Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Best Buy Scam

Denver CO 80210

January 16, 2007

Best Buy Corporate

Dear Best Buy Corporate,

I have just been victim to just about the worst example of customer service that I have ever experienced and unfortunately I am forced to write about this very unprofessional and legally questionable experience.

Because of the low prices, I have decided to purchase a new large screen HD television for my living room. After shopping around for several days and speaking to many sales reps I decided on a 61” JVC HD-ILA Projection TV Model: HD61FN97. My sales rep, Cory, pointed out that one of the great benefits to purchasing this TV from Best Buy was that this model came with a “Free JVC Stand (RKCPRM7)” and that Best Buy was offering a $500.00 instant rebate as well. Just like Cory stated, the Best Buy ticket promises a “Free Stand” with purchase and shows the “As Advertised” price of the T.V. for $2649.99 and $2149.99 after instant rebate. I decided this was a great deal so I paid cash and had the television delivered to my house later that day.

The television was delivered on time and the delivery personnel were prompt and professional. After they sat the TV down on the floor the delivery person asked where we planned on setting the unit. I advised him that the purchase was to include a free stand but to no avail the driver didn’t have it on the truck. Not a problem, Best Buy is 2 miles up the road I can go get it.

I walk into Best Buy store #211 4011 E. Mexico Ave, Denver CO 80222 and go back to the Magnolia Home Theater section and spoke to the person behind the counter. This gentleman was very friendly and we explained to him our situation. He hit a few keys on his keyboard and then told us that they did not have any in stock and I would need to go to the warehouse (40 miles away) to pick it up. He proceeded to call a manager over to assist with setting up the transaction.

This is where for the most part my very positive experience turned quite ugly. The Assistant Manager by the name of Rinad Abdul came over and was updated as to the situation. She examined my receipt as well as the flyer posted on the TV for several minutes before telling me that unfortunately Best Buy would not honor the free stand offer. (Image links will be provided at the end of the letter).

I advised her that it was false advertising to make an offer on a posted flyer and then not honor it. She proceeded to explain that I received a $250.00 credit because I opted to receive the “Home Theater Setup” which was an additional charge of $200. It appears as though when a customer opts for this service, Best Buy applies an internal discount and the Television rings up for $1899.99 and then an additional $200.00 charge for Home Theater. Ms. Abdul explained because the television did not ring up for the advertised price that Best Buy would not honor the offer.

Unfortunately at this point our conversation got a little heated as I explained to her that it wasn’t my problem that the charge didn’t ring up in the system correctly. One of the reasons I purchased this television was because of the free stand that came with the purchase.

I told Ms. Abdul that this was unsatisfactory and that I would need to speak with her manager. She advised me that she was the manager and point blank Best Buy will not honor the offer. I again asked Ms. Abdul for her manager and she proceeded to tell me I could call the Corporate Customer Service telephone number. I told her again this would not be satisfactory and I wanted HER manager’s name and number. She advised that she IS the manager and if I wanted to speak with someone else I would need to call the 800 number. .

As I told Ms Abdul that, No, her manager would actually be the District Manager. But she again refused to provide to me any information. As I looked at Ms. Abdul’s name tag I noticed “Assistant Manager” as I pointed that out I asked her again for her Store Manager’s name and number at what point she refused to give that information. I find it quite unimaginable that an Assistant Manager would not provide the name of the Store Manager when asked by a customer who has just spent over $2000 on a purchase. But without fail she did not budge. Ms. Abdul again advised that her manager was the customer service telephone number that she had already provided.

By this point several other employees had gathered and some where in the exchange of words I pointed out that this could potentially lead to legal issues.

It was at this point that, until now, an unknown employee spoke up and told me if I was going to threaten legal action then he would be forced to ask me to leave. I explained to him that I was not threatening legal action but that Best Buy was legally obligated to provide the stand as the posted advertisement did not contain ANY restrictions to receiving the stand.

The Geek Squad employee (Marc Barela) again spoke over me and told me I was becoming hostile with his associate and that he was going to have to ask me to leave if I was going to be hostile or threaten his associate.

From this point forward I never heard a word from the Manager Ms. Abdul. Mr. Barela from this point forward led the conversation and was rude, unprofessional and kept telling me that I could leave the store and call the 800 number if I wasn’t happy with my purchase. I’m not sure how Best Buy works, but in my company an employee of a division NEVER goes and interrupts a dispute between a manager and a customer of a separate division. That is horribly unprofessional and to be quite honest unacceptable. To make matters worse, Mr. Barela continually referred to the manager as his associate.

By this point Mr. Barela was not allowing for any further discussion between the manager and I and it had become quite obvious that this situation was not going to be resolved in the store. I proceeded to gather all the documentation for my transaction as well as the names of the two employees who had been so rude and unwilling to assist. As I asked Mr. Barela for his name he replied with a very smug and pompous comment “Make sure you note that Barela only has 1 “L”. It was at this point that I left the store quite upset.

I am very upset with this transaction as I feel as though I have been a victim of a false advertising scheme that Best Buy operates. Had I not opted for the additional service that Best Buy provided then I would have received the TV stand without any issues; It is only because I purchased this additional service that Best Buy altered the price of the television. No where on my receipt or the posted advertisement for the television does it say this exclusion. Nor did our sales rep ever advise us of this or any exclusions with this offer.

Also, I feel as though the management staff was horribly unprofessional as the Assistant Manager was rude and refused to provide the name and or number of the Store or District Manager as well as offered no resolutions to my issues other than “No, We won’t honor it”.

I also feel JVC should become aware of this practice as this Best Buy scheme is having a poor showing for their company as well as possibly violating contract agreements.

Additionally, the unprofessional interruption by Geek Squad employee, Marc Barela, worsened the situation to the point of no return. I can’t understand why this manager allowed this employee from another division to interject into the conversation and then allow for this employee to completely disrespect and belittle a very well paying customer.

Furthermore, the failure and blatant refusal to honor this offer is probably legally questionable therefore I have no choice but to inform certain oversight officials such as the: Federal Trade Commission, Better Business Bureau and possibly others as to the existence of this practice.

I would expect to receive a very prompt response as well as a timely resolution to this issue. You may find images of both my receipt as well as the advertised flyer from the store from the following internet links.

Advertised Flyer:


http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/6450/bestbuytvflyerbf6.jpg


Receipt for payment:

http://img120.imageshack.us/img120/9703/bestbuytvreceiptap5.jpg

Regards,

Jorge Urie

Phone - (303)***-****

Email - ********@hotmail.com

cc: Federal Trade Commission

Better Business Bureau

Geek Squad

JVC

Tom Martino - Fox 31 News

88 comments:

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

This was a problem with someone from Inventory or the sales person. Who ever sold you the TV should have gone to the back of the store to check if they had it in stock, which looks like he/she didn't. So probably someone tagged the wrong TV with no stand and it was delivered to your house.

Adam said...

That is beside the point. Best Buy is now refusing to provide the stand which is clearly advertised on the flyer. The whole reason this debackle has occured is because Best Buy attempted to have a greater profit margin by charging and also reducing the price of the TV for the Home Theater Setup plan.

Unknown said...

Why didn't you mention something when your TV rang up $250 below the sale price??? Honestly, I don't have much sympathy for you. A consumer that has common sense and that was not trying to pay as little as possible would have mentioned that.

By the way, if you started yelling at me in the store like it seems you were yelling at others, I would have called the police! If you are so unhappy with your purchase, return it for a refund and get over it. By it from somewhere else then.

By the way, I am NOT a Best Buy employee. I just think you're being ridiculous.

Adam said...

It's ok Nate, you are an idiot. If you read the post you would understand that the TV rang up for a different price BECAUSE I PURCHASED AN ADDITIONAL BEST BUY SERVICE. The Best Buy offer was to receive the $250 Home Theater installation for $200.

In order for Best Buy to offset the income for this additional service, THEY reduce the cost of the TV and then apply the extra $200 into the Best Buy Home Theater account. It's right there on the receipt if you look at it.

So, this isn't my fault. You just didn't read my entire blog. I never said I yelled at anyone so I don't know where you obtained that information. And even still, I have the right to yell and bitch. They do not have the right to lie, and misrepresent the sale of a product. Also why should I take my $2000 T.V. back to the store when it was the store who mis represented the sale? It is their conduct that is legally questionable, not mine.

