Customer Service is #1. Someone failed to inform Best Buy of this. I got to once again tonight experience the fail that is Best Buy Customer Service. I am a firm believer that they do not even know what those words mean. Let me give you examples in chronological order. If you are in a rush and want to see what prompted this post scroll down to #4.
Best Buy Customer Service Fail Story #1 – The Car Starter
It was Christmas shopping season 2008. My darling Tobei would love to have a car starter however he would never purchase something so frivolous for himself. This leaves me with the opportunity to buy him the best Christmas gift ever. Off I go with my dad (remember I don’t drive) to Best Buy to purchase the car starter. I don’t know a thing about them but I am too proud to let my dad help me out. I make him browse the store while I go purchase on my own.
I am standing at the car starters waiting patiently as the customer service rep (excuse me as I laugh a moment at that title) helps another customer. Of course it is some grandma wanting to buy her son satellite radio. I am going to be waiting awhile. I take off my coat and patiently wait my turn. He finishes helping her and she happily leaves the store with her purchase for her son. It is now my turn. Or so I thought. In walks two bimbos wearing tiny little skirts (umm hello this is winter in Canada, put so damn clothes on).. where was I? Oh yes so in walks these 2 teenagers who changed after they left the house and of course they get the reps attention. I stand there for 5 minutes watching them talk about some stupid party happening that week-end. I then stand there and huff and mutter rude things half under my breath for another 10 minutes until they finish this conversation. They leave and finally it is my turn. I ask the rep (notice I am not longer calling him a customer service rep) what the difference is between them all. His lovely answer.. the price. Fine whatever. I buy the cheapest one and book a time for Tobei to come have it installed. I tell the guy enjoy his party with the bimbos this week-end and I leave with my car starter.
Best Buy Customer Service Fail Story #2 – The Tablet
It is now February 2009/2010 (can’t remember which) and it is the week before Tobei’s birthday. He loves to draw and has mentioned he always wanted a tablet but again would not spend money on frivolous things for himself. So off my friend Carmen and I go to buy him a tablet. First stop is of course Best Buy. Not only do they have clean and attractive stores but I am a rewards card holder and love free things. So we go in and find a rep and ask about this pen thingy so that you can draw on the computer. Yes that is how I explain it to him. He tells me they are sold out and so is every other store in the city as he was calling around for another customer a few hours ago. I leave disappointed and having to find something else to buy Tobei.
Right across the parking lot is a Staples. For shits and giggles we decide to check staple. And what do we find at Staples? TWO SHELVES FULL OF TABLETS!!!! Oh Mr. Best Buy rep I thought the whole city was sold out. Take that I win. Staples gets my money.
Best Buy Customer Service Fail Story #3 – The Computer
Summer 2010 and Tobei’s computer has died. It actually died a few months earlier but Tobei kept attempting CPR on it. I had to be the bearer of bad news and let him know there was no saving it. It was officially dead. Don’t cry though honey, let’s go to Best Buy and buy you a new computer. This post is getting a little long so I will try to make this story a quick one. A rep was nowhere to be found so we started checking out all the computers on our own. We find a rep he answers like 2 questions then leaves to never be found again. Keep in mind during this shopping excursion we have Mr. I quit naps with us and he is cranky as cranky can be. We find a computer we like and that the price is right. There are like 6 boxes underneath the display model. We grab the box and go buy it. As Tobei is paying I am busy trying to entertain Little Man. He pays, hands me the receipt and I realize he paid $150 more than it was supposed to be. Off to customer service (omg tummy hurts laughing so hard *snort* customer service *snort*) to fix this problem.
I get a snotty little 16 year old who gives me the worst attitude I have ever experienced from someone working in retail. He hushes me, waves me off and ignores me to go to the back for who knows what reason. Comes back to take his sweet ass time lining up papers, filling the printer with new paper, answering some phone calls and FINALLY decides to help me. Sure I was a bit pissy when I went to the desk but way to make it worse. Anyways we tell him the problem and we find out we are the SECOND person to have this happen today. Yes they are aware the wrong computers are under the display one but they haven’t had time to re-arrange the shelves. Seriously??? Anyways we get the right computer and leave after having the whole store listen to my kid scream for 20 minutes at the customer service desk. Don’t worry I did call a manager to complain when I got back home. Funniest part was the same kid answered the phone and had the balls to ask me why I wanted a manager. I kindly told him to complain about his shitty attitude and waited on hold 15 minutes for a manager.
And now for tonight’s story… thank you for being patient.
Best Buy Customer Service Fail Story #4 (tonight’s Experience) – The Kinect
Everyone and their brother wants the Kinect for the XBox this Christmas season. Including yours truly. I check out all the Canadian websites last night and everywhere is sold out. I check today and Best Buy has some in stock. I order online and request in store pickup. The website states that you are to wait to receive confirmation that your item is pulled and on hold before you go in to the store and if they are not in stock you will get an e-mail letting you know your order will be cancelled. I got my e-mail stating my item is on hold at 4:20 pm. I have a migraine though so decide I will go tomorrow to pick it up. After all the e-mail does state I have 3 days to pick up said item before they return it to the shelves.
At 9 pm I get a phone call from Best Buy. “I am sorry ma’am but we are actually sold out”. I explain to him that according to their website we only get the e-mail to come pick up once an actual person has pulled said item and marks in the system that it is on hold. He tries to tell me that the e-mails are sent automatically and again he is sorry but they are sold out. I explain to him what their website says once again and say to him “So basically I got this e-mail at 4:20 to come pick up but about 10 minutes ago you decided to sell it on me”. He doesn’t deny or admit he just says “As of right now we are sold out” and lets me go.
I call back and ask for a manager. She tells me that she came in at 3 and they were already sold out and there was a note to call me and let me know. I again explain what the website states and that I have an e-mail marked at 4:20 saying my item is on hold and that I had ordered it online at 3:30. She claims a computer glitch I claim I am fed up of the crappy customer service I get from them. I then ask if I get my husband to call every day since he actually gets good service from them to check if one is in stock would she then hold it until we could come in that evening. She tells me it is against their policy to hold items unless done through the store pick-up option on the website. I tell her I did this already and she can see where that got me. I ask if she could not write done my name somewhere and explain this situation so that should I call and one is in stock they will hold it as a good customer service gesture. She huffs and says “I guess I could do that”. I ask for her name again and let her go.
In the mean time I have ordered one from Future Shop to be shipped to me as their site claims it is in stock for shipping and I will receive it by December 21st. We will see what happens. I am waiting to see if I get a shipping notification from Future Shop. If not I will be calling Best Buy every day and holding Kelly to her “I guess I could do that” because dammit I want a Kinect.
Update on the Kinect: One is on a truck on it’s way to my house. Future Shop did have them in stock to ship out to me.