Isn’t it marvellous that these days the networks change their T&C’s more often than you change your socks.  More and more life of the independent dealer is made harder by decisions made without any consultation whatsoever with the very people it affects, and dealers reluctantly accept the decisions and struggle on.   Orange upgrades are a prime example with all outbound upgrade calling stopped and a dealer cull which the IMPDA supports if it gets rid of the fly by night dealers and leaves honest quality conscious ones.  However all is not lost, there is a way to achieve upgrades and at the same time keep good quality service to the customer, more on that later.

So how this achieved, simple is email your customers and ask them to call YOU to upgrade.  Yes outbound calling is stopped! but there is nothing under the regulations or T&C’s that says you cant upgrade customers that CALL YOU, why lose them when you can still achieve potentially lost sales, or worse let the network poach them.

So with all these changes what is the future for the dealers in the uk.  As you know the IMPDA independent report (obtain a copy at http://www.impda.co.uk/report/impda_Independent_report_2007.pdf) indicated that networks were heading towards the USA model. The latest we hear is that the USA is actually looking at putting back dealers into the marketplace, they like what they see in the UK, so why on earth are the networks here hell bent on the destruction of dealers in this country.

Which brings me to the latest grouse?  Remember these words “The shop from the future with the staff of the living dead” or “A tiny store with the tiny levels of customer service” No its not Dr Frankenstein’s patent medicine shop or indeed PC worlds stores or sometimes I tend to think it is the number of times I have waited for hours for PC world service only to be spoken to by a member of the troglodyte family.  I am referring to Network owned stores whose descriptions were from the Mystery shopper from Mobile News of 3 and O2 stores.

Just when the networks will realise what a fantastic resource they have in independent stores, which give very high levels of customer service.  Yes the independents do have an interest, it’s THEIR shop, whereas the networks just employ people in theirs with little pride in the shop itself. 

The complaint continually heard from customers is they appreciate time spent and friendliness of staff and for first time buyers the impression of the network is in these independent shops.  Then customers contact the network and get a level of service that both the USA and Japanese would not stand for.  The networks keep bleating on about getting more staff trained and they are improving all the time, but come on you have been saying that for years and it just does not wash anymore.  When the networks improve and give the same level of service as the independents then they can say they have made progress, until then the independents rule supreme.