- Feb 8, 2001
- 35,461
- 4
- 81
I used to shop at Best Buy all the time, but now avoid it like the plague. It seems like the more knowledgable associates have been let go in order to replace them with those that can push the highly lucrative extended warranty. I made the mistake of purchasing a cable modem that was free after activation from the Best Buy in Durham, NC #160 in February. The offer did not state which cable internet provider so I appealed to what was supposed to be an authority... The Manager who assisted me gave me a CD for Earthlink dialup and said this is what I needed and to take it to the register and it should print out all the necessary forms. Seeing how he was totally incompetent I tried to find another associate. After a couple of handoffs I found someone that knew what he was talking about. He was able to get me signed up on one of the terminals only the printer would only print the first page.
He was kind enough to locate the form online and type it up for me(A rebate for a $50 gift card which I have since recieved). I paid for the modem but oddly enough no rebate form spitted out. The cashier assured me that the "cable guy" would have it. Surprisingly enough the cable guy did not have it so I went back to the store and waited inline at Customer Service. There was a couple returning a Bluetooth keyboard and modem with a receipt. The Customer Service manager refused to give them a refund plus he docked them a 15% restocking fee. His reply, it's corporate policy and gave them the 888-BestBuy phone number...(In other words call someone else because I could care less). They said "Screw you. We will never shop here again"(Paraphrased for censorship) and left the store
I thought to myself, wow he was such a sweet heart...Told the manager that I needed the rebate form and gave him my receipt and activation letter from Road Runner. I filled out the form and mailed it in. I got a rejection letter dated April 20, stating unknown service provider. I called customer service and they told me to simply resubmit it and wait another 6 weeks. I read the fine print on the rebate form and Road Runner was not listed so I took it into the store. A manager informed me of the problem, filled out the correct form and faxed it in. She gave me a copy of the faxes and said that since she faxed it in that it should only be about 3 weeks. After 4 weeks I call to check on the status and they did not recieve the rebate. I was told to refax it in.
Does Best Buy get kickbacks from the telco companies or do they just enjoy infuriating their customers. I've got a $50 gift card that I'm afraid of using due to my past experience with Best Buy.
Best Buy used to be a great company but it has slowly gone down the slippery slope of corporate greed, bloat and Customer No-Service.
After I sent it I checked their ratings Ouch
************************************************************************************
Email response:
Dear Mr. McGee,
Thank you for contacting the Best Buy corporate office. Your email was
received and forwarded to me for review and response. Thank you for
allowing us the chance to address your concerns.
I was very sorry to read of the trouble you have had receiving your
rebate, and of the unsatisfactory service provided by the personnel at
our Durham store location. I can certainly empathize if the events you
described became a source of frustration for you. Allow me to
apologize
on behalf of Best Buy for any lapse in the level of service in this
instance, and for any inconvenience or frustration as a result. This
situation is not indicative of the type of relationship we wish to have
with you, or any valued customer.
I can assure you that your experience is not at all typical of the
strong, personalized service our customers have come to expect when
shopping at Best Buy. It is certainly not the type of service which
led
to Best Buy becoming the nation's leading electronics retailer, or
which
led to Forbes magazine naming us Company of the Year for 2004.
Nevertheless, I understand if the service you have been given in this
instance, and in the past causes you to have doubts. We do become
concerned when a customer feels moved enough to take the time to
contact
our office to express their dissatisfaction. We consider feedback such
as yours to be one of the most important tools we have to identify
areas
of opportunity for improvement. I will forward your comments to the
appropriate personnel in an effort to improve the overall customer
service at this location, and hopefully avoid a similar experience
again
in the future.
Thank you again for sharing your experience with our office, Mr. McGee,
we genuinely appreciate your feedback. I am sorry if these experiences
have diminished your opinion of Best Buy as a whole, but I do hope we
will have an opportunity to serve you again in the future. Please let
me know if you have any further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Tony Mason
Sr. Representative
Executive Resolutions Team
_______________________
Work Hard, Care, Have Fun !
