So I have been a long time customer of Best Buy and would consider myself a very fair person. Over the last week I have spent $2,000+ in two different Best Buy locations (purchased two laptops, accessories and a video game). One of the laptops I purchased was found on a competitors website two days later for $110 less than what I paid for it.
I'll get a price adjustment I thought...called the store first explained the situation "No problem just bring in your receipt" the clerk said, which I did. Took time out of my evening and drove out to Best Buy. The second I get to the customer service counter and hand the lady my receipt and a printout from the website I get the sour face and "yeah we can't do this, sorry model numbers different".
She was right, the model number was a few digits off yet the laptop was the exact same. Same specs, same color, size, resolution, RAM, processor, I'm telling ya the same. I questioned the lady about it being the exact same computer and would they consider making an exception in this case?
She looked at me as if I had asked her to go wash my car or something, I felt genuine disdain for my being there. Well at this point another employee walks up and says "yeah as a company we sometime ask manufacturers for different model numbers on certain products to prevent situations like this". I'm thinking wow! Even if that's true you don't say things like that to a customer.
So I explain how that's sorta defeating the purpose of Best Buys price match guarantee (which is the main reason I bought from them this time around). I talked to this gentleman for a little while and he thoroughly examined neweggs website (from my iPhone mind you) then agreed it was the exact same computer, said I should get the price matched but that only his manager could override the system. Totally understandable, he left to go get the manager.
Now at this point 15-20 minutes have elapsed and the original employee who greeted me at the counter is online desperately trying to prove me wrong.
Since she seemed to have zero technical know-how or understanding of what she was looking at online so she enlists the help of a third employee who then states, "OH the one online is the same laptop but with "refreshed internals as the one I bought has known issues" (he further elaborated that he had first hand experience with the laptop I bought and suggested I return mine and buy this one from newegg.com).
Needless to say I felt terrible at that point, the drive alone is an hour roundtrip for me. Now after wasting my time here I was just wanting to get a price match and honestly I had my eye on a new ssd hard drive and a few other things. I was more and likely going to spend two times the amount in question in the store that night. Well at this point the manager shows up immediately dismissive of the whole situation.
The employee that went to get the manager was doing his best to explain to her that while the model number was slightly different, it was the same PC. She looked at her computer for a moment, hands me my receipt and says "Yeah unfortunately since the model number is different I have no way of price matching this...anything else?" I reply so I'll just return it and buy this one online.
Here's what set me off, she smugly replied "That's going to be your best bet at this point because IF I did the price match it would be below our cost and I'm not going to pay you to take this laptop". Her attitude was the worst part and I left feeling terrible. Terrible about my purchase, terrible for wasting my time and I wish I had just hung onto my hard earned money, my old laptop and did some more research.
So here I am with a laptop I feel is now subpar to the new "refreshed model" and is going to not serve me well. 'Cause in this situation if Best Buy was right or I was wrong or vice versa, I'm the only one that's going to lose. Now an "upgrade" came (uninvited) into my laptop about 4or5 days ago and caused 6 separate new problems with my laptop.
I paid about $500 when I bought my newest (current) laptop (not counting the price of the HP itself) for geeksquad tech support, webroot, product replacement insurance and a warranty etc. I need geeksquad, and I use it when problems occur. I called for repair of the list of problems caused by the "upgrade" and after a few hours, all except for one was satisfactorily corrected. They did not tell me the touch screen still did not work.
One of the 1st things they do is ask for my tel. no. to access my records. I waited through "music" and the 7 steps necessary to install windows 10 etc, and finally reached the first tier, an intake agent. After investing a lot of time already, explaining etc. - she "dropped" my call. She made no attempt to call me back. I lost my place in the "Q", plus had to start all over again.
I called again and was told there would be a 30 minute to one hour wait. I called to check after 2 hours (1:00AM), again at 3:00AM, again at 4:30AM, and again at 6:00AM. I waited a total of 7 1/2 hours and never did have a tech help me. I kept saying I had appointments the next morning and needed to sleep.
Once they told me "I" had asked for a telephone call which extended my time in their "Q". I assured I had not done that, and did not even know it was an option. Another time they said it takes longer to access a tech at the level of my problem. (?), but always they said a tech was coming "any minute. At 6:30AM they sent a note to my laptop saying there was no tech on duty who could deal with my problem and they were "disconnecting" --- and they were gone.
I called back a different day. A tech kept me engaged about 3 1/2 hours, after waiting long periods before the tech came. They tried a couple of times without success to fix the problem. When I would suggest perhaps giving up and taking it to the store they would say, "Well first let me see if I can fix it". It's a kind idea, but put me through so many hours of frustration, disappointment and endless wasted time - hours and hours.
This story has many additional twists and turns. A geek squad special customer relations person named Cameron was so rude to me today. I was returning a call per someone's instruction. He told me if the process upsets me probably I should drop the program.
He also said, in a very disinterested manner, "I can have another tech try to fix it. Do you want that?". I started to reply - that about 4 had already tried and I thought it best to go in to Best Buy with it, but he drowned me out with a raised voice accusing me of interrupting him.
I said, I'm sorry and did not intend to interrupt you - You asked me a question and I was answering your question, He insisted (rudely) Well I was not finished speaking. I will indicate to you when you should speak. The cavalier, "Oh well, Too bad" attitude was not called for and was without sincerity.
Normally I have wonderful service with my geek squad and have highly praised the program to EVERYONE. I have sent many little questionnaires with top possible scores, and I understand everyone is only human and we all make mistakes. However, It's mind-boggling to me that due to one stubborn technical problem, at least 8 separate misdeeds, and also about 16 misspent hours, over 4-5 days, have occurred, and some (not all) employees became so cross.
I'm a pretty loyal customer. I have purchased a pc tower, HP laptop, ipad, TV, sound bar etc to mention a few Best Buy purchases. I appreciate Best Buy and Geek Squad, and I 'would like' to feel that you appreciate me and my loyalty as well.
