Don't Go To Circuit City Unless You Like to be Treated Badly, Have a WHOLE LOT of Your Time Wasted, and Not End Up With What You Paid For in the First Place!
Due to our extreme levels of frustration with this company, we feel strongly that our fellow consumers be warned about how Circuit City treats their good customers.
We had a car stereo installed at the Circuit City in Phoenix. On our way driving back home to Pittsburgh, we discovered the gas and temperature gages weren't working (lovely on a long road trip). Daniel, the car's co-owner with an electrical background, thought it was a grounding problem, but every manager and installer we talked to at Circuit City, in following months said it couldn't possibly be a grounding problem due to the stereo installation.
(In the end, after about 6 months of the runaround from Circuit City, and no one willing to take responsibility, it did turn out to be a grounding problem after all.)
While on the road, we were concerned about electrical problems damaging the car, so we took it back to the Circuit City in Albequrque. They didn't find the problem.
Getting a hold of the manager at the Phoenix Circuit City took me almost a month - she didn't get my email? Didn't get my fax? Didn't get the messages I left with the operator? And when I finally got her on the phone, she said she'd talk to the manager at my local store and call me back... And she NEVER called me back!
They went through about three store managers, in the next few months, as I was trying to get this problem resolved. I was told that I had to go through the Phoenix Circuit City store manager, since we had the stereo installed there.
Once, I spoke with the manager at our local Circuit City, and he called and spoke with the current store manager in the Phoenix store. I was informed that this Phoenix store manager would resolve my problem, if I just give him a call.
I called and was put on hold for a long time, then cut off. When I called back, I was told the manager is on vacation for the next week. I called back in a week, and was told he'll be away for another week. I called back in another week, and was told they don't know when he's coming back. I waited another week, called and was told that he doesn't work there anymore...
The guy who installed the stereo was so unbelievably careless:
1. After asking what kind of radio was in the car currently and being told it was the original one that came with the car, he said the out the door price for the stereo would be $125 tax. About 10 minutes after wed paid for it, he came to find us in the store, and said it would cost an additional $21 for a harness?
2. When we came back after the installation, we were told that they didnt actually have the correct kit to install this stereo, that hed used a different one, and wed have to come back and get it switched in a few weeks when the correct one came in.
Had he called us on my cell phone, which he knew I had with me, we would have canceled the installation, because of course, we couldnt come back in a few weeks - we live in Pittsburgh, and we werent interested in the stereo knowing it would be so complicated and time consuming.
3. Our time was disrespected - we were supposed to get a call when the installation was complete, and the installer didn't call us at all.
4. Now that we had an experienced auto mechanic diagnose and fix the problem, we know that this problem was caused by the mechanic's carelessness. The diagnosis:
Found open in common ground for speed sensor and gauges. Found ground wire for circuit was never re-attached to the bottom center of radio mount frame/plate. Mount bolt was missing from threaded hole.
They must have very high turnover because the Phoenix Circuit City went through three managers in the last six months, as I was trying to have them rectify our problem.
TYPICAL instance of trying to reach a manager on the telephone at Circuit City:
1. Ask the operator to speak to a manager
2. Operator puts you on hold
3. You wait 5-10 minutes
4. You get disconnected
5. You call back and talk to the operator
6. Operator says that the manager is not in
7. You leave a message with the operator
8. You never hear from the manager
After I opened a BBB case, we were asked once again to take the car to the local Circuit City. Again, these guys didn't seem to know what grounding means, and told us it couldn't possibly have anything to do with the stereo installation.
I'll spare you all the gory details.in the end, they opened a claim and reimbursed us for the auto diagnosis and repair.
ButRand runaround from Circuit City, we don't even have a working stereo!
I hope others will save themselves the time and trouble, and just go somewhere else.
Emilie
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.
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