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Best Buy

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Katherine of Hartsdale, NY, writes (1/2/03):
For Christmas, my mother purchased a Playstation 2 and several games for me from Best Buy in the Pallisades Mall in Nyack, NY. When I inserted one of the games, the Playstation could not read it. I discovered the disc was cracked. My mother had the receipt, so we decided to go back to Best Buy to exchange it and that is when my hell began.

The young man at the exchange desk told me that the game i was returning was a bootleg copy. That surprised me. He then informed me that the manager, Adam Munoz, would not authorize the return because the game was a fake. I was in shock. I had the receipt for the Playstation and games, which was for well over $300.00 in total, and was certaintly not trying to get one over on them by trying to return a $22.00 game. But what was more upsetting to me was that the manager a) did not seem surprised that there was a bootleg copy and b) had a robotic standard response of "Best Buy did not sell that to you" -- and of course they did!!

Aside from the embarrassment this man made me feel by insinuating I was a thief, (even though he knew I wasn't for he could not even look me in the eye) I was filled with a disgust because it became evident to me that Best Buy knows exactly what it is doing. They sell fake merchandise which is how they can sell for less and then refuse to take it back for they cannot acknowledge that they are doing anything wrong.

I filed a police report with the Clarkson County police. I would like their false business practices exposed. I think it is disgusting, immoral, and unfair to treat the consumer public this way. I was upset for days. It makes it difficult for me to even enjoy the gift i was given knowing where it came from. I was humiliated by their staff and am filled with so much anger towards their faulty business practices that I want to explode!

Please don't explode, Katherine. We need more moral outrage, not less. You did the right thing in contacting the police. You might also want to contact the FBI, since bootlegging intellectual property is a federal offense.

Mary of Palmdale CA writes (10/31/02):
The have a company policy re: refunds and exchanges was not explained when I bought approximately $400.00 worth of camera and accessories on August 26, 2002.I never opened the printer that I also bought on that day because I left on Aug. 27th to go to the State of Maine to be with my sick daughter and did not return home until October 15th. I then opened the HP printer, and set it up. When I turned it on, it froze {stopped} and would not start.

Today I returned to service desk at the Best Buy store, the young man behind the desk said after checking it, to return it, that it was broke. The manager said that it was over 30 days and that was that! Now I have a brand new printer, paid $99.00 for and it is worthless. As a senior citizen, with a 14 yr. old grandaughter and low income, what an example for Best Buy to set for its customers and what an example for MSN to be affiliated with a company like Best Buy.

I have been shopping for many years and have never been refused a refund or at least an exchange. I cannot imagine how many other people have been refused an exchange at Best Buy. The sign that states No Refunds or Exchanges after 30 days is in a place where not many people would see unless one would stand in front of the Refund or exchange counter and look up on the wall high!

Roger of Apollo, PA, writes:

Today I purchased a Hewlett Packard CD-Writer Plus form Best Buy. After a half hour wait to be served, I brought the product home for installation. Upon installation, I found that I required an additional part that was not present. I called the store for assistance, then was placed on hold 3 different before receiving assistance.

Asked to speak to the manager, and overheard the person who answered the phone speaking inappropriatly about me requiring assistance, found the manager to be of absolutely no help at all. The manager referred me to another individual, whose best advice was to try going to a computer show. I found the experiance to be annoying and a complete was waste of my valuable time.

Luis of Colton, CA is steaming:
I sent the rebate form to get 5 free DVD movies for buying a particular DVD player. It was supposed to be here around 4-8 weeks after I'd sent in the form. Two Months have passed and they have REFUSED to give me an explanation. Because of that, I won't ever purchase things from them.

Sandy of Galloway, OH, writes:

I purchased a computer from Best Buy in Columbus, OH. It has not worked since day one. In August of 98 they just gave me an exchange. The computer still didn't work. 

They had told me before this i need to do recovery which I have done. I had purchased the home warranty but they would not come out. A man by the name of Avery had me bring the computer to the store(45 minutes) they said they had to keep it. 

When I purchased the home warranty I was told they would be in my home within 24 hours to repair the computer. I have a home business and I can not support myself and children without the computer (I am a single mom). 

They called me that night and told me they had damaged the mother board and it would have to be sent out for repair. One software that was on that computer cost me $6,400 and had to be sent to Dallas every time something like this was done. 

They had the computer for 2 weeks and refused to give me a loaner. The computer came back without any sound and the sleep device not working. I called Avery and he told me I would be better to wait until the computer was a year old and let Best Buy's warranty take care of it. I did this and when I called I was told that they wouldn't even look at it until I did another recovery.  I tried to explain that i didn't have the money to send the computer to Dallas again.  

