A couple of
weeks ago, I decided that it was time for a new smartphone and to also make the switch from my current carrier to another, which I feel, in my opinion, has been more reliable in my geographical area. I was a loyal supporter of this carrier for almost 10 years; it took me through various phones, including the first, which was a flip phone that had the “old school” keypad for texting, instead of the “QWERTY” style that we have become so accustomed to. These phones (and this carrier to boot) were utilized by me for various conversations, text messages, and even, as I moved into the smartphone realm, a way for me to get online and also connect via social media.
I began to get frustrated with my longtime carrier shortly after Hurricane Sandy, which was when I needed to communicate the most. Out of all of the carriers in my general NY-NJ area, Verizon Wireless was the only one that had, for the most part, minimal interruptions. Now I know that a natural disaster is not something to use to call out your wireless carrier on, but I still felt slighted, knowing that I was not using the best of what was out there.
So, being that I needed an update on my current smartphone, my husband and I, with baby in tow, made it over to the closest Verizon retail store in Woodbridge, NJ, a couple weeks back. I really wasn’t looking forward to the process, considering that I was switching over from another carrier, needed a new phone, a new plan and new equipment. We packed the baby’s diaper bag with enough food for two meals, since I was prepared to be there for several hours, possibly dealing with a large headache after (I also remembered to pack the Ibuprofen in my purse for this).
When we arrived at the store, we were greeted by employees toting tablet devices, so that they could easily and quickly assess my information and what I hoped to accomplish by the end of my visit. My sales associate, was a very tall gentleman by the name of Hunain, who admitted to me that he had just joined Verizon (from another carrier) shortly after Hurricane Sandy. I thought we were getting off to a good start considering we already had something in common.
While the process, admittedly, took some time, being that I was literally transferring all of my information to another phone, plus my phone number needed to be “re-ported,” from the old carrier to the new. There was absolutely no way I was giving up my current number, which I have had since 2004!
After Hunain explained the various plans and charges to me, and once my phone was chosen, we talked about wireless service “on the go”. I told him that I was familiar with the Jetpack “Mifi” offered by Verizon, since we had recently reviewed it on our blog (check out Harrybbb’s review here). I told him that I thought it was a cool device, and it would be convenient for when I was on the move and needed to access my laptop by having my own hot spot. That being said, Hunain, hooked me up with the Jetpack, and I will agree with Harrybbb (who tested it himself) that it works very well.
Another thing that I will add about my experience at the Verizon store is that the staff seemed to genuinely enjoy their jobs and there was a sense of camaraderie that I had never experienced at any of the other carrier’s stores. Most of the time, I was forced to deal with people with bad attitudes or those who just wanted to make the sale to get me out of there, so they could “deal with” the next customer. Roseanne, the store manager, even took the time to ask me how my experience was, and each of the employee’s stopped to admire my 9-month-old son, as we wheeled him around the store in his stroller.
While I normally, don’t devote a whole blog to giving a vendor a “love tap,” I would have to say that this time I felt the need to make an exception, being that I wanted to share my story and commend Verizon and this store in Woodbridge, NJ, for its fantastic customer service, and for making my experience as painless as possible!
