Illiterate Mobile and Telecoms Dealers
*Skunkers,* Is it just me or are most of the mobile phone dealers unqualified to handle the items they sell. The other day I walked into a shop looking for a phone with 3g capability. As I pointed to a phone model and asked if it had 3g the somali lady ( who could not understand english or swahili properly) replied "hapana sisi iko to na Nokia na Samsung"hapana iko simu ya 3g . Today I had another similar experience where while looking for a USB bluetooth adapter the salesperson who coincidentally was again Somali asked whether I wanted it in 1 or 2gb ( he thought I was looking for a flash disk and had no clue what a USB adapter was.) I do suspect he does not even know what bluetooth is. This can easily be replicated across even electronics stores where many a time I have found myself educating shop assistants on features of items they sell eg region coding for dvds, what a set top box what is HDTV . It is not a surprise that until recently many people had been duped that their LCD TVs were digital until KBC switched on its digital signal at which point the story changed. Having traveled abroad, the level of engagement with an assistant at Dixons, Currys or Crutchfield electronics stores in the UK and shop attendants in Kenya like day and night. Most of the shop assistants you meet abroad are fairly technical people who know their stuff. Shouldn't the government demand a minimum level of qualification or literacy for such vendors or even more companies like Nokia/ Samsung demand this of their distributors/Agents / Outlets. It bothers me because over 70% of people selling IT hardware as well electronics equipment have no clue over what they are selling.. * Kevin Omondi* Disclaimer : Please I do not wish to come across as being xenophobic and have nothing against my cushitic brothers who I believe are excellent businesspeople.
Kevin, I agree on the phones bit...but its everywhere locally......Guys are not willing to pay for training thats quite costly......I have to check everything my self on the web etc before jumping into a phone product. Also in the IT Hardware sector.....only partners spend money which is recouped through mainly corporate sales not retail...... Alvin On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 10:24 AM, Kevin Ouma <kevin.ouma@gmail.com> wrote:
Skunkers,
Is it just me or are most of the mobile phone dealers unqualified to handle the items they sell.
The other day I walked into a shop looking for a phone with 3g capability. As I pointed to a phone model and asked if it had 3g the somali lady ( who could not understand english or swahili properly) replied "hapana sisi iko to na Nokia na Samsung"hapana iko simu ya 3g .
Today I had another similar experience where while looking for a USB bluetooth adapter the salesperson who coincidentally was again Somali asked whether I wanted it in 1 or 2gb ( he thought I was looking for a flash disk and had no clue what a USB adapter was.) I do suspect he does not even know what bluetooth is.
This can easily be replicated across even electronics stores where many a time I have found myself educating shop assistants on features of items they sell eg region coding for dvds, what a set top box what is HDTV . It is not a surprise that until recently many people had been duped that their LCD TVs were digital until KBC switched on its digital signal at which point the story changed. Having traveled abroad, the level of engagement with an assistant at Dixons, Currys or Crutchfield electronics stores in the UK and shop attendants in Kenya like day and night. Most of the shop assistants you meet abroad are fairly technical people who know their stuff.
Shouldn't the government demand a minimum level of qualification or literacy for such vendors or even more companies like Nokia/ Samsung demand this of their distributors/Agents / Outlets.
It bothers me because over 70% of people selling IT hardware as well electronics equipment have no clue over what they are selling..
Kevin Omondi Disclaimer : Please I do not wish to come across as being xenophobic and have nothing against my cushitic brothers who I believe are excellent businesspeople.
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On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 7:24 AM, Kevin Ouma <kevin.ouma@gmail.com> wrote:
*Skunkers,*
Is it just me or are most of the mobile phone dealers unqualified to handle the items they sell.
Absolutely
The other day I walked into a shop looking for a phone with 3g capability. As I pointed to a phone model and asked if it had 3g the somali lady ( who could not understand english or swahili properly) replied "hapana sisi iko to na Nokia na Samsung"hapana iko simu ya 3g .
Today I had another similar experience where while looking for a USB bluetooth adapter the salesperson who coincidentally was again Somali asked whether I wanted it in 1 or 2gb ( he thought I was looking for a flash disk and had no clue what a USB adapter was.) I do suspect he does not even know what bluetooth is.
