After thousands and thousands, I have spent my last dollar at Best Buy (2 Viewers)

[William Miller]

Making the decision to not go to Best Buy anymore is easy. I've done it many times.

Somehow or other, I end up there on Tuesday mornings. (I love my free monkey I got there last Tuesday.)

Actually, their return policy is basically tremendous. On electronics, it's no questions asked. Just take it back. They give you a refund. My sister actually returned a DVD player she had over a month without the box and without some of the accessories and they took it back! (minus a few dollars for the missing stuff.)

Getting irate usually works if you know how to properly do it because there is a line that you cross if you start yelling and screaming.

But Best Buy can play hardball also. This past February (on a Tuesday morning), I fell on my ass seconds after I entered their store because the parking lot was very icy and my shoes were wet and their floor was newly polished and away I went. Luckily, I was not hurt but I took quite a jolt. The employees were very nice and concerned and they gave me an in-store accident report to fill out and they said someone would call me about it. A few days later, someone did call me about it. The company they have on retainer who's duty it is not to do anything for a customer who may have been injured in their store. I had no intention of asking them for anything but this company started off by telling me how they were not liable for anything because my shoes were wet and not because their parking lot was icy and not because their floor was slick. And they also proceeded to tell me that their icy parking lot was not Best Buy's problem and they gave me the name of the company who owns the shopping center property. I also explained that I have spent thousands of dollars over the years and I go to a Best Buy store every week. They couldn't care less! You would at least think they would send me a $10 coupon or something just as a goodwill gesture. No, they immediately wanted me to sign a release from any damages. That got my ire up and I contacted my family lawyer who we have on retainer and he took over. They told him to go to hell also and I finally decided to forget about it and made the announcement that I would never, ever walk into any Best Buy store ever, ever again!

And I didn't.

For about 3 weeks.

Here's my advice:

Wipe your shoes off before you walk into Best Buy.

Make sure you read the DVD very carefully before you buy it to make sure it's widescreen.

I can't wait to get my Day After Tomorrow bonus DVD on Tuesday.

 

[ScottCor]

If I stopped shopping at every place in my life that annoyed me or had lacking customer service I would now have to grow and slaughter my own food , make my own clothes, and make christmas gifts out of tree bark and grass...so I deal with it and move on....people are so thin skinned these days. I'll go where ever the best deal is and that tends to be all different stores depending on the title.

 

[Tim_P_76]

Yeah cause it seems like the store is full of shit! So get ready.

Ordering online is so much more pleasureable...Or where the best deal may take me

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Once again, I must say that the practice of doing separate releases MUST STOP NOW! It seems like a couple other manufacturers besides Warner can make DVD-18s now, so either use those to include the Fool Screen version, or else don't put one out at all!

 

[Dennis Pagoulatos]

If the store is full of shit, you should wipe your shoes off AFTER you leave, right?

 

[Malcolm R]

Given the mass marketing of DVD's these days, you should ALWAYS assume there are two versions, and ALWAYS check the specs on the copy you have in hand to make sure it's the one you want.

I continue to be amazed by the number of posts on this forum by people getting "fooled" because they "didn't think there would be two versions."

 

[Andrew Budgell]

I have been equally impressed and shocked by some of the comments I have read on this thread! Vince, I can fully understand why you're upset, but next time I suggest you quickly take a glance to make sure the title is in widescreen - it will save you a lot of hassle and upset in the long run. But, I'm sure I don't need to tell you that, as I'm sure you have figured that out after this. I'm actually a cashier, although I don't work at a store like Best Buy. I work at a store that uses an off price system, and we obviously don't have a catalogue system. Today a lady brought up two pillows, both with different style numbers, which is our way of telling that our buyers got them in at different times, and possibly at different prices. While they were both the same price, because one pillow came in earlier, it went on clearance before the other pillow. While they were both the same pillow, I had to explain to her that one was $17 (regular price) and $10 (clearance price). She understood, and while she didn't agree with it, she didn't make a fuss because she knew it wasn't my fault, and there wasn't anything I could do about it. Vince, I feel this girl was only doing her job, and what she was taught, although I don't think by shrugging, she handled it the best way she could of.