Adam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Adam said...

DIGG ME HERE

Chad said...

Although there are two sides to every story, it does seem to me that Best Buy should provide you with the stand. You have not said anything about contacting a regional manager or the corporate office. If you haven't, I would do that next. Also, it probably doesn't help your situation to title this post "Best Buy Scam". That doesn't help your situation. I would choose a more understanding title such as "Best Buy Questionable Ethics" or something that does not specifically demean them directly.

Adam said...

Yeah you may have be right Chad but it's too late now. I set the blog up last night after I got home and I was still really upset.

Regarding the regional manager... The Assistant Manager would not provide the GM's name. I was forced to contact Consumer Relations for this information. Even still, they would only provide the GM's name and not the district manager or reigional managers name.

I have forwarded complaints and letters to:
* JVC (as it was a manufacturers offer for the free stand. I'm sure they wouldn't be too happy if they learned Best Buy was keeping these units they provided and possibly selling them elsewhere)
* Best Buy Corporate
* Best Buy Customer Service
* Federal Trade Commission
* BBB - MN
* BBB - CO
* Colorado Attorney General - John Suthers
* GeekSquad (as one of their employees was an ass to me)
* Best Buy Store Manager
* Not to mention posting on NUMEROUS consumer watchdog group websites.

I think I've done just about all I can do short of walking my butt down to the courthouse and filing a small claims suit. But I'll wait on that to see if Management will willingly correct this problem.

And on a side note... There are 2 sides to every story but when I write I TRY to be as objective as I can.. hense that is why this thing is so long...

Adam said...

FOLLOWUP::: After receiving calls from both the GM as well as corporate, Best Buy has agreed that we are not at fault for the pricing error and they will gladly honor the agreement for a free stand.

The only issue is that we are required to drive the 40 miles to go pick it up... Oh well.. Doesn't matter.... I got what I was entitled to get. No more complaining necessary.

adamS said...

if that is one of the worst things to happen to you in life then you will be okay.

SSBN 737 RM said...

Heh, It's funny, I have the 56" model of the TV he bought, and EVERY store I visited in shopping for it offered "a free stand" which turns out to be the VERY SAME JVC Stand.... Meaning? The stand ALWAYS comes free with the TV. This was the case at my local Best Buy (Silverdale, WA), The Navy Exchange (Naval Base Kitsap), as well as the store I eventually purchased my TV at, Video Only (Tacoma, WA).

Seems like the Best Buy employees are just simply ignorant to bundling that the manufacturers provide.

Either way, congrats on the TV, I've enjoyed mine very much!

Erik said...

I've got the 52" version of this set, and it's worth every penny. The price you paid for the 62" is a damn good deal (the 52" was $2300 Canadian), but the crap you had to go through is ridiculous. Make sure to get an HD-DVD player to really enjoy it, but I'd probably avoid getting it at Best Buy ;)

Thinking said...

This kind of treatment is exactly why I do not do business with Best Buy when I have a choice about it. Only under the conditions that I have gift certificates to spend there do I walk in the door, and then I make sure I've found an item on sale cheaper than what Best Buy is selling it for, to make them match the price.

Stucco said...

Having lived in Denver for years, I could tell where this story was going as soon as I saw the Mexico Ave. reference. Seriously, that is the worst Best Buy in the area, maybe the region. I think you'd've been better off hoofing it down to Park Meadows or elsewhere. Glad to hear you eventually got your due, but I think you may have invited this one upon yourself by virtue of the location. Bad tempered, passive-aggressive retards roam free there.

Rob Dejournett said...

Thanks for sharing your story! I think i would have been really pissed too if they first did false advertising and second spit in your face about it. I probably would have just returned it (or tried...the TV is very large). For what it's worth i've always had good experience with best buy, but i tend not to go there, the stuff is too expensive usually.

Thomas said...

The service you got sounds ridiculous without a doubt. I don't blame you one bit for complaining about the rude, unprofessional behavior.

But I gotta say for you to get an extra $250 off and then still make all this fuss about a free stand sounds even more ridiculous. At any rate, it sounds like it's all worked out now so that's good.

Unknown said...

I feel your pain. I recently had a similar problem with best buy. I was testing out ipod speakers with my personal Ipod, when the ipod speakers short circuited my ipod. There were signs all over the place telling customers to try their ipods with the speakers.

When i went to complain the Geek Squad member asked for the ipod then proceeded to drop the thing on the floor, and commented "Well, if it's broken it's broken!"

Eventually the bestbuy manager thought that the best way to handle the situation was to have me return home, sign up for an apple id, send off my ipod to apple, and bring them the reciept for the shipping fees. They were going to pay for the shipping fees.

I finally got so upset that I too started emailing people and recieved a phone call telling me they were going to replace my ipod.
But, I have to bring my old ipod to the store. Which is about 100kms away from my house! On top of that they're going to take my old ipod and replace it with a new one.

It's unreal that they can get away with this type of business practice. So, now manager will send in my broken ipod to apple with his own money, and some how score a functional ipod out of this whole deal!

brett said...

At the old orchard best buy in skokie, IL, I purchased 3 video games. At the register, the employee told me that I could get a free warranty on each because, for purchasing over $100 in merchandise, I'd get a $10 gift card, and that could be used toward the warranties (which would be just under $10). I asked if I could just have the gift card, and he claimed that I needed to buy the warranties to get it. I think NOT. If you are required to buy a warranty to get the gift card, how on earth could you pay with that gift card in the same transaction? I asked him this, and he acted shady. He then proceeded to ring up the purchases and activate the gift card in one transaction, and then buy the warranty in a separate one. On the way out, I saw a coupon on the floor that said "father's day deal: spend over $100 and get a $10 gift card free." Nowhere in the fine print was a warranty even mentioned. I was angry.

I went to customer service to discuss this. The cashier saw me going there, so he called ahead of me on the intercom and spoke with the manager who stared at me. I brought the coupon and explained what happened. I asked to return the items and warranty, and buy them back with the coupon properly. The customer service manager claimed that this coupon was only for "valued customers," which meant customers with information in the system. He claimed that the coupon could only go to people with information in the system. I said that this was not possible, because I got the coupon activated before the warranty. Clearly the system allowed that. I also asked why I had to buy 3 warranties to get it, and why I could not just buy one. He told me I had to buy three. Clearly this was a crock. I then said that none of this was mentioned on the coupon, despite the other carefully laid out terms present in the fine print. Coupons must be honored as written! He refused to back up his ludicrous claims again and again. He merely repeated that it was "impossible" to give me the gift card without the warranty purchases. He said I could call that customer service number if I was unhappy. I asked for his name and the number. Later at home, when I called, I found out he had given me a fake number.

After this, I went to the front of the store and told the security guard I needed to speak to the store manager immediately. The store manager defended the claims of the rude customer service manager. He said that they only give the coupon to certain people. I asked if the coupon worked in the system. He said it did. I told him I had the coupon and I'd like to use it, and so he finally gave in. As expected, the customer service rep who made this transaction for me did not need any special authorization to do this, and it was simple.

Bottom line:

The Skokie, IL Best Buy was lying to customers to sell them warranties by withholding a coupon, and using it to trick them into buying. I had to argue on my toes for over an hour just to use the coupon the way it was meant to be used by Best Buy corporate. Thus, imagine all of the people they probably took advantage of!!! The cashier who initiated this scam was not very intelligent, and all of the managers were clearly in on it, because of the way they backed up the ludicrous and illogical argument. I would not be surprised if they made thousands of dollars off people with this scam. Hopefully the scam stopped with me, because I called corporate and filed a verbose complaint.

I also would not be surprised if this scam is bigger than that single store. Regardless, it's illegal and unethical.

Any similar experiences?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

you appear to be a total douche.

BillyG said...

Stick it to 'em bud!

No more Best Buy for me, thanks!

Jonny The Angel said...

I agree with your post, Adam. Best Buy has a reputation (in my opinion) on selling you on one thing and then upselling you on something with loopholes that you don't understand, and when you try to use the upsold service, it is not what you thought it was.

Libran Lover said...

