shopping at Best Buy.

[Dale Hatfield]

 >:(
Bought a digital mini dvd camera at the first of the month for a christmas gift. Thought since its for a 15 yr old ill open it  and charge the battery ,that way Christmas morning he can open gift and start recording. I open the box and the battery and all power cords amd someother parts are missing. Ok so load up the truck were going into the fray. Get to best buy.They done everything but say i had stole the parts and was tring to cheat them out of a battery. Wouldnt return/exchange the camera.I had to deal with the maufacture. I pleaded my case its a kids christmas gift no results,I called customer service and all they would do was give me the makers phone number. The manager was  far from nice and offered no help other than call who made it.They didnt seam to care that i was holding a 350 dollar boat anchor with extended warrenty
So we called them and most of the parts are on back order will be weeks before they get here .
So if you shop Worst Buy make the sales rep open the box and inventory the contained parts because if you leave without them its not their fault Managers words (we assume they are in the box). They will also not return the item or get you the parts

[faronskid]

So much for customer service.   :(

[DR Buck]

Best Buy's around here have a reputation of repackaging and reselling returns as 'NEW' items.    They carry a lot of stuff and I still go there on ocassion, but I will not touch anything that has been taped or repackaged.   Also I will not buy "high dollar" items there.   

Buyer Beware ! ! ! !

[/color]

[beenthere]

Dale
For the same reasons, and more (bait and switch), I refuse to even walk into the BB stores. :(

Your suggestion of having the goods opened at the store for completeness is a great one. And goes with one I think of often, to make the sales person remove the sticky price tags they've added, as too often when they are removed, the finish is ruined on the item.

Merry Christmas...

[Onthesauk]

The one that always bugged me about Best Buy was that you would go through the checkout, walk ten feet to the door and have to take everything back out of the bag to prove you paid for everything in there.  Refuse to set foot in their stores again.  If you read the news stories about them, they have tried about every smarmy retailing scam over the years and when they get called on it they just say, "Oh, we didn't mean to do that."

[thecfarm]

I was reading the post to my wife and she just about finished what I was going to say.She said something like that went on last year too.Plenty of other places to shop.It's too bad a business has to treat customers that way.They may run out of customers some day.

[Sunfield Hardwood]

Thanks for the heads up on best buy,I knew there was a reason I was uncomfortable there besides the normal living in the country and not liking to shop period. another thing we ran into this year on the subject of cameras. My wife and I bought each other cameras for christmas, I bought her a mini dvd camcorder and she bought me a digital camera. we looked online at specs and prices till we decided what we wanted and where to order it from. when we received the cameras neither one had a battery or charger, when we called and waited on hold for allmost an hour they told us we had bought the "discount" package and to get the extras that are supposed to come with the camera you have to order the "retail" package which costs as much as we could have purchased it for locally, by the way the batterys and chargers come with the cameras from the factory but the online companys take them out of the package and sell them to you if you are taken in by their low price ads. >:(

[wesdor]

I try to always have them open a box and inspect anything that isn't in a see thru package.

We have a local camera store that comes close (and sometimes beats) the BB prices.  Not only that, but they offer service (I know that is a quaint idea).  When I purchased a digital still camera 2 years ago, I didn't even look at BB.  I am starting to look for a high definition video camera and will not be looking at BB.  I would always rather pay a little more and support a local business than save a few dollars and buy from the big guys.

Sorry to hear about your problems, but it sounds like your experience is not unusual.  We sure need to give them pretty of "press" about this.

[DanG]

There was a news story the other day about an incident at Best Buys.  Seems their cashier picked an argument with a customer, then their rent-a-cop Tazed the woman because she was upset.

I've only been inside their store once.  A quick look around was enough to tell me I didn't need to be there.  

