NOTE: The below is an email I sent to Best Buy's Customer Service Dept. The response I ended up getting, and the ONLY one to date was an automated "We can't please everyone, too bad." email from them. They addressed the situation nor attempted to explain anything. The names used in the below story have been changed from the orginal complaint sent to the actual company.
Original Message Follows:
This inquiry is related to: Store
My inquiry is specifically related to: Returns / Exchanges
Questions or Comments: My customer service pin is: XXXX 042 6205 XXXXXX have an issue with your returns and exchange policy, specifically with the return of computer (notebook) I attempted to buy recently. On 10 September I and my wife purchased //well we thought we did// a Gateway notebook from your store in Augusta Georgia. We went in with specific requirements for the system. 1 GB Ram, 80-100 GB HD, 128-256MB
Video Graphics Card. Everything else was negotiable..."Jarrod", the salesperson explained the various options from several systems. We got down to a couple of choices between an HP and two Gateways. The original Gateway we were looking at was 1400.00 dollars and had everything we wanted. However, the salesperson then brought our attention the "Manager's Special" which was also a Gateway... 7508GX was the series number. When looking at it, it appeared to be the same system but with 80 GB Hard drive, vice the 100 of the more expensive model, and a slower processor, AMD 3400 vice AMD 3700. BUT according to the specs listed in the sale listing the video graphics cards were the same. And this highlights the entire story because the false labeling on the manager's special led to what appears to me to be a gross negligence on Best Buy's part to satisfy its customers.
Upon purchasing the computer, the salesperson, Jarrod, and another salesperson, "Ken, " both explained why we should get the 7508GX vice the other models... So we did, however, I nor my wife EVER saw the computer we purchased because your salesman took the packaged item from a bin kept on top of the shelf directly to the "geek squad" for installment of system software. It was implied that we HAD to do this and that the 118.00 dollar installation fee was not optional. //wait because this gets better//Its Saturday, and they indicated that it would be at least 2 hours before we could pick the computer up. Now remember, I've just bought the computer and a couple hundred dollars worth of accessories, and have not YET seen the computer. So, we say no problem, we'll pick it up on Sunday 11 September.
I come back Sunday to pick the computer up... The computer I purchased, an AMD 34,80GB HD, 1 GB RAM, with a 256MB Video card. But, when I picked the computer up, what I got was... An AMD 34,80GB, 64MB VIDEO CARD!!! When I got home I noticed the error and called BEST BUY on Monday to inform them of the mistake they had made. I talked to "Tom, " salesman in computers, and "Jim, " one of the computer managers. Jim recognized the error and apologized. He acknowledged that indeed Best Buy had made the mistake and asked if he could call me back to see what they could do to fix the problem. To this point, I'm not upset, mistakes happen... At least I thought so at the time. Jim calls me back later and says that unfortunately, there was no way Best Buy could fix the problem, i.E. Add the proper card, since that is not possible at this time on notebooks... That the specs provided for the system were indeed misleading so Jim had talked to the GM, "Stan, " and Jim informed me that Stan said the best thing Best Buy could do for me short of returning my money is offer me the more expensive GATEWAY by splitting the cost. I told Jim that I wasn't sure about coming up with a couple hundred more dollars, and that I wanted the computer I purchased, not the one they gave me. He told me that I only needed to come up with 150.00 more, not two hundred. I said, ok, I'll come by and take a look at the computer.
By the time I got off of work and made it back to Best Buy, Jim had left, and only Tom was in the computer section. Jim had left directions for Tom to talk to me about the computer. We did, and as it turned out you didn't have any of the Gateways left in the store... Then I asked about the 150 dollar difference, but that's when "Alan" (somewhat rude) came into the story and curtly explained, that NO, I wasn't going to have to pay 150 more, they were only going to take 150 dollars off of the higher end computer, therefore, not only would I have to come up with 250 more dollars now for the computer, but let's not forget the added expense of the 2 year purchase plan we had gotten going up considerably because now the computer wasn't 999.00, but 1300.00, then the icing on the cake... I HAD TO PAY THE 118.00 INSTALL AGAIN??? For the mistake that BEST BUY made? I said, no, I want my money back. So, we go up to the return desk, one of the gentlemen from the Geek squad came over, (nice man) and said he remembered us and asked if there was a problem with the computer. I explained what had happened and that we never got the computer we purchased.
To try and shorten this long convoluted story somewhat, I eventually got around to asking to speak to Stan, the General Manager, (he refused to talk to me), so I got "Dick, " who had a disrespectful attitude and intentionally antagonistic method of dealing with people. The sales manager says, Stan wouldn't see us, that we got him, and that despite the fact Best Buy screwed up we were still responsible for paying for the geek squad work done on the computer we took home, WHICH WAS NOT THE COMPUTER WE BOUGHT!!!
So, please explain to me how it is even legal for Best Buy to expect me to pay for installation on the computer I never got? Because that's what it comes down to... I'm expected to pay for Best Buy's mistake. At least that's how your Sales Manager explained it. I'm not sure if it was just store policy or Best Buy corporate policy, but it was more than obvious that the sales manager was intentionally attempting to goad me into a confrontation, why I don't know, but when he had the security officer trolling around me, I realized what he was attempting to do. So, I said, just give me my money back, but please stop talking to me... But he kept talking to me and obviously attempting to provoke a confrontation. I knew I had no chance of getting anywhere so I finally had to turn my back on him. He got one of the employees to refund our money, EXCEPT for the 118.00. I called my credit card company and when I explained the story to them, they assured me I would not be required to pay the "extortion" fee your store tried to charge me.
Bottomline: Mistakes happen, Jarrod and Ken did not intentionally mislead me, But the lack of communication in that store is atrocious - I was misinformed by three salemen and one manager (Jim). But, what is absurd is the rudeness from your sales manager and the expectation that I be made to pay for your incompetence.in that past two years I've purchased three cameras, nearly all my software, 2 TVs, a washer and dryer, a vacuum cleaner, and numerous music related electronics and cds.
This fiasco has insured that those were my last purchases at Best Buy.
Michael
Martinez, Georgia
U.S.A.
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