WPTattletale–Bad Windows Phone 7 sales experiences gets a home

June 14, 2011 | By Surur

There are numerous reports of poor sales experiences when our readers try and buy Windows Phone 7 handsets.

Robert McLaws has started a website to document bad experience at the store while trying to buy a Windows Phone. Robert is a former Microsoft MVP for ASP.NET and Windows and its safe to day a Windows Phone 7 fan.

His new website, WPtattletale.com let buyers name and shame stores where they have had bad experiences, hopefully helping Microsoft target their “re-education program” for carrier sales staff.

He writes:

Microsoft has gone out of their way to build an awesome experience for the phone with Windows Phone 7. But the one experience they can’t control is what happens when you walk into a retail store to buy one. And it’s too bad, because the retail experience, as handle by carriers and their affiliates, is an abomination. It’s pretty hard to try out a new device experience when the device is either broken, dead, or a plastic shell with a sticker for a home screen. Or when the response to "Can I see a Windows Phone?" is met with "Have you seen the AMOLED screen on the Samsung Charge?"

This site aims to fix that. Windows Phone Tattletale is taking the fight to the streets. We want reviews, good and bad, about your experiences with Windows Phone 7 at retail. Was the display in a visible location and working? Did the salesperson seem knowledgeable about the phone? Were you able to actually experience the phone? We want to know. We make it easy for you to add the store, and rate it. We’ll take care of making sure that the carriers see it, and maybe they’ll be embarrassed enough to fix it.

So dig in. Check out our retail maps, subscribe to the blog, and share your experience. And thanks for your support.

Read more and participate at WPtattletale.com.

Thanks Brianna for the tip.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged carriers, windows phone 7

Capossela

Not a good way to build relationships with partners, us supports of WP7 need to stop looking anywhere but inward towards our mismanagement of the product with late to market good OS, a bad advertising campaign, poor first update execution, and weak carrier support from the start.

Anonymous

1.Microsoft didnt make this website, so stop talking like they did.
2. this problem is very big and existent, the fact that you’re downplaying it shows that youre ignorant. Nothing was mismanaged, they started over on windows mobile 7 2 years ago and went as fast as they could, so it wasnt “late to market” the smartphones will be here for decades, they launched last year.

MSblog

iPhone came in 2007,MS response to iOS was 4 years latter and 3 years after Android both did not even exist in the SmartPhone market. MS stayed with WM too long and then late to the market. To say anything different is revisionist history. You did not respond to MS WP7 marketing campaign so I assume you agree it was terrible. Finally MS underinvested in the retail channel and the result of that underinvestment is poor retail support that this website is complaining about but none the less a direct result from the initial underinvestment.

http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

Too late to market?

You realize the battle isnt with people who already own smartphones, its going after the dumb phone market which is over 70%

You cant be “too late” to the smartphone market considering there is *MUCH* ground left to make up for it

MSblog

It is called first movers advantage and the resulting cost for MS to gain any significant market share. For example they already spent half a billion in Ads to sell 3 million phones. Entering late into a market forces that unprofitable behavior. It is time for you to be a bit less enthusiastic and a bit more knowledgable about the subjects to which you post.
http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

Yeah in other words, no response to my logic which you cant refute
Anonymous

Sorry dude but I don’t agree with you. Android was in the same position with iPhone being way ahead in numbers. People like you said the same thing, but look at the Android market now. Android got that way because every other hand set on shelf is an Android. MS is taking the route, but in a controlled route by taking a little sample from Apple. Also note Android route is something they took from MS with Winmo and PC market. MS can do it, look at what they did to the console market against Sony and Nintendo. They also had their naysayer like you for years…and WP7 is not even a year old.
bruinsen

1. Microsoft didn’t spend $500M advertising WP7: They spent $500M evangelising WP7. This includes investments in app dev, community gen, education, engagement programs, early adoption, and yes, marketing & advertising. But don’t get evangelism confused with advertising. They’re very different things. For example: Apple’s ADVERTISING budget is north of $900M alone.
2. For someone so cocky, you’re applying “first mover’s advantage” in the wrong context. FMA only applies if the market is sufficiently saturated as to be relevant. Over 70% of the market is green field, and Apple isn’t even in 3rd place. To most strategists, that’s a toss up regardless of what people in the CA and NY reality bubble think.
Additionally, even if it did apply, first mover’s advantage is a molehill rather than the mountain you seem to insinuate it is. WordPerfect. Novell. Netscape. Java. Otherwise how do you explain Microsoft’s recent cloud productivity offering surpassing Google Apps?
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/microsoftpri0/2015325847_nearlydoubleamountofpeopleareusing.html

Dhaoracle

Yea they were late but they were making sure that they got it right and guess what, THEY DID. Hell even the so called early comers are copying the late bloomers. So the innovation followed the patience of the ones who were willing to do it right and make it look absolutely beautiful at the same time.

