My Terrible Experience with Fonz
I know I said I will stop complaining but I can’t when there are companies like Fonz that still exist.
While at the airport the other day, my dad saw the Nokia N73 for the first time and he liked it. Today while flipping through the papers I found an ad for Fonz where they were selling the N73 for KD89 plus they were giving free stuff with it like a phone line, 6 months ART subscription and something else. So, I decided I would pass by and get him it as an early birthday present.
I went to the Fonz branch in front of Marina Mall next to Eastpak around 7pm. I went in and told the employee I wanted the N73. He replied telling its been out of stock for a couple of days. I was like yeah but I just saw the ad today in the paper. How could you advertise something you don’t have? I was like can you check on your computer and see if any of your other branches have it. He was like I can’t do that. I was like what the fuck, who can I call and complain about this? He told me the head office, he picked up the phone and called them up and handed me the phone.
A guy answers, I asked him if this was the head office. He was like why? I was like because I have a complaint. He was like about what? I told him that I saw an ad in the paper for a phone and I came in to buy it and the employee told me it was out of stock. When I asked him to check and see which other branch of Fonz had the phone he told me he couldn’t. The guy replied telling me they sometimes run out of stock. I was like fine, I understand that, but could you please tell me which other branch has the phone in stock? He replied telling me that he could give me the numbers of all their branches in Kuwait and I could call them all up and see which one still has it. I was like what the fuck? I am telling you I want the phone, and you are telling me go look for it, go try your luck and call every Fonz store in Kuwait? I told him YOU guys should be trying to find ME the phone because I am the customer and I want to buy it. YOU guys should be able to tell me which branch still carries the phone and YOU guys should make the phone calls if there are any to be made. He was like I am not free at the moment to do that. I shut the phone on his face, gave it back to the employee in the store and walked out.
How does a place that does business like that manage to survive? Am I asking for too much here, having the actual store find me a phone in one other their other branches? It can’t be too much to ask.
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29 Comments, add your own...
1. متابع | September 19th, 2006 at 11:02 pm
thay dont do this serves
so thay was right and YOU was rong ( this time only )
2. متابع | September 19th, 2006 at 11:02 pm
i forget
i love your complain
3. Patrick | September 19th, 2006 at 11:12 pm
Kuwait = Lazy, it’s as simple as that.
4. 767 | September 19th, 2006 at 11:14 pm
many businesses here do NOT really care about their customers.. its annoying really.. careless attitude sometimes..
5. Marzouq | September 19th, 2006 at 11:32 pm
They really dont care about it.. in the states they would look it up in their machines and try to find one for you. Your not wrong about that. But in Kuwait they pretty much dont care about it.
They will tell you they dont have it and dont care to check. Your better off just going to Khalid Bin Waleed street and walking between the stores!
6. Toxy | September 20th, 2006 at 12:57 am
The owners have too much money to care…..The market has too little competition to give a damn. Customer Service is almost non-existant in most Middle East Countries not only Kuwait.
It’s partly due to poor upper level management and untrained, unmotivated salesman.
I would have just asked to speak directly to the store manager, and if he didn’t help you, start shouting at him and threaten to call head office and have him fired.
This is the way to get things done unfortunately.
7. purgatory | September 20th, 2006 at 1:27 am
so much for surprise
8. shopa | September 20th, 2006 at 1:28 am
ah I am loving all the complains, ALWAYS do complain.
Oh and theySUCK.
9. holla | September 20th, 2006 at 2:57 am
what do you expect from a shop called FONZ?
10. Mac Daddy | September 20th, 2006 at 6:04 am
I would think that you stepped into the shop with an attitue (AS usual) as if you own the place. That’s why you treated you that way.. I wouldn’t blame them .
The employee that you spoke with kinda reminds me of the one who used to work at Fututre “nokia” branch at Blockat .. WHAT AN ASS HOLE !!!
11. RaZ | September 20th, 2006 at 6:59 am
Ok so why do companies push for good customer service? Obviously to have an advantage over competition. In kuwait they are making tons of money so they dont give a rats ass about advantage. They were sold out of the phone, so they must be surviving.
12. moocherx | September 20th, 2006 at 7:14 am
having checked N73 prices worldwide overnight, as 89KD is on average HALF the cost anywhere else in the world, I think it was a printing mistake and so now they’re telling everyone they’re actually out of stock.
With 10,000 phone models to choose from, I think it unlikely everyone would decide to buy an N73 with the offer all at the same time…
Idiots.
13. vineeth Menon | September 20th, 2006 at 8:22 am
Welcome to Kuwait
14. Sam540 | September 20th, 2006 at 8:31 am
Customer service in Kuwait does not exist.
If you go in to a place with a nice attitude, the employees will not serve you. Even if you ask for a manager, the manager will have an even worse attitude.
The best way to get served, as I have noticed in this country is raise HELL in the store and then you get what you want.
The problem is that this attitude of “not caring for the customer” is the norm in here, whether the store is big or small, even at the ones who claim they are customer oriented.