They took a complaint and said someone would be back to me with in two weeks. That was in August. No one has called  The computer is still not working properly.  

Mrs. T. of Rialto, CA, writes:

In May,98, I took my computer to Best Buy for service because my CD Rom was making a clicking sound and I told them that my AOL was running very slow. They suggested thay I needed to replace the CD Rom because the gears were no working properly and I need a faster modem.

I purchased a CD Rom and a modem from Best Buy on that same day I purchased a $1400 laptop because I could not be without a computer and they would have to keep my desktop for repairs. To make a long story short, I picked up the computer after all of the installation and it has not worked properly since last year.

I have been dealing with them for 15 months now and I still don't have my computer. In September '98 they called me to tell me that I also needed a bigger hard drive, I bought one. I received a phone call in June '99 telling my mother that if I don't come in and get my computer that is ready they will sell it.

I went to pick it up and the hard drive had never been put in and they had lost it and the computer still had not been repaired properly. Then finally they decided to send it to their service dept. to restore it back to manufacturer specs and replace my hard drive that they lost.

I had to bring them my master reboot software and also my Professional Office 97, which I was running on the computer when I originally brought to them. They sent it out but they now do not have my software and they keep calling my house telling my mother that the computer is ready but no one knows where my software is and to top that now after all of this time they are telling me that when I am working on my computer I may get an error message because now my memory is bad.

I am very upset with them because during all of this I have still been a loyal customer spending my hard-earned money at their store, and now there is another problem with my computer that they are expecting me to spend more on. I could understand if the memory went bad because I was using the computer, but the computer has been sitting at Best Buy collecting dust.

I am tired of arguing with them and trying to explain to them that I am not the one that is wrong because they have had the computer for over 15 months. Now they keep trying to repair it, but they cannot put it back the way it was when I orginally brought it to the store. By now out of common courtesy to the customer they should have trashed my computer after they screwed it up and gave a proper working computer because my entire family have been inconvenienced for over 15 months.

Joan of St. Clair Shores, MI, writes:

I bought a Compaq Presario computer, a printer and other related materials amounting to $3,000 at Best Buy on April 19, 1997. With the purchases I bought a 4-year extended warranty that offers home service on the computer and printer.

I was playing a CD in the computer 7/7/99. Afterwards, when I ejected it, the computer froze and wouldn't let me shut down properly. I turned the computer off. Any attempts afterwards to boot the computer were unsuccessful, resulting in the letters COMPAQ across the screen, then going into a totally black screen, then an air message saying "Non system disk or disk error replace and strike any key when ready." Striking any key did not make the computer boot but just left the air message on with no cursor.

I called to report the problem and was met with a lengthy wait time before anyone answered. The tech at the end of the line finally came to the phone and asked me to perform numerous troubleshooting techniques which failed to boot the computer. After nearly two hours, I was told that my hard driver is probably not crashed.  I was told someone would come out July 19 ... and that it would take that long to get a part called a SYSTEM/MOTHER BOARD to put in the computer. I was told also to tell the technician who came out July 19 to "Clear CMOS."

A reference number was given to me and I was told I would be called 72 hours before the technician would come out on July 19th. No one came on July 19th. When I called Best Buy again on July 19th, I related the entire story about my computer problem to "Jason":

I was told by "Jason" that Kelly or Josh would call back. Nobody called back. On July 20 I called Best Buy again very angry that I keep having to call back and no one is paying any attention to my computer repair.

"Garrett" or "Derek" answered the call and asked for information I had already given the first person the first time I called, including the number off my warrenty booklet. I didn't have it with me, so I was told to call back to "Michelle" after work. At 5:30 p.m. I called "Michelle" at Best Buy, who asked again for detailed information about the computer purchase which I had previously given two other times. She said she or the manager would call me back before the store closed at 9 p.m.

At 8:45 p.m. I called the store and the store phone rang for 10 minutes with nobody answering it. Finally, I hung up and called again and someone from customer service answered, a "Mike" who is a manager. He began asking me to tell him the same information I relayed to three different people there, including "Michelle", that same day. I became very angry asking him why "Michelle" hadn't relayed the information to him, as she said she would when I called at 5:30 p.m.

He said she may have relayed it on a message that was still in his mailbox that he hadn't looked at. He asked me for the information about my computer AGAIN. I told him to get someone out to fix my computer ASAP and he said I should call the 800 number again to try to troubleshoot over the phone because they had no record that I previously called to troubleshoot over the phone. I told HIM to call that number and tell them no amount of troubleshooting helped start the computer and to just send someone out to replace the part they had told me on 7/7/99 that needed to be replaced.