You did the right thing by setting up this blog and publicizing Worst Buy's practices. Unfortunately, such acts don't seem to help them improve their customer service. It's too bad they are making you drive so far out for the stand. The least they could do is get it out closer to you. Idiots! I did something similar on my blog when I had a bad experience with their Joke Squad. I got emails/comments telling me that Best Buy's team discussed my experience extensively and it would never be repeated. But looks like it's not made them any better.
If you are interested, here's my experience: Best Buy Geek Squad or Joke Squad?

Unknown said...

I'm not buying anything from their store again.

MCA said...

Which bestbuy is this?

Colo and I-25?

Unknown said...

I am an expert in customer relations. You are what we typically categorize as a hyper-reactive customer with over-inflated self worth and hysterical propensities. This is not meant to be insulting - it is actually quite common. You feel that since you spent some $2,000 at Best Buy, a company with a market capitalization in excess of $23 billion, you are somehow more important than other customers who spend less, and therefore can be unreasonably demanding with the employees of Best Buy, who are generally hard working individuals who have to deal with your type numerous times per week. Some day, when you mature, you will look back on this experience and see your behavior more objectively, and laugh as yourself for overreacting. I trust you will leave this comment on your blog, since it is not rude or hostile - just factual from a customer relations perspective. Feel free you use profanity in a reply comment if it will further bolster your wounded ego - that is what I am here for. I only want to help.

a said...

I don't understand how this is a "scam"? Best Buy doesn't have to honor anything in their advertisment. The ad is just a showcase of products they sell. It's their choice whether or not they want to sell you a product or not. Besides, do you really think that wasting all this time posting blogs and writing letters is going to have any kind of effect a multi-billion dollar company like Best Buy? I would've just returned the TV and saved myself the hassle.

Unknown said...

I feel for you I will never buy a thing from them. They are very rude and condescending.

If you bring something to have it fix it takes a month to get it back. When you pick it up it’s still not working.

Calling the office pointless, I asked to talk to a manager the manager with out saying a word hung up on me. I will never buy another thing from them.

Joe DaSilva said...

You sound like a whiney bitch.

Unknown said...

FYI - while the asst. manager may have come off as being rude - she was following standard Best buy procedure.

Having worked at a best buy i can tell you right now that it didnt matter who the employee was - if they were handling the customer issue, "they" could claim they were the manager and they are instructed to only give the 1-800 customer service number . This is standard operating procedure. I dont agree with it, but it is an issue that needs to be taken up with corporate. Local stores do not have to help you in any way, shape , or form.

I spent 4 years doing the exact same thing to people, and while it sucked, and was hard to do to people, that is company policy. Thats what the general managers of stores instruct their employees to do - b/c that is what the District managers TELL them to do. Best Buy is NOT a customer friendly organization.

Unknown said...

I agree with the guy that said you were whiny.

On, and based on what you wrote, YOU made it seem like you were the ass there, not the employees. You were an uninformed consumer that should have ASKED what this service included.

You're far from perfect and so is anyone else. You should have just called the customer service number she gave you and worked on it that way. You shouldn't have made this your "calling". Get a life.

FYI - There's a Best Buy commercial on TV right now. Hahaha

Unknown said...

I just think it's funny how people say he was being whiney and is a "hyper-reactive customer with over-inflated self worth and hysterical propensities".
I don't know if you people actually read and UNDERSTOOD the whole post. When he purchased the "setup/delivery" of the tv, they pull some computer bs and alter the price of the TV so it looks as if you have saved $250. I don't know if you guys can understand this, but the TV/Stands are sold as a set through a promotion from JVC. For Best Buy to split up the set and try to sell them seperately, that is an illegal practice. JVC meant for those stands to go with the TV regardless of what pricing problems Best Buy's computer system gives you. I am in customer service too and in no way do I think that he over-reacted. I would have done the exact same thing. And you know what, he IS more important than those people only spending $200 as opposed to $2000 because when it all comes down to it, money talks. So you can all think he's a dick or whatever, but his "bitchings" were well founded, and it paid off, he got his stand and a bunch of nice people to reply to his posting. Also there are the morons who posted too, but that's the beauty of the internet don't you think :)

Stevo said...

I used to shop at Best Buy all the time. My Best Buy card alone racked up more than $15k in purchases over four years, and I always used to praise them to friends and strangers alike.

A year ago I had an experience that was 3X more frustrating than yours. I received the same unprofessional behavior and received zero cooperation. I wrote a 3-page letter to their corporate headquarters with all the details but received no reply and no satisfaction.

I no longer shop at Best Buy. That one experience was so horrible in so many ways that it made me very vocal in warning people about their business practices.

DO NOT SHOP THERE...EVENTUALLY EVERYONE GETS BITTEN!

Anyway, I feel for you, man!

Adam said...

WOW. Thanks for all the responses guys. Yes, this was the store on Colorado and I-25.

And I really appreciate the comments from Horseonovich. Actually, No I don't think I over reacted. I got exactly what was promised as well as calls from Management apologizing for the situation. And also.. Maybe Best Buy as a company is a 23 Billion dollar company, but that store.. They'd be lucky to do $20,000 per day. So yes, when I come in and spend $2000 on one purchase I should be appreciated more than the person who comes in to buy a $50 game.

See, what you people don't understand is that when we went to originally pick up the stand we were as happy as could be. We weren't there to pick a fight or start an argument. I didn't go there to bitch either. We had just purchased the TV as well as the XBOX 360 with 5 games. We wanted to go home and enjoy our new stuff. I was never out to cause a fuss.

The problems all arose when the manager came up and said no we won't honor it. I showed her that it was clearly printed on the coupon and she refused. I asked for a store manager and she refused. I asked for a district manager, she refued.

And then to make matters worse, we were pretty much kicked out of the store. Furthermore as I was having a conversation with the MOD a Geek Squad employee came up and was quite aggressive in behavior towards the situation. I told him to leave the situation as I was having a conversation with the manager.. he said no. When I told them they didn't want to pick a fight, they continued to antagonize me. At what point is enough, enough?

So I really don't care if some of you people think I blew up or was out of line. I tried to redeem the situation peacefully, tactfully and fairly but the MOD at the time wasn't having it. So what do you do? Sit there and take it like some fairy? Maybe some of you people would do that, but not me.

Nate, You are a TOOL! How was I a misinformed customer? Huh? Did you see the screenshot? It CLEARLY says "Free Stand with any purchase" So where exactly was I misinformed? The service I purchased was DELIVERY / INSTALLATION. Do you know how big the delivery box is for a 61" TV? I have an SUV.. It wasn't fitting in that. It's almost expected that a customer will get the delivery/installation with something like this. Just how in the hell does purchasing an installation/delivery service IN ADDITION to the television that includes the free stand make me an uninformed customer?

I think you're just an idiot who has YET AGAIN failed to read and or understand the blog.

Something else you are not realizing... This is NOT a Best Buy promotion. This was a JVC promotion. Buy a JVC TV, get a Free JVC Stand. Best Buy had no right to break up a manufacturer promotion. That would be just like King Soopers breaking apart the 2 box of Cereal and selling them as seperate units.

So regardless of what you people think.. Best Buy did quicly see the error in their ways once emails started flying. So none of this was in vain.....

Bryan said...

I support what you did and think you were right in your reaction!

I had a similar experience last year at Best Buy in Maryland when I purchased a 50" HD TV. They made a big deal of telling me about the price match policy of "If you find a competitor ad for the same product for a lower price over the next 30 days we will refeund the difference plus 10%". Well, that was good news to me when only a week later I pulled up a Curcuit City ad to see the same TV for $300 less then the $2500 I spent at Best Buy.

I went to best buy the following day with the ad in hand and my sales receipt. The customer service agent was rude and made me wait 15 minutes while she talked to other best buy folks behind the counter and made several phone calls. I eventually found out that the delay was because the ad had expired the day prior. Futhermore, the tv was not is stock at the nearest Curcuit City. Therefore, they refused to honor the price difference. I said fine, I want to return the TV for a full refund. I was then told that I had to bring the TV back with all of the original packaging intact to receive a refund, otherwise they would charge a 'restock' fee. Of cource by now, I didn't have the box and packing materials any longer...

I asked to speak with a Manager and was given the same BS line you received about they being the Manager and that I had to call the 800 number for more assistance. I was then told to leave the store by a 300# security gaurd who jumped in my face. I invited him to touch me so I could sue him and the store. I then promptly left the store...