This can easily be replicated across even electronics stores where many a time I have found myself educating shop assistants on features of items they sell eg region coding for dvds, what a set top box what is HDTV . It is not a surprise that until recently many people had been duped that their LCD TVs were digital until KBC switched on its digital signal at which point the story changed. Having traveled abroad, the level of engagement with an assistant at Dixons, Currys or Crutchfield electronics stores in the UK and shop attendants in Kenya like day and night. Most of the shop assistants you meet abroad are fairly technical people who know their stuff.
Hmmm... let's see -- you're comparing people working in large (10,000+) retail outlets in developed nations with mom-and-pop stores owned by individuals trying to eck a living in an environment that's not exactly conducive to tech? Unfair comparison. You have to remember that while you might have a passion for technology for a large number of people it's a tool or a product to make some money -- i.e. they don't *really* care about it, they care about making that small amount of profit to continue to live. With this mindset, it's not surprising that the vast majority of traders would treat technical products like a black box. Furthermore, in developed nations with highly specialised economies it is likely that such roles will be attractive to people who have a natural affinity for technology. In addition, the company is able to provide training to bring individuals up to the required level. I too have frequented these stores you speak of, and believe me, there are assistants in these organizations who wouldn't know 3G from SAMSUNG.
Shouldn't the government demand a minimum level of qualification or literacy for such vendors or even more companies like Nokia/ Samsung demand this of their distributors/Agents / Outlets.
Why? What part does the government have in regulating a free market? Caveat emptor -- you have to do your research and know what you're looking for, in *any *purchase.
It bothers me because over 70% of people selling IT hardware as well electronics equipment have no clue over what they are selling..
If it bothers you that much perhaps you should think about building an organization that actually *does* know what it's selling. I'm sure it would do very well.
Sohan, We IT companies do invest in partner programmes but at this stage those service have to be charged for !!! I agree............ On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 12:17 PM, rsohan@gmail.com <rsohan@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 7:24 AM, Kevin Ouma <kevin.ouma@gmail.com> wrote:
Skunkers,
Is it just me or are most of the mobile phone dealers unqualified to handle the items they sell.
Absolutely
The other day I walked into a shop looking for a phone with 3g capability. As I pointed to a phone model and asked if it had 3g the somali lady ( who could not understand english or swahili properly) replied "hapana sisi iko to na Nokia na Samsung"hapana iko simu ya 3g .
Today I had another similar experience where while looking for a USB bluetooth adapter the salesperson who coincidentally was again Somali asked whether I wanted it in 1 or 2gb ( he thought I was looking for a flash disk and had no clue what a USB adapter was.) I do suspect he does not even know what bluetooth is.
This can easily be replicated across even electronics stores where many a time I have found myself educating shop assistants on features of items they sell eg region coding for dvds, what a set top box what is HDTV . It is not a surprise that until recently many people had been duped that their LCD TVs were digital until KBC switched on its digital signal at which point the story changed. Having traveled abroad, the level of engagement with an assistant at Dixons, Currys or Crutchfield electronics stores in the UK and shop attendants in Kenya like day and night. Most of the shop assistants you meet abroad are fairly technical people who know their stuff.
Hmmm... let's see -- you're comparing people working in large (10,000+) retail outlets in developed nations with mom-and-pop stores owned by individuals trying to eck a living in an environment that's not exactly conducive to tech? Unfair comparison. You have to remember that while you might have a passion for technology for a large number of people it's a tool or a product to make some money -- i.e. they don't *really* care about it, they care about making that small amount of profit to continue to live. With this mindset, it's not surprising that the vast majority of traders would treat technical products like a black box. Furthermore, in developed nations with highly specialised economies it is likely that such roles will be attractive to people who have a natural affinity for technology. In addition, the company is able to provide training to bring individuals up to the required level. I too have frequented these stores you speak of, and believe me, there are assistants in these organizations who wouldn't know 3G from SAMSUNG.
Shouldn't the government demand a minimum level of qualification or literacy for such vendors or even more companies like Nokia/ Samsung demand this of their distributors/Agents / Outlets.
Why? What part does the government have in regulating a free market? Caveat emptor -- you have to do your research and know what you're looking for, in any purchase.
It bothers me because over 70% of people selling IT hardware as well electronics equipment have no clue over what they are selling..
If it bothers you that much perhaps you should think about building an organization that actually *does* know what it's selling. I'm sure it would do very well.
