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Telcel in Laguna Centro


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Had an interesting experience at the Telcel center in Laguna Centro the other day. Just wondered how usual this was.



When I walked in the front door, I was greeted by a woman sitting at the kiosk just inside the door. I explained to her in my limited Spanish that I wanted to talk to someone about the advertising on my phone. I further explained that it would be easiest and best if that person spoke English. She asked me to sit down on the bench and wait.



And wait I did - for about 25 minutes. In the meanwhile, several people whom I guessed to be locals, came in and approached the woman at the kiosk. They were all escorted to one of the people behind the windows who were helping customers. I decided it was because they all spoke Spanish and did not require a speaker of English.



When at last I was escorted to a window by the greeter, I was greeted in English by a woman who had been there all along and had attended to three other people who walked in the door after me. Admittedly I was already angry and was struggling to be “respectful” as I explained that I wanted the advertising on my phone stopped. She looked straight at me and said there was nothing she could do and that I would have to call the advertisers. I know that is not true. I was there because friends who had the same problem with advertising had told me they had gone to Telcel and successfully requested an end to the advertising on their phone.



Maybe I offended the greeter with my broken Spanish. Maybe I was there on a bad day. Maybe I wasn’t holding my nose just right. Or maybe I was just too obviously Anglo. I don’t know. What I do know is that I will be so happy when AT&T cell phone service becomes available. Because as much as I thought AT&T was disgusting service north of the border, I now realize how lucky I was to have it.



My question is how usual this experience was. Was it just me - or have others had a similar experience in the Telcel Service Center in Laguna Centro? Just curious.


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I was there today about getting a new battery for my phone (they don't have them) and I asked if there was anyone speaking English. She looked around and said ocupado. I asked in Spanish when the person would be available and she said no, ocupado, so she wouldn't let me wait or see the English speaking person, so I left.

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If you want pleasant, helpful service in English, go to the office opposite the parking garage at the plaza where El Torito is. Two English speaking ladies who will help you with anything Telcel. Usually no waiting, or very little. Whole different experience from the place in the Laguna mall.

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I speak Spanish and I fingd the Laguna Mall awful. They are very good with their canned expression we are at your orders and so on and have the worst customer service I have seen in a long time. They are very bureaucratic, I deal with the 2 ladies next to the Casino near Torito, they are 20 times better..

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I have been there 3-4 times in the past couple of months and asked for an English speaker. I ask the receptionist in English. I now know one young man there whom I either ask for or they send me to. He is pleasant and speaks very good English. His name starts with a "V" sorry I can't remember it right now.

He was so helpful and explained they have a package for 199 pesos a month that includes 200 minutes, free Facebook, free What's App, and I Messaging along with more than enough data for me. I have an iPhone 5. I have had that plan for about a month and a half and like it. Yesterday I went to pay my monthly bill and stopped to,speak with him. He told me for 50 pesos more per month they can include the U.S. With the plan. So now I have U.S. On my Mexican cell and it uses the 200 minutes. Gotta love technology!

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Thanks for the tip about the two ladies next to the old casino because it is certain that I will never go in the Laguna Telcel store again. Their attitude is worse than the Telmex office on the carreterra - and that is really saying something. These people desperately need some competition.

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Strange to me, if you go to TelMex they have at least 5 customer service reps that speak English. Same owner of TelCel. We should speak Spanish, enough to get by but they are also in an Englsih speaking community and make no attempt to give us service. Will be interesting to see what AT&T do. But probably at least a year away.

Most of what I do is call my free 3 amigos, text on Whatsapp or iPhone to iPhone via Wifi which is free. I don't trust TelCel. Somedays when I check the balance in the morning they have subtracted .30pesos off my balance. Why? Most people don't check and I think they do what they want.

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My experinces have been very different. I have no problems at Telcel in Laguna mall. I do request an English speaker, and they do give me a number and I may have to wait. I to had the new Sin Frontera put on my plan so I now cancall the US landlines and cell phones for free with my minutes. I have a large plan.. I love it. My husband in states has AT&T and thought he pays less for many things he does not get free calls to Mexico.

