Bad Circuit City Experience!

blahblah99

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 2000
2,689
0
0
Well, I been planning to buy a widescreen hdtv for a while now and have been shopping around online and at B/M stores. I strolled into a ghetto Circuit City and was looking around for the tv I wanted... it turns out it was on sale AND they offered a 24 month 0% interest on the purchase if it was made on their card.

Well, here's where it started getting ugly. I asked the salesperson how does the 0% finance work and she said I have to apply for the card. So I told her fine, I'll apply for the card only if I can put this purchase of the TV and stand on the card and get the 0% finance. She said no problem. I go apply, wait for approval, and come back to her. Time wasted during application: about 30 minutes. It could have taken only 5 minutes but the customer service rep with attention disorder deficit "forgot" about me until I reminded him about my card application. I get the approval, come back to the salesperson, tell her I want ONLY the TV and a STAND that is big enough for that TV. Time wasted here: another 30 mins for the salesperson to look around for the correct stand.

Then, when both the STAND AND TV were located and entered into the computer, the salesperson starts selling me the warrnty package, cables, and other accessories. I tell her I only want the TV AND STAND. She asks me again, "are you sure you don't want the performance warranty? That is an expensive TV!" For the 3rd time, I told her I only want the TV and stand. She finally gives up and starts entering my info and charge my newly acquired Circuit City credit card and my purchase gets DENIED!

At this point, I'm like wtf? I JUST OPENED this account. Salesperson calls over the store director and she checks my credit limit, which turns out to be only $1500. Then the salesperson TELLS the director "I tried to sell him the warranty and accesories, but he doesn't want it because his family comes from an engineering background and they can fix it themselves!" I explain to the store director that the whole point of me getting the credit card was so I can finance it at 0%. She tells me my limit is too low! Now, immediately after that, the salesperson takes off and tells 2nd salesperson to take over the sale. At this point, I packed up all my paperwork and told them I'm going to head off to a different store to purchase the TV and stand. Total time wasted during this fiasco: OVER 1.5 HOURS.


I head off to 2nd circuit city store, walk straight to a salesperson and tell him in a cocky manner that I only want that specific TV and that specific tv stand. He tries to sell me a warranty/accessory package and I immediately tell him you can try all you want, but I already made my mind on buying ONLY THE TV AND THE STAND. He enters my info, I give him my cc and I'm outta there in less than 10 minutes!

CLIFF NOTES VERSION:
1. I try to buy tv and stand on a new opened circuit city credit card but turns out limit was low and wasted over 90mins in store 1.
2. Packed up my stuff and left store 1 to go to store 2 and tell the salesperson specifically what I want and don't want.
3. Gave him my platinum plus card and got out of there in less than 15 mins.


MORAL OF THE STORY: Don't bother wasting time on the 0% interest offers.
 

Mill

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
28,558
3
81
Umm... how much was the TV+stand after tax? If it was more than 1500 then it wasn't their fault that your credit sucks and you only had a limit of 1500.
 

fr

Diamond Member
Oct 10, 1999
6,408
2
81
Originally posted by: Millennium
Umm... how much was the TV+stand after tax? If it was more than 1500 then it wasn't their fault that your credit sucks and you only had a limit of 1500.

Yeah.


If you would have given them your Platinum Plus card at the first place after your new credit line was declined, you could have saved yourself the second trip as well.
 

Slammy1

Platinum Member
Apr 8, 2003
2,112
0
76
I like the 0% thing, the only reason I'd buy anything of any value from CC or BB. I built my entertainment center that way. But the last item I bought 0%, they sent me the initial bill after the recommended send date. I may have sat on it 2 days total before I opened it and realized I needed to send it in right away. I sent it in 4 days before due, and they charged me $30 for a late fee. CC or BB is a convenience thing, but if they play that game I'll stick with mail order from trustworthy companies. CC has always been shady in my experience.
 

Spikey217

Golden Member
May 4, 2002
1,687
0
76
I'm pretty sure they let you charge on more than one card. Charge the full $1500 on the Circuit City card and the rest on your own credit card. You can at least finance a big chunk of the purchase rather than paying for the tv all at once.
 

dman

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
9,110
0
76
I'm not sure about the whole credit thing being sucky. I have good credit and I still might have tried to get the 0% financing if it was available, even if I had the cash for the tv. (Depends how many cards/accounts I have open). Like you said, it generally only takes 5-10mins to get approved, and I would have asked wtf is going on if it took longer. If you sat around for 25minutes before reminding them you were waiting, or just leaving and forgetting about it (because of the crappy service) well, that's your fault. The in store approvals are often much lower than what you might qualify for regularly. (more on this below).

