We look forward to your next visit to one of our stores or to
http://www.BestBuy.com.

When some companies grow big they just cant be bothered about customer service and stuff looks like…

ill admit that not everyone that works for best buy are angels or anything close but just because one employee is a jackass doesn’t make the entire brand terrible

i don’t work for best buy or anything but would it kill people to read the terms and conditions of the shit they’re purchasing? all i have to say is that the vast majority of you are…

dumbasses!!

I did, however, recently purchase a TV from them, but having to say “no. no. no. NO!” when they try to tack on extra services is annoying. The customer and installer are 100% not at fault in a situation like this. It’s companies like Best Buy that are desperate to expand their brand name, by selling anything they can to anyone they can. Once a company like this gets to the point that it can swallow up its competitors at will, and force its vendors to change their prices, the war is already lost.

People have been trying to get things cheap since the dawn of commerce itself. Nothing about that has changed in the last 20,000 years, so blaming the customer for our current situation is silly. The only thing that’s changed is the companies. The ability of mega corporations to call upon global supply chains, and obscene levels of capital to influence local markets, is what’s killing personalized service.

I wanted to have dual operating systems installed, so I left my brand new system there for what I thought would be 2 days. Two days turned into two weeks. The Geek Squad never was able to install the dual operating systems, and in the process, they formatted my hard drive and erased all of the original applications that came on my computer. I had to write to Gateway and get the system disk so I could reinstall all of the applications that were originally on my system.

Next, within 9 months the high-end graphics card went out.

I took my computer back to Best Buy twice for service by the Geek Squad. After having it several days, the first time they said they couldn’t find anything wrong.

After my second visit within 2 weeks for the same problem, I insisted that they honor the warranty and exchange the graphics card. When I picked up the computer after this second visit, the Geek Squad employee actually told me the graphics card had been REPLACED with a new one. I asked for the graphics card box and instructions so I could configure the card once I got home. They told me there was no box.

Because I thought that was a curious response, once I got my computer to my car, I opened the box and saw my same old graphics card was still inside the computer. In fact, it had not been changed or exchanged, even though I was told it had been replaced with a new card. (I knew it was the original card because of its color and the dust that was on it!)

Upset, I went back into the store and asked the Geek Squad employee to open the computer. When he did, I asked him if that graphics card looked new to him. He admitted it did not.

I asked for the Geek Squad manager and told him what happened. He apologized and said they didn’t replace the card because they didn’t have the same card in the store. However, after this incident, he did replace the card with an upgraded card, and he apologized.

By the way, the motherboard in that same computer went out TWICE two months later in December — after just 11 months. After a nightmare experience with Gateway’s customer service (another long story), I’ve decided I will buy a Mac next time.

I’ll never buy another computer from Best Buy.

-Jeff

Kind Regaurds,
Tom

http://www.bestbuy.com/olspage.jsp?id=pcmcat61200050033&type=category

As you can see, you DO replace it. Also, as a retailer acting on behalf of the manufacturer that has allowed you to sell their goods, you have an obligation to replace something that is broken if it’s within it’s standard 12-month guarantee.

You mention that the person in this example must have had a poor installer – yet by all accounts it would appear that the customer was acting on the recommendation of a Best Buy customer service agent. Surely in that case the fault lies with the company and not the customer?

Going to your point about the delay in the times between delivery and installation – that makes sense, as you rightly say that the installer needs to know the details of the installation itself. However, this is where Best Buy fail in my opinion (from a service point of view).

How easy would it be for the delivery guy to input the required information onto an on-board computer linked directly to the store/head office/installer? As in, Mrs A. requires TV installed upstair and has X and Y cables but not Z.

Then a customer service rep could contact the customer and advise of this when confirming the installation time and date. Take it one step further and they could even use it as an opportunity for an add-on sale and explain about the extra cabling required.

It’s all well and good saying that “other stories are either fake or customers aren’t using common sense”. Yet at the same time, perhaps if retail employees or any other service-led industry employee did their whole job properly in the first place, and didn’t have a “tough luck” attitude afterward, we wouldn’t have situations like this one.

I read your story, and it sucks that it happened to you, chances are you, you either got a really shitty installer, or you bought the wrong everything, the geek squad installers only have certain cables in their truck, If a customer needs a cable, the installer has to be told ahead of time so they know everything to bring. The delivery and the install or at different times, because the installer has to know everything before installing it, and if he has never been to your house before and seen what he has to do..otherwise its like walking into an auto shop and telling him to fix your car without him seeing it.

As for other stories, most stories have the tendency to be either extremely fake, or the same situation where the customer doesn’t use common sense about stuff like this

THINK ABOUT IT. EVERYTHING in this country is basically made in china by machines. Now a machine is piecing together a computer and something happens. It leaves the manufacturer factor and goes to their warehouse and then to a retailer, no matter WHO SELLS it, it’s their fault. Not the store’s. They just take the product and sell it to you.

FINALLY, just to let all YOU ANTI-BEST BUY people know, since well all I hear is complaining. Everyone that said that all you want is to get out the cheapest without spending money is absolutely right. You all do, then you bitch. There is no sexist relations, not at least recently. In fact, go to a best buy, there are numerous best buy managers. I mean really.

The point is, I have never shopped at circuit city or nor will I buy electronics from walmart. I have shopped at Best BUY for everything. It is the BEST BUY everything there is what you need and always at least something quality is on sell.

I have bought my high definition LCD, my laptop, a business laptop, my sister bought a laptop, i also bought a surround sound JBL system, 2 desktops, dvd players and more. And have never had one issue. If there was a problem with either computer it was 9 out of 10 times my issue or a user error. otherwise a manufacture issue. Working retail is tough, especially with the way society is. Look at the good. Unless I’m an optomist, but that’s why I guess I’m happy in life where most of society is miserable and complains about everything like a stupid online install or a customer trying to get away cheap or get their computer fixed and replaced for free because of either user error or manufacturer fault. I think my youngest son would have more common sense. By the way, the computers all had Best Buy’s service plans on them, and guess what, everything works great, had geek squad set up the computer with anti-virus and spyware programs and evrything works perfect. The service is amazing there also. you could not know anything about the product and come out completely informed. By the way, in getting my MBA, in some business classes we studied best buy, who is rated theh highest for over all experience. Thanks all.

http://pricelesswriterdanny.squarespace.com/business-news/2008/6/6/the-dos-and-donts-of-running-a-business-part-ii.html

I’m upset that it took this long, but at least they have replaced my TV with a brand new set.

Great…way to go.

Now, I’m cheap…..grow up.

They have been in my house more than 4 times already.