Mystery Caller: pictures and video recording

Mystery Caller is starting university and wants to make the most of the nightlife. He’s looking for a handset with the best camera and video recording capabilities for up to £30 a month

6: Virgin

Over halfway through the call and Mary hadn’t told me anything I didn’t know

Manner – 3/5
Understanding – 2/5
Knowledge – 2/5
Helpfulness – 2/5
Clarity – 2/5
Overall – 2/5
Total –13/30

5: Orange

I asked for alternatives but Scott was insistent that this was the best option

Manner – 3/5
Understanding – 3/5
Knowledge – 2/5
Helpfulness – 2/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 3/5
Total – 16/30

4: Vodafone

Either Amy didn’t know what time of day it was or she was answering my call in

a different time zone

Manner – 3/5
Understanding – 3/5
Knowledge – 3/5
Helpfulness – 3/5
Clarity – 3/5
Overall – 3/5
Total –18/30

3: O2

I asked Ross for alternatives and he lost his rag slightly. Had I done something to upset him or had he just spilt his afternoon tea?

Manner – 2/5
Understanding – 3/5
Knowledge – 4/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 4/5
Overall – 3/5
Total –20/30

2: T-Mobile

Mark was still pushing Android, and recommended Samsung and HTC as the two best manufacturers to choose from

Manner – 5/5
Understanding – 4/5
Knowledge – 5/5
Helpfulness – 4/5
Clarity – 5/5
Overall – 5/5
Total – 28/30

1: Three

I told James what I was after and he was straight on to it. Immediately I knew he was a natural-born salesperson

Manner – 5/5
Understanding – 5/5
Knowledge – 5/5
Helpfulness – 5/5
Clarity – 5/5
Overall – 5/5
Total – 30/30

Summary

After the disastrous performance put in by the networks in the previous Mystery Caller, we decided to give them a straightforward query to deal with and overall it was successful.

Mary at Virgin didn’t quite meet this standard however, due to her poor recommendations and pushy sales technique. Orange’s Scott was far too hesitant and didn’t inspire me, while Vodafone’s Max suggested the iPhone 4, which was strange as there are many other phones with better cameras.

O2’s Ross was helpful but his enthusiasm drained at an alarming rate, with T-Mobile’s Mark letting himself down slightly with his lack of OS knowledge.

James at Three did everything possible in the best way to close the deal. No unfriendly pushing, just a genuinely nice guy wanting to help me.

Full review in Mobile News issue 523 (September 24, 2012).