There is no doubt that AT&T likes to throw around its "premier Windows Phone carrier" status as if it actually means something. What exactly does that status mean? Shitty service instore? Biased reps that don't want you to buy what you want? Pushing the iPhone to customers who clearly want Windows Phone? Well, kind of.

Today, when heading home from the University of Fairbanks Alaska, I figured I would stop by the AT&T close to my home to pre-order a cyan Lumia 900, or Lumina as the reps like to call it. After an hour long wait, which didn't bother me at the time as I thought I would be getting an unlocked Lumia 900 at the time, a sales rep free'd up and asked me to fallow him to the sales desk. On the way to the desk, he continually called the phone the Lumina even after I politely corrected him. Once we reached his desk, he found the need to say he was given a Lumia 900, but gave it away and went straight back to his Galaxy Note. This wouldn't have bothered me either if we were actually talking about his Note, but this comment was completely out of the blue as if just to push me away from the phone I KNOW I want.



After a few snide remarks regarding the design of the Lumia 900, he finally accepted the fact that this was the phone I wanted, even though I had meet with this associate a week before and he knew it was my final decision. After his acceptance, he had a very hard time locating the SKU's for either colours of the Lumia 900's. Even after consulting with a manager, it still took him around 30 minutes just to find the numbers for the devices showing a great lack of preparation on AT&T's part as this happened at both stores I visited today.



Once the SKU issued was solved, I was immediately told by the manager that I could not pre-order an unlocked Lumia device. I have never pre-ordered a phone before, but I don't see how it is any different than taking my money on the 8th as opposed today. I didn't argue to much as I figured there were several other options.

As I stood and waited some more as they looked over my options, I happened to over hear a conversation another sales rep was having with a customer who litterally approached her in interest of the Samsung Focus S. The customer asked the associate which phone had the best rating between the Samsung Windows Phone and the iPhone. The associate gave an unconfident response of iPhone as if she didn't know the real answer. I couldn't help but to laugh under my breath while minding my own business because THEIR OWN WEBSITE shows near perfect customer ratings on the AT&T Windows Phones, as well as this survey conducted by PC Magazine. http://thenextweb.com/apple/2012/03/28/revealing-user-survey-proves-windows-phone-a-worthy-adversary-for-iphone-if-only-it-had-the-apps/

After waiting for a another good 20 minutes, the associate and manager both told me that I wasn't available for an upgrade, which is reasonable as I was only 10 months into my contract. What really ticked me off is when the associate said that he could upgrade me to just the iPhone and nothing else. I can't help but to think he was trying to get me an over ride to upgrade to the iPhone just to get back at me for not buying into his Note push. I will explain why I believe that later.

After calmly leaving the store while sending them the message that I was not happy, I decided that maybe I should try the AT&T across town that I had never had a problem with. When I walked into the store I was immediately greeted with a smile which was refreshing. The greeter even took the time to listen to me vent about my issues with the other store, I felt a real level of customer service. However, when I mentioned why I was there she told me she was under the impression that pre-orders started Sunday. I told her about the webpage they have up on their site and after a quick conversation between her and her manager she directed me towards possibly the nicest AT&T rep I had ever met. Not only did the greeter greet me well and have a real human conversation, but she was able to tell me upfront that the unlocked version wasn't available to pre-order. It sure would have been nice to know this from the get go at the other store.

When I started working with the sales associate, she instantly informed me that I wasn't open for upgrade, and that I could either open a line or buyout my contract. Neither of these options were represented to me by the associate at the other store. The only option he gave me was to early upgrade to an iPhone he knew I clearly did not want, an upgrade that the new associate said WAS NOT available to me. This is why I believe the associate was messing with me because I wouldn't buy into Android like he wanted to, he reeked of fanboyism. Im not saying fanboys are bad, but when being in a sales position, bias should not be something you allow to affect your sales. Otherwise the sale will result in a returned product and a bad customer relationship.



After deciding to buyout my contract and start over with a new number, we began the long (but normal) process of setting up the contract. During this time not only did ALL the reps show interest in the device I was buying, but they also let me play with their Lumias so I would know what I was getting. In the prior store I did not see a single hint of the device which was disappointing.



In the end I walked out of the store with a smile on my face and a Lumia pre-order that is said to be in on the 6th AT THE LATEST. The was a major difference in the stores to such a point that I think AT&T really needs to start focusing on quality control of their sales staff. It seemed training in the device at the first store I visited was non-existant as they were calling it a Lumina.



I feel that AT&T seems to be very ill-prepared for this "flagship premier carrier" launch in certain stores as some associates didn't even know what the phone is even named or how to sell it (SKU's hard to find). However, I can still hold a lot of hope after going to the second store as they actually wanted to take my money and show/talk to me about the device.

Basically I feel that not only did I have my worst experience in an AT&T ever, but also my best. How was everyone else's experiences in their local store when pre-ordering today?