BPbobafett1982
Charter Member
What's sad about all this, is that it wasn't a problem until best buy bought geek squad and put it in every store. I used to live less than 20 miles from their corporate HQ in Minneapolis.
Sorry in advance, I know I can get a little long winded...
A year before BB had GS. I had bought a Samsung 19" LCD monitor with BB's 3 year replacement service contract (RSC). A year later on finals week in college, trying to write my final project papers for the term, my monitor went belly up. As I was at the time a computer engineering major. I have a very good understanding how components interact and work together within a PC.
At my parents place I searched online for similar happening with that model of monitor. And it was a known problem with a easy fix for the tech shop.
So I drove to BB (the key store next to their HQ) with my monitor packed in original package under one arm and the replacement service contract in my other hand. Got into line at what I thought was tech support but was in fact Geek squad (merged just months before). When I got to the counter I told them what the problem was and that according to my RCS that if I had any problem with my monitor that couldn't be fixed on sight there that they would replace my monitor with a exact model or a newer one at the same price as mine if they don't carry my model in stock anymore. I had it in writing!
Well I was in for a shock, they no longer supported that contract. And according to them that they had to send my monitor out for service 3 times before a replacement was an option. I was told by the supervisor that it would take 4-5 days for that to be done. Well i left it with them to be taken care of, not liking the new policy but having no time to really argue more that day.
After 5 days I go back to the store to pick up my monitor being told that the faulty component was changed out. I asked them to plug the monitor in to test it as I noticed looking over the monitor that the screws showed no wear from being driven. They did and in about 2 minutes it started to flicker then shut itself off. The tech guy looked nervous, I spoke to the manager this time and he assured me that it would be taken care of and that they would call me when the monitor arrived back in store.
Another week goes by no phone call, I call them and they said it was still for service, then two more weeks no call. At this point I was tired of phone tag and a little upset, so I drove back to the store to see them in person. I requested the manager again, and it was explained to me that my monitor got lost in shipping between there and a distribution warehouse in Ohio. I then asked where the service center was and was informed at there HQ campus next door. You can guess at what kind of expression I had on my face. They said that if it's not recovered by the end of the business week that they would replace it outright. Friday evening I got a call at 8pm telling me they found it and the Service Center manager was going to repair it himself that Saturday a drive it over on Monday morning so I can pick it up.
Monday came, I drove to BB again! Went to the tech counter to pick up my monitor. And can you guess what happened, NO ONE HAD A CLUE where my monitor was. After searching the store for thirty minutes or more, they found it in a plastic tote out on their loading dock. When they brought it to me I instantly unpacked it to check to see if any work had been done to it. Well one more problem, they never repacked the VGA and power cable that was with the monitor and it was missing over half the screws that held it together. MAN, WAS I UPSET! They replaced the cables with new ones and hooked it up for a test run. It finally worked, so wanting to get out of there I repacked my monitor with new cables and headed for home.
Once I got home I got everything reconnected, got windows to load and was loading FS9 when it started the flicking then shuttng itself off. OFF TO BB again that day. Back to the tech center, the employees must of read my face for I was greeted by the manager at the counter. I worked retail as a manger myself, so I know I was his worst possible nightmare standing before him.
He attempted to appease me by telling me that he would personally carry next door to the service center and letting my grievances known to PR. I didn't go for it, I told him that I wanted to return and refund for my monitor and that I would be writing BB Corporate and letting them know that I very upset with their lack following a service plan that I paid $80 for a year before and being told that wasn't how they did things now. The manager refused to accept my return.
So I left the store with my monitor in hand and drove the two blocks to BB HQ, where I walked into the lobby with monitor in hand and service plan papers and requested to talk to the district manager and a customer service manger. After waiting for what seemed like a half hour, I was escorted to a meeting room somewhere in the labyrinth of that building. I had my meeting where I explained what had transpired the last month and the fact that I will most likely never shop at BB again. They told they would look into it taking all the info that I could supply them, and that they were sorry that this had happened to me.
About a week later got a large package in the mail from BB containing a very lengthy letter of reconciliation and a Samsung 22" LCD monitor that I still use today. To this day I still haven't set foot in a Best buy store again.
