Let my first post be started with the statement :
They did nothing wrong - Legally
And with that i'll begin. First with my story, and the later part my points & frustrations. Seniour Andreas West. This is For You!
Like all the other gadget freaks, the iPhone 4S Was something that i was waiting for. I had (and still have) the desire to purchase the last iPhone of Steve's time. So when announced that it was finally arriving to the Malaysian shores, i too was one of the guys jumping for joy. 3 weeks, 2 weeks.. and finally only 1 week left.
Last Saturday began like any other.. I went out, bought breakfast, updated my facebook status among my other Saturday rituals . Interrupting me almost halfway through the day between 11am and 12pm (I choose not to publish the time for confidentiality reasons) was one of the long awaited messages (that i was not expecting)
"Xclusive4U!Enjoy d best iPhone4S deals&stand to get 2for d price of 1!Limited to 1st 100 customers ONLY.Send ur email address to 23332 by 11Dec 4more details."
Without thinking, almost on autopilot i replied to the message.
The rest of the day was all about the 4S. I went to Celcom websites and blogs trying to find more details of the precious piece of telecommunication. There it was, on the Celcom website. The IPhone 4S unveiling & launching event at La Bodega, 16 Dec 00:00.
2 whole days went by with no "further details". Finally they came on the 13th. Tuesday the 13th. It stated the package offerings and some details but no word on the "2for d price of 1!". An invitation "signatured" by Andreas West SVP of Customer Loyalty, Customer Management Division addressing me "one of our most valued customers".
I did not know what to expect. Where was the "2for d price of 1!"? I failed to read i should go to certain branches only. So i decided, on the 15th, i would be in the line up in La Bodega. As i was :) . During the long wait i noticed i was the only one carrying "that invite" so i took the time during the long waiting period to read the invite & offering letter again. Only then did i see the instructions to go to special branches. I decided to stay and wait and enjoy the party. There was no word of "2for d price of 1!". It was highly unlikely i would be going home with an iPhone 4S if i wanted this offer. And so I stayed, until about 1.30am. The party was "ok".I checked out the packages. They were the same as my offer (save for no upfront registration fee, and my phone would be couriered to me, not immediately available) I decided not to buy it then and there, but to try my luck again the following morning in the "special branches".
I went home, slept and woke up early. The mode : "Iphone 4S". I went to one of the mentioned branches, got my number. It was fairly quite.. not many people. No sign of iPhone 4S buyers! My number was called, and my story comes to its final chapter.
The customer service rep, said i was not eligible to the "2for d price of 1!" . I asked "why?" . She bluntly replied, the offer is to the first 100 people who responded to the sms. I got into a small argument on some technicalities that i will explain later. I finally gave in and ask, so who am i? What is the offering for me? She explained i was one of the first 600 to reply (but more then 100) and the offer to me was as it was stated. Nothing more or less. I just need to sign the form, give it to her, make my payment and wait by my mailbox for "up to 14 days". Again i argued. So as an offering as a "valued customer" by the SVP of CUSTOMER LOYALTY. How is this different from those sold at La Bodega? The price is the same. And i would have gotten the device immediately. She said, i didn't have to pay the registration fees. I got into another argument with her regarding the registration fee would be payed back into your bill, so i basically was paying the same amount for something i possibly would be getting up to 14 days later. As i was not winning the argument, i finally gave in, told her i would not be accepting this offer, and left.
My points and frustrations
I am not so much disappointed of the fact of not getting the offer . I am more disappointed in the handling of the offer by Customer Loyalty &Customer Management Division. SMS's are sent to consumers in a sequential matter, based on transactions per second of the telco. This fact alone was an unfair fight. When the SMSs where sent out, the first in the SMS queue had an unfair advantage over any other! Even me replying immediately after the sms was received, there would have been no way for me to be the 1st 100 if the SMSs started sending at 8am. I indeed responded immediately. My phone log can prove that much! This alone, to me, showed poor campaign management! I expected greater things from The Great Andreas West, who only a few months ago, was not shy to complain about poor management of a marathon held.
The information received by consumers was unclear. While the communication i received did not indicate La bodega in any way, th overall Celcom hype was headed that way. I also did not receive any further info on the "2for d price of 1!". Legally celcom did nothing wrong. I will admit it was ignorance on my part. But although they did not tell me i was entitled, they did not tell me i was not entitled either! The direction of what was to happen next (after the race) was shady. I was kept guessing. Did i win? Did i not? (sound familiar from your marathon dear sir?)
And finally, the thing that i was most frustrated was the Customer Loyalty part. While i will not make another stab at any marathon running’s, i will continue my ranting. The offer was a clear insult to my intelligence as a consumer.. "ONE OF OUR MOST VALUED CUSTOMERS!!!". The offering was a clear "Copy and Paste" of that was offered to the mass market. Yes, i do not need to Q & Pay 300 upfront (that would be rebated into your bill anyway), but in turn i had to wait for up to a possible 14 days. A phone that is a gem among gadget freaks would be available to mass market first, loyal customers later. The "Invitation Letter" was nothing more then an experimental run for the customer loyalty team to see if they could "chip in" on the sales process. Where the letters said one thing, the numbers said another thing. But pieced together with the whole celcom iPhone 4S campaign the letter .. to me.. spelled "SUCKER".
I applaud your great leadership Andreas West. I have long complained about the CLM division of Celcom. You have indeed showed me who i am in the eyes of Celcom. And for that, I thank you.
Bidding farewell for now... With this post i launch my new blog detailing my journey in day to day life with the blue guys empowering my telecommunication device :)