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Server donations spreadsheet http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AopdHkqSqKL-dHlQVTMxU1VBdU1BSWJxdy1f... ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke Other lists ------------- Announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general
I think its an issue to do with the consumer culture in the country. The problem is not just in the IT and electronics areas but in most other market segments. In the developed nations from my observation consumers are more critical about the quality of what they buy whereas in our country most people are quite content buying what is perceived as the "latest". this happens with the "latest" model available at cheap rates from japan, the latest model of hdtv technology(never mind that there isn't much hd content floating around), the latest pc, latest fashion(as seen on TV) and the list goes on and on. Therefore if a business owner knows that people will just buy without questions why should he bother to pay some professional to advice clients on the cache differances on differant pcs when he/she has enough customers asking for the latest computer or the any computer that he can get for X sum of money? I don't mean that we as kenyans or other developing nations citizens are illiterate and naive, the problem is that those who actually know what they want in their products are greatly outnumbered. the traders are interested in numbers not in the satisfaction of giving that one customer good service. me thots. On 22/12/2009, Alvin Jason Ochieng <ajochola@gmail.com> wrote:
Sohan,
We IT companies do invest in partner programmes but at this stage those service have to be charged for !!! I agree............
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 12:17 PM, rsohan@gmail.com <rsohan@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 7:24 AM, Kevin Ouma <kevin.ouma@gmail.com> wrote:
Skunkers,
Is it just me or are most of the mobile phone dealers unqualified to handle the items they sell.
Absolutely
The other day I walked into a shop looking for a phone with 3g capability. As I pointed to a phone model and asked if it had 3g the somali lady ( who could not understand english or swahili properly) replied "hapana sisi iko to na Nokia na Samsung"hapana iko simu ya 3g .
Today I had another similar experience where while looking for a USB bluetooth adapter the salesperson who coincidentally was again Somali asked whether I wanted it in 1 or 2gb ( he thought I was looking for a flash disk and had no clue what a USB adapter was.) I do suspect he does not even know what bluetooth is.
This can easily be replicated across even electronics stores where many a time I have found myself educating shop assistants on features of items they sell eg region coding for dvds, what a set top box what is HDTV . It is not a surprise that until recently many people had been duped that their LCD TVs were digital until KBC switched on its digital signal at which point the story changed. Having traveled abroad, the level of engagement with an assistant at Dixons, Currys or Crutchfield electronics stores in the UK and shop attendants in Kenya like day and night. Most of the shop assistants you meet abroad are fairly technical people who know their stuff.
Hmmm... let's see -- you're comparing people working in large (10,000+) retail outlets in developed nations with mom-and-pop stores owned by individuals trying to eck a living in an environment that's not exactly conducive to tech? Unfair comparison. You have to remember that while you might have a passion for technology for a large number of people it's a tool or a product to make some money -- i.e. they don't *really* care about it, they care about making that small amount of profit to continue to live. With this mindset, it's not surprising that the vast majority of traders would treat technical products like a black box. Furthermore, in developed nations with highly specialised economies it is likely that such roles will be attractive to people who have a natural affinity for technology. In addition, the company is able to provide training to bring individuals up to the required level. I too have frequented these stores you speak of, and believe me, there are assistants in these organizations who wouldn't know 3G from SAMSUNG.
Shouldn't the government demand a minimum level of qualification or literacy for such vendors or even more companies like Nokia/ Samsung demand this of their distributors/Agents / Outlets.
Why? What part does the government have in regulating a free market? Caveat emptor -- you have to do your research and know what you're looking for, in any purchase.
It bothers me because over 70% of people selling IT hardware as well electronics equipment have no clue over what they are selling..
If it bothers you that much perhaps you should think about building an organization that actually *does* know what it's selling. I'm sure it would do very well.
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Server donations spreadsheet http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AopdHkqSqKL-dHlQVTMxU1VBdU1BSWJxdy1f... ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke Other lists ------------- Announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general
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@ Benson well put. I also need to add, one cannot clap using one hand. Therefore this is a three-some issue - the govt, the seller and the consumer! On 23/12/2009, benson orina <benson.orina@gmail.com> wrote:
I think its an issue to do with the consumer culture in the country. The problem is not just in the IT and electronics areas but in most other market segments. In the developed nations from my observation consumers are more critical about the quality of what they buy whereas in our country most people are quite content buying what is perceived as the "latest". this happens with the "latest" model available at cheap rates from japan, the latest model of hdtv technology(never mind that there isn't much hd content floating around), the latest pc, latest fashion(as seen on TV) and the list goes on and on. Therefore if a business owner knows that people will just buy without questions why should he bother to pay some professional to advice clients on the cache differances on differant pcs when he/she has enough customers asking for the latest computer or the any computer that he can get for X sum of money? I don't mean that we as kenyans or other developing nations citizens are illiterate and naive, the problem is that those who actually know what they want in their products are greatly outnumbered. the traders are interested in numbers not in the satisfaction of giving that one customer good service. me thots.