Well, I then spent the next day finding out all the details regarding their price matching... you have to have the exact same model number, be in stock at a LOCAL compeitior at the time of asking for the refund, and the sale has to be currently underway.

To my good fortune, Curcuit City re-ran the sale a week later (still within the 30 day window) and I called the Curcuit city closest to the Best Buy and confirmed they had the model in stock. I then returned to Best Buy and stood patiently while the spent 30 minutes they their best to wiggle out of the price match to no avail!

Thankfully, I did finally receive the price match as promised and learned a valuable lesson, nothing is as straight forward as it seams when it comes to Best Buy. They look for ways to screw their customers.

ps. I also loved how they tried to sell me a $150 power surge protector for my ne HD TV. Luckily I knew this was a ripoff and since I already had a whole house surge protection as well as a $30 surge protector would do the same job

Anonymous said...

Just as a note, the Better Business Bureau is not a government agency. They are a private corporation that decieves consumers into believing they are a government agency. The use of the "torch" livery for their corporate logo (which is used commonly by government and military agencies) and the use of the word "Bureau" are geared to perpetuating this misconception.

When you report a company to the BBB, that company will receive a letter from the BBB advising them of the complaint and asking for a response. From this point, you may receive a written response from the company you complaned about, to which you can respond. This in effect is an elaborate game of postal "telephone". If the company does not comply with the consumer's requests, the BBB will post a negative comment about that company on their website and in the BBB database. The BBB makes money on selling "memberships" to their bureau. BBB Members are given preferential treatment, and the BBB may not even post negative remarks about the company, even if they have a history of customer disservice.

j^2 said...

Glad you got what you were entitled to.

That asst. manager and dork squad member should be fired. There's no excuse for that type of behavior, towards either customers or co-workers. I would have been ballistic also if they'd screwed me out of something as necessary as a stand - especially when it appeared to be THEIR FAULT. That asst to the district regional manager chick obviously forgot that the customer is always right. Instead of trying to find a way to help you out, she looked for every excuse NOT to help you.

Ridiculous.

BB & especially dork squad has been on my bad side ever since I heard about them looking the other way and pirating WinInternal's tools. As someone in the computer industry, I am also always astounded at the complete and utter lack of respect and the talking down to customers by dork squad members. Hopefully Circuit City learns from these guys' mistakes.

/rant off

Congrats on the new TV!

Adam said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Adam said...

Want to see the new TV?

Check it out HERE

Beefchief said...

How much would the stand be if it were sold seperately?

Adam said...

I'm not sure about that specific model, but the stands were running between $250 - $450 give or take...

Unknown said...

Its funny that I read this now after I had such a mind numbingly insane experience with best buy not 1-2 weeks ago. I wrote an entire article about it myself, but mostly to blow off steam, still see what I went through here - www.crotchmail.com its my personal blog, in an article titled "f*** best buy" - Glad you got it worked out, Kudos! My issue was never followed up on, despite email and phone complaints to every level of best buy, btw.

Adam Aragon

Mike said...

Good write-up. I find that more and more large corporations with some moron kids working as 'managers' could care less about you. It's really sad because you go to the store and expect to receive good information and sound advice. It's sad that there are so many stores out there that treat their customers like crap.

I recently had a bad experience with Bank of America. It's a long story, but basically, I'm taking my money elsewhere now. The manager was a young guy and the only reason why he got to be manager was because of somebody he knew or somebody's ass he kissed. What is happening to corporations...

My suggestion...go to a mom and pop home theater store for all your needs. I'm not talking tweeter, but somewhere a little smaller. I find that the people there are more personable and will help you and not haggle you or give you a hard time. Good Luck!

Unknown said...

I work as a Customer Service person, and see no fault in what best buy did. They called over the manager, manager did what they were supposed to, gave you an 800 number so you can bitch and complain, which then they would tell their district manager who would tell the manager you were talking to, to do what he said. but i don't see that you called the number, unless i can't find it again. you did it the wrong way. the geek squad guy, did the right thing, cept he didn't call the cops first. you were rudely treated because you rudely treated them first, and some people after being yelled at for some time can only take so much.

ctrlalteredmind said...

hi adam. its funny how your point of view is being attacked by some ppl commenting here - I guess they have too short of an attention span to read your long post. I'm glad you got what you intended to get. at least there's a way to be heard these days, with digg. I'm going to choose my next tv at Best Buy, and then buy from Amazon :) saves me some sales tax and they deliver for free in most cases, yay :)

Adam said...

Actually Bryan... If you read my last post you would have seen that we... were completely OK with the fact that the stand wasn't on the delivery truck. It didn't bother us that we had to go get it. It didn't bother us that they didn't have any in stock and it didn't bother us that we would have to drive out to the main warehouse to pick the unit up. Remember... We were extremely happy to have this new TV.

And I wasn't rude to them first either. The sales person and ourselves were chatting casually. When the manager came over we were polite as she was to us. We discussed the situation for several minutes before I said to her that her answer was not satisfactory. Therefore I asked to speak with her manager.

Nobody seems to understand that THIS was the point that the situation turned from casual to heated. She wouldn't give me her managers name, wouldn't provide to me her Store Managers name, WHEN HER NAME TAG CLEARLY SAYS ASSISTANT MANAGER, and flat out told me Best Buy WOULD NOT honor the posted advertisement.

Ok now remember.. I'm talking to the MOD at this point... I tell her that she is legally obligated to honor the agreement and all of a sudden some dude from Geek Squad interrupts the conversation and tells me to leave and is waving bye to me as well as being extremely condescending. Remember the "Make sure you note only "L" in Barela" comment when I told him I'd be writing emails....

Now explain to me how I can be talking to the MOD and one of the subordinates is able to interrupt and kick a customer out of the store?

So.. Please, For the love of God, tell me how I over reacted?

And furthermore some of you keep saying "Well Best Buy should have called the cops". Well I have to say had they done that 1st, it would have shown they have absolutely no ability to resolve legitimate customer complaints, but 2nd.. I would have shown the officer the flier, shown him my receipt and asked to have fraud charges brought against that Best Buy store. So don't say they should have called the cops. They were in error. Everyone at Best Buy knows it. It was only because of the substandard performance of this Assistant Manager that this situation was EVER taken this far.

Just remember.. all she would needed to say to me was "I'm sorry Sir I don't have the ability to resolve this issue. You can either come back tomorrow and speak with the store manager or I could have him contact you when he returns".

------------------------------------

But after reading the comments from this board it seems as though my gripes are quite legitimate. I've seen several people say they are ex-Best Buy employees and it is a Best Buy policy to direct disgruntled customers to the 800 number. This seems to be the problem as it's a bad policy. I don't want to drive 2 miles up the street to purchase something only to have to call some 800 and talk to some dude earning near minimum wage in some call center, somewhere when something doesn't work out right. I want to talk to a real person, someone who has power to make changes, someone who can see that my transaction did not happen properly, someone to reassure that it won't happen again and someone who will encourage me to return to the store.

So see... This is a Best Buy policy issue. Maybe after this they will make updates to that policy... but not likely.

Adam said...

And one more thing.. I love all you people "I work in customer service"... blah blah blah.

I worked in Customer Service too.. for over a decade before getting out. Everything from Pee-on to advanced technical support to Senior supervisor escalations for a major satellite company.

Yea.. been there done that too. And that's exactly why I griped as loudly as I did. I know what's acceptable, whats legal and what's expected. I also know how to get people's attention when needed, as I'm sure you will as well after working in Customer Service for as long as I did.

Libran Lover said...

All the jokers who say here that the Worst Buy person did the right thing in giving you a 1-800 number sound like employees of Worst Buy. These retards have been so brain-washed by their employer's policy, they think it is perfectly acceptable to throw a 1-800 number in the face of an unhappy customer who is there in person, and expect that customer to go away quietly. No real customer would think that way.

Bruce said...

This chicanery goes on daily at lousy consumer electronics outlets like Beast Buy, ChumpUSA, etc. You're just asking for abuse if you patronize a customer-hostile chain like Worst Buy.

Contrast this with Costco, where I can freely return products at any time during their lifespan. I just returned a failed DV camera 3.5 years after purchase with zero problems.

Bruce said...