Mark, you are not the only person who complains about this…many people do!
15. Fonzy | September 20th, 2006 at 9:09 am
man, when i first saw the title, i was like “what the hell did i do to him?” then i realized it was the cell phone place:) anyway, i was also there yesterday and asked about it and got the same reaction but didnt know bout the offer. Also, their staff sucks, they need serious lessons in cutomer service. The guy was talking to me like he was doing me a favor that he is wasting his breath on me
16. Mark | September 20th, 2006 at 9:19 am
There is another phone store called Fono who are also a franchise and have numerous shops around Kuwait. Their service is a million times better then fOnz for example.
17. mbahrani | September 20th, 2006 at 9:52 am
when i first saw the add. i knew that there must a scam. no way N73 for 89KD . they will sell it with that price yes ! but they will tell you that you have to pay for the 6 months sup for ART and you have to pay also for the line and it will come finaly to 150 kd . its always like this . its too good to be true.
i guess.
18. Ashish | September 20th, 2006 at 11:57 am
Just typical.
19. CyberRowdy | September 20th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
common…thats the baseline service :D
20. Caveman007 | September 20th, 2006 at 1:28 pm
Shops in kuwait follow a rule that says: if you dont buy from us 1000 other will so get the fuck out of our shop.
21. Tan Go | September 20th, 2006 at 7:33 pm
Srrvice… in Kuwait!!! Grow Up!!!!
22. x | September 21st, 2006 at 5:39 am
THANKS FOR THIS BLOG!
I had the same experience at Fonz couple of months a go when they advertised about there dsl offer ,i go there the guy tells me the dsl is out of stuck! the problem is that he asked me for a lot of papers from the ministry of communication to add the dsl service to my line and then when i get them and give him the money he tells me i have to wait because its out of stuck!! and then he ignores me and take other customers i was so angry cursed at him and told him to give me my money back or i will turn the shop on his head , he gave it back and i gave him the finger and left , Egyptian people shouldn’t work in places like this , only Asians because its there field… i feel your pain man
23. naser | September 21st, 2006 at 4:16 pm
Today I went to FONZ front of Marina Mall same you went (mark )
and I ask him about the ads about Nokia N 73 the man tell me the offer where cancelled today
>>>>
That it well be vector for you mark
>>>>>>
there anther offer make about N73 it’s 112 KD jest at the EXA telecom yesterday
and it’s finished today but the make offer 20% off everything EXA telecom in city centre (souk salmiya)
24. anonymous | September 21st, 2006 at 9:46 pm
dude you are ANNOYINGGGG. STOP FUCKING COMPLAINING.
“im mark i want the n73 get me the n73 or ELSE” shit you better be glad they didn’t slap the idiot out of you (and thats a whole lot of slapping)
hffff. they didn’t have the phone. not every store in kuwait has the service that checks whats in stock in which branch. just grow the fuck up and look somewhere else. shit.
25. Mark | September 21st, 2006 at 9:47 pm
you know if you find me that annoying you really don’t have to read my blog.
26. Kahouna | September 22nd, 2006 at 4:21 pm
I had the same problem twice with Fonz few months ago they advertise the new ADSL Connection, when I contact them they say but we run out of the ADSl modem.
I told the guy ok, make a subscription for me and I don’t need the modem; they refused.
Later they made anther add and I got the same result….
Maybe Fonz has stupid Marketing manager that think he can make some sales by getting customers to his store.
Simply this people are liars
27. Kahouna | September 22nd, 2006 at 4:36 pm
I believe they are cheating and this kind of advertisement should have a registration issued form the commerce chamber or ministry for commerce.
I will be happy to share any efforts to highlight their stupid leis.
28. FONZ | March 13th, 2007 at 1:58 pm
Yes Fonz had this problem during their promotion that was held 6 months ago, actually they had a target of 200 phones with MTC post paid lines (N 73) for a period 30 days, and the target was set by MTC, and just for your information Fonz sold 200 phones in just 1.5 days and since the price was very attractive (Kwd 89.000) they had tough time with customers. Since the market reaction was crazy, the target of N 73 was increased from 200 to 400 phones with MTC postpaid lines, they sold the other 200 phones in another 2 days.
The only mistake was that Fonz didn’t mention a comment “Until Stocks Last” in the Ad they placed. They learnt from their mistake and mentioned it in their next promotion.
And you know the market in Kuwait or anywhere as a matter of fact, if something valuable is dirt cheap everyone wants it. And when you don’t get it, accuse them and give them a bad name.
Lastly no Ad can be released in a daily or weekly newspaper without the approval of ministry of chambers, Kuwait, so there cant be any fake ads.
Thanks to all for reading and understanding
29. Mark | March 14th, 2007 at 12:22 am
Sorry I have to disagree, Fonz made a whole bunch of mistakes from terrible customer service, to false advertising and misleading customers. If Fonz no longer had the product for sale they should have stopped advertising it, instead you continued to advertise your offer for days after the product had been sold out.
People will give a store a bad name when that store does something wrong like lying or treating customers badly.
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