On 22/12/2009, Alvin Jason Ochieng <ajochola@gmail.com> wrote:
Sohan,
We IT companies do invest in partner programmes but at this stage those service have to be charged for !!! I agree............
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 12:17 PM, rsohan@gmail.com <rsohan@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 7:24 AM, Kevin Ouma <kevin.ouma@gmail.com> wrote:
Skunkers,
Is it just me or are most of the mobile phone dealers unqualified to handle the items they sell.
Absolutely
The other day I walked into a shop looking for a phone with 3g capability. As I pointed to a phone model and asked if it had 3g the somali lady ( who could not understand english or swahili properly) replied "hapana sisi iko to na Nokia na Samsung"hapana iko simu ya 3g .
Today I had another similar experience where while looking for a USB bluetooth adapter the salesperson who coincidentally was again Somali asked whether I wanted it in 1 or 2gb ( he thought I was looking for a flash disk and had no clue what a USB adapter was.) I do suspect he does not even know what bluetooth is.
This can easily be replicated across even electronics stores where many a time I have found myself educating shop assistants on features of items they sell eg region coding for dvds, what a set top box what is HDTV . It is not a surprise that until recently many people had been duped that their LCD TVs were digital until KBC switched on its digital signal at which point the story changed. Having traveled abroad, the level of engagement with an assistant at Dixons, Currys or Crutchfield electronics stores in the UK and shop attendants in Kenya like day and night. Most of the shop assistants you meet abroad are fairly technical people who know their stuff.
Hmmm... let's see -- you're comparing people working in large (10,000+) retail outlets in developed nations with mom-and-pop stores owned by individuals trying to eck a living in an environment that's not exactly conducive to tech? Unfair comparison. You have to remember that while you might have a passion for technology for a large number of people it's a tool or a product to make some money -- i.e. they don't *really* care about it, they care about making that small amount of profit to continue to live. With this mindset, it's not surprising that the vast majority of traders would treat technical products like a black box. Furthermore, in developed nations with highly specialised economies it is likely that such roles will be attractive to people who have a natural affinity for technology. In addition, the company is able to provide training to bring individuals up to the required level. I too have frequented these stores you speak of, and believe me, there are assistants in these organizations who wouldn't know 3G from SAMSUNG.
Shouldn't the government demand a minimum level of qualification or literacy for such vendors or even more companies like Nokia/ Samsung demand this of their distributors/Agents / Outlets.
Why? What part does the government have in regulating a free market? Caveat emptor -- you have to do your research and know what you're looking for, in any purchase.
It bothers me because over 70% of people selling IT hardware as well electronics equipment have no clue over what they are selling..
If it bothers you that much perhaps you should think about building an organization that actually *does* know what it's selling. I'm sure it would do very well.
_______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks@lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Server donations spreadsheet http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AopdHkqSqKL-dHlQVTMxU1VBdU1BSWJxdy1f... ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke Other lists ------------- Announce: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks-announce Science: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/science kazi: http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/admin/kazi/general
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you got it right Benson, on the other hand we must appreciate that developing nations offer free/subsidised education in some cases to University level meaning a large section of the populace is well educated whereas for developing nations, the reverse is true, we are still in the process of grappling with Free Primary education, who knows what neighbouring countries are going through, the issue is beyond the shop assistants, thank God for the small businessmen for without them some of us might never have applied what we learnt in school, it started with the refurbs now its phones. By the way you cant imagine the number of high end phones that are in the hands of fellows who have never stepped into a computer class, Mobile Phone companies have really benefitted from such guys, there are two sides to the coin to some it up Regards On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 10:23 AM, benson orina <benson.orina@gmail.com>wrote:
I think its an issue to do with the consumer culture in the country. The problem is not just in the IT and electronics areas but in most other market segments. In the developed nations from my observation consumers are more critical about the quality of what they buy whereas in our country most people are quite content buying what is perceived as the "latest". this happens with the "latest" model available at cheap rates from japan, the latest model of hdtv technology(never mind that there isn't much hd content floating around), the latest pc, latest fashion(as seen on TV) and the list goes on and on. Therefore if a business owner knows that people will just buy without questions why should he bother to pay some professional to advice clients on the cache differances on differant pcs when he/she has enough customers asking for the latest computer or the any computer that he can get for X sum of money? I don't mean that we as kenyans or other developing nations citizens are illiterate and naive, the problem is that those who actually know what they want in their products are greatly outnumbered. the traders are interested in numbers not in the satisfaction of giving that one customer good service. me thots.
