Best Buy

[Esoteric]

Wow, I had the worst experience with Best Buy today. I had a manager lie to me, the store manager lied to me, and neither was apologetic. No customer service skills, just terrible. All I wanted to do was get a DVD player replaced under their service policy.

I tore up my Best Buy card right there and have vowed to never spend another penny there.

What a terrible experience.

Mike

[[Admin] danroth]

Sorry to hear this.

I would never call Best Buy (nor any other big box store) perfect, but I've had many good experiences with them. I may be a little bias b/c I have a brother-in-law who works for corporate (and one who used to).

I would very much encourage you to bump this up the ladder. I know that the higher-ups don't want this kind of stuff to happen.

[cmchamp]

Mike
A friend of mine just today posted a similar complaint on FaceBook regarding BB.
It doesn't stop there, it seems to be everywhere unfortunately.

[Esoteric]

I called Corporate and they sent an email to the District Manager. We will see if anything comes of it.

Mike

[katanna]

Our youth director went to Best Buy once to buy a DVI cable to hook up his MacBook to a projector. (He just needed the DVI cable, he already had the adapter.) They insisted that the only DVI cable that would work would be a propriety Apple DVI cable.

So we went and bought it from Apple (IE: he didn't give Best Buy his money).

Matthew

[Les]

I always go straight to the top. I've had several issues with Best Buy in the past and I avoid them now. In fact most of my family avoids Best Buy due to past experiences.

You could try emailing some different people at the corporate office. That tends to get responses. Here is a couple of people I personally would try.

Mark Paragi
Senior Executive Resolution Specialist
(612) 292-0077 Direct


Lisa Smith- Best Buy Vice President Customer Care

[tedanderson]

One thing that I don't particularly like at my local BB is that the employees walk by me like I am invisible after I have asked for assistance and they promised to send someone my direction. Now I realize that it gets busy in the store sometimes but they should at least have enough common courtesy to say, "Have you been helped? I'll be right with you" but I am usually confronted with an employee asking me to move out of their way because I am blocking the aisle. But other than that, nobody would even acknowledge me.

So one day I took matters into my own hands and climbed one of their ladders. Only THEN did I get 5 people running towards me to tell me that I am not permitted to use the ladder. So that's when I asked for help. Nobody offered to help me but everyone was insistent that I get off of the ladder.

[shayward]

Ted, you like to do the things most of us only which we had the nerve to do. That's AWESOME!

Finding good customers service in any chain bigbox store is going to be hit and miss. It's not like the employees have anything vested.

[MediaGuy]

Shayward's right about the vested thing - I've found most BB employees only know what they've had to learn for the job... they know nothing about the how's and why's of technology - basically just the "reboot your computer" level of expertise. I find myself helping other customers who seem lost.

[tedanderson]

Ted, you like to do the things most of us only which we had the nerve to do. It's not like the employees have anything vested.

Vested or not, an employee should think about what he would want if he was shopping in the store. When I worked for one of the earlier big box retail stores, they would teach us is that if we saw a customer using the ladder, we were supposed to address the situation by saying, "Excuse me sir, may I help you retrieve something?" or at least immediately stop what you are doing to help them.

For the most part I am a very patient and understanding customer who is tolerant of situations that are beyond anyone's control. But as a society I think that we do not do enough to challenge blatant stupidity.

Like when the BB clerk stops me to check my receipt and bag, I always ask why. I don't get hostile or disrespectful but I will ask for an explanation after standing on line for 20 minutes in plain view of the security cameras and cashiers. What can I steal and sneak into the bag within the 50 foot span of floor space that separates the cashier and the front door? If I can't get a satisfactory response, I will ask for the manager. When they go to get the manger, I walk out the door.

I realize that they have to protect their interests but a security screening on the way out is not the way to do it.

I would very much encourage you to bump this up the ladder. I know that the higher-ups don't want this kind of stuff to happen.

This is good to know. I will take my concerns up the ladder also.

[dewknight]

So many people have had issues with Best Buy recently, they've got horrible customer service and deceptive practices (look up recent price matching issues). Just stay away from them. Buy online or local stores, avoid Best Buy like the plague.

[dstatler]

My dad recently went to BB to buy a new laptop (cash in hand). He had been out doing some work on his farm (not an animal farm, so he didn't "smell"), but had his work clothes on. He waited around for 45 mins and no one helped him, so he just left the store.

A few days later he dressed up in his "Sunday best" and went back in, he was helped almost immediately and got his laptop. Maybe it was a God-thing as the laptop he bought had gone on sale and he saved $100.

I guess since he was "dressed down," maybe they thought he couldn't afford a laptop...

I had an issue also a couple of years ago at my local BB and got a good response (and a gift card) from the corporate office after emailing them.