Yesterday I detailed my third Klout Perk, this one from Windows Phone that included a free Windows Phone device, along with VIP access to a private party and concert in Dallas with Young The Giant. You can read about the party here, but today I want to talk about the device. I also want to make it clear that I’m not intending to complain about a free device. Rather, this type of thing is directly related to my current job at RadioShack as Social Media Community Manager, so this is more of an analysis, really.
I registered for the Windows Phone #WPDAL Klout Perk on November 8th, and when I did, I got the friendly message that ‘Your phone is on its way!‘ Great, I thought, and the aforementioned party was 8 days later, on the 16th, so I assumed I would get the device in time to use it at the party to post to my social networks about how awesome it was, and snap photos showing off its camera, and all that sort of thing.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The party came and went (they also didn’t hand out the devices at the party, which would also have made sense) with no sign of a device. Finally, three weeks later, I reached out to Klout to ensure my shipment hadn’t been lost in the mail. Klout responded and assured me that Microsoft was sending them out, and had experienced some delays. No problem, but still no ETA.
I then tweeted about it at four weeks, and finally received a response that the Windows Phone team had shipped them out the previous week, and they should begin arriving any day now – great.
Now, I did have some assumptions about this device. Given what I saw at the party, and the fact that it was all about the ‘new’ Windows Phone (codenamed ‘Mango’, though they didn’t talk much about that at the party) and whatnot. All of the phones on display at the event were the ‘2nd Gen’ hardware, such as the Samsung Focus S, HTC Radar, HTC Titan, etc. The second wave of Windows Phone devices to hit the market. Thus, I assumed that the device I would receive (as a VIP) would be one of these. Awesome.
It wasn’t. I received a Samsung Focus, which officially launched in the market in November 2010. A year ago. Also, it wasn’t brand-spanking new. My box had been opened, presumably so the phone could be updated to the new software.
It also came with a SIM card pre-installed. Cool, I thought. Maybe I get a couple months of service to really check it out. Nope, this SIM was issued to Beth Goza, and it was still in my phone. A phone number was listed on the baggie, but the SIM doesn’t appear to be active. So…..I honestly don’t know what to think of that, but it’s a pretty poor user experience.
So, to recap, the phone arrived 4 weeks later (3 weeks after the actual event highlighting the phone), and it was a year-old device, despite the new devices being demo’d at the event itself. It was also previously opened (and presumably used), and arrived with an inactive SIM addressed to someone else inside. Hmph.
One thing that DID impress me, though, was the box it arrived in. In fact, I made a video of the box (and didn’t bother to do anything for the phone). You can see it here:
httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyykQ915MeU
We’re constantly looking for ways to improve the experience of people who interact with RadioShack socially, and this is a great example of attention to the small details of the experience – such a fun box. However, something that I mentioned previously and discovered was still true, is that there was no paperwork included in the box. No card thanking me for being social, no pre-printed form letter congratulating me on the Klout Perk and giving me info about the product, nothing. Just the product.
If a company were sending you a special something for engaging with them in the social arena, what would you expect to receive?
Ricky Cadden 