Best Buy/Consumer Electronics

Best Buy/ Consumer Electronics

So here is my long Best Buy story:

On New Years day I decide I need a portable XM Satellite radio, so I go to Best Buy. The clerk there tells me that they have one on “clearance” for $99.00, but they don’t have any in stock. After checking his computer, he tells me there are three at a store approximately 25 miles further. After looking for them for a few minutes, the clerk there finds one and instead of handing it to me, walks it up to the cashier himself. Maybe people steal them frequently, I don’t know, but no big problem. While we are walking up front the guy tells me that it is actually $84.00. Great, I say, even better than I expected. When the girl rings me up, the price is $199.00. I point out the discrepancy, and she just says that she doesn’t know the reason for what I was told. I ask for the manager, and after waiting for way too long, some “kid” named Chelby comes up. I point out that I don’t think it’s fair to have me drive all the way up there, and then after being told a much lower price by two different employees, that they are charging me the higher price. After he refuses to budge I ask for the name of the regional manager for the area. After much back and forth, I am able to get a name, “Steve”, and after more debate, the last name, “Carter”. He absolutely refuses to provide a contact number. I find it the next day, in about a minute, but I get ahead of myself. While I am paying the $199.99, the clerk asks me for my phone number and, the irony being lost on her, doesn’t understand why I refuse to provide it.

The next day I get a hold of “Steve” and after explaining my story he graciously agrees to send me a gift card for the difference. I think that’s great, the right thing to do, and I am satisfied with the outcome. When the card comes, it’s for $125.00. At this point I am impressed with Steve Carter.

This is where the story gets good. A few days prior to the above mentioned, I purchased a TomTom GPS from them. A couple of weeks later it stops powering up. I recharge, I reset it, nothing. I am getting ready to return it, and it suddenly works again. I take it back on the road, and immediately it starts having problems again. I take it to their store on 5th Ave. in NY City, at the same time buying a DVD player. They advise me to just return it when I return home. Three days later, back in town, I return it to my local store. They tell me that I am one day late in regards to their 30 day policy. I ask for the manager, and Sam, the General Manager comes up. I point out that it is somewhat disingenuous to enforce the policy for this particular item, by one day, in that it is meant for travel, I tried to return while on the road, within the proper time, and was refused. I question whether his judgment is really the right one, and when he refuses to budge, I point out that I would call “Steve” back. This really gets “Sam” going. He tells me that “Steve” will definitely back him up, that he’s the “best” GM in the region. I advise him that I find that very hard to believe, based on my observation that day. When he leaves, I tell the clerk that her GM is very “unimpressive”, and she gets upset. Says she doesn’t have to listen to that. Kind of an over reaction to the somewhat mild rebuke. Maybe she is involved with him, I don’t know. He returns and tells her he will wait there while she exchanges the GPS, instead of returning it as I originally requested. I let him know what “a great guy” that makes him. As I am leaving, I say, in a conversational level decibel, “I hope you have a crummy day”, and as I am leaving, almost to the exit, “Sam” screams out across the Store, “I hope you have a crummy day too”.

I call Steve and get his voice mail. He never returns my call, so I call his boss, “Mike Horowitz”, based in the S.F. Bay area at 925-935-9494. I get his Secretary, “Clarisse”, she tells me that He doesn’t have time to return my call, but she will have “Steve” call me. To this day, he never has.

This is how the story ends. I take back the radio, get a refund of $199.00, the next week in N YC, I return the DVD player, I keep the free $125.00 gift card, because, lets face it, why not? And I take the new GPS another Best buy, get a store credit, and sell it on Ebay yesterday for $375.00. A $24.00 loss from original price, but remember, I have the $125.00 gift card. And I will never buy from them again, not with my own money, anyway. All to enforce a flawed return policy by one day.

The lesson learned? Avoid Best Buy at all costs.

Comment On This