I gave up on chains of this ilk after a bad experience at Circuitous City. At 7PM on a weeknight, they couldn't even ring me up - no one could be found to run the bloody register! It's been NewEgg and Amazon ever since.

Steve3402000 said...

Best Buy will rip you off as bad as anyone. The day after
thanksgiving I
went there because of a monitor they had on sale, It was a Samsung 19
inch for like 149.00

Of course they were all out of them; I had previously been sold a Toshiba Laptop from the display, so I started looking at the display models. I was told NONE were left, I found one hidden behind another monitor, so I went to the cust service line,
and stood for 35 minutes, I spoke to an asst manager who told me it was Best Buy POLICY not to sell off of the shelf unless it was closeout. I figured this was possible and went home disappointed that I didn’t get
one of these monitors. Well 10 days later or so my buddy at work
comes in with a new Laptop from best buy, he said he got a deal,
because it was the FLOOR model, I asked him if it was on closeout,
and he said no, it was just out of stock. SO I wasted my time and
called the Best Buy customer service line, got some young guy, who really couldn’t give a crap less about my story. HE said its NOT best buy policy, they leave it up to the store manager, I said the guy I talked to at the store wasn't the store manager, His response was that the asst was a
representative OF the store manager. I asked to speak to his supervisor, and he put me on with some smart a$$ woman, who was
snotty from the start, as I was telling my story, she actually asked
if I was going to shut up and let her give me an answer.( or
something to that effect ) I was so enraged at her smart a$$ mouth, I
said you f'ing B they should FIRE you, and I am by nature a polite person.


I have bought many thousands of
dollars worth of movies, TV's Ipods, Xboxes at best buy, they could
and should have treated me better, I Will NEVER shop there again
because they lie, and have crappy cust service. The Store was in
Southgate Michigan on Dix Toledo road my Email is steve3402000@yahoo.com

Adam said...

Steve3402000 -- Dude, your post made me laugh! :-)

thaichaiguy said...

That sucks... but you should go screw them back. For example purchasing a product then a few months later purchasing the same product and returning it with the 5 month old one in the packaging. Keep the brand new one.

Jamie said...

Wow... I must say this is outrageous! I worked for a Best Buy as a temporary seasonal employee over the holidays and if a person like this man had come in with this problem, our managers would have fixed it - in fact i know that they have fixed similar problems like this one. They would have honored the free TV stand and the store would have either taken the fall for not ringing it up correctly or fixing the transaction if it had been inappropriately charged to the customer. It seems to me this is more of a problem with one particular store's management rather than the corporations problem.

j^2 said...

"I work as a Customer Service person, and see no fault in what best buy did... you did it the wrong way. the geek squad guy, did the right thing, cept he didn't call the cops first. you were rudely treated because you rudely treated them first, and some people after being yelled at for some time can only take so much." --bryan

Buddy, that's why you'll never move up in this world.

1.) Just because you work in customer sales doesn't make you an authority, so don't imply as much.

2.) The dork squad guy ABSOLUTELY did the wrong thing. He elevated the situation (conflict resolution 101) by threatening the customer, both by becoming involved in the conversation as well as by threatening retaliation to the customer.

3.) Customer service sucks because you have to take a lot of crap from pissed off people. Let me say that again: Customer service sucks because you HAVE TO take a lot of crap from pissed off people. Then you still have to try to make them satisfied with the situation. Being a jerk back to someone who is pissed off is an absolutely idiotic customer service practice.

Your problem is that you see the customer as a combatant. Someone that you want to show how they have to follow your/Best Buy's rules in order to have the "pleasure" of doing business with you. Well, chief, I bet you'd sing a different tune if that sale meant the difference between getting a commission and not getting one.

Helping the customer "find a way" to get what they want, when they're obviously entitled to it is a sales person's, manager's, etc. job. Bottom line: happy customers make return customers. Ticked ones make blogs that shed light into bb's shady lower management.

Also...
****
"Best Buy doesn't have to honor anything in their advertisment. "
--bryan

Dude, do you actually read the stuff you write, or just vomit it out onto the keyboard and move on? I can't believe that I actually read this. The admin should moderate that comment for stupidity. Sorry I'm harsh, but that's just straight ignorance. "I'm not even angry, that's just amazing."

RL2cool said...

You should check with a lawyer before you make claims as to the legality of others actions. As far as I know Best Buy did not break any law when you were not given the free stand. It has to do with the fact that the advertisement was not a unilateral offer and Best Buy is not legally obligated to provide what they advertise. They often will for it is better for business but it is not something you can sue over (and win at least). There are a lot of misnomers about advertising and contracts in general. So please know what you are talking about before you make idle threats. Law and ethics don't always coincide.

Unknown said...

FYI - Your experience is "Standard Best Buy", corp does not care and if you had called the 800#, you would probably have been even more frustrated.

One URL, much amusement...

www.bestbuysux.org

-B

PS - Also, to the guy posting about the BB at Dix-Toledo & Eureka in Southgate, I have never been able to find anyone who knows what they are taking about at that store. For instance an employee tried to tell me that I HAD to buy new Dual-Layer DVD-R's because the new burner I bought would not work with the single-layer media I already had. I educated him, but I don't think he believed me. This is the same guy who tried to sell me a "protection plan" on an $80 drive that I was getting for $30.00 (after rebate, which was from Pioneer, not BB). The price for this "peace of mind"? - $40.00

Adam said...

I'm really ticked.. I've written this huge update for my blog and for some reason I can't log into the freakin account. I'm posting my message here as I'm starting to get really frustrated with blogspot.

----------------------------------

Wow! This story came within the Top 3 today on Digg.com. I guess this story only goes to show the number of people who have also had poor experiences with Best Buy stores.

"http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/BestBuyBlog/BestBuyDiggtop3.jpg

After my last posting I had really thought that this issue had been lay to rest and I would be finished with it but that doesn't seem to be the case. I will explain once I clarify one key point.

Up until now I haven't seen much consequence of making my blog any longer with this detail, but seeing as how some management at Best Buy seem to have a problem with this I shall go ahead and clear this issue up. See, my roommate and myself have collectively saved money to purchase this TV from Best Buy. Because I work a 8-5 job I was not available to go into the store during the day to make the actual transaction. Therefore my roommate, Jorge, went earlier in the day and purchased the unit. The store scheduled delivery for later that day and by the time it came, I had arrived home from work. So I didn't actually get involved until the time in which Jorge and I actually drove to the Best Buy store to attempt to pick up the stand.

As we all know from reading the blog, this is where our transaction went from smooth to very bumpy. This is the point at which management refused to provide any assistance, started to argue with me as well as threatening to throw me out of the store for my comments regarding the legality of the transaction. Also Marc's snide and condescending comments were directed towards me.

So, while my name is not on the actual sales invoice (Jorge's is) I am just as much involved in this transaction as he. So, when the letter was written (which is also the same letter that appears first on the blog) it was written in Jorge's name. And the whole reason this occurred is because the TV and paperwork were in his name. This way Best Buy has a way to track the name on the letter back to the purchaser of the unit. I will gladly admit, I wrote the letter as well as sending it out and creating the blogs. But I did have Jorge look over it and approve of it before it was sent. Ok, so now that explains the difference between the name Jorge and the name Adam.

Now, lets get into what occurred today now that we have got this all straightened out.

So today Jorge was supposed to get the stand from the warehouse. He was supposed to visit the local store and speak with the GM to pick up a voucher to provide to the warehouse personnel. Easy enough, right?

Well Jorge contacted me later in the day and was extremely distressed. Apparently he arrived at Best Buy and met Mr. Byers as well as several other management staff at the Customer Service Island. According to Jorge, he felt as immediately he had to be on the defensive regarding this transaction. Apparently Mr. Byers immediately started inquiring about the blogs and letters. From the story I received, once they started talking about the previous night several other management staff who were also standing around in the Customer Service area (See, it is a common event for people at this Best Buy to just stand around - see reference in previous blog and comment) started to gang up on him. Jorge said he felt "snow-balled" from the moment he walked in the store.

Apparently he was advised that Best Buy legal department was looking into my blog for slander. And apparently Mr. Byers directed casual legal comments towards Jorge that "false impersonation was a Federal offence". Jorge left the store quite distressed and worried over this conversation.

