Dear Best Buy...

[AMCRambler]

Today I visited your store to buy a laser printer. Apparently you can't be bothered to staff your stores with employees that work for Best Buy and will sell printers. Instead you have HP shills that even though I ask about the price of a Brother printer that has no tag on it proceed to tell me they can't sell me that printer. Here are the HP printers that print mono laser. Well ok that printer is $140 but how much is the Brother one that has a 250 sheet tray and also wireless networking? Pissed off I check your website to find the printer with better options $20 cheaper. Ask the HP shill what about that? Well that doesn't have "HP Quality". Lmao. Thanks but no thanks. And you know what? Maybe I'll just go buy one at Staples since apparently you're all just bending me over for another $20.

Sincerely, AM "pissed off" CRambler

 

[lxskllr]

I ran into that in the early 00s when a lexmark rep was was pimping their stuff. Irritating...

 

[Printer Bandit]

Sorry to hear about your experience

 

[deadlyapp]

thank god for price scanner apps now days.

 

[JSt0rm]

why would you go anywhere to buy something. lol. are you 60 or something?

 

[AMCRambler]

why would you go anywhere to buy something. lol. are you 60 or something?

Touché. Only 35 but yeah should have just bought it online. Wife wanted to go get a printer for her classroom. Told her to see if they had any deals in the store. She dragged me with. Deal was if she came to the airport to see the B17 and B24 with me today, I'd go printer shopping.

edit
Pics of planes for those who like WWII bombers.

 

[QueBert]

why would you go anywhere to buy something. lol. are you 60 or something?

I bought a KB @ BB 2 years ago, paid for the extended warranty too. The 1st one broke 4 months after, it was technically still under Logitech warranty, but BB didn't care and I was able to get another in store that same day. The next 2 broke, I got 2 more same day. The last one broke and they gave me store credit and I got a totally different, better and newer keyboard and just paid the difference. If I had bought it online dealing with shipping and waiting and shit for 4 KB's would have took forever. BB + Amazon price match + extended warranty = WIN. I could take my fully working KB back right now, and if I tell them it's broke without even testing it they'll give me full store credit + a prorated amount back on the remainder of the warranty. I only shop online for items I absolutely can't get locally.

 

[shortylickens]

HP schills arent nearly as bad as the Bose people.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

You walked into a Best Buy of your own free will? The problem was self-inflicted.

 

[Printer Bandit]

I bought a KB @ BB 2 years ago, paid for the extended warranty too. The 1st one broke 4 months after, it was technically still under Logitech warranty, but BB didn't care and I was able to get another in store that same day. The next 2 broke, I got 2 more same day. The last one broke and they gave me store credit and I got a totally different, better and newer keyboard and just paid the difference. If I had bought it online dealing with shipping and waiting and shit for 4 KB's would have took forever. BB + Amazon price match + extended warranty = WIN. I could take my fully working KB back right now, and if I tell them it's broke without even testing it they'll give me full store credit + a prorated amount back on the remainder of the warranty. I only shop online for items I absolutely can't get locally.

stop abusing your keyboards.

 

[Newbian]

stop abusing your keyboards.

 

[BUTCH1]

why would you go anywhere to buy something. lol. are you 60 or something?

It depends, if your buying a "55 LCD do you really want to find out it has a row of dead pixels after you hook it up?, if you went BM then you just load it up and drive it right back.

 

[yottabit]

I still get driven nuts whenever I have to go in there

One time I was walking in to pick up 3 Macbook Pros, and it took me legitimately 20 minutes of running around asking people for help until I could finally get an employee that could be bothered. This was at about 2 pm on a weekday.

Also, they never have a clue whether something is in stock even if you call them. They will say "the computer says we have 1" which almost always means they have 0, or a floor model. They can't be bothered to physically check anything.

Also, I'm pretty sure I did convince someone to hold something for me once, and they accidentally sold it to someone else (within the same day)

The only thing really good I'll say about them now is their return policy. IIRC they now have no restocking fee. I bought a MBA and returned some time later for a full refund. Basically like a free rental.

 

[ElFenix]

I still get driven nuts whenever I have to go in there

One time I was walking in to pick up 3 Macbook Pros, and it took me legitimately 20 minutes of running around asking people for help until I could finally get an employee that could be bothered. This was at about 2 pm on a weekday.

Also, they never have a clue whether something is in stock even if you call them. They will say "the computer says we have 1" which almost always means they have 0, or a floor model. They can't be bothered to physically check anything.

Also, I'm pretty sure I did convince someone to hold something for me once, and they accidentally sold it to someone else (within the same day)

The only thing really good I'll say about them now is their return policy. IIRC they now have no restocking fee. I bought a MBA and returned some time later for a full refund. Basically like a free rental.

it's 15 days. which is basically horrible.

