Verizon Wireless Blackberry Storm “Private Sale” causes a furor
You all have probably seen this flyer floating around the Internet, in your neighbor’s mailbox, or maybe even your own mailbox last week. The flyer invites you, a most valued customer, to the Verizon Wireless Private Sale from November 17th to the 21st. Printed on the front right next to the invitation is a giant Blackberry Storm with the text “Introducing the Blackberry Storm. Exclusively from Verizon Wireless”. If you got this in your mailbox, what would you think? Probably what most people thought; that you were invited to a special sale of the Blackberry Storm. Imagine what your reaction would be when you arrive at the Private sale with your flyer in hand, only to be told that there are no Blackberry Storms in the store, not even demo models. You can’t touch one, never mind buy one and take it home with you. The best Verizon could do is put you on a list of customers that would receive a call on Friday to get a pre-order for the Storm. We bet that you would be pretty angry and go “storming” home to call that number on the flyer to give them a piece of your mind. Don’t bother as that line will just disconnect you and when you finally get through, after 4 tries and waiting 30 minutes on hold, Big Red will tell you to call back or go to one of our stores on Friday. We think one of our readers who detailed their aggravating experience sums it up perfectly “I don’t feel like a SPECIAL customer now.” You have seen the flyer evidence, you heard the testimony above, and now it is time to render judgment. Is this a case of blatant false advertising by Verizon or just a simple misunderstanding? They did list the private sale as going to November 21st, but still. We are leaning towards the former, how about you? Sound off in the comments and hit the jump for the rest of the evidence flyer.
Thanks to all who sent this in!
I didn’t receive anything.
I’m hurrying to my local store for one. I know people.
It’s a giant misunderstanding brought on by a poor marketing team who obviously didn’t look far enough ahead to see how their little flyer would be read by most people. So, it’s both. I don’t think VZ intended on people thinking they could buy the device early, but that doesn’t forgive the fact that that was a pretty poor choice of words for the flyers and obviously someone is getting paid way too much to do their job.
I called the 1800#, after being told that I have to wait until friday, i was offered 100extra mins/month for the next 24 months,
Well, I really don’t care too much, but I know that I didn’t get one and my bill is over $130/mo. for one line and I’m a long time customer, so if I’m not considered one of their “most valuable” customers they can go eat shit. The flyer that is more interesting though is the one that shows $100 off the Storm. I want to know more about that. If some people are getting that out of the blue and it’s not just a fancy way of saying “use your New Every Two” then I’ll tell them to go pound sand. Maybe I’m expecting too much but there is no reason to send those to some people and not others, there should be a set standard, even if it is a new promo – go by monthly spending or something.
Total BS. There nothing, repeat nothing worth doing on Nov 17 – 20 so why even send out a flyer. I understand they want to build as much hype as possible but this is just down right lying. ‘Private Sale’ my ass…
Lol another Storm bungle -
I received the same flyer, but different. Mine says Nov 17-Dec 1. However, i called Verizon about this and they said no one who received either flyer gets special pricing on the storm. So you still have to wait till the 21st for release, and still pay full retail unless your ready for your 2 year upgrade. Really sucks
I highly doubt this is an honest mistake by Verizon. It’s called bait and switch. They know the “Storm” is highly anticipated and they know full well that this will draw people in hoping to get it. What else would one expect from a company thats says “unlimited data” really means 5 GB? Kind of ironic from a company whose name “Verizon ” implies truth (http://www.wordinfo.info/words/index/info/view_unit/2283). Nice post Kelly!
I think it’s total BS. It’s used car tactics where they say they have a certain car for way below what you woud expect to bring you in the door – only to find out there was only one of them and it was sold before the ad actual ran.
I think it goes back to a planned release date of 11/16. They just didn’t catch it before sending things out.
@baaadandy – As for not receiving one, There is nothing special about the sale. The prices are the same if you got the flyer or not. I’m not even sure what they’re really offering that is so different from any normal day.
I think they are playing with our minds!! It is appalling and inexcusable. These companies just hype up their products and get their customers tongues wagging and then let us down. I will NOT be duking it out with hundreds of people on Friday.
Believe me, as much as people hate the fact that they didn’t read the lil print before they come in, we hate all the flyers that come in. They make it more difficult to sell someone a phone that suits there needs because the flyers have the big word “FREE” on it, not to mention any accessories, if they even need them.
Let the bashing begin!
Here’s the other one I was referring to: http://forums.crackberry.com/f86/have-you-seen-96405/
^dunno if we’re allowed to post links, if not sorry.
