Best Buy Lubbock

[smcrorey]

Ok.. I've complaints a mile long on how business is conducted at our local Best Buy.

After speaking with a friend about the troubles that he's had, and speaking of the problems that other friends and family members have had shopping at this location, I decided that it might be a good topic of discussion for the talklubbock crew.

Before I post my rants, and the solutions to the issues I've had (that were applicable) I thought it would be interesting to find out if any of you have had similar problems.

Post your gripes! Incompetent or rude staff/management? Misinformation on a regular basis? Over bearing, pushy, or absentee sales staff? Speak your piece!



Aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnddd......... go!

[ItsMyOpinion]

I shop at Best Buy in Amarillo. NO PROBLEMS. Actually they have a great sales staff that are very knowledgeable.

[js305]

No problems here. I do my research on anything I intend to buy there first. Then I don't need any help except to get the product and pay for it. Prices are OK for the most part on the consumer items. Cables and accessories can be bought elsewhere for much less most of the time.

I just take the good part and leave the rest for anyone who wants to wait for service. It's all about follow the money. As far as the help goes, there are not many working there who are making a career out of working at Best Buy anyway. They do their job as well as they are paid.

As with any place of business, one needs to stand back and weigh the pros and cons before making decisions to continue trading there. I'll go back and do like before. I will say this: What few times I have had to return or exchange something I went prepared for a fight and found none.

Bottom line--On a scale of one to ten I would rate this one maybe a seven overall.

[smcrorey]

No problems here. I do my research on anything I intend to buy there first. Then I don't need any help except to get the product and pay for it. Prices are OK for the most part on the consumer items. Cables and accessories can be bought elsewhere for much less most of the time.

I've had enough problems for the two of us, I suppose. I also research the products that I'm looking to buy. I don't really see kids working at a retail electronics store as computer or electronic geniuses, so I don't rely on them for their opinions. But, like you, I do rely on them to get the product and to assist me with taking my money, which seems to be the biggest problem I have with this store. They just don't seem to want my money, when I have some available to spend. I recognize the fact that 100% of the retail items in the store can be purchased online for cheaper. Pricing isn't the issue.

I just take the good part and leave the rest for anyone who wants to wait for service. It's all about follow the money. As far as the help goes, there are not many working there who are making a career out of working at Best Buy anyway. They do their job as well as they are paid.

Sorry, but this is a blanket cop-out you've provided for the entire staff.. Manager to monkey. If they feel that they aren't getting paid enough to do their jobs, they can do what everyone else does. Do a better job, and ask for a raise, or go find a higher paying job with even less responsibility. As a customer, I have no control over their pay rate, and they shouldn't treat me as if I'm the one shorting their checks. If anything, I'm providing them with an excuse to continue getting paid for their sub-standard care.

As with any place of business, one needs to stand back and weigh the pros and cons before making decisions to continue trading there. I'll go back and do like before. I will say this: What few times I have had to return or exchange something I went prepared for a fight and found none.

It's painfully clear that the day of the customer being right is gone. Not just by the way that substandard service is par for the course, but even in your own statement, it becomes apparent that the customer is just "ok" with that. Bummer.

I've personally never had problems with returning items, just purchasing them. A buddy of mine went through a month of back and forth with the manager over the return of a defective $3000 television, and in the end had to wait for the manager to go on vacation in order to get his tv returned and replaced.

A few years ago, I walked into Best Buy with the intention of purchasing a piece of equipment priced at several thousand dollars. I waited patiently for assistance on my purchase. 30 minutes later, I was still waiting while watching the staff stand around and talk and giggle and touch each other. Finally perturbed with this display of "you don't look like you have money to spend" I asked one of these giggling little kids if anyone was going to assist me with the purchase that I was there for. 3 of them informed me that they weren't working in that department and they'd go find the person who was. It turns out that person was socializing with staffers in yet another department. After another half hour of sitting and waiting, I finally got up and walked toward the door. As I reached the door, the person in charged of said department broke off from her conversation with her buddies to ask if there was anything I needed. I told her I needed an hour of my life back, and an electronics store with staff who were interested in assisting customers. She walked off. I went to Circuit City and made my purchase in under 10 minutes.

Recently, I was on the look out for a nintendo wii. I know, nintendo is pushing this stupid ploy of providing retailers with a very minimal number of units in order to present the false sense of success for their product while forcing customers to think they just gotta have one. I was trying to meet a birthday deadline, and I'd been at it for over a month. In desparation, I contacted Best Buy, and got ahold of a monkey who told me that they were sold out, but still receiving weekly shipments. He advised me to call on monday or tuesday morning at 9am, and one of those two days he was expecting a truck. Long story short - he lied. I went to the store on monday, and waited 10 minutes for the doors to open. I walked in, looked at the shelf, and of course there were none, that was fine by me, assuming that tuesday would be the day. I decided, just in case to speak with the guy in the yellow shirt on the way out the door. I asked him if, by chance, the truck had come and they just hadn't put the units on the shelf yet. He informed me that they sold out on Sunday, and that a truck had arrived on Friday.

I asked him why I had been misinformed about the next truck. He threw up his hands and said, "PShhh.. Like we know when a truck is coming in!" and then he walked off.

Now, js305, I've worked in retail, I've worked in customer service. Even I recognize that this would have been the time to present an appology on behalf of the company (And why not, if you're wearing the shirt, regardless of your meager pay, you're a representative) and show just a little bit of empathy. Instead, I got attitude, and he walked off.