Well, I encourage and in fact, have left both a verbal message and voice mail message requesting to speak with Mr. Byers regarding these statements but yet to no avail he has not called. Had I been there when those comments were made I would have laughed!

See, false impersonation is not actually a "Federal Offence" as was so graciously stated. Actually False Impersonation (according to West's Encyclopedia of American Law) is stated as: "The crime of false impersonation is defined by federal statutes and by state statutes that differ from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.

Therefore, Mr. Byer’s statement would have been entirely incorrect.

Furthermore, if we examine the Colorado statute for this law we will see that according to Section 18-5-113(1), C.R.S. states:

A person commits criminal impersonation if he knowingly assumes a false or fictitious identity or capacity, and in such identity or capacity he: ...

(e) Does any. . . act with intent to unlawfully gain a benefit for himself or another or to injure of defraud another.


So, as we can see, we did not commit any sort of false impersonation nor have we slandered the company in anyway. All of the events that have been stated actually occurred. Furthermore Mr. Byers stated to Jorge that I have been completely rude to the employees of this Best Buy therefore they had no choice but to be rude in return. Well I call on any of the Best Buy Management to request and review the video footage of my visit to the store. If they were to do so they will see that just like when Jorge went into the store, multiple people were standing around to belittle the customer when something isn't going the "Best Buy way" and attempt to show the power of the 'all-mighty electronics-conglomerate' by forcing good paying customers out of the store.

Additionally Jorge stated that Mr. Byers told him that I was rude to a different manager at one point when I called the store to speak with Mr. Byers (Mr. Byers doesn't seem to actually ever be at this store). And I would just like to state that if that is true, then it is a down right lie. I very carefully and professionally explained the situation to him. Several minutes into the conversation he asked if I had been in the night before, I said Yes. He asked if I was Jorge (for all intensive purposes, I am) so I said yes and he told me that Mr. Byers had already scheduled the delivery of the unit with my roommate. I told the manager "Cool, Thanks" and hung up. Never once was I ever rude to this individual.

Because of this, I encourage Best Buy corporate to setup Call Monitoring on all store locations that way customer disputes are resolved much easier.

The fact that Jorge went to pick up the stand and wasn't offered an apology and additionally felt "snow-balled" with vague legal threats goes to show the level of service that can obviously be expected at this store. Best Buy is not even concerned with obtaining our business to setup the rest of the entertainment system: HD-DVD, Surround Sound Theater, Cables or additional components and therefore must now be too large to care about individual customers. We're all just statistics in their eyes.

But, on a final note, I must point out that Mr. Byers has agreed to have our stand delivered for us on Sunday. Mr. Byers advised Jorge that he had made that offer the previous day, but Jorge says he doesn't remember the offer. So everything with my delivery has been resolved as well.

I do have to commend the Best Buy management for quickly correcting these issues back to the point of the original agreement at the time of sale. Everything is now the way it should have been from the start and we're completely happy as we've now got this beautiful TV to enjoy.

So again, I welcome Best Buy's comments regarding the remarks of Mr. Byers to Jorge today. I've requested a call back so we'll see if that actually happens.

For now, I'm done with this. We just went and bought a couple hundred dollars worth of Monster Cables from Circuit City and we're now ready to hook the PC up to this awesome TV.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Because of the obscene amounts of traffic this blog received, my images were removed from Imageshack due to high bandwidth usage. Therefore I've uploaded the images to Photobucket where I have more usage available.

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/BestBuyBlog/BestBuyTVFlyer.jpg


http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o121/BestBuyBlog/BestBuyTVReceipt.jpg

Anonymous said...

"intensive purposes"? Heh.

Monster Cables? Double heh.

Jennifer said...

Adam,

I'm sorry about your bad experience at Best Buy. I always feel a little uncomfortable at those gigantic sites with cashiers who always try to upsell transactions with warranties that aren't necessary.

I don't know any of the legalities or illegalities of what you or Best Buy might have done, but it hardly seems like slander to relate what actually happened.

I hope Best Buy takes a hard look at its practices, and that it attempts to rectify them.

Good luck!

William S. said...

Adam -

Wow... this exact thing has just happened to me. Last Saturday our local Best Buy (Stone Mountain Ga.) had a sign attached to the 61" JVC TV that said "free stand $299 value". We bought the set and used a 15% off coupon that we had received. The TV came Monday this week, no stand in the truck. Called the warehouse, no stand. Went to the store, the "free stand" sign is no longer there, sales rep told me that he didn't think it was for that TV and the sign must have been on it by mistake. Not satisfied with this, he then told me that I had to call 1-888-BESTBUY. I did and they told me to call the delivering warehouse. The warehouse said I had to get with the store to authorize the stand to be delivered. I called the store, spoke to the manager of the day, was told that there was no stand for that TV, there had never been a sign that said there was a free stand, but they would be glad to give me 20% off one if I choose to buy one.

I'm becoming Dizzy at this point.

I wonder if you would mind e-mailing me the contacts that you used for your letter?

-Bill S.

Jeff said...

Wow. I have never had any trouble with Best Buy. I have always had excellent service and returns/exchanges have always been handled with a smile.

Maybe a Texas thing...

RealEstate said...

Is there any way you could post a comment on my blog http://nyc-real-estate.blogspot.com on how to contact Best Buy - I have a similar issue and I would be greatful if you could give me some tips ... on whom I should e-mail...

Thank you...

Unknown said...

Next time they get cocky, try telling the manager you are a Mystery Shopper and needs to have a brief session with her manager...

KimmiE said...

First off, I'd like to say that it's great you got your situation resolved and everything ended up working out for you. Congrats.

I just wanted to clarify that this was a bad situation with one particular Best Buy store, and that it has nothing to do with the corporation as a whole. (And people who are posting such things as "Best Buy sucks" or "I'm never shopping there again" and whatnot just do not realize that not EVERY store does such things. Not EVERY employee is incompetent, and not EVERY supervisor/manager is unwilling to help the customers.) There are thousands of stores nationwide, and thousands upon thousands of satisfied customers every single day. Yes, it sucks that there are unfortunate encounters and bad experiences, but what everyone needs to realize is that this is not the norm.

It is, unfortunately, impossible to make everyone happy. (And--of course--this goes for ANY business, as well as any other aspect in life.) There is always going to be a disgruntled customer no matter HOW good the customer service is. If Adam would have been completely satisfied and happy with the service and the resolution of this problem, there would have been 5 people behind him in line who were angry and belligerent. Sadly, that's just how the world works. You please one person and make their day, while in the meantime there is another customer seething with rage over something that they feel is an overblown situation or "scheme" that is exclusive to them.

I feel for the most part that Best Buy employees (and any other customer service representatives) are very competent and hardworking people who have to deal with similar situations as Adam's everyday, (sadly), and customers are hardly ever sympathetic or understanding of what they can and cannot do as employees.
Some shoppers have the old addage in the front of their minds, "The customer is always right", and they try to enforce it almost to a fault. (Customers do not have the right to point fingers in the faces of associates, yell at them, swear at them, or demean them in any sort of way...but these are things that happen every day. And as soon as the associate defends hisself/herself, even in the nicest, most polite fashion possible, the customer immediately calls for the manager, assuming that something is owed to them for "gracing the store with their prescence and money.")

Anyway, YES it is true that customers deserve the utmost respect and appreciation, especially in difficult situations that everyone tries to avoid in the first place...but on the same note then, customer service representatives deserve the same respect as well. It is definitely not fair to wave the "I'm spending tons of money" card in their faces. They are, for the majority, doing the best they can, and it'll help everyone involved if everyone would keep their cool and appreciate everything they're trying to do for you.

I've gone off on a tangent of a customer service lesson. Apologies. I just want other people on earth to realize the fact that they're not the only ones in the world. They're not the only ones who matter. (And the sooner everyone realizes this, the better off everyone will be.)

Again, I'm happy for you that your issue was resolved, despite the fact that you had to go through a lot of huffing & puffing to get to that point. Hopefully next time your experience will be a more pleasant one, wherever you decide to shop.

Buffet's Disciple said...

Best Buy is like those NYC three card
gambling scam artist when it comes to sales items. It's NEVER in stock and you CAN NOT order it on rain check! These scam artist retailors like to entice you with great sales stuff, but you can never buy at that price! It is bad faith business tactics.

Unknown said...