On 22/12/2009, Alvin Jason Ochieng <ajochola@gmail.com> wrote:
Sohan,
We IT companies do invest in partner programmes but at this stage those service have to be charged for !!! I agree............
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 12:17 PM, rsohan@gmail.com <rsohan@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 7:24 AM, Kevin Ouma <kevin.ouma@gmail.com>
wrote:
Skunkers,
Is it just me or are most of the mobile phone dealers unqualified to handle the items they sell.
Absolutely
The other day I walked into a shop looking for a phone with 3g capability. As I pointed to a phone model and asked if it had 3g the somali lady ( who could not understand english or swahili properly) replied "hapana sisi iko to na Nokia na Samsung"hapana iko simu ya 3g .
Today I had another similar experience where while looking for a USB bluetooth adapter the salesperson who coincidentally was again Somali asked whether I wanted it in 1 or 2gb ( he thought I was looking for a flash disk and had no clue what a USB adapter was.) I do suspect he
does
not even know what bluetooth is.
This can easily be replicated across even electronics stores where many a time I have found myself educating shop assistants on features of items they sell eg region coding for dvds, what a set top box what is HDTV . It is not a surprise that until recently many people had been duped that their LCD TVs were digital until KBC switched on its digital signal at which point the story changed. Having traveled abroad, the level of engagement with an assistant at Dixons, Currys or Crutchfield electronics stores in the UK and shop attendants in Kenya like day and night. Most of the shop assistants you meet abroad are fairly technical people who know their stuff.
Hmmm... let's see -- you're comparing people working in large (10,000+) retail outlets in developed nations with mom-and-pop stores owned by individuals trying to eck a living in an environment that's not exactly conducive to tech? Unfair comparison. You have to remember that while you might have a passion for technology for a large number of people it's a tool or a product to make some money -- i.e. they don't *really* care about it, they care about making that small amount of profit to continue to live. With this mindset, it's not surprising that the vast majority of traders would treat technical products like a black box. Furthermore, in developed nations with highly specialised economies it is likely that such roles will be attractive to people who have a natural affinity for technology. In addition, the company is able to provide training to bring individuals up to the required level. I too have frequented these stores you speak of, and believe me, there are assistants in these organizations who wouldn't know 3G from SAMSUNG.
Shouldn't the government demand a minimum level of qualification or literacy for such vendors or even more companies like Nokia/ Samsung demand this of their distributors/Agents / Outlets.
Why? What part does the government have in regulating a free market? Caveat emptor -- you have to do your research and know what you're looking for, in any purchase.
It bothers me because over 70% of people selling IT hardware as well electronics equipment have no clue over what they are selling..
If it bothers you that much perhaps you should think about building an organization that actually *does* know what it's selling. I'm sure it would do very well.
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-- Barrack O. Otieno Administrative Manager Afriregister Ltd (Ke) P.o.Box 21682 Nairobi 00100 Tel: +254721325277 +254733206359 +254202498789 Riara Road, Bamboo Lane www.afriregister.com www.afriregister.co.ke ICANN accredited registrar. Skype: barrack.otieno
Barrack you are so right...esp on the phones part !!! On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 12:03 PM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com> wrote:
you got it right Benson, on the other hand we must appreciate that developing nations offer free/subsidised education in some cases to University level meaning a large section of the populace is well educated whereas for developing nations, the reverse is true, we are still in the process of grappling with Free Primary education, who knows what neighbouring countries are going through, the issue is beyond the shop assistants, thank God for the small businessmen for without them some of us might never have applied what we learnt in school, it started with the refurbs now its phones. By the way you cant imagine the number of high end phones that are in the hands of fellows who have never stepped into a computer class, Mobile Phone companies have really benefitted from such guys, there are two sides to the coin to some it up Regards
On Wed, Dec 23, 2009 at 10:23 AM, benson orina <benson.orina@gmail.com> wrote:
I think its an issue to do with the consumer culture in the country. The problem is not just in the IT and electronics areas but in most other market segments. In the developed nations from my observation consumers are more critical about the quality of what they buy whereas in our country most people are quite content buying what is perceived as the "latest". this happens with the "latest" model available at cheap rates from japan, the latest model of hdtv technology(never mind that there isn't much hd content floating around), the latest pc, latest fashion(as seen on TV) and the list goes on and on. Therefore if a business owner knows that people will just buy without questions why should he bother to pay some professional to advice clients on the cache differances on differant pcs when he/she has enough customers asking for the latest computer or the any computer that he can get for X sum of money? I don't mean that we as kenyans or other developing nations citizens are illiterate and naive, the problem is that those who actually know what they want in their products are greatly outnumbered. the traders are interested in numbers not in the satisfaction of giving that one customer good service. me thots.