A little observation I've observed:  It is human nature for people to expect others to be the same as themselves.  Honest people tend to be more trusting, and have to make a conscious effort to be skeptical.  Thieves, on the other hand, automatically expect others to try and steal from them.  Does that apply here?  Methinks it do. ;)

Oh yeah, I noticed that their prices didn't seem to be any better than anybody else's, either. :

[Tim L]

About 2 years ago my buddy and I walked into BB in Concord NH .His satellite reciever failed after 35 days .Customer service said call the manufacturer it's nothing to do with us .My buddy said "I bought it from you not the manufacturer ". So we asked to speak to the manager. All he did was repeat what CS had told us . Lesson learned, I go elsewhere and tell anyone who will listen about their "outstanding service".

[thecfarm]

Some of them big stores the help don't know what the company is trying to sell.The help has only a little idea about the product.The little guy knows thier product and what to fit you with.Not all the help in chain stores are numb.Somtimes you really have to know what you want.When we was looking for a computer we went into the above store.Was not impreesed with the help at all.Might of been better help the next day.Could not of been much worst.

[thedeeredude]

I asked for a gift certificate to a local camera store for Christmas.  My grandma says, they're kinda expensive do you want a gift card to another store.  I asked if it was still a family owned business and she said yes.  Case closed, going to the local shop.  Might pay a little more but they know what theyre talking about unlike the dumb as bricks kids at the big stores.  the other place around here that really stinks is home depot. i don't even buy from them anymore.  Customer service is terrible, my dad went through a nightmare with them trying to buy more of something he already bought from the store he was at and they were out of stock(and intelligence). 

[Larry]

My 87 year old Dad went to Best Buy to shop digital cameras.  First thing the clerk did was insinuate Dad didn't have enough money to buy one.  Second thing he did was imply Dad wasn't smart nuff to operate one.  At 87 Dad is slow but not dumb.  Dad started to look around on his own and the clerk kept an eye on him like he was a shop lifter.

First and last trip to BB for Dad....and his entire family.

[submarinesailor]

DRBuck – you may remember this one.

There was an incident here in northern Virginia where a man was walking around in the Fairfax BB writing down prices so he could compare prices.  A clerk came up to him and told him that he had to stop.  He could not do that in the store.  Will an disagreement started and the store manager had the man arrested on some charge (can't remember what the charge was).  Well the man sued BB and the courts awarded him about $80,000 for the incident.  BTW – BB fired the manager.   Good for him.

Bruce

[DanG]

Home Depot didn't waste any time in letting me know what they were.  It just happened that I was shopping for a new rotor tiller at the same time they were having the grand opening of their first Tallahassee store.  That would have been about 1994.  I was thinking they might have a decent offering, it being their grand opening and all, so I went there.  I went over to the "outdoor power equipment" department and looked around, but I didn't see any rotor tillers.  I finally found the clerk that was boying(I just can't call it "manning") that section, and asked him where the rotor tillers were.  He says, "Unhh, whut's a rotor tiller?"  It was a long, long time before I went back there. :D :D

[Tom]

Best Buys has a rotten reputation within my circles here in Jacksonville.  They not only are difficult to work with, but distrusting as well.  Returns are with a hefty monitary penalty and they don't stand behind anything they sell.  Why anyone would shop there is beyond me.

[thecfarm]

We all have to learn the hardway Tom.Like I said before they may run out of customers someday,meaning new ones.I had trouble with my Kubato,a month and a half past the warrenty.I thought it was still covered.There was a crack in the mower deck that needed welding.Had it all unloaded on the the forklift at the dealer and I mentioned to the owner how long I had it and added it was still covered.He corrected me and said it wasn't.Bought other stuff there and I said well you won't charge me to fix it and he corrected me again and said he would. I argued with him and said that is not fair,to no avail.I hollered to the forklift guy and went over and told him to bring it back.I told the owner if I put this back on to my truck I will never be back to buy a piece of equipment again,maybe parts,but not equipment.It went back on and I have not been back.The wife called up Kubato head quaters and told them what she thought about.They sounded like they cared,but never heard a thing more about it.They lost me as a customer.Once you spend the money so many companies don't care about you.No need to go back to these places,there are many more selling the same thing or better.