I am able to get by on some things with my spanish but forsigning a contract for 2 years or anythingcomplicated I want an english speaker. So of all the things here telcel has nto been a problem for me anyway.

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For years I dealt with the Telcel store across the carretera from Telmex but time (money) kept going missing. I switched to the Telcel store at Laguna mall and that problem stopped. I only had one instance at Laguna where I needed an English speaking person and it was okay.

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I have given up dealing with the Telcel in Laguna mall. I to have asked in my sandbox Spanish if there was anyone who could speak English and was told no. This has happened on 2 separate occasions. The telcel store across from the parking garage has been great. I also liked the telcel store in the Buganvillia (sp) plaza but if the problem is complicated my Spanish is not adequate to explain.or understand the solution.

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I have been there 3-4 times in the past couple of months and asked for an English speaker. I ask the receptionist in English. I now know one young man there whom I either ask for or they send me to. He is pleasant and speaks very good English. His name starts with a "V" sorry I can't remember it right now.

He was so helpful and explained they have a package for 199 pesos a month that includes 200 minutes, free Facebook, free What's App, and I Messaging along with more than enough data for me. I have an iPhone 5. I have had that plan for about a month and a half and like it. Yesterday I went to pay my monthly bill and stopped to,speak with him. He told me for 50 pesos more per month they can include the U.S. With the plan. So now I have U.S. On my Mexican cell and it uses the 200 minutes. Gotta love technology!

You're getting $200 Pesos of credit, not 200 minutes. Calling the USA is free on the Amiga Plan, Facebook and What'sApp are free to everyone. I'd get a plan but they won't bill a US credit card, so I use the Amiga plan. It works for me.

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I've always had good service at the Telcel store in Laguna Mall - in both English and Spanish. Good service and all my questions answered. Obviously people have very different experiences with a number of businesses, restaurants, drivers, etc. Good news is that we have several options for most of these services - including help with cell phone issues.

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Does anyone know if telcel in the mall is open today or the gal across from the parking garage?

I too found the employees at the telcel at the mall less than welcoming this past week...not the same attitude I received in the past..I struggled through with my poor Spanish and got it done. They did not give me an English speaking rep. Even though I asked...I need to learn more Spanish.

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What do they do at the TelCell place in the mall? I have been in their twice, not helped either time. there are about 15 people sitting in their cajas and no customers. They all are just sitting there looking at me, so what do all of those people do?

If you are just there to buy more time go to the several tellers on the right hand side.
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I like the store front over across the garage. I have had good and bad service in the mall store. There an attempt at spanish is necessary and I say that because I sent the husband in once with a simple question since he was going to a movie and he couldn't get an answer because no one spoke english. They are all college graduates thus they all speak english. They choose not to and that is certainly their choice. I figure they appoint one or two people to speak english for the entire store.

As for the no Visa I just pay them $600 pesos every 3 months, shows up on my app on the the phone immediately, there is a official receipt AND she fiddles with the phone a bit and I feel better. I do get the lastest promotion that way. I do not dare to fiddle with it because I would muck it up.

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How exactly does the Amiga plan work, who can you put on it and how many people?

I'd like to put my spouse and several others I call regularly on it.

I've found it easiest to just go into an Oxxo and add two hundred pesos every two months. Agree that it is best to use Spanish in the TelCel store at the mall.

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Vette, perhaps you missed reading the posts from people who speak Spanish and received horrible service at that outlet ? And, the ones from people who speak only English who received excellent service there? Even people who arrived a few weeks or months ago need cell phone service. It appears a couple of the offices have figured that out and provide help in English. It is smart business in an area like this.

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Coons, a year or two ago with the Amigo plan I had to pay $49 pesos each year per person (up to 9 or ten persons) I wanted to call for free. One could call as many times as you wanted as long as each call was less than 5 minutes. That is why you would see people hanging up every 4 or so minutes and then recalling the same person and continuing the conversation.

I do not know whether or not the fees have changed.

And maybe I and my techie friends have been lucky. but we have been treated pretty well at the Telcel owned outlet at the Laguna Centro Mall. And the better your Spanish, the better the service.

ALSO, I have almost always received good service at the privately owned small Telcel outlet across the street from the El Toritos parking lot as well.

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