I appreciate Michael Elliot sticking up for us teen cashiers. I personally love being a cashier because we have some amazingly nice customers, some that I now know by name, because like DVD buyers, they're in all the time checking out our latest merchandise, and I love seeing them. But then you get your rude customers that make life difficult for us, and "scream and shout" like many of you have admitted to doing (why?). But trust me, we cashiers just all laugh and make fun of you difficult ones after you turn your back to leave. For me, I can do that by knowing I have done all I possibly can to satisfy my customers, and give them the best possible shopping experience I can give them. And that's why it doesn't bother me one bit when people make scenes and complain, becuase I've done all I can do, and can leave knowing I have.

Andy

 

[David Von Pein]

I haven't bought anything from Best Buy in years. My suggestion is to stick to the "on-line" shopping experience for Digital Versatile Discs, at DDD or AMAZON.

On-line benefits include .....................
Free Shipping; no tax; no gas to burn (unless you're eating Bush's Baked Beans while placing your on-line
order ); no parking hassles; no lawsuits pending due to falling on slippery Best Buy floors; no sales people to contend with (rude, ignorant to your Widescreen needs, or otherwise ); and no waiting in line behind someone who wants to write a check and writes it out about as fast as Grandma Moses on Interstate 70.

Plus: returns are a snap via Amazon -- print out a free label, plop the pkg. in the mailbox, pull up the red flag, and you're done.

My question would be: Why do it any other way?

There's a small extra incentive for shopping @ Amazon recently too. Anybody else benefitting (albeit in a small fashion) from Amazon's "Instant 1.57% off of every order just by using the A9.com search engine"? They'll even discount the S&H portion of your order (if applicable).

I, in fact, had no idea I was even utilizing this thing until Amazon gave me a discount at Checkout. Never even heard of it.

A9 is obviously affiliated with Google -- because Google is the only search engine I utilize.

Plus: Amazon is shipping a bunch of FREE orders via UPS of late, instead of the slower USPS (Media).

IMO -- Amazon Rules The Roost. With Triple-D not too far behind.

So...perhaps (just perhaps), all things considered, "Best Buy" is not really the Best Buy after all.

"Perhaps, just perhaps, Christmas means a little bit more..." -- Boris Karloff

(I'll bet Boris would shop on-line if he were still haunting us today. Not to mention every Who down in Whoville, too. What do ya bet?)

 

[Craig Beam]

"Because I had not known about the DVD release of this film in advance."

Huh? Vince, this DVD was reviewed right here on the forum exactly one month ago, on September 11:

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...=&pagenumber=1

It even got the coveted "Highly Recommended" tag. You're an HTF Administrator! How did you NOT know it was coming out?

To quote my new best friend, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog: "I keeed, I keeed!" We still love ya Vince!

 

[Tim_P_76]

Just watch out for the ice in the parking lot

 

[Eric_B_C]

Just a thought if this happens to anyone again.

1) Try and return the disk, but say it's defective. Then try and swap it for the widescreen.

2) If they don't let that pass, say you made an honest mistake, and exchange it for a full screen version.

3) A full screen version handily wrapped in cellophane.

4) Wait until the wanker who wouldn't take it is on break/off work, and say "Hi, I picked up this still nicely wrapped disk, I meant to get the widescreen."

Problem solved. This also works for software returns too. You don't swap it direct, you ask to exchange it, and get a nicely wrapped one, so you can return later (maybe even to a different store) with an unopened version of whatever it is.

Just a thought. Did this with Grand Theft Auto 3 when Rockstar openly admitted to me they lied on the sys. requirements. So I carefull sealed the box back up etc... And got Neverwinter Nights instead

 

[Dick]

Well, I have a temper, too, and it's proven to be highly counter-productive in the past. When I run into a truly ignorant salesperson I want to scream! But I think I'd have stopped short of throwing away a disc I am sure I'd have been able to exchange by talking to the right person or by sending a hard copy letter directly to Best Buy rathen than an open letter in a forum which BB is unlikely to read. The insufferable person at the cash register couldn't care less about how much money you have spent or will spend at BB. The management, on the other hand, does. You simply did not remain cool enough to go even one step beyond your first encounter and your temper took over. I empathize. Just never let it happen again!