 

[yottabit]

it's 15 days. which is basically horrible.

Are there any other B&M stores that have full refund/no restocking fee on PCs though?

I agree it's a short term but I think the 90/30/14-15 day scheme is pretty standard for Department stores

Isn't it usually like 90 days for something say like a controller, 30 days for something like a DVD (unopened), 14-15 days for something like an actual electronic device. And usually it would need to be unopened to get a full refund, otherwise there would be a restocking fee.

I could be behind the times though!

 

[ElFenix]

Are there any other B&M stores that have full refund/no restocking fee on PCs though?

I agree it's a short term but I think the 90/30/14-15 day scheme is pretty standard for Department stores

Isn't it usually like 90 days for something say like a controller, 30 days for something like a DVD (unopened), 14-15 days for something like an actual electronic device. And usually it would need to be unopened to get a full refund, otherwise there would be a restocking fee.

I could be behind the times though!

15 days may be standard for computers (microcenter is 15 days, no restocking, fry's appears to be 30 with no restocking fee). but best buy is 15 days on everything until you join their club and rack up points.

everything.

i bought a thermostat. best buy was cheaper than home depot by a couple bucks. turns out, it wouldn't work with the system, but by the time i figured that out (not knowing that bestbuy was well behind everyone else in terms of return policy), i couldn't return it. yeah, my fault, i shouldn't have expected that best buy have a 30 day return policy on most items (pretty sure it used to back when i shopped there more). on top of that, everyone else selling themostats has a 90 day return policy, so best buy has 1/6 the return policy of the industry.

and it looks like microcenter will let you return opened software.

in short, best buy's return policy blows.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

I bought a USB car charger at Microcenter the other day. They tried to sell me an extended warranty for .75c.

 

[JSt0rm]

I have no problems with returns to amazon. They will even cross ship for me. Hell I had a receiver die at 90 days and they took it back and sent me another. It costs nothing to send it back. The ups guy comes and gets it.

 

[Auric]

why would you go anywhere to buy something. lol. are you 60 or something?

Touché. Only 35 but yeah should have just bought it online. Wife wanted to go get a printer for her classroom. Told her to see if they had any deals in the store. She dragged me with. Deal was if she came to the airport to see the B17 and B24 with me today, I'd go printer shopping.

edit
Pics of planes for those who like WWII bombers.

Okay, you are forgiven but don't let it happen again.

 

[mmntech]

I've never encountered this at any of the Canadian Best Buys. They're like any box store. Operated by people who aren't paid enough to care. Though it's usually pretty easy to find an employee to help you, unless it's like Christmas or something.

So you've found the printer you want, just buy it online.

 

[JSt0rm]

Okay, you are forgiven but don't let it happen again.

 

[pete6032]

Sorry to hear about your experience

liar

 

[Sonikku]

I still get driven nuts whenever I have to go in there

One time I was walking in to pick up 3 Macbook Pros, and it took me legitimately 20 minutes of running around asking people for help until I could finally get an employee that could be bothered. This was at about 2 pm on a weekday.

Also, they never have a clue whether something is in stock even if you call them. They will say "the computer says we have 1" which almost always means they have 0, or a floor model. They can't be bothered to physically check anything.

Also, I'm pretty sure I did convince someone to hold something for me once, and they accidentally sold it to someone else (within the same day)

The only thing really good I'll say about them now is their return policy. IIRC they now have no restocking fee. I bought a MBA and returned some time later for a full refund. Basically like a free rental.

If all you pay is peanuts, all you get are squirrels.

That and B and M stores now make do with so fewer people taking on so many more roles in the name of "productivity" that they get stretched thin and left with barely enough time to hit all the bullet points without interruption.

 

[futurefields]

why would you go anywhere to buy something. lol. are you 60 or something?

i sometimes still buy things in stores, simply because i want to pick one that is in a totally clean box and everything, sometimes you order something online and the box comes a little beat up. the product is fine but it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

 

[Charmonium]

I have no problems with returns to amazon. They will even cross ship for me. Hell I had a receiver die at 90 days and they took it back and sent me another. It costs nothing to send it back. The ups guy comes and gets it.

Yeah, Amazon makes things too easy to bother buying anywhere else except for true specialty items and even then they're prices usually aren't that much higher when you factor in shipping. I feel bad for local merchants but that's just the way it is. If stores had sales staff that added some value to the process of shopping then maybe it would be different but I've found that to only rarely be the case.

The only exception I can really think of is maybe audio equipment. That often comes down to a matter of personal taste, especially in speakers. But in that case, just go showrooming.