Best Buy
Terrible customer service

I was so appauled by what happed to me at a particular store recently that I have spent the last week looking for a place to vent this anger so that as many people who can, see it, and therefore be able to make an informed decision on wether or not they should shop at this particular store.

On June 11 my hubby & I purchased a computer system. I mean we purchased the whole Shbang. EVERTHING! As we normally do when we buy big. We purchased it at the Fullerton, CA store on Imperial Highway. We have been good, loyal, and appraising customers of Best Buy for years and mostly at the same store. Normally we purchase from the Yorba Linda, CA store in the SAVI Ranch Center (Which btw is the store I will be dissing here momentarily)

But there was a specific reason... Not a bad one... That we ended up purchasing at a different store this particualr time. But we have purchased a washer and dryer, a dishwasher, a stove a refrigerator a Dyson Vacuum cleaner, (which btw, we had to take back after we had used it several times because the lever that keeps the center closed had broken and had no problems.

They replaced it no questions asked) the computer sytem and many other smaller items as well not to mention a 12 disc changer for my car. Which I might add for the record we had to take back and have it replaced on two different occasions and re-installed twice due to the BBY installers not doing a good job. But all of these problems went very smoothly and everyone was always nice to help us.

My apologies for dragging this out I just feel that I needed to give a bit of history before telling my story. Anyway, I have always been very happy with BBY even when people asked me where to go to get certain things I'd say "BEST BUY" Well I dunno about that now. You see at the end of May The Dynex Surge Protector that we purchased with the computer system stopped working properly. The 3 prong plug-ins on one side stopped working all together.

All while I was still under warranty (which is one year) So I called BBY and they told me to call the manufacturer becuase it was their warranty and that our 2 year product warrenty that we always buy did not cover this part of the purchase. So I called Dynex, Dynex tells me that not only is BBY the "Authorized Dealer" and "Authorized Repair" store, that this product has a LIFETIME warranty and so I need not rush down to BBY within the next couple of weeks (to get it there b4 the 1 year warranty is due) to handle it. That since it is covered for a lifetime I can take it down anytime.

Well life happens right?! STUPID Me I waited and finally got down there this past Friday. Still in the month of June mind you and only 2 weeks out of warranty right? Ok so I go to the Yorba Linda, CA-Savi Ranch store location, talk to the Tech guys at the Customer Service Counter including their Supervisor Paul, Who then tells me what the lady told me on the phone the first time I called BBY.

I said well I did call Dynex and they told me to bring it here to you. He would not budge so I left. The next day, which was Friday, I called Dynex AGAIN in the morning. Again, They tell me the SAME THING. They had the model number and new what it was and the person I spoke to was not a foreigner or anything like that they spoke very good english. And both times that I spoke on the phone with them, I made sure I reitterated (sp?) back to them what I understood them to be telling me and they agreed.

LIFETIME warranty and take it back to BBY. I even asked Dynex to speak to a customer service Rep or give me a CS number to call. They said we don't have that here we only have the Tech support number. I said you mean to tell me that you don't have a customer service desk where people can call about your product? Ok WOW!!!

Whatever. So suffice it say at this point I'm getting quite frustratred so I call BBY Customer Service. I spoke with a lady name PAM Who I just want to say for the recoerd was the most Courteous and helpful person I have ever dealt with and most especially in this case. She deserves a raise!

Anyway, she listend to my WHOLE story apologized for my trouble and put me on hold for a little bit while she reseasearched the situation (assuming she also talked to a supevisor) When she came back to the phone she told me that The Y.L. Store should not have done that and that I should be able to take it back that night for an exchange.

She even got a manager from the Home Theater Dept named Alex form THAT store (even though he may not have had the "Authority" I found out later) on the phone and he agreed that I could come back and they would replace it with no problems and if there was a problem to have them find him and/or call her back.

She gave me a direct number and a case number to go by And said she had everything down in her notes on my record. So b4 I got off the phone with her, I made sure to verify with her to make sure what she is saying to me that even though I am out of warranty they would still replace it and she said yes.

Oh and I forgot to mention that while I was on the phone with her she told me that she did not understand why the store was making it so difficult for me especially since Dynex is owned by BBY!!! Can you believe that?! So, hubby and I go to the Y. L BBY AGAIN that night. When I walked into the store I asked if there was a general manager available and they said no but the assistant manager Dave was and he pointed Dave out to me who just happend to be at the customer service counter.