The last time I called this 800 line, I was on the phone for at least 2 hours, listening to an ongoing musical recorded message. The last time I spoke with Mike at Best Buy, he told me he would call me first thing in the morning, today, July 21, 1999 to tell me when a technician will come out to fix my computer.

I am outraged at the service center and its method of solving a consumer's problem. In this case, I paid $200 for an extended 4-year warranty and service plan with outrageous results, careless behavior on the part of the customer service people, and rudeness and repeated inconveniences to me. I want the computer fixed and fixed NOW.

Mike is supposed to arrange someone to come out today or tomorrow, but I still want to lodge this complaint because of the way my problem was handled, the lengthy repetitious calls and rude behavior on the part of the service center and in case the problem is not attempted to be resolved today.

There must be a new procedure as to how to solve service plan employees' problems. I have a lot of documents on my computer at home, and a lot of them relate to work, and I cannot go on for this long a period of time without assistance and with the carelessness I have witnessed with Best Buy.

I have bought a lot of major purchases at this store, but as a result of this horrible handling of my problem, I do not ever plan to shop there again. 

The entire way consumer problems are handled at Best Buy must be changed. In fact, even when I make a call there at 10 a.m. when the store is supposed to be open, I am often met with a taped recording stating the store hours. The call is not put through for up to 20 minutes past 10 a.m.

Also, as I related to you, the phone rings endlessly at night also without being answered, sometimes putting the customer on the line from 8:45pm to 9:00 when the store closes. They are calling during the appropriate hours but, because the phone line is not answered and keeps ringing through 9 pm, the customer cannot get through because the store then is presumed to be closed.

M.K. of Charlotte, NC, writes:

I purchased a Compaq notebook computer from Best Buy on 8/27/98. At that time I purchased an Extended Service Agreement to protect me in case there was a problem with my computer (their words). On May 8, 1999 I took my computer into the store because it would no longer boot up.

The technician pressed the power button on my computer to turn it on and promptly shut it back down. He then informed me that the hard drive was bad and that the computer had to be sent to the service center. I asked if there was a more extensive analysis that he could do (somehow just hitting the power button just didn't seem like an adequate way of diagnosing a problem to me). I also mentioned that he could tell a lot about computers by simply hitting the power button.

I also told him that I used my computer for my work and that it was a major problem for me to be without it. I think he grunted, but other than that, he showed no signs of caring. I was told the repair would take 7-10 days. At this point, I was not convinced that I had been give good customer service and I was really concerned about the fact that I would be without my computer for 7-10 days so after I got home I called back to the store and asked to speak to a manager - I did not get his name...he wasn't any help anyway, he did not even sound like he wanted to be at work that night. He did, however, tell me that he would check with the technician and call me back. He did call back and told me that basically there was nothing he could do. He did not even understand the problem.

Eleven days later I called to check on my computer since I had not heard from them. They told me at that time that it had not come back from the Service Center. I asked for the number at the Service Center and called them only to find that they had not received my computer yet from the Charlotte store. At this time, I called back to speak to a manager but was told that no one was available. I called another store to speak to a manager there. I explained my problem and asked her what she would do if she were me. She suggested that I first call back to the store and ask to speak to the Regional Manager, Mr. S. If that didn't help, she suggested that I ask for the 800# for the Corporate Customer Service office.

I called and spoke with Mr. S., who told me that their procedures were followed and that they were not responsible when the manufacturers did not have parts in. I explained that it took my computer 11 days to get from Charlotte to the Georgia service center. He did think that was a little odd, but still did not commit to anything.

Someone called me back to say that the problem was with the motherboard of the computer (and not the hard drive as originally diagnosed) and that my computer should be back in Charlotte by Tuesday of the following week. I did not hear back from them, so I called once again on 6/4/99 and spoke to Ms. M. at the Service Center in Georgia. I explained my situation to her and she said she would send e-mail to find out about the parts and would give me a call back. I've not heard back from her so I called her back today and got voice mail.

I also checked with Best Buy in Charlotte once again explaining my frustration. The technician gave me a couple of options - 1) they could get my computer back on the next truck but not repaired and 2) he could call the service center tomorrow and find out the status. Neither of these options were viable to me, at this point, I don't believe anything they say. I would lose my job if I offered customers the type of service Best Buy offers.

I am not able to communicate with my job - I work offsite a lot and it's required that we check e-mail and voice mail on a regular basis. I have not been able to do that. I also have a part-time business that I run and I've not been able to reply to my customers, make presentations or record business transactions. I have software setup on the computer so that I can process credit card transactions which I have not been able to do. I don't know how much money I've lost because I've not been able to process the transactions. The frustration I feel whenever someone mentions the word laptop has been a major emotional drain. The threat to my livelihood has been a major source of anger and concern.