It is CLEARLY misleading. No logical person could read that flyer and not expect to be able to walk into a store the 17th and buy one. I think its clearly a case of the word didn’t get to the fulfillment company that they were delaying the launch before these had already got in the mail.
And yeah, I’m a bit miffed I didn’t get one too. I’ve got two Blackberry’s on a share plan paying over $180/month and have been with VZW since the Bell Atlantic Mobile days. Close to 15 years, thousands of dollars, and I’m not VIP enough. Between this and VZW’s misleading us all about GPS in ther Blackberry’s I’m pissed at VZW, but still not enough to leave. ATT coverage still sucks here, all my friends are on VZW, and the other carriers are jokes.
The only people who got flyers were those people with smart phone plans, and were past their new in 2 upgrade. VZW was basicaly pandering to get people that were eligible for an upgrade but hadnt used it yet. My friend got one, and he has only had a treo for like a year, while I didnt and I have had blackberry’s for 4 years. THe difference I cant seem to wait out a 2 year contract, while he was eligable for an upgade months ago.
another example of vzw thinking they are better than they really are. Just another cheap sales tactic from the carriers, they all are garbage.
I think the flyer was sent to existing customers who signed up to be notified. Idiotic marketing for sure. I plan to order one for Friday delivery through my corporate rep, but this is exactly why I was reluctant to move from ATT to Verizon. The internet and land line phone folks at Verizon are fine, but the wireless group is just downright hostile to its own customers. I think it’s the Vodafone influence.
Something seemed fishy about it when I got the card. It invites “our most valued customers” to a “Private Sale”, but the Storm is the only phone in the flyer that had no price. I suspected it might have been to promote the other LG’s and the Samsung in the mailer and piggybacking some pre-launch hype about the new Bberry. I get the logic from the marketing dept but the execution was awful. It was suspect enough I called my VZW store before making a trip and the sales rep was 100% clueless. Whoever blew the call on this should take a lashing from each and every VZW employee who is getting ripped into this week.
So I went to my local VZW Store yesterday morning (I actually took the day off…. (@$$) . The people in the store told me they had never even heard of “The Private Sale”…. I was so upset. I went out to my car and called the 1-800-723-9195 — 34 minutes later the auto-attendant dropped me (This pushed me over the edge!!!!!!) I went back into the store and asked for a regional or companywide complaint line – They don’t have a complaint line.. I highly doubt that — but whatever. (The people in the store were great, but someone way up in Verizon’s marketing department is going to have a real crappy week with the thousands of the blog entries about this screw up) My wife wants to go pickup to iPhones – I think I’m going to take my $295/month over there. Nick/NY.
I got on, I too fell for it, although I knew to be ready for a huge disappointment. I wasn’t mad, because I called ahead to the store they were referring me too. The sad thing, you call the store and the story changed on which sales associate you got. One who just came off vacation said the Storm would be ready for “Black Friday” which is the worst release date ever. I don’t go shopping on Black Friday. Then the next time I called they said get here early on the 17th we will only have a few. I called back the next day spoke to a manager and said they won’t have them until the 21st and there is no list it’s first come first serve.
Now, VZW needs to do with this marketing “genius” is demote them to mail room. Better yet spank them with a rolled up magazine and yell “no, bad marketing person”.
Verizon marketing at it’s best…The purpose of the flyer is that the anyone who receives these does get the black friday promos early even if they aren’t eligible. Why the Storm is on it is just dumb.
That is why BGR rocks. I too got the sale offering in the mail. BUT anyone on this site that went flying down there on Monday is a spazz. We all knew it was the 21st thanks to BGR. And yes I did call the store Monday morning to double check, but seriously anyone here that posts a saab story is just silly.
Follow your BGR updates and you would never have had this experience. But then again…if Woody would have gone to the police this would have never happened…
Love U BGR…and yes my rep has 2 on hold for me 8am Friday morning…here’s to the week going quickly…
@Nick:
Prowl the vzw web site for corporate officials names. Then you can email most of them by sending to:
firstname.lastname@verizonwireless.com
I got this in the mail, and think it’s blatantly misleading, it’s very obvious they were “hinting” at being able to buy the storm early for some people. I was skeptical about it, so I actually stopped by a VZ store on my way to the gym one day, and asked about it, the reps had no idea what I was talking about. So then I called the number on the flyer, and after 5 min being on hold I just gave up.
its called good marketing….. it was a slow weekend at my vzw store and then yesterday it felt like it was black friday already because of this stupid flyer. Any normal person who is interested in the phone knows that VZW is releasing it on the 21st. The commericals on TV do not even give a date on it! Its amazing when working with the general public, how stupid people are in the country…..
If the storm was in stock, wouldnt they put a price on the flyer for it?