(Having listened to an automated list of options, none of which is relevant to our enquiry, Marketing picks one at random and waits three minutes for our call to be answered.)
eBay Thank you for calling eBay, can I have your first and last name, please?
Mktg (Gives name.)
eBay May I have your user ID?
Mktg I don't have a user ID. I've heard eBay is opening a physical store in London. Do you know anything about it?
eBay What do you mean an eBay store, is it an eBay account?
Mktg It is a physical shop I've heard is opening in London.
eBay This is the first time I've encountered an eBay store. Can you give me more details? We don't have any other number you can call.
Mktg The reason I'm calling is I want to find more information about it. All I know is it is opening in London and it will only be open for a few days - my friend read about it in the newspaper.
eBay I will go and double check the information (puts Mktg on hold for more than five minutes). Thank you for your patience. I've checked the details of the physical store; we are not actually the ones who are handling it. It is like an advertisement, but we are not sure if it will be accredited by eBay itself. I can see it will be in Dean Street.
Mktg What do you mean when you say it's an advertisement?
eBay We don't have an announcement - every time there is new activity at eBay there will be an email sent to us so we are aware of the activities we have. They are not giving information on the physical store, so I searched for it (on the web) and I'm seeing there is a store. I can't give you assurances it is accredited or part of eBay. It might be some eBay members have set up the store rather than eBay itself. If you want to find more information, you can search on Google or Yahoo! for 'eBay opens physical store in London for the holiday season'.
Mktg OK, thanks for your help.
Verdict
The call-handler tried to help, but had no official information and was unable to find any relevant details other than the street the store was on. The dearth of information left us with the impression that the store is just a PR stunt and there are no plans to roll out more physical stores. After 15 minutes on the phone, we were effectively told: 'Google it.'
Score 2/10