On 22/12/2009, Alvin Jason Ochieng <ajochola@gmail.com> wrote:
Sohan,
We IT companies do invest in partner programmes but at this stage those service have to be charged for !!! I agree............
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 12:17 PM, rsohan@gmail.com <rsohan@gmail.com> wrote:
On Tue, Dec 22, 2009 at 7:24 AM, Kevin Ouma <kevin.ouma@gmail.com> wrote:
Skunkers,
Is it just me or are most of the mobile phone dealers unqualified to handle the items they sell.
Absolutely
The other day I walked into a shop looking for a phone with 3g capability. As I pointed to a phone model and asked if it had 3g the somali lady ( who could not understand english or swahili properly) replied "hapana sisi iko to na Nokia na Samsung"hapana iko simu ya 3g .
Today I had another similar experience where while looking for a USB bluetooth adapter the salesperson who coincidentally was again Somali asked whether I wanted it in 1 or 2gb ( he thought I was looking for a flash disk and had no clue what a USB adapter was.) I do suspect he does not even know what bluetooth is.
This can easily be replicated across even electronics stores where many a time I have found myself educating shop assistants on features of items they sell eg region coding for dvds, what a set top box what is HDTV . It is not a surprise that until recently many people had been duped that their LCD TVs were digital until KBC switched on its digital signal at which point the story changed. Having traveled abroad, the level of engagement with an assistant at Dixons, Currys or Crutchfield electronics stores in the UK and shop attendants in Kenya like day and night. Most of the shop assistants you meet abroad are fairly technical people who know their stuff.
Hmmm... let's see -- you're comparing people working in large (10,000+) retail outlets in developed nations with mom-and-pop stores owned by individuals trying to eck a living in an environment that's not exactly conducive to tech? Unfair comparison. You have to remember that while you might have a passion for technology for a large number of people it's a tool or a product to make some money -- i.e. they don't *really* care about it, they care about making that small amount of profit to continue to live. With this mindset, it's not surprising that the vast majority of traders would treat technical products like a black box. Furthermore, in developed nations with highly specialised economies it is likely that such roles will be attractive to people who have a natural affinity for technology. In addition, the company is able to provide training to bring individuals up to the required level. I too have frequented these stores you speak of, and believe me, there are assistants in these organizations who wouldn't know 3G from SAMSUNG.
Shouldn't the government demand a minimum level of qualification or literacy for such vendors or even more companies like Nokia/ Samsung demand this of their distributors/Agents / Outlets.
Why? What part does the government have in regulating a free market? Caveat emptor -- you have to do your research and know what you're looking for, in any purchase.
It bothers me because over 70% of people selling IT hardware as well electronics equipment have no clue over what they are selling..
If it bothers you that much perhaps you should think about building an organization that actually *does* know what it's selling. I'm sure it would do very well.
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-- Barrack O. Otieno Administrative Manager Afriregister Ltd (Ke) P.o.Box 21682 Nairobi 00100 Tel: +254721325277 +254733206359 +254202498789 Riara Road, Bamboo Lane www.afriregister.com www.afriregister.co.ke ICANN accredited registrar. Skype: barrack.otieno
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Suppose we run an online tutorial for the basic stuff, use Mpesa for downloading the materials. Sort of an aggregation of all IT and Electronic stuff(other things can follow). whosoever wants to open an IT and/or electronic shop can "hire" the guys who have taken and passed these exams. Its a workable solution because I just took an online course and took an online exam, after a few minutes I had a transcript for what course I had taken and the grade.
participants (7)
-
Alvin Jason Ochieng -
Barrack Otieno -
benson orina -
Clement Ongera -
Kevin Ouma -
rsohan＠gmail.com -
Solomon Mburu Kamau