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AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me

nickwoodhams.com

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Re: AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me

#31

Post by powertower »

MartinCron wrote: post #28
nickwoodhams wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And can you explain why it comes off as entitled?

The overall message that I need to be the one to remove a product from its packaging and that if anyone else does it, then my whole experience is ruined feels whiny and entitled to me. I get where the guy is coming from. I appreciate quality of experience as much as anyone, and each time I purchased an iPhone in store (three times now) it was at an Apple store and they did it the "right" way. I would even feel a bit…

This isn't necessarily entitlement, it could be a combination of 1) having paid for a product and wanting to be the only one handling it and 2) OCD.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

Though there is clear evidence of some idol worshiping going on here with the author of this peace (in regards to Apple). But IMO that's another story.

Personally, I'd want to open the box myself without anyone else handling what's clearly mine. Especially not some lame ass that couldn't care less if he damaged the device.

Re: AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me

#32

Post by nickwoodhams »

MartinCron wrote: post #28
nickwoodhams wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And can you explain why it comes off as entitled?

The overall message that I need to be the one to remove a product from its packaging and that if anyone else does it, then my whole experience is ruined feels whiny and entitled to me. I get where the guy is coming from. I appreciate quality of experience as much as anyone, and each time I purchased an iPhone in store (three times now) it was at an Apple store and they did it the "right" way. I would even feel a bit…

Point taken.

I didn't write about it to whine, I wrote about it to plant the idea that AT&T should have some stricter requirements from Apple.

Apple has had a profound affect on my life and my way of thinking. I've had some emotional experiences with some Apple products in the past. I consider that a gift. I think that shouldn't be undermined for anything.

If the rep was encouraging and shared in my excitement, imagine the change in sentient from this one small change.

Re: AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me

#33

Post by MartinCron »

nickwoodhams wrote: post #32
MartinCron wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The overall message that I need to be the one to remove a product from its packaging and that if anyone else does it, then my whole experience is ruined feels whiny and entitled to me. I get where the guy is coming from. I appreciate quality of experience as much as anyone, and each time I purchased an iPhone in store (three times now) it was at an Apple store and they did it the "right" way. I would even feel a bit…

Point taken. I didn't write about it to whine, I wrote about it to plant the idea that AT&T should have some stricter requirements from Apple. Apple has had a profound affect on my life and my way of thinking. I've had some emotional experiences with some Apple products in the past. I consider that a gift. I think that shouldn't be undermined for anything. If the rep was encouraging and shared in my excitement, imagi…

I'm pretty sure AT&T does have strict requirements from Apple, and that this one retail employee just dropped the ball or has some (also understandable) distaste for the iPhone-as-fetish-object ritual and is just choosing to opt out of it.

A carrier's experience will always be inferior to an Apple Store experience. That's news to no one.

Re: AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me

#34

Post by knowtheory »

nickwoodhams wrote: post #12
knowtheory wrote: post #4

Do not assume your cultural norms are everyone's cultural norms. That this guy was spoiling your (and likely other folks') moment is unfortunate. However, this is not screwing up an iPhone launch, this is spoiling your experience. Your experience is not the iPhone 5 launch. I am sympathetic that this engagement didn't go the way you wanted it to. Complaining on the internet is not the way to address this issue, and i…

Whether or not his cultural norms were mine, isn't it common sense to let the owner open up his own product? He was sloppy. I've had wonderful first experiences with Apple products before, namely the 3rd Generation iPod. I think that's part of what has drawn me to the company ever since. These emotional highs create some very strong connections. I think it's one of the reasons Apple has such high brand loyalty. And A…

Having purchased mobile phones in the past, I have had store reps open the box, boot and test the phone. That seems courteous if that is their intent. And you've got to think that dude sells a lot of phones other than the iPhone, and may well not have appreciated that you have a special personal relationship with Apple (via their devices) that he was interfering with.

That's what I mean by cultural norms. You are essentially demanding that this man accede your preferred experience. This guy may just be totally clueless that this is how you experience devices (because I can tell you a lot of other folks do not experience unboxing the way you do).

And it's okay that you wish to have that experience, and that Apple wishes to facilitate that sort of experience, but to blame this guy for not having known what your expectations are ahead of time, that is what comes off to me as entitled.

Apple pretends that they are mind readers (what they really are is a company that is really good at cultivating expectations that they then meet), and AT&T and your rep are clearly not mind readers and are also bad at cultivating expectations.

Re: AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me

#36

Post by jwuggles »

If they waited for every customer to enjoy the unboxing experience then the line would have barely moved as everyone would be joygasming.

On the real.

The employees are trying to rush through the mass. They have the setup the phone, activate and etc for the account that they don't have the luxury of time for you to enjoy the unboxing experience. It is unfortunate for those who enjoy it - sure. But it is what it is and business is business. There are a hundreds of customers waiting and want to play with their phone and so they have to blitz through to fulfill every customer.

Re: AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me

#38

Post by MartinCron »

nickwoodhams wrote: post #12
knowtheory wrote: post #4

Do not assume your cultural norms are everyone's cultural norms. That this guy was spoiling your (and likely other folks') moment is unfortunate. However, this is not screwing up an iPhone launch, this is spoiling your experience. Your experience is not the iPhone 5 launch. I am sympathetic that this engagement didn't go the way you wanted it to. Complaining on the internet is not the way to address this issue, and i…

Whether or not his cultural norms were mine, isn't it common sense to let the owner open up his own product? He was sloppy. I've had wonderful first experiences with Apple products before, namely the 3rd Generation iPod. I think that's part of what has drawn me to the company ever since. These emotional highs create some very strong connections. I think it's one of the reasons Apple has such high brand loyalty. And A…

isn't it common sense to let the owner open up his own product?

When I order large things (Televisions, Furniture) it's a luxury to have people come into my home, open the product, and take the packaging away. That's common sense, too.

Re: AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me

#39

Post by lotharbot »

nickwoodhams wrote: post #27
MartinCron wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

it comes off a bit as entitled That's an understatement. I'm tempted to think that the original article was a troll, satire, or both.

And can you explain why it comes off as entitled?

I wouldn't have said "entitled", but instead, "lacking perspective".

The launch is described as a religious experience, as if the AT&T sales rep violated someone's most sacred ceremonies, when instead he should have been celebrating alongside. I have a hard time taking seriously the suggestion that opening a phone deserves to be spoken of in the same way as pesach, epiphany, Eid al-Adha, or your wedding night.

Now, I certainly agree that the tech didn't treat the phone appropriately. There's room for improvement here; stricter requirements from Apple or stricter training for this particular sales rep might be in order. But ultimately, it's just a phone; the sales rep's behavior is closer to "the grocery clerk put my tomatoes at the bottom of the cart" than "this guy violated my religious experience".

Re: AT&T Screwed Up the iPhone 5 Launch for me

#40

Post by captaincrunch »

incongruity wrote: post #17
captaincrunch wrote: post #2

You should have said something, not only did your experience get ruined, but every passive person behind you will now have their experience ruined.

Sometimes "unboxing" is just about getting something out of the box. Sometimes we take it all too seriously and forget, as another poster said, that our norms are not everyone else's norms. Thus, "all those passive people" might well have had their experience ruined not by being deprived of some unboxing experience, but by having to wait while every person ahead of them opens their box to make sure the phone's there,…

My point was, if he didn't like something they did, he should have used his voice. I personally don't care if I open a box, in fact, it would be less work for someone to setup the phone for me.
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