So, Stryker Japan had recently outfitted all their workforce with iPhones. In Japan, only one company carries the iPhone, Softbank. When we arrived I asked if they had negotiated any incentives or reduced rates due to the volume of business given to Softbank that could apply to personal use iPhones as well. I was told that Softbank created a special campaign for Stryker employees and their families to receive a free iPhone and a 10,000JPY (roughly $100) gift card. That sounded pretty good so I thought I would take advantage of it…..the timeline below details the saga….
Jan 12 – James (our relocation coordinator) filled out an email application in Japanese.
Jan 14 – Received a hard copy application in the mail with 5 pages to complete.
Jan 15 – James completed the application – all in Japanese and some of the information was repeated from the emailed application.
Jan 18 – Mailed application to Softbank, complete with copies of my passport photo page, my visa page, a document called Zaishoku Shomei Sho (proof of employment, which Stryker Japan HR had to create), and my Alien Registration Card. The ARC details my passport number, length of stay, visa sponsor/employer and local address – so it basically had every piece of required information included.
Jan 23 – Received a Thank You confirmation via certified mail that Softbank received the application. The real intent of the Thank You was yet another method of checking we are who we said we were and we lived where we said we lived. I had to produce both my passport and my ARC to be able to sign for the letter.
Jan 29 – Received a call from Softbank quality control indicating that my application was incomplete. Through a 1.5 hour series of phone calls and conversations which my interpreter facilitated, it became apparent that the caller didn’t have any authority to do anything but read the requirements of the application. After this 1.5 hours of back and forth, the caller also informed us that the campaign we were applying for had been concluded as of Jan 26, so we were no longer eligible! I was able to determine that the missing requirement was a photocopy of the backside of my ARC which contains a completely empty table. I faxed this immediately to Softbank. They then “guaranteed” this was the last check and that I could still qualify for the campaign. I would receive the phone within 7 days.
Feb 4 – Received a call from Softbank indicating that my “credit” did not pass a check. Through another long series of phone calls I was finally able to reach someone who spoke English. This was critical because they would not discuss my credit with my translator even though I tried to give them authorization to do so. We finally discovered the root cause was that I did not include a credit card number on the mailed application on Jan 18. The application allowed for EITHER a credit card number OR a bank account. I apparently chose incorrectly when I tried to set up automatic withdrawal…. So, I tried to give them my credit card information over the phone, but they informed me that they could not accept that information over the phone and that they were terminating my application. I would have to start over!
Feb 6 – Walked into a Softbank store and two hours later walked out with an iPhone, which was free anyway! This whole process was apparently only to get a 10,000JPY gift card! Maddening!!!!!
When people tell you that it is more difficult to accomplish anything in Japan, you better believe them! EVERYTHING is harder to get done.
To Softbank’s credit, they sent three employees to my workplace to formally apologize to me for all the grief they put me through. There were two were General Managers in addition to the sales rep dedicated to Stryker. The trip from their office to mine is over one hour one way. One of the General Managers asked me to contact him directly if I was ever dissatisfied with any of their service. That was a very nice gesture and it was much appreciated. They also presented me with the gift card for 10,000JPY.
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