Customer Experiences at BestBuy....

12/08/2008 05:50:08 PM · #1

Does anyone here work at bestbuy and know their policies? I have a question.

We ordered a car stereo on Nov 30 online on a 1-day sale, and had it set for pickup. We then made an appt to have it installed, and that appt is tomorrow night.

However, they now maintain that our "hold" period for the pickup item ends tonight, and that if we don't pick it u tonight, they will cancel the order. That means when we come tomorrow night to pick it up, it won't be there, making our appt moot. They insist that this is the case.

I've never seen such an "inflexible" posture as they have. Are they just BSing us? Would it indeed still be there tomorrow (the "9th" day per their count since our order). Do they really want to lose the sale that badly?

Curious if anyone works there and understands their "real" policy.

Dirt_Diver

Nikon D3s

Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM

12/08/2008 05:53:08 PM · #2

I don't work there but you might want to go pick up the stereo and just hold on to it over night. Also before saying anything to anyone see if they are running a sale they don't want you know about. Sorry to hear about the BS with BB. They are FOS and expensive as hell. I can see why they are shutting down so many stores.

Good luck

obgynluke

Canon EOS-5D

12/08/2008 05:58:01 PM · #3

best buy isnt closing stores...circuit city is closing stores, and compusa has already shut stores down. this is only going to help best buy stay open and increase their number of stores.

state your news correctly.

12/08/2008 06:02:34 PM · #4

Well, as far as I'm concerned they are going to be closing their doors--we won't buy from them again after they jerked us around. Sure, we can go pick it up tonight, but that wastes 1 hr of my time tonight, and gas, and then another hour for installation.

If I knew they were going to be jerks about it, I could have taken advantage of the free shipping offer and they would have lost money over it compared to the pick up option. I only selected pickup because I thought I could just pick it up the same time I was having it installed.

It's not like they would lose money by holding it one more day--they have my credit card from the purchase, and we do have an appt for installation.

Best Buy = Never Again for us.

The reason I asked was that I am of a mind to just wait and try tomorrow. But then I'll totally be wasting my time if they won't give it to me when I show up. I could also order it from Amazon right now with free shipping, and find somewhere else to have it installed, at a complete loss to BestBuy. A great business policy to abuse customers, especially when you might still even lose the sale!

Message edited by author 2008-12-08 18:04:30.

PapaBob

12/08/2008 06:37:28 PM · #5

Quite a few years ago I had the worst experience I have ever had with any store. They told me I could not return an item I purchased hours earlier to upgrade my computer and they would not take it because they said the item I was returning was not really the item I purchased, their supplier even backed me up that it indeed was the correct product and told me they would make it good with the store.Until I kept making everyones lives miserable at the store and their corp. office they were not going to take it back. Funny thing is I was trying to return and had planned on spending twice as much in their store. In the long run they took it back and someone else got my money for what I was going to purchase in their store. They really lack customer service.

12/08/2008 06:50:04 PM · #6

Ok, this is even more ridiculous now.

I had my coat on, was about to head out the door to pick up the item (wasting my time and gas), and then I thought I should bring my receipt as well as the latest email. When I went into my email, I received this note that my order had been canceled already!

Store Pickup Cancellation
December 08, 2008
Order Number: xx

Dear Neil:

Your store pickup order has been canceled because it was not picked up at the ALBANY NY Best Buy store #428 within 8 days of confirmation. The credit card (or Gift Card) used for this order has been credited.

Note that I just received this on Friday....

Store Pickup Notification
December 05, 2008
Order Number: xx

Store Pickup Sign Dear Neil:

Your order is now ready for pickup during store hours at the ALBANY NY Best Buy store #428. To avoid order cancellation, please pick up your item(s) within 3 days.

BestBuy management, how stupid can you be?

And for the third time today, trying to call the local store 'geek squad', they never answer. I'm ringing now, as I write this, for 6 minutes 30 seconds.... gaghhhhhhhhh.