Their only problem is their WP7 marketing team. Then i couldn’t blame them for not pushing the 1st generation phones when they knew that they were missing a lot of key features when everybody else had them to enjoy on first sale. So it was a good and bad move but as long as they got the product out there is what matters. Everybody knows about WP7 and now that they have everyone’s attention with updates already out there with Mango following it. Now they can go SUPER HARD on their marketing because it would be something that they can stand behind with no extreme criticism because they have all of it right and all of it integrated.

And underinvestment yes at first but if you see how they are collaborating with all of these companies you can see that Microsoft is about to come hard with no prisoners. They have most of the OEMs behind them (Nokia especially is going to be their golden goose because no other OEM can say that they sold a billion anything), great unique services, smooth interface, future OSs that is definitely going to kick butt, TOP DOG partners, the Money, the resources, Nvidia, WP8, and so much more at their disposal to not fail when WP7.5 come out.

Anonymous

At least you got the weak carrier support part right.
Anonymous

The branding is a bit misleading but obviously this is a site of people who are sick and tired and are not going to take it any more.

Anonymous

i love that site. Hope people get fired for being stupid fanboys.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

Yet you would support it if salesmen told people to stay away from Android and buy WP7?

Anonymous

yes, because android is horrible, and I believe the vast majority of the buying public would be better off with a phone that lasts 2 days, not 2 hours like a typical android device. I could go on and on about android’s problems like horrid battery life, never getting updates, cheap hardware/camera components, poor design, etc. the platform is a mess. that is why I would be ok if salesmen told people to stay away from android, because it would quite literally be a good deed.

Now if you said stay away from iphone to buy wp7, im not sure I would be ok with that. both of these platforms are quality. that would be a different story.

Guest

Andrew. your wasting your time. simply no reasoning with PMSing fanboys

http://www.facebook.com/people/Warren-Cush/1425676469 Warren Cush

i havnt experienced what these people are going through but why are’t these carriers showing people options. let them experience the phones, use a wp7 and go threw it and show them how horrible it is and then compare to andriod or apple. let them see thats its horrible, as far as im concerned my wp7 trophy may not be high end but it does its job flawlessly. i personally dont like android cause there OS maybe open, but there not smooth, menu sucks and still doesnt have option Win 6.x have (niether does WP7 but its coming with mango). iphone i nice and smooth like WP7 but im just not big on apple. my wife has an iphone and its a good phone but im just a MS guy. most poeple wouldnt even give the phone a try before bashing it, they stay looking at the history of MS like they cant change. i hope the website does bring some light to what going on with the stores, regardless wether MS take it to top spot or stay at the bottom (which i doubt) i will always support them.
macs

Your just regurgitating nonsense others have said. The SGSII and HTC Sensation are both butter smooth. I had the sensation in one hand and the Omnia 7 in the other. The Omnia 7 was the one showing lag. Microsoft use transition effects and animations to hide the slow resumption of applications. Tell me what you want to do that you could do on wm6.5 that you can’t do on Android. WP7 is an OS lacking features and running on year old hardware at premium prices. That’s why its not selling and its pathetic to blame the resellers, retailers or operators.

Dhaoracle

You are definitely right about everything that you have said because i own a Samsung Fascinate which was a top selling phone because of its incredible features. Now it is everything that you say an android phone is horrile on battery life, slow, fragmented, and i still didn’t get an update to 2.2. So Andrew and Guest be wrong somewhere else because Android is horrible and i only got one because i was waiting for WP7 to come to Verizon, but now I am going to wait for a WP7.5/Mango phone.

I believe that this site is on point with what they are doing and i for one support it to the MAX because it is true about the lack of pushing WP7 to the people when it is so much better than Android. Now i admit that some not all 100,000 apps are good but what good is an app if your phone is freezing all the time and you have to do all of this customization and hacking just to get it to act right when you could have a phone that integrates it all for you, like WP7 did.