 

[WillardK]

So, it's evasive stratagems with repeat visits or deceptive techniques that go a ways to justify their suspicions. No thanks. I'll use retailers who treat me like the honest customer I am, and I'll deal with them in the mild-mannered reasonable way that I'm accustomed to.

 

[Paul D G]

Not to put Vince on the defense here, but I can't believe he/you caved so easily. As soon as the clerk started helping another customer I would have put my hand up and said "um, excuse me, we're not done here." and asked for a manager, who more than likely would have agreed to the exchange.

In my years of customer service I've learned that it's far less stressful to give in to such a small need of the customer rather than argue it out. Vince's request wasn't unreasonable and while the line employee may have been doing what she was told, the manager wouldn't care so much and would have just said "yeah, ok."

My only real problem I have with BB is their not putting out stock on a timely basis. I went to one last Tuesday for a new release CD which was advertised. This was at 12.30p and I had to ask for a copy after searching high and low. I can almost forgive them if I get there shortly after they opened, but by noon ALL new releases should be stocked. I would have walked out but my two year old needed lunch and I didn't have the time to mess around.

-paul

 

[WillardK]

Customer service management can be just as rude and contemptuous as their underling staff. I won't go into the details, but my experience also involved a legitimate not unreasonable complaint. Best Buy is the only b&m store I can think of that I have ever boycotted because of poor customer service. Ever. Years ago it was a place I always enjoyed browsing in and was a first consideration for electronic purchases. I remember when customer service operated like any other store and was BETTER than average if anything. It has changed since then and now I never give the place a thought... wouldn't walk in it's doors.

Of course, experiences probably vary by location but there does seem to be a trend with the chain.

 

[Vince Maskeeper]

The woman who walked away and started helping another customer (along with a second who darted away to the back immediately) both identified as managers. I could barely get the attention of anyone long enough to tell them to throw the damn thing in the garbage.



My basic moral is the same as this story:
http://www.snopes.com/business/bank/barrier.asp

While I don't have a million bucks, I still think it's sad the the idea of a customer being right is such a lost artform: not only was I treated like I was wrong, I was considered a potential pirate and ignored.

So, I'm just tired of begging establishments to care about my money. If they don't want it- it's cool- I'm sure someone out there does.

-V

PS: After writing/posting this, I actually spent an additional $118 on new DVDs just today-- not a dime of it at Best Buy.

 

[Sean Patrick]

wow, this thread is surprising....i think that Best Buy is probably one of the EASIEST chains to return merchandise too, especially in recent years (when i thought they might have been even more slack than before in order to keep the customer service lines moving faster)....

now that there's a FRY'S here in atlanta, though, i doubt i will patronize BB anymore....FRY'S dvd prices BLOW AWAY best buy's........

 

[Shane D]

my boss wont shop there anymore either. she took back something that didnt' work with no hassle, they refunded right way, but the thing was broke, so once she got her money, they put it on the restock shelf and she goes, wait aminute, thats broken, why are you putting it back on the restock shelf? thier response? thats company policy.

 

[Charlie Essmeier]

The one and only time I have ever attempted to purchase something at Best Buy, I presented a signed, valid Visa card for payment, and declined to show ID when asked. I was told that this was "required", even though Visa specifically prohibits their merchants from requiring ID as a condition of purchase.

I asked to speak to the manager. "I am the manager", replied the cashier. I asked if she was the store manager, and she said she was not. I again asked if I could speak to the manager, and she again replied, "I am the manager." This went nowhere, and I made my purchase elsewhere. I never did speak to the manager, although I did try to contact the manager later by phone. I was told on the phone that not only could I not speak to the manager, but that it was against company policy to even provide me with the manager's name!

I did write to corporate headquarters, and they told me that they had no plans to change their policies.

My privacy is my business, and my business is something that Best Buy will never again see.

Charlie

 

[ChrisMatson]

http://international.visa.com/ps/products/protect/#2
(Click on "More..." under "Card & PIN Safety.")