guidelines until you choose your scenario because they're not the same. And you can't see the scenarios until you accept the shop, but there are several to choose from. But the survey itself gives the generic guidelines. Like a normal shop, you have to evaluate the salesperson's knowledge, effort to determine your needs, recommendations, if they ask for the sale, and so on. You have to use the same scenario, of course, and elicit answers to the same set of questions.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
@BusyBeeBuzzBuzzBuzz wrote:
I rarely do mobile phone shops anymore. When I used to do them, the biggest problem was long waits. When I shopped locations that sold plans for different carriers, the salespeople often seemed to push certain products (be they plans or phones) because selling those products would be good for the salespeople. They did not seem to be trying to find the best plans or phones for me.
I had long wait times just twice, but those killed any profit I might have made! And I agree that often they just try to sell you the phone or the service that will be best for them. The best experience I ever had on a phone shop was at Best Buy, not a carrier store. The salesperson really knew his stuff and actually asked enough questions to figure out a great phone for me. I was so tempted to buy it!
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've done a few of these. I'll do more when they are available and the price is right.
The comparison portion of the questions does add a little more time. But I didn't find it to be too much due to the increase in fee compared to doing two of these.
In my location I haven't had to wait for someone to assist me more than 10 seconds. I can normally complete one of these in about 5 - 10 minutes.
The comparison portion of the questions does add a little more time. But I didn't find it to be too much due to the increase in fee compared to doing two of these.
In my location I haven't had to wait for someone to assist me more than 10 seconds. I can normally complete one of these in about 5 - 10 minutes.
The actual in-store shops went quickly and were straightforward. But the report--beware--is very tedious and time-consuming, with a lot of narrative, some of it pretty redundant. Don't ever do one at base fee! It's not worth it! If mine gets approved, it will have been well worth it for the fee. If it doesn't, I'm out a lot of time....
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Yikes. Thanks for all the helpful hints. I have this scheduled tomorrow, planning for a mini-route, but it's beginning to look like a long day (100 miles drive to get there; nicely bonused, plus two other shops for $130, so may be a good day).
Good grief. Had so much trouble accessing the guidelines, I was ready to cancel. But I finally succeeded only to find the questionnaire is 44 pages long.
I am seriously considering cancelling. Heck, I don't think I can afford to print off 44 pages of questions! Maybe I can construct a cheat sheet....after all, I been doing this long enough, right? I should be able to mangle this...I mean, oops, manage this!
I am seriously considering cancelling. Heck, I don't think I can afford to print off 44 pages of questions! Maybe I can construct a cheat sheet....after all, I been doing this long enough, right? I should be able to mangle this...I mean, oops, manage this!
A lot of the questions are pretty standard stuff and the second set of questions is a duplicate of the first. I printed out about 10 pages, I think. Don't worry; you "got this"!
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Well, I don't "got this" this time. I find the scenarios mystifying. I don't comfortably fit any of them. I don't even understand the words they use (my ignorance re: cell phones is VAST).
I asked the scheduler to remove it. Not willing to drive 200 miles and not get paid because I failed to do it properly.
I asked the scheduler to remove it. Not willing to drive 200 miles and not get paid because I failed to do it properly.
@ceasesmith wrote:
I asked the scheduler to remove it. Not willing to drive 200 miles and not get paid because I failed to do it properly.
Well, I can see that! I was lucky in that one scenario fit me pretty well, so it was comfortable for me. But neither of the salespersons even asked me anything about my backstory. I had to casually refer to it as they went through their presentation in order to get the quote I needed to have. They also didn't get into the technical details of the phone much. About the only technical thing either talked about was the camera megapixels.
I think you'd have done fine, but I can see why you'd be hesitant to take one on so far from you.
I'm just hoping I gave the MSC enough detail and that the shop doesn't get returned to me or rejected. I think it went OK, but some of the questions forced responses when there wasn't really a suitable selection. Like a multiple-choice test where none of the answers are correct.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I did this shop. The fee had increased up to a level that made it worth it to me to drive an hour in each direction. The actual visits to the two stores were fairly quick and easy. The report was very long, but I did not think any of the questions on the form did not apply. I never print out the questionnaires. I used to do that years ago, but the cost of printing generally isn't justified. I just jot down a cheat sheet to take with me, as I find the act of writing notes helps me remember what to do. The narrative portions didn't seem to need lots and lots of comments, as shown in an example they had. I put in just a handful of sentences each. Comparing and contrasting was actually pretty easy for me because the service in the two stores were very different from each other. Hopefully, the editors won't require anything more.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2022 07:24PM by shopnyc.
Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2022 07:24PM by shopnyc.
In my case, there were no other customers in the store when I arrived, but there was no choice for "0." Also, I received a printed out quote at the store, but the question about if you were given a quote at the store (which was already uploaded) or emailed one made you answer as if you had been emailed a quote, so I had to upload the same printout. And I agree that the narratives didn't need to be lengthy. My experience at both shops was similar in many aspects, so some of the differences weren't very easy to describe. One was overall the clear winner, so it didn't take a lot of "thinking on" that comparison. I'd do this shop again for the same fee, but no less. Considering drive time, in-store time (which was minimal), and report time, it was worth it. Fortunately I picked up another job that covered my gas and lunch and still gave me a profit.
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
Ah, yes, the same for me. But the question asked how many "parties" were in the store, rather than customers, so I counted employees and myself as parties. I also uploaded the sheet that they had written on as the "emailed" quote, since the question starts off asking if they provided a printed copy or offered to email me. I had a biz card for the first upload.@BirdyC wrote:
In my case, there were no other customers in the store when I arrived, but there was no choice for "0." Also, I received a printed out quote at the store, but the question about if you were given a quote at the store (which was already uploaded) or emailed one made you answer as if you had been emailed a quote, so I had to upload the same printout.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/23/2022 07:48PM by shopnyc.
I have done this shop several times since they came about. It is very simple. You have to go to them in the order they tell you and they are always VERY close to each other. Most of the ones I did were within walking distance or even in the same parking lot.
You need a picture of the front and another picture of a business card or paperwork. There are close to 150 questions, but most are just a click.
The first 50 or so are exclusively about the first location. The second 50 are about the second location and then there are 20-30 comparing them.
There are several one sentence answers.
For me, it's about 30 minutes to do the shop and 20 to enter it.
Hope this helps.
You need a picture of the front and another picture of a business card or paperwork. There are close to 150 questions, but most are just a click.
The first 50 or so are exclusively about the first location. The second 50 are about the second location and then there are 20-30 comparing them.
There are several one sentence answers.
For me, it's about 30 minutes to do the shop and 20 to enter it.
Hope this helps.
@shopnyc wrote:
But the question asked how many "parties" were in the store, rather than customers, so I counted employees and myself as parties. I also uploaded the sheet that they had written on as the "emailed" quote, since the question starts off asking if they provided a printed copy or offered to email me. I had a biz card for the first upload.
Oops on me! I took that to mean "customers," but I can see now that it didn't. I assume the shop will get kicked back to me. I didn't think to upload the business card in the first field and the quote just once, in the second. I did get business cards at both. I'll fix that if it gets returned to me. Thanks for the tips!
I learn something new every day, but not everyday!
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
I've learned to never trust spell-check or my phone's auto-fill feature.
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