03/05/09

Worst customer service

by yariks

I purchased a toshiba laptop from the arden store in March. After waiting 15 minutes for someone to help me, I went up front and told one of the clerks that I was waiting for someone and was ready to purchase a laptop. She called someone out of a room were they were on a break. I asked him a few questions about the one I wanted to purchase and he did answer my questions, but mislead me about the video display, telling me it was excellent, but when I got home the video display was grainy and not what I wanted. He sent me over to the geek squad with a purchase ticket and I waited in line for another 15 minutes. There was one guy behind the counter and 6 people in line. When it came my turn he grabbed the ticket out of my hand when I did not answer him immediately and dropped the computer on the counter. He did not say one word to me throughout the transaction. When I called the next day I could not get through to customer service. After 5 calls I got through to the geek squad and they told me if I wanted to return it there would be a 15% restocking fee. If you want to drop 7 or 8 hundred on electronics go somewhere else. They do not tell you about the restocking fee, its written on the back of the receipt. I will never shop at Best Buy again and encourage others to do the same.

09/03/08

Horrible service at the "Road Shop"

by doctoralexlee

Wow, this store is truly amazingly bad in a multitude of ways. I went to purchase a basic car stereo this past week. I chose a $100 model, agreed to pay their inflated installation price of $50, and made an appointment for the next day at 2:00.

When I got there at 2:10 that day, the installation technician was out to lunch, but I was told he would be back in a few minutes. At 3:00, he showed up with a huge bag of sushi, accompanied by a friend who was just hanging out with him. I pulled my car around to the garage and waited for them to open the door. They looked at me through the glass and told me to come around to the in-store entrance.

My wife had to work at the hospital at 5pm, so I asked how long the install would take. I figured about 30 minutes, since the mounting kit was already installed, and all he would have to do would be to switch out the decks. I've done it myself in about an hour, but I no longer have the tools.

He quoted me 90 minutes to two hours. I challenged him on his estimation, and he stayed firm. I decided to take my business elsewhere and got my 160 dollars back, with a total of 2 hours wasted. The manager told me that if I made another appointment, she would assign me to a "more professional" installer.

Now, it is possible that I just ran into a poor installer as a fluke, but I realize now that there is a fundamental flaw in the Best Buy "Road Shop." They have such low volume, they hire local guys to work once a week who have nothing vested in the company. Further, being such a huge organization, it's easy to do a half-a**ed effort and slip through the cracks of management oversight.

I have put up with Best Buy's high prices, poor return policy, poor service long enough. I thought it would be nice to get service in a nationally recognized, nearby establishment, but clearly Best Buy is not the place, particularly for car stereo installation.

• Pros: Moderate Selection, easy parking
• Cons: Poor service