Brian
Sorry in advance, I know I can get a little long winded...
A year before BB had GS. I had bought a Samsung 19" LCD monitor with BB's 3 year replacement service contract (RSC). A year later on finals week in college, trying to write my final project papers for the term, my monitor went belly up. As I was at the time a computer engineering major. I have a very good understanding how components interact and work together within a PC.
At my parents place I searched online for similar happening with that model of monitor. And it was a known problem with a easy fix for the tech shop.
So I drove to BB (the key store next to their HQ) with my monitor packed in original package under one arm and the replacement service contract in my other hand. Got into line at what I thought was tech support but was in fact Geek squad (merged just months before). When I got to the counter I told them what the problem was and that according to my RCS that if I had any problem with my monitor that couldn't be fixed on sight there that they would replace my monitor with a exact model or a newer one at the same price as mine if they don't carry my model in stock anymore. I had it in writing!
Well I was in for a shock, they no longer supported that contract. And according to them that they had to send my monitor out for service 3 times before a replacement was an option. I was told by the supervisor that it would take 4-5 days for that to be done. Well i left it with them to be taken care of, not liking the new policy but having no time to really argue more that day.
After 5 days I go back to the store to pick up my monitor being told that the faulty component was changed out. I asked them to plug the monitor in to test it as I noticed looking over the monitor that the screws showed no wear from being driven. They did and in about 2 minutes it started to flicker then shut itself off. The tech guy looked nervous, I spoke to the manager this time and he assured me that it would be taken care of and that they would call me when the monitor arrived back in store.
Another week goes by no phone call, I call them and they said it was still for service, then two more weeks no call. At this point I was tired of phone tag and a little upset, so I drove back to the store to see them in person. I requested the manager again, and it was explained to me that my monitor got lost in shipping between there and a distribution warehouse in Ohio. I then asked where the service center was and was informed at there HQ campus next door. You can guess at what kind of expression I had on my face. They said that if it's not recovered by the end of the business week that they would replace it outright. Friday evening I got a call at 8pm telling me they found it and the Service Center manager was going to repair it himself that Saturday a drive it over on Monday morning so I can pick it up.
Monday came, I drove to BB again! Went to the tech counter to pick up my monitor. And can you guess what happened, NO ONE HAD A CLUE where my monitor was. After searching the store for thirty minutes or more, they found it in a plastic tote out on their loading dock. When they brought it to me I instantly unpacked it to check to see if any work had been done to it. Well one more problem, they never repacked the VGA and power cable that was with the monitor and it was missing over half the screws that held it together. MAN, WAS I UPSET! They replaced the cables with new ones and hooked it up for a test run. It finally worked, so wanting to get out of there I repacked my monitor with new cables and headed for home.
Once I got home I got everything reconnected, got windows to load and was loading FS9 when it started the flicking then shuttng itself off. OFF TO BB again that day. Back to the tech center, the employees must of read my face for I was greeted by the manager at the counter. I worked retail as a manger myself, so I know I was his worst possible nightmare standing before him.
He attempted to appease me by telling me that he would personally carry next door to the service center and letting my grievances known to PR. I didn't go for it, I told him that I wanted to return and refund for my monitor and that I would be writing BB Corporate and letting them know that I very upset with their lack following a service plan that I paid $80 for a year before and being told that wasn't how they did things now. The manager refused to accept my return.
So I left the store with my monitor in hand and drove the two blocks to BB HQ, where I walked into the lobby with monitor in hand and service plan papers and requested to talk to the district manager and a customer service manger. After waiting for what seemed like a half hour, I was escorted to a meeting room somewhere in the labyrinth of that building. I had my meeting where I explained what had transpired the last month and the fact that I will most likely never shop at BB again. They told they would look into it taking all the info that I could supply them, and that they were sorry that this had happened to me.
About a week later got a large package in the mail from BB containing a very lengthy letter of reconciliation and a Samsung 22" LCD monitor that I still use today. To this day I still haven't set foot in a Best buy store again.
Brian
