This is a letter I sent to the bank that does financing for Best Buy. Spread the word - Best Buy is evil! Don't go there!
Household Bank,
I am writing to inform you of the ridiculous experience I have had with Best Buy. Im hoping there is something you can do to better this situation.
On November 17 of this year I purchased a 1,400 dollar computer from Best Buy in Fullerton. That Sunday, in the paper ads I read about a great promotional deal, where one could purchase a computer and receive interest-free financing for two years. The only stipulation in the ad seemed to be that it had to have a Pentium 4 processor.
It sounded like a great deal, but before I jumped in I wanted to hear all the details, so I went directly to the manager of the computer department and asked him some questions. He told me that sure enough, the only stipulation was that it had to be a Pentium 4 and as a matter of fact I could throw in anything else I wanted and it would be included. So I went over and applied for Best Buy Credit.
Then for the next hour or so, my wife and I began to look at different computers and decide which one we wanted. During this time, no one offered us any help. I had some questions so I had to track down a sales associate. This person was very helpful and knowledgeable (or so I thought) and in another half hour I was waiting in line to make the purchase.
This actually turned out to be another really long wait (I forget why). When I finally get to the register, the guy ringing me up doesnt say a word to me the entire time. Just to make sure I was getting the right deal, I ask Im getting two years of no-interest financing, right? Looking bewildered, he seeks the help of someone else.
I am then informed by the both of them that this promotional deal is only offered when someone buys an entire computer package. Since I wasnt buying a printer it didnt apply to me. I couldnt believe it. I had been completely lead astray by the manager of the computer department. I really wanted the computer and didnt want the last two hours to go to waste so told them everything that had happened thus far and they told me that they would send a fax to the financing department telling them of the situation (I guess it was closed at the time) and maybe they could change it.
I had an uneasy feeling about it, but I figured that since the ad didnt say anything about buying the whole package and since the other guy told me what he did, perhaps these people were mistaken and if not perhaps it could be changed in this circumstance. So I purchased the computer.
Its not over yet though, it only gets better from here. So before I walk out with the computer, they give it to a technician to make sure everything is in working order. This guy had it for about 15 minutes and then he gave it to us and we were on our way. Unfortunately, when I set up the computer at home, the monitor didnt work with the hard drive I bought! Also, they didnt give me a AC adapter to plug the damn hard drive into the wall, so I had to go to Wal-Mart and pick one up that night (since Best-Buy was now closed and I was anxious to check out my new computer).
The hard-drive was a VPR Matrix 226R Petium 4 and the monitor was a Mag Innovision Lcd. So the next morning, I took the merchandise back to Best Buy to see why it wasnt working. It was a different technician and I guess he actually new what he was doing because he immediately noticed that the two devices were not compatible.
Sadly, no one in the computer department informed me of this and it even slipped by the first technician whose job was to make sure the computer works! These people really had no clue what they were doing.
So I ended up replacing the VPR for a Sony Vaio RX760. Believe it or not, this process took another two hours. Luckily the technician who was working this day, actually knew what he was doing and the computer worked when I set it up and home. I should make it clear however, that even though harddrive and monitor are now compatible, the computer is slow and innefficiant.
I bought this computer because I wanted one that was fast and reliable. I figured that a Sony with Pentium 4 would be perfect. Not only has it been less than perfect, its been terrible. Even after having the technician at BestBuy work on it and ensure that it would run to its potential, the computer consistently runs slow and programs routinely freeze.
That brings us to today, 12/23/02, when I received my first Best-Buy billing statement. To my horror, I realized that after all this trouble I was not given the two-year financing but only a six month same as cash deal. You must understand, the only reason I went to buy the computer was because I thought I could get two years of interest-free financing (and I was lead to believe by the Sunday ad and the manager of the computer department that I would be getting it).
I recently sent the above content to BestBuy consumer relations and they basically gave me the runaround and informed me that I needed to contact Household Bank. Im aware of your Special Rule for Credit Card Purchases and I think it definately should be applied in this situation. I have tried working this out with BestBuy but they have offered absolutely no help. I would really appreciate it if we could do something to sort this matter out.
Chris Woollet
La Mirada, California
U.S.A.
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