I walk into the store and find a number of sales people dressed in smart uniforms (jeans and t-shirt, but a uniform neverthless). It is one of the most famous mobile phone outlet chains in Bangalore. One of the sales persons greets me at the door and asks me what I need. My response, more specifically my meagre budget reduces his enthusiasm, but he still manages to smile and directs me to one of the counters.
I tell the sales guy the model I am looking for. He shows it to me and as I am looking at it he tells me "Sir, if you are looking to buy this mobile, why don't you buy that instead?" and shows me a comparable model from another brand. I know that they push the brand that gives them the most margins and I am usually not a sucker for this. However, I am somehow tempted to consider his suggestion and take a look at the other phone and ask him "How is this better?"
Now the sales guy knows I have bitten the lure, so he goes on to explain why the phone he suggested is the bestest, wonderfullest thing to have ever been invented, whereas the model I had originally asked for is just average. He quickly blurts out a list of impressive specs. Wireless FM, dolby stereo speaker, a battery that lasts forever, megapixel camera that gets wonderful photos, bigger display, the works. Now I am sceptical when a well known brand of mobile phone gives all this for the kind of price I am paying. I take a close look at the phone and it's box. It has wireless FM alright, it says so in big bold letters on it's front facade. The camera doesn't list the megapixels, so I suspect it is just a VGA camera. The box doesn't say anything about speakers being dolby or even stereo. The guy still insists that it is dolby speaker and megapixel camera. I suppose the phone manufacturers themselves did not know about these impressive specs or just plain forgot to mention them. By now he probably thinks I don't know anything about mobile phones and he can get away with pretty much anything. So he says "Sir, this is ion battery. Hence it surely lasts much more than other phones".
Now that ends my patience and I decide to give it back to him. It goes something like this:
"What do you mean by ion battery? Do you mean Lithim-ion?"
"Yes sir, it is the best technology...."
"Wait. Don't you know that every mobile phone in the last few years has come with a Lithim-ion battery? Can you show me a mobile phone in your store that does NOT have a Li-ion battery?"
"No sir, but this one is best quality..."
By now I am on the offensive.
"I know that the same company makes the battery for the two brands we are talking about and the same technology is used in both"
I don't know anything about this, but I know he won't contest this. He doesn't know what to say. I decide to pile it on. I had started the browser on my own phone when I started looking at this phone and started loading it's specs page. By now the webpage has loaded. I can now look at it and authoritatively tell him that the phone has a VGA camera, display is same size and type as other phones in it's class and a pretty ordinary mono speaker. The guy is speechless. I raise my voice a bit and tell him that it is not correct to misguide the customers this way and demand that I be served by someone who is more honest.
The owner of the store has now overheard some of this conversation and comes over and tries to calm me before other customers get to hear what is happening. He scolds the sales guy and sends him off. I know that the scolding is just a drama. In fact I guess that sales guy is the star performer of the store and the owner totally likes the way he sells. However, I have won this battle and will cherish this victory.