The whole warranty thing is common, I politely say no and that's the end of that. The pushy ones I just say no again, that's all it takes. The stupid thing about your story, is even after a lousy experience you go and buy the TV at another Circuit City. I Guess that you like being walked on.

NOTE: About your 'moral of the story', next time ask what the credit limit is after you are approved. Would have saved the second wait. And -- If you were willing to wait a bit longer, or do a little leg work, you could have called the ccard company and asked for a limit increase, to buy the tv. Many times they have an 800# and will do it on the spot. In fact, You could possibly still do that now. If approved, you can go back to CC and (check first:) request a refund on your platinum card and repurchase on the Cicruit City card (if that limit is raised)... but you'll be in the store for a while getting the mgr involved to figure that transaction out.



 

Mill

Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
28,558
3
81
Originally posted by: dman
I'm not sure about the whole credit thing being sucky. I have good credit and I still might have tried to get the 0% financing if it was available, even if I had the cash for the tv. (Depends how many cards/accounts I have open). Like you said, it generally only takes 5-10mins to get approved, and I would have asked wtf is going on if it took longer. If you sat around for 25minutes before reminding them you were waiting, or just leaving and forgetting about it (because of the crappy service) well, that's your fault. The in store approvals are often much lower than what you might qualify for regularly. (more on this below).

The whole warranty thing is common, I politely say no and that's the end of that. The pushy ones I just say no again, that's all it takes. The stupid thing about your story, is even after a lousy experience you go and buy the TV at another Circuit City. I Guess that you like being walked on.

NOTE: About your 'moral of the story', next time ask what the credit limit is after you are approved. Would have saved the second wait. And -- If you were willing to wait a bit longer, or do a little leg work, you could have called the ccard company and asked for a limit increase, to buy the tv. Many times they have an 800# and will do it on the spot. In fact, You could possibly still do that now. If approved, you can go back to CC and (check first:) request a refund on your platinum card and repurchase on the Cicruit City card (if that limit is raised)... but you'll be in the store for a while getting the mgr involved to figure that transaction out.

Retail charge cards are real asses about raising limits.
 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
56,854
17,722
146
Don't forget to cancel the account you now have open with CC unless you plan to use it on something else. It's not wise to leave open accounts you don't use.
 

Antisocial Virge

Diamond Member
Dec 13, 1999
6,578
0
0
I had no problem buying a bigscreen at CC. Salesman was good and not pushy adbout cables or anything. I did buy the warrenty though and I'm glad I did.
 

yllus

Elite Member & Lifer
Aug 20, 2000
20,577
432
126
Originally posted by: Antisocial-Virge
I had no problem buying a bigscreen at CC. Salesman was good and not pushy adbout cables or anything. I did buy the warrenty though and I'm glad I did.
Frankly, that's why he wasn't pushy. Not that the extended warranty is always something to avoid; on a projection TV I'd probably recommend it.

blahblah99, it sounds like you just met up with employees of mediocre intelligence. It really isn't their fault the credit company CC is partnered with only cleared you for $1500, but the salesperson should have enough experience doing this that he or she should tell you to make sure, when you go to the customer service desk for the card, that they clear you for the amount needed. If it's not the full amount you could also split the cost across the max of the CC card and the rest on your regular credit card.

I wouldn't really blame the salesperson for having to push the warranty and accessories, they have to if they want to keep their jobs. The pressure from their managers is unholy. Blame the corporate-level management for setting insane sales targets for the things.
 

richardycc

Diamond Member
Apr 29, 2001
5,719
1
81
yeah dont blame the store for your OK credit history, I rarely get less than $5000 limit from story cc offer.
 

blahblah99

Platinum Member
Oct 10, 2000
2,689
0
0
I'm not upset because of the low limit... I was upset because of the salesperson's inability to do his/her job correctly. I was "guaranteed" verbally by the salesperson that I buy the tv on the card if I opened the account that day and because of that I wasted several hours.


If I would have KNOWN in the first place that the card they were going to offer me was going to have a low limit, I would have just paid with my high limit card and got outta there in 15 mins.