*********************************************************************************
My reply:
Thank you for your response. I'm afraid I'm not the only one that feels this way. I typically order most of my computer parts online and use a service called Reseller Ratings. For a lrak I plugged in bestbuy.com and was absolutely mortified by the score as well as what people were saying.
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1823.html
Compare that with one of my favorite online retailers...Newegg
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2121.html
Thanks,
He was kind enough to locate the form online and type it up for me(A rebate for a $50 gift card which I have since recieved). I paid for the modem but oddly enough no rebate form spitted out. The cashier assured me that the "cable guy" would have it. Surprisingly enough the cable guy did not have it so I went back to the store and waited inline at Customer Service. There was a couple returning a Bluetooth keyboard and modem with a receipt. The Customer Service manager refused to give them a refund plus he docked them a 15% restocking fee. His reply, it's corporate policy and gave them the 888-BestBuy phone number...(In other words call someone else because I could care less). They said "Screw you. We will never shop here again"(Paraphrased for censorship) and left the store
I thought to myself, wow he was such a sweet heart...Told the manager that I needed the rebate form and gave him my receipt and activation letter from Road Runner. I filled out the form and mailed it in. I got a rejection letter dated April 20, stating unknown service provider. I called customer service and they told me to simply resubmit it and wait another 6 weeks. I read the fine print on the rebate form and Road Runner was not listed so I took it into the store. A manager informed me of the problem, filled out the correct form and faxed it in. She gave me a copy of the faxes and said that since she faxed it in that it should only be about 3 weeks. After 4 weeks I call to check on the status and they did not recieve the rebate. I was told to refax it in.
Does Best Buy get kickbacks from the telco companies or do they just enjoy infuriating their customers. I've got a $50 gift card that I'm afraid of using due to my past experience with Best Buy.
Best Buy used to be a great company but it has slowly gone down the slippery slope of corporate greed, bloat and Customer No-Service.
After I sent it I checked their ratings Ouch
************************************************************************************
Email response:
Dear Mr. McGee,
Thank you for contacting the Best Buy corporate office. Your email was
received and forwarded to me for review and response. Thank you for
allowing us the chance to address your concerns.
I was very sorry to read of the trouble you have had receiving your
rebate, and of the unsatisfactory service provided by the personnel at
our Durham store location. I can certainly empathize if the events you
described became a source of frustration for you. Allow me to
apologize
on behalf of Best Buy for any lapse in the level of service in this
instance, and for any inconvenience or frustration as a result. This
situation is not indicative of the type of relationship we wish to have
with you, or any valued customer.
I can assure you that your experience is not at all typical of the
strong, personalized service our customers have come to expect when
shopping at Best Buy. It is certainly not the type of service which
led
to Best Buy becoming the nation's leading electronics retailer, or
which
led to Forbes magazine naming us Company of the Year for 2004.
Nevertheless, I understand if the service you have been given in this
instance, and in the past causes you to have doubts. We do become
concerned when a customer feels moved enough to take the time to
contact
our office to express their dissatisfaction. We consider feedback such
as yours to be one of the most important tools we have to identify
areas
of opportunity for improvement. I will forward your comments to the
appropriate personnel in an effort to improve the overall customer
service at this location, and hopefully avoid a similar experience
again
in the future.
Thank you again for sharing your experience with our office, Mr. McGee,
we genuinely appreciate your feedback. I am sorry if these experiences
have diminished your opinion of Best Buy as a whole, but I do hope we
will have an opportunity to serve you again in the future. Please let
me know if you have any further questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Tony Mason
Sr. Representative
Executive Resolutions Team
_______________________
Work Hard, Care, Have Fun !
*********************************************************************************
My reply:
Thank you for your response. I'm afraid I'm not the only one that feels this way. I typically order most of my computer parts online and use a service called Reseller Ratings. For a lrak I plugged in bestbuy.com and was absolutely mortified by the score as well as what people were saying.
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller1823.html
Compare that with one of my favorite online retailers...Newegg
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2121.html
Thanks,
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