I bought a Gateway computer in Feb. Of this year from Best Buy. I also bought along with it a 3 year extended warranty. Well on the first day I got it home and computer's ethernet adapter did not work. I bought the computer on Friday. On Saturday, I called and asked what I should do. They told me to bring only my tower in, I did not need cords and etc and I took it back on Sunday. I arrived at 10AM as the store opened. The person working at the geek squad informed me that they would do some diagnostic tests on it and get back to me soon. I left and decided to stay in Evansville and shop around in case they called me within the next few hours, being that live quite a way from the store in Boonville. I shopped for a few hours at different stores and decided to call them to see the progress before I drove home and had to drive back. The person on the phone stated that the computer was finished and I could come pick it up. I arrived at the counter and the employee there looked very frustrated and decided to take it out on me. He looked at the computer and said it had not even made it through the test. I told him what the person on the phone stated and he got very defensive and unsympathetic to the fact I had been lied to on the phone and informed me he had not had time, that there are walkup customers he has to wait on. I told him I was going to go home and to call me when he was really done this time. I drove home and called a friend and asked if she wanted to go to Evansville with me and do some shopping and wait for my computer to finished.
We drove back to Evansville and shopped for a few hours. I received a phone call to come back to the geek squad. I arrived there and the employee stated that the computer is defective and it would be replaced and I needed my keyboard and mouse. I told him that told me all I needed was the tower. He replied that I had to get the keyboard and mouse. Never once apologizing for the inconvience of being lied to once again. I picked out a HP slimline computer. They took it to the geek squad and they convinced me to buy restore CDs for it. They told me to come back in hour and it would be done. My friend and I went to get some supper. We arrived back in an hour, not hour even and the CDs had not even been started. It was now close to closing time. I asked what would happen if they were not done. I was told that I would have to pick it up tomorrow. I was lucky that they finished the computer in time, because I would have had to make that drive again. I should have known then that the nightmare was not over.
The computer worked fine until September. It all of sudden started smelling like something was burning and kept crashing. I took it into Best Buy with my warranty. The geek squad worker, who I never saw again took the computer over to the side and said it does smell funny, but not like burning and asked me if I sprayed air freshener in it. I replied of course not and thought what the heck you think I am an idiot. He then said that since it was a hardware problem that they would have to send it off. I asked the tech how long it would take and expressed my concern that it would take a month and he laughed and said no way, a week at the most. Well, of course it took a month. I got the computer back with a replaced motherboard and power supply. I plugged it in and it would not let me on windows saying that there was a code purple. I took it back to best buy. The tech there attempted to fix it and sent it home with me. Of course it still did not boot up.
I brought it back and they stated that they would again have to send it off due to it being a hard ware problem. It got back one week and half later. I plugged it in and it seemed to work, but once I turned it off and started it again it would not let me on windows and still smelled like smoke. I took it back to best buy. They told me that they didn't think it smelled like smoke and they sent it off again with a request to get a no lemon exchange. The service center denied it and sent it back. The crashed 2 more times before they happened to realize it was some piece of my software this time. I took it home and a week later, happening to be on Thanksgiving, It started to smell like smoke again and getting extremely hot. I took it back to best buy. They stated they would send it off and try again for an exchange, but they were not sure if it would pass due there not being enough service attempts. I about freaked, but kept my cool, because I know it gets you no where and I was babysitting my 8 year brother and had him with me. The employee told me that he would overnight and I asked him if it would take another month since the service order said that the estimated completion date was 12/23 and he assured me it would not. This was 4 days ago. I looked at geek squad website Tuesday and it states the computer is still at the Evansville store and had not even been shipped off yet. Weds, I have been trying to contact the district office and keep telling me they will talk to the store. The store calls me and it is a name I recognized from customer service, a Tyler telling me that someone will call me tomorrow. Frustrated, I look on the internet and it says my computer is in repair, even though the casing is supposedly burnt according to the service order. I call 1-888-geeksquad to see if I can get further information on what they are doing to my computer. They state that they are repairing it and are waiting on parts. The service order says estimated completetion date of 12/23/06. It has been 10 weeks already and that is another month away. I told her my situation and stated she was surprised by this and amazed they had not replaced my computer yet. Me too I said. I decided to call 1-888-bestbuy again and beg to talk to someone who valued customers. I told her the story and she stated there was nothing anybody could do if the service center denied the exchange and she would send some request for the escalation department to investigate it. I asked her if I could have the number to the service department. She said they were not allowed to disclose that information.
Through out the course of this I being trying to talk to managers. The general manager has never once been there in the last 10 weeks. All assistant managers were condescending, would not listen to me, some would try to blame me for the problems, and would always end the conversation within 2 minutes and tell me they would call me back. I would always get a call back from a geek squad employee who could do nothing but tell me the status of my computer. I have tried to talk to supposed consumer specialists at corporate. They were also no help. They always would just tell me the status of my computer. I have tried to contact the district office in Cincinnati, Ohio several times with not help.
I have gone 10 months without a computer and am currently in a masters program that requires internet and computer access. I have nearly had a nervous breakdown not having this, this semester. I live over an hour from my school and have had to drive to the library there a whole lot being that there is mass amounts of homework to do and papers to write when you are in graduate school. I then have to turn around, late at night, and drive back over an hour home and then get up the next day to be at work at 6AM. The lack of sleep from the commuting and the stress from worrying about school has affected my physical and mental health. It has become apparent to me that Best Buy does not care about having quality service and defiantly does not care about their customers. I know that in the long run profit is important, but in order to have a long standing business customer care is also important. I work for a profit business, and our clients are always number one. It seems to me that this business treats its customers as enemies not valued customers. Best Buy may be on the top now, but if they continue this they will decline. It may not be tomorrow, but it will happen.
I am sending this letter to as many places as possible to see if I can get some type of help or advice.
Nina
Boonville, Indiana
U.S.A.
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