Well I did keep asking them which phones were compatible with Outlook. These days its just the matter of downloading an app...as recently as 3 years ago, however, not all phones were enabled to sync with Outlook.
So that may have been why they steered me to the Windows phone. They were very dismissive of my requirement to use Outlook...when I would ask about any particular phone’s ability to work with it, they would say ‘maybe’ and ‘I don’t know’. They had obviously never used Outlook, and couldn’t comprehend why it was so important to me...you know, the silly old fool who wants to use e-mail on his phone. They just wanted to shove a Windows phone at me and get rid of me.
I had to make a second trip, after doing my own research on which phones were enabled. Terrible customer service, IMHO.
But I recently went to the very same store to get Samsung’s newest offering...and I got great customer service.
Yeah, mentioning Outlook would do it. I suspect there is really no formal training given to an AT&T store salesperson. They could be working at the Gap one day and selling phones the next. They probably know best what their commission is on each product. When you actually make the purchase they hand you off to the tech person in the back to set up your sim card and turn the phone on. At least that is what I noticed when I was shopping there.