Needless to say, I was a bit pissed, so I called out on my way out the door, "That's fine, there are other places to shop who don't misinform customers, or treat them like they are morons based on misinformation from within the company." As the door was closing, yellow shirt smiled a sarcastic ass smile, waved, and said, "Do whatever."

One thing I haven't mentioned is that the manager was fully in view/ear shot of this entire conversation. He never attempted to even speak with me. The look on his face said, "this is yellow shirt's problem."

When I got home, I started looking for a corporate number for Best Buy. This kid doesn't like his job, I thought I'd tell them and help him out a bit. I couldn't readily locate a corporate number, so I called the store and asked for one. 1-888-Best-Buy is the number I was given.

I called and explained the entire situation to a lady by the name of Wendy, who was absolutely apoplectic that no one in the store offered me a call back OR a special order (which, by the way, they charge an additional 25 bux for.)

She asked if she could put me on hold, I told her sure. 10 minutes (a long hold time for sure) later, she came back on the line half-winded to explain that she'd contacted the store and that they (even though out of stock) had a wii waiting for me at the service desk.

She also took care of another situation in which I was told when I purchased my wife a laptop that she would be upgraded to windows 7 free when it came out, only (quothe the idiot on the phone) "Best Buy doesn't have the technology to discern whether or not a customer has taken advantage of an offer, so we just assume you already have." Which is odd.. They can tell me what products I've purchased, the warranty length on every item, and what I paid for them in 1994, all based on my telephone number.

Bottom line--On a scale of one to ten I would rate this one maybe a seven overall.

Bottom line--if you've an issue with the store or staff, call Wendy at 1-888-Best-Buy. She's a peach.

On a scale of one to ten thousand I would rate this store a good, solid, 1.2 ... but that's just based on my experience.

Thanks for the convo, js305.. Based on the conversations I've had with folks in the really real world, I expected there to be more of a response. It sucks that they've decided to single me, and a few other that I know out.. but that's better than them treating you, and everyone else the same way. I'm glad for that.

[swworker]

I don't know why customer service sucks for some in some places and not for others. I was buying a camera a few years back and first went to Circuit City. Not one employee acknowledged my presence. I left, went to Best Buy, was greeted at the door and immediately helped in the camera department. Needless to say, Best Buy got my business.

[Firemall]

I don't know why customer service sucks for some in some places and not for others. I was buying a camera a few years back and first went to Circuit City. Not one employee acknowledged my presence. I left, went to Best Buy, was greeted at the door and immediately helped in the camera department. Needless to say, Best Buy got my business.

SWW; Come on now & tell the whole story. The one about going to Circut City & you still had rollers in your hair & no makeup.in an old cotton smock with jami bottoms. Oh yes the flipflop house shoes too that tell all within a block you are flop-flopping their way.
And when you showed up at Best Buy you were Decked out & Looking ready for the football team, or at least the coach . HEWHEHE

[jross]

I usually dress in a kilt, or in bib overalls, t shirt, black DM boots, or brown hikers, or, if it's warm and my toenails are painted, sandals, a wool golf cap or slouch brimmed, and, if it's cold, fingerless gloves. I usually leave my hair down and it kind of goes everywhere.

I go for getting noticed. I think that I cause many concern when I come into their establishment, and can usually count on someone from the business staying reasonably close and asking if I need any help if I give them half a chance. I try not to interact with them unless I don't know where what I want to buy is, and even then usually prefer to wander around until I find it on my own.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is on 4/17. I haven't had my heels on since last year, so I better start working on my ankles and calves, and practicing in the heels. I've worn them around the office, and around the building, but I've never been shopping in them. I'm 6'9" in them. Maybe I'll run by Best Buy and Circuit city and let you know how they treat me.

Maybe not though.

[IronfootMcGurk]

Had similar experiences other places. Example, the optical store at the Wal-Mart on W. 4th. Not only were they more interested in interacting with each other than with a customer, but they took no responsbility for some nearly new frames that fell apart. I went to the store on the south loop instead.

[Glasses frames are by and large a big scam. Lack of labeling about construction and materials, way overpriced; gonna order military nylon frames next time. And the lenses! At Eyeglass World I sent two pairs of lenses back 3 times because they had blips in the grind or the bifocal inset was angled up to 40 degrees from what it should have been! And it used to be that the clerk/tech would carefully fit the glasses to my assymetric face; no more; now the techs who adjust the frames don't get close to you and make adjustments only when you tell them in detail what you want done.]

Then there was Pollard Ford. Back when they were located downtown, I went in checkbook in hand to buy a new subcompact. Would have paid cash. At the time I looked younger than I was and the older salesman was disinclined to leave his office and show me some cars. Unnerved by the experience, I slunk out and waited another two years before buying a new car. Glad I did. The Ford I would have bought was more a piece of junk than the Merc I eventually bought.

[tornado]

I like Best Buy for their friendliness but they are in no way as knowledgeable as the old Circuit City.

[swworker]

I don't know why customer service sucks for some in some places and not for others. I was buying a camera a few years back and first went to Circuit City. Not one employee acknowledged my presence. I left, went to Best Buy, was greeted at the door and immediately helped in the camera department. Needless to say, Best Buy got my business.

SWW; Come on now & tell the whole story. The one about going to Circut City & you still had rollers in your hair & no makeup.in an old cotton smock with jami bottoms. Oh yes the flipflop house shoes too that tell all within a block you are flop-flopping their way.
And when you showed up at Best Buy you were Decked out & Looking ready for the football team, or at least the coach . HEWHEHE

Shhh, fire...not everyone here knows as much about me as you do!