Fry's Electronics, Houston, TX - Houston Store Location Security incident

Fry's Electronics, Houston, TX - Houston Store Location Security incident

Fryes Electronics Customer Dis-service

The following complaint was sent to the following address to the fax number mentioned. To date no response. There was no other number available so I sent it to their closest California store near their corporate offices. January 12, 2004 Mr. Randy Fry

President

Fry's Electronics

Sunnyvale, CA FAX: 408-617-1318 RE: Houston Store Location Security Good Morning Mr. Fry, Yesterday my wife and I were shopping in your Houston store for a new large screen TV, Surround Sound and a HP Photo Printer/Fax/Scanner. The total of the quotes was $4,500.00 with tax. I found a TV that was larger than I had planned so I needed to go home and take some measurements. My office is near your store so I planned to pick up my purchases today after work. When I went out to my truck the window was broken and my briefcase with my digital camera, palm pilot, passport, check book, 2-pr prescription glasses, Mont Blanc and Cross pens were taken. Victims of crime are all over and I knew I was not immune nor was your parking lot impenetrable to thieves. The reason for my letter is what I learned after the act of vandalism. I walked back to the store and talked to the lady that rides in your van patrolling the lot. She said she just started work and did not know if the other guy knew about the break in. I entered your store and the 'greeter' said, "so you are the guy with the new Chevy truck that was broken into?" I said I was and asked if he reported it. He told me he had not. He said somebody came in and told him about it and he didn't know whom. He didn't report it to your people either. I talked to your store manager Jason Howell and he said he had just heard about it when I was questioning your greeter. I must have been loud. No, I was getting very loud. I asked if he had called the police and he said he could not. He said I had to do it. So I called. The police came and told me that anyone can call and report suspicious activity and most certainly a break in. The security cameras do not adequately cover the parking lot so no leads were given to the police. Mr. Howell then told me and the police that his parking lot person (that patrols in a van) had been told by a customer that the truck had been broken into forty-five minutes before I came out of the store. I asked why I was not paged and Mr. Howell said that other customers might then go out and take the opportunity to steal something else out of my truck. Only a brain dead fool would say, "Paging the victim of the broken glass and stolen briefcase in the 2003 White Chevy truck please report to the front of the store please. We have some bad news for you." Certainly the person in the van could sit in there and radio the store security and call the police to prevent further vandalism. Now we can't even try to catch the thief because the potential witness is gone. Both your security person and Mr. Howell told me that they have no responsibility to protect their customers' property while shopping in your store. They told me they just rent the building and it would be the (store) property owners' responsibility. They acted as if I was crazy to even suggest such a thing. Two of your employees told me that they have been the victims of the same thing. You have a fence put up all around the store. It is more like a prison than a store. You sell the technology that can properly monitor this parking lot. You can get private security firms to patrol this area. There is no excuse to continue to allow your customers and employees to be victims of this type of crime. It is only a matter of time before a more serious crime takes place here and you will be liable. I travel internationally two to three weeks a month. My passport looked more like a phone book. It had security notes and visas that will be difficult or impossible to replace. This has cost me greatly in future security delays and missed international flights. Please do not dismiss this as a minor inconvenience. You have a good store with (a couple of exceptions) good people working there. Christian Perez helped me with the surround sound and Daniel Salazar helped me pick out a TV. Both are polite, knowledgeable and hard working guys. The kind of people you want to do business with. I feel obligated to forward this letter to the local media just to be on record in case someone else is more seriously violated that my wife and I were. Your loss prevention needs to include customers. That is a much bigger loss. Sincerely, Charles M. W

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Comment On This

I agree, businesses these days act like customers are a dime a dozen. We are treated like dirt and criminals for being a customer. I dont understand it I would think that a business would be grateful for having patronsm instead they act like we are inconveniencing them. I wish some smaller businesses would that care would pop up and put some of these ungrateful bastards out of business.