I remember the day that i talked to a family member who was a Senior Saleperson at At&t and knew nothing about WP7 when it was coming out in their store in a week before i talked to this person. That is just plain bad. Now i know that most of this falls with Microsoft because they could have gotten some of the 90,000 employees to go across the country to make sure that the phone got into the hands of salespeople, shows off the great unique features, and to give them a brief lesson about the phone would have done wonders. Then the marketing was not horrible but just wasn’t spent in the right places. It was all over the Internet instead of being in everybody’s face showing off their feature phone like Apple does every 30 minutes in a commercial (which is why i see why so many people buy it. You shower them with quick features, smooth interface, good music, and a good product and they can’t do nothing but buy the product.). Microsoft needs to do that when Windows Phone 7.5 comes out and not just throw some gimmick about “In and Out”. They need to show how they are going to get in and out, show off the integration features, and smoothness of the interface.

I say they either fire the entire marketing team because their efforts was HORRIBLE or hire some of these amateur commercial makers who actually like the phone, have long time experience with the phone, and who can point out the best parts of WP7. They do that then they will be fine and blow up higher than they ever anticipated, rather than looking for 1-3% growth in market shares.

GET ON YOUR HUSTLE MICROSOFT. REVOLUTION ISN’T JUST GOING TO BE HANDED TO YOU!!!!!!

Bill

you know why the sals persion is trying to talk you away from a windows phone 7
thay make more money on selling and android phone
a relible source
Guest

I think the site is a scam, the map show 22 different location and we know that is twice as many phone sold.

John

Troll Somewhere else!
John

Troll Somewhere else!

Guest

I think the site is a scam, the map show 22 different location and we know that is twice as many phone sold.
Anonymous

Seems like it might add dealer animosity onto the heap of reasons WP7 devices aren’t selling
macs

I was in Dublin 2 weeks ago and went into a shop to buy an unlocked device and had 500 euro in my pocket. For a Samsung Omnia 7 it was 499 euro, Samsung Galaxy s II and HTC sensation both 469 euro. How can a device with a first gen snapdragon processor cost more than the SGII or HTC Senstation. Guess what its not as smooth as either of those devices either. I eliminated it immediately. A woman came in and asked for a device that could play flash and the sales guy immediately showed her the SGSII ahead of the sensation. She asked him to show her a particular childrens TV station site which is full of flash content. She left with the SGSII as did I.

Microsoft are just too slow with hardware and software updates. Also Bing maps sucks compared to google maps. Wp7 is not selling well because its currently to far behind the competition.
macs

I was in Dublin 2 weeks ago and went into a shop to buy an unlocked device and had 500 euro in my pocket. For a Samsung Omnia 7 it was 499 euro, Samsung Galaxy s II and HTC sensation both 469 euro. How can a device with a first gen snapdragon processor cost more than the SGII or HTC Senstation. Guess what its not as smooth as either of those devices either. I eliminated it immediately. A woman came in and asked for a device that could play flash and the sales guy immediately showed her the SGSII ahead of the sensation. She asked him to show her a particular childrens TV station site which is full of flash content. She left with the SGSII as did I.

Microsoft are just too slow with hardware and software updates. Also Bing maps sucks compared to google maps. Wp7 is not selling well because its currently to far behind the competition.
http://twitter.com/jimmyfal Jimmy Fallon

I’d write a review if I could figure out how to use the site. This guy is pretty dumb in that department. If he can’t create a useable site, maybe he shouldn’t get all this press. Dumbass…
http://twitter.com/jimmyfal Jimmy Fallon

I’d write a review if I could figure out how to use the site. This guy is pretty dumb in that department. If he can’t create a useable site, maybe he shouldn’t get all this press. Dumbass…
Eric

In the Netherlands the pricing of the stores is ridiculous. The popular Samsung Omnia 7 is sold in the biggest store chain for 560 euro. More expensive than even much newer better spec Android phones.
On line the Omnia 7 is available at less than half that (265 euro).

It is unlikely the stores in the Netherlands will sell any Windows Phones pricing them way to high compared to other newer phones. Sales can only come from on line stores.
http://profiles.google.com/hermanwillems herman willems

WP7 ….. it’s to late sorry dude. You are on fire and death soon. Here in europe nobody wants to buy a WP7 phone because the UI looks freaking ugly to european people. Maybe americans don’t have taste???? Ugly Tiles.. really i use Android but even iOS, WebOS, Bada, MeeGo or whatever is better then the freaking ugly WP7 UI.