Hey sorry to hear about you experience, but it is the manager that you had your issue with not the company. Ms, Abdul is one of the few managers who think they are the final authority. As a policy bestbuy is not allowed to combine sales offers, so she would have been right if this was not a television, but the home theatre department has its own rules under which big name cable providers provide their own promotions which may be combines with other offers, such as yours.
All I am trying to say is please don't advertise the company as a fraud, people who work there are just trying to earn their bread and nothing else. they have no commission on the sale.

Whatever statements I make are in no way or shape legally binding for the company and they just represent my opinion.

Cnvncdurallmnkys said...

First off I work at best buy and this is why we hate customers like you. You believe your entitled to some kind of treatment because you spent a measely 2 grand on a shitty tv(yes JVC SUCKS AND ILL TELL ALL MY CUSTOMERS THAT). We have plenty of other customers that spend much more than you do and frankly your being a lil bitch. Ok so you didnt get a stand that was out of stock, but check this, you got 6 hundred sum off your tv, then you were charged 200 for delivery so null in void the stand for purchase in combinations of anything else. READ THE FINE PRINT BE A SMART CONSUMER(good dog). Its a simple fact and ya that sucks that the representative didnt tell you that but ehhh what can you do?
You had the nerve to go in and bitch to someone once you didnt get your way. Hey you sound like everyother prat that comes in and tries to fuck with us, I gaurantee that you went in pompous as hell and then when told otherwise you flipped a nut and said that you wanted to speak to a manager NOW! Then when the manager had a heated debate and you were undermining her authority you proceeded to be a douche bag and raise your voice. Further embarrassing yourself and others around you, they finally told you to leave, well any team member is allowed to speak up and for your information, geek squad is apart of their own section, he was a supervisor of geek squad and he has the right to tell you to leave when you insult one of our own. Get the fuck over it, dickhead! you bought a shit tv and you have a possible reason to complain but guess what....you could have handled it better by asking when the manager would be in, then leaving before things progressed. All of you asses think youre the poor helpless customer but i gaurantee you swore and said sum dickhead comments and thats what you get, step up to me and id knock your fuckin ass out.
peace bitch

-just another brick in the wall said...

Wait a minute.... you purchased a TV based solely on the fact that it included a free piece of shit stand that JVC probably had left over from last Christmas? You sir, are an idiot.

Instead of being mad at the manager, you should be mad at Cory, he's the guy that duped you into buying a JVC television, projection no less, hahahaha those things are pieces of shit.

Why don't you spend all this valuable time volunteering instead of bitching. No wonder this country is in such poor shape. People will waste countless hours trying to get a fifty dollar TV stand, but can't spend a couple hours a week at a homeless shelter or a special needs camp.

You should be euthanized.

-just another brick in the wall said...

Wait a minute.... you purchased a TV based solely on the fact that it included a free piece of shit stand that JVC probably had left over from last Christmas? You sir, are an idiot.

Instead of being mad at the manager, you should be mad at Cory, he's the guy that duped you into buying a JVC television, projection no less, hahahaha those things are pieces of shit.

Why don't you spend all this valuable time volunteering instead of bitching. No wonder this country is in such poor shape. People will waste countless hours trying to get a fifty dollar TV stand, but can't spend a couple hours a week at a homeless shelter or a special needs camp.

You should be euthanized.

-just another brick in the wall said...

Wait a minute.... you purchased a TV based solely on the fact that it included a free piece of shit stand that JVC probably had left over from last Christmas? You sir, are an idiot.

Instead of being mad at the manager, you should be mad at Cory, he's the guy that duped you into buying a JVC television, projection no less, hahahaha those things are pieces of shit.

Why don't you spend all this valuable time volunteering instead of bitching. No wonder this country is in such poor shape. People will waste countless hours trying to get a fifty dollar TV stand, but can't spend a couple hours a week at a homeless shelter or a special needs camp.

You should be euthanized.

Tony said...

Josh, just because someone only spends a measly $2000, gives the employees a right to treat the customers like shit? Just out of interest, how much does a customer have to spend to get some respect from you morons? By the way, I highly doubt that you even make $2000 a month working at Best Buy.

Foxylady704 said...

We financed a TV with Best Buy... Granted its been a hard year for everyone... but thats not really the point...

When we purchased our TV we were told by the sales rep that our payment would be $85.00 per month... never mind the insurance we added... the guy implied that that would be added to the entire loan balance but did not explain the extra monthly fee of 40.00... So every month we paid the 85.00 and for months did not know about the $35.00

No one is perfect... this last year my husband became very ill and so our mind was not all there... The point is that if the guy at BEST BUY/ WORST BUY had been HONEST about the fees up front then I know for a fact we would have kept our account current.

So now they have canceled our two year no interest and put us at 25% interest... And they added $580.00 for defaulting on our contract...

We are in Negative Amitorzation and our balance is increasing every month...

We are going to transfer the balance to a credit card and NEVER finance anything with BEST BUY again!

These type of DISHONEST SHADY business practices are why we should all stop buying there.

We all make mistakes.. but for a company who will take our money, they are sure not willing to work with paying customers.

Foxylady704 said...

For ALL YOU BUST BUY LOVERS ... oops BEST BUY...

First of all... All of America gets blamed for our leaders bad choices and mistakes.

Best Buy is NO DIFFERENT... When someone represents your company they represent your company as a whole.

Granted none of us like being blamed for our political leaders chioces but the world still views us according to those that represent us.

So, if it is common business practice for Best Buy employees to treat people this way then they represent the company as a whole then it does not matter how many nice people work there becuase it is the sharks that sell the products.

And the followup is no better. All they have to do is be honest and up front and they can't even do that... Do don't give us the shit that it is all our fault.

Best Buy sales associates preys on the trust and innocence of their customers.

It is common business practice or people from all over would not not be complaining. So if you feel inclined to defend Best Buy just realize that unfortuniately you all have to feel the wrath of the critizism because even if you are not like these shady sales associates or managers, you will get criticised for their choices because they represent your company as a whole.

The Sales associates are the begining of the scam and the Manager/associate managers who wont help us are the end of our relationship with Best Buy.

Just wait. If Best Buy continues with these business practices, hopefully eventually as customers stop shopping stores will start to close one at a time.

Dishonest business practices are bad. We have a right to compain about it & the right to no longer shop at Best Buy / Worst Buy !

Foxylady704 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
-just another brick in the wall said...

Foxylady, you're a prime example of the reason that this country is in such sad shape. You've made a poor decision, didn't read the fine print, and now that you've realized your own stupidity you're blaming everybody but yourself. I understand that you're angry and you have that right, but you do not have the right to condemn Best Buy and everyone who works there as cheats and scammers. The no interest plans from Best Buy/HSBC work just fine. Take your total from the register and divide by the number of months. Your payment would be the same monthly if you don't purchase anything else on the card! IF you checked that little box for credit card insurance when you applied then you will have an extra charge. You can only trust people to an extent, so that is why you do your own research. You're the type of person who waits to get home until you check your drivethru order and then call and scream at the manager. This is called Darwinism and the stupid people are supposed the weed themselves out, but now our government is saving all these retards by bailing them out. When will it stop............

Foxylady704 said...

NO...your wrong... It is not too much to ask people to be honest. It is not my fault there are people who are dishonest in this world.

By the way... when we bought the TV my husband was loosing his kidney... I was on medication for Depression... and we were going through a hard time.

I take responsibility for making a mistake... but I do not and will not be held accountable for the lies of others.

This is why we have decided that we will never finance anything except for a car and house again...

We have learned from this experience and our mistake of trusting exactly what was told to us.

The sad thing is that these people who misinform well knowing they are withholding information to their benefit and the destruction of others..

They will never learn.

Foxylady704 said...

Just so you know Justin... We bought a house 7 years ago... It has depreciated $100,000 in the last two years.

I am not asking for anyone to Bail me out...

I pay my paments. Every month... The only reason I was beind with Best Buy is because I relied on the word of someone else.

You don't know me... and can't judge me because, well... you would be wrong.

My Credit Score is about 750 you dumb ass ... I have good credit... I have done well and probably like many others here who have had problems with Best Buy only made one mistake ... They TRUSTED BEST BUY and its ASSOCIATES.

Foxylady704 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
-just another brick in the wall said...

