The Best Buy computer chain takes pride in being geeks. The also are prideful of being rude. My tip to them is - put the customer on hold before you talk about them. It also would help if you were right about what you are saying.
For example say I need a cord for my 6 month old computer because it won't charge. I bought the computer at Best Buy so I am thinking they should have one. They don't but they have a universal. I ask "will it work?" . They very nicely say we can check it out for you". Great I think "here you go" I say as I hand them the cord. He tells me no you have to buy it first. So I buy it.
The computer still doesn't charge.
They say "it's on warranty (by the way Best Buy doesn't stand behind anything they sell unless you buy Best Buy's service plan) we can send it back to HP" Great I think. "What about the cord?" We will send it too and they will replace it"
We do the paper work and away my computer goes.
Seven days later I get a phone call asking if I would like all my data transferred for $260. "Why do I need it transferred" I ask. "Because we had to replace your motherboard and your hard drive." I say no to the $260 option because everything is backed up. I ask "when will I get my computer?" We will send it today you should have it in a couple of days" I inquire "Where is it now?" She says "Louisville, KY" I say "Great I am in Glasgow, KY (about 100 miles).
I wait a couple of days, no word, so I call Best Buy. They don't have it yet. I wait a couple days more and call. Still no sign of my computer. I start calling everyday, no computer. They even started skipping placing me on hold and I would hear (on purpose I am sure) "it's the guy about that laptop again".
This goes on for 10 days. Finally I call Louisville back. They say "we don't have it". I ask - me being curious and all _ 'who does". They say "Bowling Green". Me being curious again, ask "How long have they had it?" He says "at least 6 days"
So I call Bowling Green, KY BestBuy and tell them what she said after I hear the customary "it's the guy about the laptop again". Guess what? They have had it for at least six days. They even went as far to tell me they have been trying to call me. Little do they know I have a futuristic machine that records all my messages. I call it an answering machine. Also little do they know I also record all incoming callers on a thing I call my "caller ID". So I know they are lying when they said they were trying to call me.
So now I drive the 35 miles to Bestbuy. I pickup my computer. I take it home.
Funny the "replaced cord" looks just like the old one. I fire it up to load the virus protection, blue tooth utility and the rest of the stuff they wiped out.
It's not charging!!!!
I wiggle the cord. I do the troubleshooting from HP's website. Nothing!
Best Buy is now closed so I wait till morning.
I call and I get a recording saying they don't open till 10, so I call the Louisville, who is eastern time and I am central time. The girl was very pleasant. She told me to "file an escalation".
I wait till ten and call Bowling Green. They are their usual rude selves. I ask for a manager. Apparently "Chuck the manager" doesn't roll in till about noon on Fridays. I say I will be down their at noon.
In the mean time I call 1-888-bestbuy. (888-237-8289)
After waiting 10 minutes on hold that guy was completely not believable when he apologized. They need to hire out of work actors or seniors from the local theater group to pull that off.
He let me know that most of this was my fault because I bought a piece of junk from Best Buy with out a Best Buy "service contract". I paraphrase but I got the message.
He did mention however that I could just buy a power cord to see if that was the problem.
This of course was deja vue all over again.
That's when i lost it!
I suggested I was going to go to Best Buy and if one of his little Geek Squad twerps were rude to me again- I was going to grab them by the scruff of their neck - take them to the parking lot and teach them some manners.
I may be a mild mannered web master by day but little did he know by night I am a father of four boys including a U.S. Marine and two teenagers. Teaching boys manners is my specialty.
He informed me he would be notifying Best Buy and if I did that I would be arrested. The funny part was he never , for even a second, considered his fellow Bestbuy employees would not be rude. He just assumed, if I went in the store, they would be rude to me, causing me to unleash the fatherly skills I possess.
I thought to myself - getting arrested would be worth the follow up TV interview and the Bowling Green Daily News headline;
Best Buy has customer arrested for teaching manners to Geek Squad
Apparently my wife did not agree. She talked me out of going to BestBuy in Bowling Green. She also will not let me shoot the laptop or make it into a toilet seat with my circular saw.
I have spent four thousand dollars in Bowling Green Best Buy in the last 12 months. Guess how much I will spend there in the next 12 months? If you said zero, you have been paying attention.
I am not going to ask you as loyal readers to boycott Best Buy in Bowling Green or anywhere else. I am going to say...if you like being treated rudely Best Buy would be a great place to shop. If you don't like rude people, you might consider Circuit City or another big box electronic store besides Best Buy.
P.S. When I was talking to the "consumer line" guy I asked a question I ask all customer service people. "When you go into a restaurant and they don't cook your food they way you wanted it, do you expect the food to be replaced and the meal for free?
He refused to answer so I think we can guess what he expects.
Just think wouldn't it be nice if Best Buy worked like Outback Steakhouse "No Rules Just Right"
You buy a computer...it doesn't work...they replace the computer and refund your money.
Maybe the Geek Squad would care a little more if that was their policy at Best Buy.
See ya at Circuit City!
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1 comments:
Once you bought the computer and it is outside the return date, you have to rely upon the manufacturers warranty. You should have called the manufacturers up and they would have given the names of places that would do warranty repair.
Just because you bought it there does not mean you should take it there for warranty service. It's the same thing with a car. Once you buy it you can take it to any place who performs warranty service.
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