Friday September 17th. Unbelievable experience at local Circuit City Store. I recently purchased a Compaq laptop computer to replace the two Compaq laptops that I currently own and had recently both crashed. It seemed to make sense that the cost of a new laptop was close to the estimated repair of a new replacement.
I purchased and happily took home my new laptop. (I had also bought both previous laptops from Circuit City two years previous). I had no reason to hold ill feelings towards the retailer, I got two hard years out of each of them and I was ok with replacing them.
To my surprise and near horror I began experiencing problems with the new laptop while initially loading my sofware. Keys were non-responsive, mouse was non-responsive and jumpy, it even powered off when it should not have. I was spooked already. I don't need problems especially this early in new ownership.
I stayed with it and after six hours of loading software and set-up I believed I was done. I was also under the gun with a work program that required me to leave town with a working laptop.
I went on my business trip and soon began experiencing problems with it powering off and keys intermitently not working.
Fed-up with the experience I returned home and took back the laptop, fortunatley within the 14 day return period. I was pressured into an exchange inspite of my reservations.By now I have wasted many man hours and a great deal of frustration and also cut my trip short.
Being a reasonable guy I agreed to the exchange and returned home to begin all over again the long initial set-up process. Again, problems. Again work pressure and I have to live with it for now.
Tonight I again returned to the retailer to return the replacement laptop for a refund. I figure I am now better off with repairing the two units I have that normally work beautifully. I have wated over 30 hours loading software, reconfiguring op sys and untold levels of unnecassary aggravation and stress.
I am informed that I will have to take a 15% "restocking fee" hit. I ask for a manager. My wife is with me. We patiently wait 15 minutes. No manager. A tech shows up and offers to test" the unit. I say for what, the problem is intermittent and takes hours to power down, somtimes works all day, but not reliably, for tommorrow it powers off. We inform him to take his time, we have some shoping to do in the store. We shop and return 30 minutes later. Tech say's he found no problems. "No kidding" he couldn't have had it on for more than a few minutes.
Finally a guy shows up without introducing himself and avoids an answer to a repaeted question is he a manager and where is Neal, the manager we have been waiting alwost a hour for?
He roboticaly repeats the store's 15% policy and offers to exchange the unit, over and over again. He even pretends to listen when we explain I have wasted enough set-up time and would prefer to not have to do this again. I tried the exchange thing once, once was enough. I've had enough, I am going to fix the ones I already have. Again he refuses to fully refund, smugly does his robot thing a few more times and all the while other employees gather behind him and are actually laughing visibly and audibly at my wife and I who so far have not lost our cool with this moron, though admitedly it does cross my mind.
My wife asks repeatedly for the store manager who never shows up. I chose to leave as this was going nowhere and now over 1 1/2 hours have passed. My wife collected a few names and eventually left. I did return long enough to clarify with the moron who turns out to be a lower manager that I will not spend another six hours setting up a swapped laptop but I will certainly devote 100 hours to him loosing his job for his unprofessional conduct, attitude, and behavior of himself and his support of the immature, unproffessional, uncalled for and downright rude behavior of his staff.
A call from the parking lot two minutes later yielded a the unavailable manager within 30 seconds. Sadly this individual was just as bad as the previous lot, robotic and rude. He even offered an exchange for another unit that he would discount $100.00. This made no sense at all as the 15% fee was only $150.00. If he was willing to discount a unit why not just satisfy the customer and waive the fee. Speaking of which, "re-stocking fee"? Re-stock what? The unit is not working properly and should be sent back to the manufacturer, (which costs the company nothing), (they would suffer no loss at all), NOT put back on the shelf for yet another unsuspecting consumer.
I fully intend to take this up with corporate.
I came home and called my Credit card company and disputed the charge. This C. C co. Is fabulous and will get results.
Chris
BEAR, Delaware
U.S.A.
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