Don't buy anything at Best Buy!!!!!!!!

Dear Mr. Anderson,

I am writing you today to file a formal complaint towards one of you retail store located in Lynnwood WA. I apologize for such a long letter but wanted to give you every detail of the situation. As you will see from this letter I am very frustrated and upset on how I was treated by your staff members especially your GM of the Lynnwood Branch. I really felt that I was being discriminated against and feel it was uncalled for. I wont be one of the other customers you have that will say they have spent THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of dollars with your company. I will not do business at ANY of your branchs ever again untill I receive an resolution. With 10yrs in the Electronics industry, which some of it was with a company you purchased back in 2000 (Magnolia Audio Video) I have a lot of both, clients and family that I will not referring back to Best Buy if this issues does not get fixed. I again appreciated you taking the time to read this lengthy letter but I feel that you would like to know exactly how your customers are being treated.

On 01/06/07 I entered your establishment with multiple issues with my Toshiba Laptop I purchased with the "Extended Accidental Warranty" at that same store on 02/17/06. While waiting in line for almost 1hr and I was never acknowledged by any of your staff members or management, one of your employees in the Geek Squad department (Don) finally finished up helping his customer and immediately assisted another customer that just got there and did not wait in line. After a few min Don sent his customer to gather some paperwork from the customer car and I saw an opportunity to explain to Don that I have been patiently waiting for assistants and he really needs to acknowledge customer waiting in line.

Don finally assisted me in sending my laptop in for repair under the understanding of all my issues that were stated in the Service Order # 00477-886023641.

On 01/16/07 I contacted Best Buy to track my repair and asked what was repaired. I was told by one of you employees at the Lynnwood location that the whole mother board has been replace. He then went on to tell me that I should be receiving the repaired laptop any day. Later that after noon I indeed did receive my laptop back from repair. Within 5 min of testing the laptop out I come to find out that 5 out of the 6 problems described in the service order was still having issues.

On 01/17/07 I then returned to Best Buy in Lynnwood upset as the issues were still an issue. I spoke with Don, who clarified with a lead/manager Robin in regards to my repair and both came to a conclusion that my laptop was so called "junked out". They both told me that it would cost more to repair than to replace. I then asked what our next step was in to replacing the unit. Both Don and Robin said that they would need to see what laptop that they had that was comparable to features as mine were. Robin and I both went to the laptop section to see what was comparable but at the time the Store did not have any laptops in stock as in a few weeks Microsoft Vista was rolling out and they would not receive any more laptops until then. Robin then told me that I would need to come back on 01/30/07 to replace the laptop and that I would need to speak with Mindy (Head of Geek Squad).

On 01/30/07 I returned to the Lynnwood store to find my replacement. I spoke with a Geek Squad employee Jeremy and he told me that there was no "junk out" number and that they would need to send the laptop in for repair. I told him the whole story and he then spoke with Keat(Manager). I then spoke with Keat and he again told me that they would not be able to replace the laptop but again send it in for repair. I asked him why after the first repair nothing was done to fix the problems. He told me he did not know and wanted to see first hand the problems I was having. We sat in your store for 30 min monitoring the laptop and Keat then saw first had the issues I was having. I told him the whole story and that he should speak with Don and Robin. He tried to contact both of them but was having trouble. After about 30 min Don showed up for his shift and I asked Keat to ask Don about my situation. Don confirmed that on the 17th they were supposed to replace the laptop but did not have any in stock. Don then told Keat to contact Robin. Keat finally contacted Robin and she also confirmed that on the 17th Mindy was working on gaining a "junk out" number and they were supposed to replace the laptop. Robin then told Keat that since they did not have a replacement laptop in store that Mindy did not pursue with gaining the 'junk out" number and would do so on the 30th. Keat could not get a hold of Mindy and asked me to have her contact me back the following day in regards to replacing my laptop. I then left my non-working laptop at the store location with all original box and acc. Jeremy the original Geek Squad employee whom assisted me then told me the only way they could keep it in their possession was to check it in for service. I agreed but told him to write on the service order that this laptop was not to be sent out for service until Mindy contacted me in resolution to my issues. I have the service order with the note on it and Jeremy's initials.