Message edited by author 2008-12-08 18:51:44.

12/08/2008 07:48:24 PM · #7

Did you try escalating the issue? Talk to a manager. Tell them that the last place that jerked you around mysteriously burned to the ground. That works for me.

btw - you must use my advice within 5 minutes or it expires.

Pentax DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AF

12/08/2008 07:48:25 PM · #8

...too late!

FireBird

12/08/2008 07:53:27 PM · #9

Wow! One second between the two posts.
How you do that?

vxpra

Pentax K100D

12/08/2008 07:54:22 PM · #10

Mind if we turn this into a "horrible stories about Bestbuy thread?"

About a year ago I ordered a laptop through BestBuy and requested in store pickup (I had to have it that day because my work laptop had just died). Called and confirmed my order with the nearest Bestbuy, then drove over nintey minutes in near white out conditions. I arrived at the store and was told- "Oh, we've been out of stock on that for a week." I demanded to speak to the store manager who told me "Well, when you return home you can change your order to UPS delivery, you'll have it in 6-10 days, and you won't have to drive to the store again." My reply was "You must be f****** kidding me." He just stood there and smiled at me.

Oh, the reason I had ordered through Bestbuy, is the weather was so bad that my town was closed down. Streets were closed, most stores had either not opened or closed early because it was too dangerous for employees to drive to work.

12/08/2008 08:00:34 PM · #11

Never trust online inventory systems. Call and make them LOOK IN THE WAREHOUSE to see if it is in stock.

...and when you head down to pick it up, pack the torch & pitchfork in the trunk, just in case.

12/08/2008 08:01:49 PM · #12

Originally posted by fir3bird:

Wow! One second between the two posts.
How you do that?

I have the ability to bend space and time. I am going to shoot that for the Superpowers challenge.

12/08/2008 08:02:12 PM · #13

Jeff--Ouch.

Sure. My purpose for this thread as far as advice needed expired with Art's sage 1 second advice. I'm officially through with BestBuy. We will look to have the car stereo I've ordered from Amazon now installed elsewhere. I'm sure policies like this one will eventually sink BestBuy. I don't know how they could not.

I'll even change the thread title. Consider this a "Customer Experience at BestBuy thread", even more apropos for the site, since many DPC users probably buy cameras and computers from them.

I will most certainly write up my experience at resellerratings.com. LOL--I wouldn't have thought to look up a local store on resellerratings.com before ordering, but I just did, and this is telling:

Store Rating and Reviews Best Buy

Homepage: //www.bestbuy.com

Six-Month Rating: 1.34 / 10
Six-Month Reviews: 28
Lifetime Reviews: 619

Lifetime Rating: 1.93 / 10

ETA: And to Art, if we could rate posts, you would always get a 10/10 from me!

Message edited by author 2008-12-08 20:07:24.

sfalice

Canon PowerShot SX60 HS

12/08/2008 08:03:42 PM · #14

I feel for you

nshapiro. getting the run around can drive you nuts!
Sometimes it just isn't worth it to save a few $$$s.

My latest story with Best Buy was a week ago: First I was in there for some speakers, which after being misdirected by store personnel, I found by myself.

On the way out I remembered I wanted a couple more 2 gig Compact Flash cards for my Canon. A "salesperson" helped me find the rack. There were only a few left selling for $48 and some change. This up-to-date person told me there were so few because the Compact Flash Card was being discontinued. Wondering what Canon was doing about retooling all their cameras, I went (literally) across the street to Office Depot and bought the cards I was looking for @ $38.

I really, really like on-line stores with good reputations.

12/08/2008 08:07:04 PM · #15

holy crap on that rating! I wouldn't have thought to look them up either.

How long before this thread attracts a new member posting somthing like this:

Originally posted by JustJoinedSoICanPostMyLink:

Hi, don't buy from best buy, buy from this place: www.betterthanbestbuy.com.