[DanG]

Well, now I'm wondering if Radio Shack is in cahoots with Best Buy. ???  My Sister bought a new cordless phone with an amplifier for Mom and Dad's Christmas.  She gave it to them, all wrapped up nice and pretty, this morning.  My Mom tore into the package, and of course she had to borrow Dad's pocket knife to cut the tape. ;) :D :D  She finally worked her way through all that clever Chinese packaging and got the box open.  There was all kind of cords and a charger and a battery and other accessories, but there was a big ol' hollow spot in the middle of the box where the phone was supposed to be! :D :D :D

I hope, for that manager's sake, that he don't give my Sister any flak when she returns it tomorrow!   It could turn ugly in a heartbeat! :D :D

[PineNut]

I have noted that some of those New York Camera Companies have some very good prices on their cameras. Check them out on their web site and you will find that the price includes the camera ONLY. They will also sell you the necessary accessories, which were originally packaged with the camera at a hansom price.

[Don_Papenburg]

I was in Farm and Fleet a few years ago writing down prices for some things I needed for a landlord that lives in Calif. The sales lady/shelf stocker told me that I was not to record prices in the store .  I told her that the lady that owned the land wanted prices before she would purchase anything ,and that if I was not to write the price down in there that I would gladly go elsewere to make the purchase . She told me that it would be ok this time ,but they did not like people writing down their prices. ???? They send out fliers with prices. 

[badpenny]

   Just about a year ago, I was in the market for a cell phone, and started my shopping at Best Buy. The sales person asked what I was going to use it for, I told him my parameters, and he said none of their phones would do for me what I wanted done, for the price I wanted to pay. He suggested two other vendors in the same town that sold what I was looking for, and I ended up with a Trac-phone from , of all places, Target. So far, I've been happy, and returned to BB for a new wide-screen tv, now 10 months old, and working fine. I believe my experience had a lot to do with the positive attitude of the sales staff in this particular store.

[Roxie]

DanG, I'm anxious to hear the follow up story to your sister returning the 'missing phone' to Radio Shack.   

I bought my son and daughter-in-law a "flip" video recorder from a store on the internet this Christmas.  Before I decided on the video recorder, I read every product review available, and when I picked the online store, I checked the rating for 5 stars, and read customer feed back.  The recorder and the accessories were exactly as listed and came well packaged.  My kids were thrilled with the video recorder since it's small enough to put in a purse or pocket, and holds 60 minutes of memory. 

My point is that I don't let go of my money until I read reviews and do a complete search of a stores return policy and rating.  I was in a Best Buy several years ago and left without purchasing anything after standing by the customer service desk and listening to how they were handling customer's with returns. 

I hate hassling with 'customer service' folks, but the most unusual thing I have ever taken back to a store was a pork roast.  I purchased the roast on a Saturday for a big Sunday dinner, and when I opened the roast, the next day, it was bad.  I threw it into a bag and went to the store WITHOUT my receipt, which I'd tossed.  I went to the customer service desk, explained what happened and asked the clerk if they'd like to take a whiff of the roast.  They said they didn't need to, and refunded me THREE TIMES my purchase price.  I couldn't believe it, but the gal at the desk informed me that was their store policy on any returned meat.   She couldn't apologize enough, and asked if I needed to replace the roast, and when I seemed leery, she said she would ring the butcher in the back and guarantee it fresh.  I picked up the roast and paid with the cash she'd given me and still had $45.00 extra in my pocket for my trouble.  THAT was customer service!! 

[thecfarm]

AND you are still shopping there,Roxie,correct.Alot of problems are repeat problems.Like the roast you bought.I bet you wasn't the  only one.Missimg items happen,but work with the customer.Don't give them the run around and expect us to fix the problems oursleves.I bought a plastic tree one year.Was missing a branch.Called up the number given,got a opeartor quick and said I was miising a limb.What color was it,a green long.Got it by UPS a few days later,a green short.On the phone again,a green LONG,make sure this time please.Few days later the correct one came.All with no run around or hard time or nothing.Nobody is perfect,mistakes do happen,but they should be dealt with in a timely fashion and in a good time frame.

[Cedarman]

A few years ago bought a big screen TV from Sears.  Had done a lot of looking around at all the other stores.  Just didn't feel right in the other stores.

