TeleMarket24 Review

I thought I was off to a great start by buying a new smartphone online, but little did I know that my experience with TeleMarket24 would be a complete disaster.

I picked out the model and color I wanted, and searched for online stores that had the exact model in black with 256GB of internal storage. I also needed to find a store with a convenient pickup location, since I prefer to buy technical products in person rather than having them shipped.

That's how I ended up choosing TeleMarket24, an online electronics store.

This was my first and, as it turns out, last order from this store.

TeleMarket24TeleMarket24 Review

I placed my order, entered all the required information - name, phone number, email address, and chose a convenient offline store to pick up my purchase.

Not long after, a store manager called me to confirm the details and let me know that they would deliver my order to the store the next day, even though the estimated delivery time was two days.

The next day, at 1:30 PM, I received an SMS saying my order was ready for pickup.

I was excited to go pick it up.

As I was almost inside the store, I remembered that they only accept cash payments.

In this day and age, that's a bit strange - I couldn't pay for my purchase with a credit card in a store located in a major shopping complex in St. Petersburg. It caused some inconvenience, but I had no choice but to turn around and head to the nearby Sberbank branch to withdraw the necessary amount.

TeleMarket24 Review

I returned to the store, told the saleswoman my order number, and waited eagerly for them to hand me my box with the smartphone.

They handed me the box and asked me to pay...

But how about opening it, checking the contents, inspecting the device for any scratches or defects, and finally turning it on to test its functionality?

I thought maybe there were some rules that required payment first and then everything else.

I handed the saleswoman the freshly withdrawn cash and waited.

Salon connection TELEMARKET - Review

And then the whole positivity ends here!

I got the entire amount from the ATM in thousand-dollar bills, almost all of them were modifications from 2004 and 2010, but among them, there were four bills from the very first model in 1997. You don't often see those anymore, but they're still in circulation, as you can check on the official website of the Bank of Russia.

But the salesperson was spooked by these four bills, to the point where she flat-out claimed they were fake.

“Look, here's the bear's coat is gray, but it should be colored! And the Bank of Russia's emblem isn't green! It's a fake! It's a fake!” - she started shouting. What???

I'm not the one to explain it to someone who works with cash every day and should know their stuff. Thousand-dollar bills in circulation come in three varieties, and on the latest model from 2010, the bear's coat is green, on the previous model from 2004, it's burgundy, and on the oldest model from 1997, it's gray. And the Bank of Russia's emblem isn't always green right away...

Internet store TELEMARKET24 - Review

But the salesperson was dead-set - the bills were fake and that's it!

And you know what? Even if you're 200% sure about something, but 500 people are telling you the opposite with their mouths foaming, you'll start doubting your own judgment. Of course, I started having doubts too - what if the Sberbank really did give me counterfeit bills...

Internet store TELEMARKET24 - Review Internet store TELEMARKET24 - Review

Saying my mood was ruined is an understatement. I didn't even get to enjoy my new smartphone for a couple of seconds because all my thoughts were about the fake bills, not the new phone. What if they really did give me counterfeit bills? Should I exchange them at the Sberbank or will they take me away for trying to pass off fake bills?

I rushed back to Sberbank, mentally preparing for the worst, but fortunately, my fears were unfounded. The cashier checked all four bills, and they were all genuine, but they still offered to exchange them if I had any concerns. Although I had no issues with them by the time I visited TeleMarket24, I declined the exchange, curious to see if they'd be accepted elsewhere or if problems would arise again. In the end, I used these bills without a hitch to pay for purchases at Okee, Lent, and the Pharmacy.

TeleMarket Salon - Review

By the way, when I was paying, the staff didn't even offer to turn on the phone and check it for me. They only opened the box to let me inspect the device for any damage, but only after I asked them to do so.

Honestly, the quality of service was zero. It seems like the sales staff only get a commission from in-store sales, so they don't care about providing decent service to online customers.

Needless to say, after all this, there's no way I'd give a positive review.

TeleMarket24 wants to accept only cash payments, but they're hiring girls from the street to work in their communication salons, who don't even know the difference between various banknotes currently in circulation.

TeleMarket24 wants to make a big profit and get lots of orders, but their sales staff sell products with a look of doing you a huge favor. After making a purchase, you even feel like apologizing for wasting their precious time, which they could've spent on something more productive, like scrolling through social media on their phone instead of actually selling you something.

In short, the final verdict: two stars, not recommended.

TeleMarket Salon - Review

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