M.S. of Hastings, NY, writes:

I bought a floor model computer. When I got home the computer would not even start up. I've been using and upgrading computers for over 10 years, so I thought I would look for a loose connection. Everything appeared ok so I took the unit back to Best Buy for a refund. When I got there they said that I had broken a security seal and voided the warranty. Now this is TOTALLY ridiculous, that you can't take the cover off (how are you supposed to upgrade??)

This whole situation has blown my mind. Not only do they have my money but they have the computer also. If this computer comes back saying that it was my fault Best Buy is going to charge me for the repair, and I'm NOT going to pay it. All I want is my money back!

We agree completely.  It's like being told you can't open the hood of your car.  Our attorneys disagree, though.  They say that if the warranty says you can't take the lid off, then you can't take the lid off.   Regardless of that, Best Buy is being very petty to penalize you for trying to be helpful. 

A.K. of Los Angeles writes:

I purchased a computer system back inApril of 1998 from Best Buy's West L.A. store in the amount of $1500.00. My computer system's m odem started generating problems after a few months. All together I had to take my computer system for repair for the same problem 4 times.  According to a pamphlet provided by Best Buy, it clearly mentions that after three services have been completed om an indivudual product and that product requires a fourth repair, as determined by Best Buy, they will replace it.

On the fourth repair they told me that I will be receiving a new computer, but that did not happen, since the service center denied a replacement. Well i am still having the same problem and I do not wish to take my computer for repair again.

I either want some compensation or another computer.

T.N. of Arlington, TX, writes:

I bought a Proteva Computer from Best Buy on October 19, 1998. It would not work so after much heartache Best Buy grudgingly exchanged it. The second Proteva came with an undetermined hardware problem that became progressivly worse over time. I called the Proteva technical support line. To make a long story short it is now April 1999 and the computer no longer works at all. I started calling the support line in November 1998. Proteva and its subcontracted companies have been absolutly no help, only making the situation worse. The employees have been especially rude and combative.

The consequences have been lost work time, 20+ hours on the phone in under three days, being treated like a child, doing the work of the sevice contractors, paying internet service fees while not being able to log on, and a machine that no longer works at all.

P.J. writes:

I bought a cordless phone at the Best Buy in Seven Corners, VA, on 4/8/99 took the box home and found another phone inside.  Tried to return it to the store within 30 minutes of purchase and the store manager refuses to take it stating that I took it out of the shop, implying that I could have switched the phone.  I am stuck with a phone I don't want. I talked to their customer relations department but nothing seems to be happening.

The store manager made a issue of the incident in front of a number of customers and made me look like a thief. I felt insulted, demeaned and small having to endure the whole thing in front of so many people and could not sleep for days by the very fact that I was made to look like a thief.

D.T. writes:

On 1/30/99 I purchased a 32" Sony pip 2-tuner tv which was advertised for $749.00, but when i took it home the tv that I took home was a 32" Sony pip 1-tuner which was on sale for $649.00. So, I went back and poke with the manager.  What he said was that there must have been a misunderstanding. But I don't know how that could have been, when I had confirmed with the sales rep many times.

I asked him if he had the 2-tuner in stock and he said, yes he had 2 left. When he wrote the receipt I asked him again if this was the 2-tuner. He said "yes." And when he brought the tv to the front of the store, I asked him again if he was sure that this was the 2-tuner, because I didn't want to take such a heavy tv home and it be the wrong one, and he said "sure."

So, when I came back that day, very upset, I found that same sales rep. And I asked him "do you remember last week when i purchased the sony 2-tuner." He said "yes", then I told him that the tv that was suppose to be a 2-tuner, was only a 1-tuner, and he said "nuh uh", and I asked him if he remembered that we paid cash for the 2-tuner, and he said "yes."

Well, when I told the manager about the conversation with the sales rep, about 10 minutes before that, the manager spoke to him, and came back to me, and told me that the sale rep said "I remember talking about the 2-tuner, but I don't remember them buying it."

So, the manager said I have 2 choices, to either one bring the tv back to return within 14 days, or he'll split the difference of the 2 tv's. I decided that I wanted to see where I can take this because I was befrauded. So I hope you could help me with this complaint because I feel that I am not the only one that has been befrauded by this Best Buy.

Also, when I came back to get the name of the manager he told me "I just got another complaint about the same tv.."

I feel that i was underestimated because of my race (Asian) that i would not have been capable of filing a complaint.

Both of these gentlemen could go to Small Claims Court and sue for breach of contract.  To prevent that, Best Buy should get its act together and learn how to treast its customers.  Low prices aren't everything.

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