After a few weeks the TV just wouldn't come on. Tried everything.  Called a help line and did as they suggested. Didn't work. Called Sears. They said bring it back. Did. Went home with a brand new one.  Has been working ever since. 

I like Sears.

[rbhunter]

I had a problem with  one of the  box stores on a purchase and management would not take the return as promised. I logged on to the company website and emailed customer service about what had happened. This was on a Saturday and I really did not expect much. A couple of hours later I received a phone call from the corporate office and they told me to go back and ask for the manager and things would be taken care of. When I went back in the manager apologized all over the place and said he miss understood and would make things right. They did take care of the problem. I decided to keep my mouth shut about the missunderstanding even though I know he understood the first time.  The problem was taken care of.

Randy

[easymoney]

 my pet peeve is the stores that rely so heavily on rebates. why would anyone in thier right mind buy something like a computer and pay hundreds of dollars extra and hope that they will some day get thier money back. i understand the stores make a lot of money off people either not sending in for the rebate or not sending in all the information the company requires. after a few weeks you get a letter saying rebate denied, or the check will be printed on a postcard that does not look like a check they are relying on you throwing it out not realizing it is a check. >:(

[Faron]

 My mother works at a Walmart.  A customer came in the other day wanting to buy a sewing machine.  She had one left in stock, but the box looked a little rough.  She opened the box for the customer to make sure the merchandise was not damaged. It wasn't, because inside were some BRICKS.  Apparently someone had purchased the machine, replaced it with bricks, and returned it to the store.  Someone is supposed to check that kind of thing on returns, but sometimes when things are really rushed, it doesn't happen.  The customer figured if he had gotten home with the bricks, no one would have believed him when he brought them back.

[katie-did]

I have been looking for a new digital camera for some time now. I know I wanted a Kodak and the options I wanted. Did some research and found a few places that carried them. The one think that none of the websites I looked at said was what the Manufactures warranty was. So I went to the manufactures website to see of I could find it out. Well I found out that it had a 1year warrant but I also found out that I could buy it $15.00 cheaper from the company (They had them 25% off), shipping was cheaper and I received a free 2g SD card and 50% off a new printer that I was not really looking for but could really use.  8)
So when you want something don't forget to check out the manufacture direct.
Not sure how well I like the camera because I have not received it yet just ordered it Thursday but I hope it has everything in the box to start with. :

[WIwoodworker]

Hi Everyone. I thought I'd take a moment to reply publicly since the original post was public. I'm a long time store Manager for Best Buy in my day time profession and on the 26th after reading Dale's original post offered immediately to help him fix his problem even though he didn't shop in my store (even in my state for that matter).

I haven't heard from him yet but hope to soon. If anyone here knows him personally would you encourage him to read his email or his PMs on this site. My contact info is there.

Thanks.

[thecfarm]

WIwoodworker,that is some nice of you.Like I said,mistakes do happen,but we all want the problems sloved without a run around.That would keep me coming back.

[logwalker]

I think it ought to be mentioned that these policies did not invent themselves. It took people trying to beat the system and forcing the Big Boxes to do something to combat all the different ways of cheating to get where it is today. Granted, the implementation of these policies could be handled differently but it is not easy to run retail businesses in today world.  ???

[Furby]

This was on our news the other day:
WalMart MP3 Player

[jesse]

My mother works at a Walmart.  A customer came in the other day wanting to buy a sewing machine.  She had one left in stock, but the box looked a little rough.  She opened the box for the customer to make sure the merchandise was not damaged. It wasn't, because inside were some BRICKS.  Apparently someone had purchased the machine, replaced it with bricks, and returned it to the store.  Someone is supposed to check that kind of thing on returns, but sometimes when things are really rushed, it doesn't happen.  The customer figured if he had gotten home with the bricks, no one would have believed him when he brought them back.

good idea to check what is in the box from the parts stores to got some new ball joints once  one box had used parts in it 

[metalspinner]

Just came back from Lowe's with a new drill.  I made sure to open the box and check for charger and batteries.  All was there. ;)  The lady at the checkout was barely patient. :-\

[DanG]

WIwoodworker, I commend you for sticking up for your company and trying to make things right.  I hope you are able to help Dale out.