On 01/31/07 around 1:00pm I decided to contact Mindy as I have yet to hear from here in regards to this situation. She expressed to me that she was very sorry but had no clue on what was going on. I suggested for her to contact Keat and discuss the matter and call me back that same day as it has now been nearly 1 month since my initial repair. Around 2:30pm I called back to speak with Mindy and found out she had left for the day. I then requested to speak with another manager to help get my problem resolved. I waited on hold for 15-20 min and decided to go to the store while still on hold on my phone. While approaching the service counter I asked to speak to the manager and the employee told me that they were at lunch. I then asked if he thought that it was good customer service to leave a customer on hold for 20 min to tell them that they went to lunch. He said sorry but he will be back shortly. I waited another 20 min to speak with another lead/manager and described the problem once again. He told me that he could not honor what another manager said and that no other manager would be willing to make that decision. I told him that he needed to contact Robin, Don, Keat, and Mindy to discuss the problem. I waited 1hr later and he told me still no word from any of the staff. I then asked to speak with his manager and he told me he would be with me in a few min. I waited another 45min and still no manager. I asked once again and was told that he went to lunch. I was then very upset. I waited another 30min and finally spoke with a manager i believed named Jeff. Jeff again did not want to replace my laptop and sid it would need to be sent back to service. I expressed it has been nearly 1 month since the initial repair and nothing was done. I asked why as a customer I should suffer this long with out a laptop that i spent over $1000 on and purchased the "EXTENDED ACCIDENTAL WARRANTY" that should cover any damage at all. He told me that as per my extended warranty the laptop needs to be sent out. I told Jeff the laptop was still under the manufactures warranty and that I purchased the laptop on 02/17/06. I then asked to speak with his boss and then his GM of the location came and spoke with me. The GM didn't want to hear my story and told me that he would not replace my laptop and that I needed to leave. I asked for his supervisors name and all he was giving me was a smart remark to 1-866 best buy. He keep say it over and over again. He would not give me his last name nor would he give me and customer complaint number. I felt I was being discriminated against as he was treating me like I was a child and I felt he was talking to me in a manner of I was the Issue. I as a young looking individual but am 27 yrs old with 10yrs of experience in the retail electronics industry. He was very rude and asked me multiple times to leave the store. I than asked for him to give me my laptop back that they were hold in there possession and he agreed. After about 5 min he came out and told me that they had sent it in for service and sorry that I needed to leave. I told him that there was a signed note on the laptop to specifically not send it out until Mindy and I came to a resolution. I then left the store only to be called back in 5 min by Don to tell me that he stopped the service driver and he now has my laptop back at his location.

I believe on 02/05/07 I called in to the store and asked Don to send my broken laptop to my house as work did not permit me enough time to go and pick it up. Don then agreed and got my address and told me he would send it to me.

I believe on 02/07/07 I received a call from Mindy telling me that they could not send it to my home that they needed to send it to service then send it to me. I again asked Mindy what was going on with Robin and Don both saying that they would replace it. She told me that I was flat out LIED to. then agreed as it has taken over 1 month to repair or replace my laptop and that I would be filing a formal complaint. Mindy then sent the unit in for repair.

Late on the evening of 02/13/07 I received a call from the service center in regards to my laptop and they told me that a new keyboard was being ordered and that the estimated ETA was 19th for the keyboard to be delivered.

On 02/14/07 9:42am PST I contact Damon from the Executive Customer Relations department to explain my situation. Damon collects all my info and tells me he will contact the store immediately and will call me back within the same day. He told me that he needed to verify with Don and Robin that the indeed told me of the replacement and that they would have to honor it. I also asked for a letter of apology from the Management staff to how I was treated and asked that you Sir Mr.. Anderson be Cc in on the letter. Mr.. Damon declined and said that he could not make the management team apologies and that he would write a letter on behalf of Best Buy.

I did not receive a call or any letter or apology. On 02/16/07 I tried to contact Damon but he was then out of the office.

Today 02/19/07 now well past the 1 month mark in my repair and now outside of the manufactures warranty I receive my laptop back from repair. Not more that 2 min while testing my laptop i find that the WiFi issue I was having that the Manager Keat witnessed was still an issue and also that my battery and charger was still an issue. I then call Damon back to see if he did in fact contact the store and he told me that he was sorry that he did not call me back and that he would contact the store and call me back within a few min. I the received a call back from Damon and he told me that he spoke with the GM of the store and the GM had talked to all the employees that had dealt with me and they all told him that they did not comment of replacing my laptop but that I needed to send it in once again. I then told Damon if I were to contact Don or Robin and have them confirm that they did tell me they would replace the laptop would he honor it and Damon agreed. I then contacted Don and the again confirmed the replacement of the laptop and that he wasn't willing to tell it to Damon as he would need a manager to tell it. I called Damon back and told him that I just contacted Don. I told him Don was afraid to tell Damon what had happened due to his GM telling him differently. Damon then called Don and of course just what I had expected to happen was Don was now unwilling to tell Damon the truth. Damon said he was unable to help me any further and I would need to send my laptop back in for repair.

Thank you,

Ray Madayag

r_madayag AT msn.com

206-669-3247 Mobile

425-753-8192 Office