Foxylady, why can't you just admit that you made a stupid mistake?? I take the banks "word" that they will keep my money safe, but I still check my statements everyday. Hey I have some really nice oceanfront property in Idaho at a really cheap price......trust me! HAhahahaha Typical Liberal Democrat.......If you think Best Buy personally wronged you then sue them and see where that gets you. Do you know how many idiots like you I get to deal with daily because they were too stupid to read the contract they just signed? Hundreds!


PS. your husband was "losing" a kidney, not loosing and it's spelled payments with a "y". Please learn to spell before trying to insult me please.

-just another brick in the wall said...

GO CORPORATE MACHINE GO!

Foxylady74 said...

Best Buy Financing Company - Scam and this is why

Former HSBC employee says customers are not priority
A former employee of HSBC in Florida sent us this opinion: “Ex-employee from HSBC, parent company of HFC/Beneficial collections team. First I would like to straighten some facts about prior to my bashing. This company is a pay for performance company and each employee has the bonus options. The better you collect, the better the bonus. That makes each employee fight to obtain their bonus, which includes misleading, tossing out empty threats, offering solutions that will never exist. Yes, they are all salesmen, selling you a reason on why you should pay your bills. The communication from upper management was never clearly communicated and they are all interested in the dollars only. Customers are not the priority.


On HSBC’s behalf, they have taken steps to listen to the customer, such as customer focus groups, training sessions to solicit a friendlier approach and attempt tell us we should be more aware of the person(human) on the other line. The fact of the matter is, we wanted our bonus, and therefore, we will say what we can to get you to pay us. Most of the time we were pressured to get the money, one call solution, drive by collections, collect, collect, collect but never take time to listen, understand and resolve the customers situation in full. I heard complaints from so many customers about the amount of different people they spoken too and yet, their problems carried on. The reason for that is the wrong management in place. They change goals way to much..they move you around every other week.. new cube.. new cube..then talk down to you when you dont make goal..

Once a stupid manager gets hired, its like they cant fire them. They linger and make the collections environment fun, but screw up all the stuff for customers like solving their problems. Ownership.. I own it was the motto.. no one takes ownership in collections.. unless you find that 10% of collectors that actually care.. management hates those people because they are below goals. I was rated a below for being to friendly.. The cycle continues. Employees too, they have the wrong employees working there, old school criminals who bash customers to get payments.

HFC/Beneficial Finance (Household International) was sued in 2001. Since then the company paid 400+ million dollars to the attorney generals office for predatory lending. Now HSBC bought them out and they were changing policies. This limited everything, there was layoffs, and then they had to rehire for the bad loans they booked. They laid off so many of us, several people with experience and fought for our customers inside the company. Salemans at the branches are the same as salesman at car dealerships. They sell to you, and they make a bonus. Every company in the country is up a creek because of the bad loans they booked.

If you have one, you’re the idiot who took the loan therefore you’re the stupid one who made a bad decision. Don’t be stupid, do your homework. The government nor my taxes are paying for your stupid move. Im self employed now, if my business went under, should the government pay me back all my money for my poor decision.. back to the bank Trust.. lol.. its over rated. I seen customers who took out loans for 20 K in 1980, and then they owe 28 K in 2006. Yes the loans are extremely high interest rates, I agree, and yet people still want to take them. I remember people getting in those situations because they only paid 4 payments a year.

How you say? The scam….revealed: Restructures is a program used to bring a customer current and place money on the back of the loan. It is at 0% though which is positive. The negative is that you are extending that much more money on your interest short, therefore inflating your loan value, not to mention late fees. Some late fees are 200.00 each month on some loans.. Who does that?

If HSBC wants to truly become Americas local bank they have a lot of homework to do. First is ditch this low level subprime crap. For all you deadbeats out there who got a loan and never paid a payment, I pitty you lame asses, yet envy you at the same time. Stop giving loans to people who cant afford them, which means, crack down on your branch guidelines. Become a merge of prime/high subprime. Have caps… do not give any more 80/20 loans.. especially with the poor appraisals that over inflate the property..become clean on the loans you book and you’ll earn the honest Americans hearts.. Drop those shady BO representatives and the sales pitch of refi everything with us for a 15% mtg. up to 100% LTV. Then, each employee who has not and will not change to become customer centric, which I proposed when I worked there.. They need to be fired. Then everything needs to be clearly available to the people..and the customers.

I think this company is greedy, to the point of no return. Now they are getting desparate and feeling the pinch of economic America. I hope the sub prime mess goes under and HSBC becomes a reputable bank in USA. You just need good values, bring in the Christians.

How can you expect collectors to collect from people who can’t afford a brand new loan? That job sucked anyways. If you have a loan with HFC or BENE, refinance now to a lower rate. If you have a loan with HSBC, you are safe. Yes they are different. Email me at BEUBEN@yahoo.com and I will help you with the inside tricks if you are in a jam with this crap company.

There are angels everywhere.. and some are still inside HSBC.. Find the angels and they will help you.. stick with the dogs and they will chase you to the curb..”

Foxylady704 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Foxylady704 said...

Justin J. said...

Foxylady, why can't you just admit that you made a stupid mistake?? I take the banks "word" that they will keep my money safe, but I still check my statements everyday. Hey I have some really nice oceanfront property in Idaho at a really cheap price......trust me! HAhahahaha Typical Liberal Democrat.......If you think Best Buy personally wronged you then sue them and see where that gets you. Do you know how many idiots like you I get to deal with daily because they were too stupid to read the contract they just signed? Hundreds!




FoxyLady Said in Response:

I'd like to see you juggle everything all by yourself and take care of a sick spouse.

No one is perfect but there are liars and cheats out there. It is not the consumers fault they were lied to.

Yes we should all read the fine print but the salespeople are almost all rushing people through the process. Lets get this done real quick... Yea Ha That way they can add crap into the contract or remove... Like Adam's Stand...

We always shopped at Best Buy and loved the store. Very disappointed in their salesmanship and DISHONEST BUSINESS PRACTICES...

And one more thing... Everyone in a company has a name to uphold... the integrity of the company rests upon the shoulders of its employees. So whether or not you like it, if someone has had a bad experience then that reflects on the company as a whole... especially when lots of other people have had a bad experience and consumers like me find them and their statements online.

You say hundreds of 'Idiots' call you every day... well that’s hundreds of UNHAPPY CUSTOMERS... There is something wrong with that. If ONE person has a problem maybe they are the idiot that missed something... but when hundreds or even thousands of customers are upset... frustrated... or feel they have been given a bad deal... regardless of whether they took the contract home or not... THAT REFLECTS THE COMPANY!

BAD BUSINESS PRACTICES!!!!!!


Another thing... A Company's Affiliates... Lets say HSBC does not provide Good Follow-up service after the purchase and refuses to work with the customers then that REFLECTS THE COMPANY!

So You JUSTIN, who act like such an arrogant ass, Remember that its people like you who put others down for being honest hard working people who expect good service from a company they trust that make it very difficult to uphold the integrity of the company.

Honest people are NOT bad... Dishonest people are...

And regardless of how superior you feel you are to myself or other consumers... Remember this.. You have inside information and expect and know about the crap the company you work for pull... So your the exception...

I trusted Best Buy... Made lots of purchases and spent lots of money. That was before I bought the TV and financed it.

So if you think I deserve less value of service than people who pay cash then you are sadly mistaken. I will no longer spend my money at Best Buy / Worst Buy... I will do everything I can... to tell the world about my experience and SPREAD THE WORD... WORD OF MOUTH IS GOOD OR BAD FOR BUSINESS depending on the QUALITY OF SERVICE...

That’s my two cents!

Adam said...

So who is the moderator of this post that is deleting comments?

People are ignorant.... said...

Well, I have worked and been on both sides of that situation. Most of the time (and I think everyone will agree) you as a customer come in not very happy, which usually leads to you/me/whoever it is being a jerk. Remember, mistakes happen and you have probably made some yourself.

I agree that, if this is truly what happened, a couple employees didn't handle it very well.

Also, you kept referencing yourself as a well paying customer, or a $2000 transaction. That's really not very much...Considering they don't make very much on just the television itself. Hope all is well now though!

Unknown said...

Thanks to all of you for sharing such type of information that's why i'm getting some confidence from all of you.