I spent many years, 34 to be exact, trying to be a good ambassador for my company and for the industry in general.   I spent countless hours trying to make customers understand why certain things weren't possible, or why things had to be the way they were.  I never lied to them or tried to make excuses for things that were inexcusable, but tried to inform them of their best options.  That is obviously what you are trying to do here.  I'm sure that Best Buy has a number of good employees like you, and they are lucky to have you.  However, a company creates a certain undercurrent of attitude that flows down to their front-line employees, by the general way they conduct their business.  This attitude is transmitted to the customers via the people that they contact directly, namely the floor clerks and cashiers.  If there is pressure from the very top to make the company always right and the customer always wrong, that attitude is reflected at the cash register and the exchange desk, and that is usually the only impression the customer gets.  A good effective manager can block a lot of this, and I have a feeling that you are one of those.  It is sadly apparent that your company has far too few managers like you.  I hope the trend will reverse itself.

[Gary_C]

Well said DanG. And I will add that many times it's the manufacturer that is at fault for trying too hard to hold down warranty costs and returns.

I am having a problem with Samsung right now over a built in microwave that failed under waranty. It took them three service calls to decide the unit was unfixable and then they told me they could not replace the unit because they "did not have anything to replace it." 

Said they could only offer a refund and they would not refund the sales tax I had paid. When I protested and read the terms of their own waranty to them, they told me my waranty was cancelled and I would get nothing. A couple of weeks later, they called back and offered me a full refund but said it would take two months to get the refund. The next day which was the friday before Christmas, UPS came with a call ticket to get the microwave and my wife refused to let them have it. The microwave does still work but shuts off if you try to run it over a minute or two.

It's now under investigation by the Minnesota Atty Generals office as I did file a complaint when they took it upon themselves to cancel the waranty when I talked back to them.   

[Norm]

I'll tell a good one myself, we have Direct TV and on the last bill was a charge for a protection plan. Now I was clear that I didn't want one but the installer had checked it and filled in my name. We called and told them to cancel it and remove the charge. They did that but added a charge for canceling it. ;D

[rbhunter]

Five years ago when we moved my wife ordered a basketball goal online from Dicks Sporting Goods. When it arrived the plexiglass back board was broken. Called the company and they said they would send out another one. The second one arrived with the same problem. We called them again and they said they would send another one. I asked if I could just return the two to a store and pick one up. They stated I could. I had the hardware already installed in the ground so all I needed was the backboard. When we went back to Topeka I took the boxes and they gave me a new one to take home. I told them I already had the pole, and they stated to just return the parts I didnt need later. (We did check the box before leaving the store and everything was fine. I never got the run around and they took care of us real well. I thought I would post a good story to go along with all of the negatives.

[Dale Hatfield]

I just got Wi Woodworkers messages today.  I sent him a message from here and explained what we had done in order to get missing parts waiting on Hitachi to ship remaining parts.
This part i find very funny and sad. On friday dhl brought me 2 small packages .One had the battery and the other had the strap.both of which would fit in eithers box which would have cut shipping cost.The carry strap had a giant red Fragile sticker on it.
Dale

[Don_Papenburg]

I purchased curved glass for a cabinet from VanDyke's of Woonsocket SD .
The glass came in two boxes Every one was broken in the first box ,looking in the second same thing.  >:( They replaced them without any hassel at all .   

[Dan_Shade]

I had an order mixed up with MSC once (www.mscdirect.com).  they somehow missed filling my order by a day or two.  They called me, apologized for the delay, and asked if I still wanted the order, which I did.  A few weeks later, I get a $50 check for my inconvenience.

Now that's a good company. some of these other places could stand to learn a thing or two from them.

JCPenney online is on my forever poo list for how they messed up an order a few years ago.

[pineywoods]

I agree with Dan_shade about MSC. Another nicey, if I specify ground shipping, I still get the order the next day at no additional cost. If they don't have it, you probably don't need it. The printed catalog is 4 inches thick..