I proceeded to the customer service desk and asked the guy behind the counter to let Dave know... Who was RIGHT behind him that we would like to speak to him. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME Dave asks the guy, "Whats it regarding?" And the poor guy just turns towards and motions towards us and then Dave looks up from where he is sitting. Which was behind another counter... At me as if to say what do you want.

So I leaned over the counter a bit and said to him.."Why don't you come over here so I don't have to yell! I mean GIVE ME AN F'N Break guy! Well needless to say by this time I was perturbed. DAVE was rude from the git go. I would have been a much nicer person if he had been more willing to service a customer as he should have been. But that all went out the window.

So I STARTED to explain my situation to him, calmly, I was not yelling or anything, though I'm sure he could here the bitchy frustration in my voice I won't deny that, but he set the tone if you know hat I mean... Anyway, I did not even get to finish my story before he grabbed the product from me and the paperwork and proceeded to look it up in the computer and started to tell me the SAME THING AGAIN!

So I Cut him off and said no is Alex here and No I talked to Customer Service here is my case number here is the phone number blah blah blah. So he goes behind the counter again to make the call. Meanwhile I tell hubby to go find Alex. Well of course Alex is gone. Dave must have been on the phone for a good half hour or more b4 he comes back over and tells us that what we were told was wrong and the best he can do is give me another one at half off.

I'm sorry but it just did not sit right with me. He also stood there and tried to "Explain to us HIS dilema in taking the product back. Now let me just say this for the record. I have worked in Retail for years as my husband, I understand the in's and outs of product returns and such. I also know that to take back a measly $110.00 product to make a good loyal customer happy is nothing to write off.

My husband works for a car dealer and when a "Good" customer comes in for a service that is out of warranty, they will warranty the product or service just for being a good customer. There is also such things as Good Willing parts. Anyway. So I said that I would like to step aside and call them again myself.

Which I did, I then got another lady on the phone at the same number and she verified that the notes that Pam left that morning were very clear and true, that BBY Yorba Linda was supposed to comply. So I said would you please tell that to Dave here the Assistant Manager because he will not comply. So she did. And do you know what that SOB did?!

He said to her in front of us. "This is highly unusual, I don't understand why you would do this. I have never seen this happen before, why are we agreeing to this... Can I talk to a surpervisor?" So I could tell she was trying to convince him but he insisted on talking to a supervisor. So she put him on hold. Well apparently after a few minutes he did not want to hold anymore so he hung up the phone and (this is where it gets shady) goes back behind hi little wall and calls corporate again.

Well they agree with him and then he gives me the phone this time and it's another lady whom I thought was a supervisor, and I have to tell her the WHOLE story all over again. Then she proceeded to tell me the same thing they cannot do it. So I told her my thoughts and feelings like I stated earlier about making the customer happy over a few measly dollars and she said I'm sorry and basically she might as well have said I don't care.

Well I kept pushing and then she said let me get a supervisor. I'm like WHAT?! I thought I was talking to a supervisor! Well needless to say I got on the phone with him all over again, only for him to say that they were ASSUMING that PAM (the good guy in all of this) did not know what she was doing nor had she the authority to do it.

Well after doing this for 2 hours I was totally drained. And I simply said well you just lost a good customer and anyone else I can tell not to come here I will. I hung up and walked out. But while I was on the phone with this guy my husband finally spoke up and said to Dave "You are just doing everything you can to keep us from being happy" This is a game to you and you want to win" Of course Sir Dave really did not have much of a resopnse to that except for his BS "my dilemma" crap.

Which, you know once again, I can understand that coming from a retail backround but you know what as a customer (a good customer at that) I really don't GIVE A RATS@#$! And you don't tell your customers stuff like that and also talk to them as if they are idiots which Dave did constantly.

Anyway, the next day I called and talked to Pam again. THANK GOD for her. I explained what happend and even filed a formal complaint about Dave and a Formal PRAISE for her. Again she was so helpful she laughed when I told her what they said about her not being authorized by corporate because she is at corproate.

What a Crock eh? Well guess what I WON DAVE! I'm not done yet though. Today, actually, I plan to call the GM just to see how he responds. I will let you all know how that goes. Thanks for sticking it out through my so long story.

Nikki
Placentia, California
U.S.A.

Company: Best Buy
Country: USA
State: California
City: Yorba Linda
Address: Savi Ranch Center

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