Best Buy Sucks

Best Buy Sucks - picture of electronics on store shelves

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Well, it finally happened.  My laptop died. I had been having problems with it for months so I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised.  And unfortunately, I had to go out and get another laptop despite the fact that we’re on FALL FINANCIAL LOCKDOWN.  Although I do have a second computer, it’s  a desktop.  I do a lot of work on the run and often take my laptop with me when we travel.  As a freelance writer and blogger, a laptop is definitely a need, and not a want.  It’s how I make my living.

The closest store that sells electronics is Best Buy, and the other alternative is Walmart.  After struggling internally to decide which store was the least evil, I chose to go to Best Buy because they *might* have someone available to help me.  After some looking and comparing, I chose a Asus Laptop that was about $379.  Unfortunately, I also had to buy Microsoft Office which added another $120.  But, since I was able to write this off as a business expense, I wasn’t too upset.  I just needed a laptop so that I could move on with my life and continue making a living.

The Computer that Never Worked

We got the laptop home and started installing the software only to realize that the keyboard was acting crazy.  The SPACE key didn’t work well and I had to hit it really hard in order to make it work.  I screwed around with it a little, thinking that it might just be hard to work since it was new.  However, it didn’t take too long for me to figure out that it wasn’t going to work.  In addition to the space bar getting stuck, the mouse was acting erratic as well.  It was only Day#1 and I was already having problems.  So, I decided to take it back.

I drove up to Best Buy yesterday morning and was ready when they opened the doors at 10:00.  I politely told the customer service agent what was going on and she asked me to wait while she took the computer to the back.  Fine.  I waited for what seemed like forever until the lady returned with a computer tech by her side.

The tech, who was twice my size with giant man-hands, sat the laptop on the counter and typed out a paragraph.  It did miss a few spaces but he insisted that I was simply doing it wrong.  “You just have to hit the space bar really hard between each word,” he said.  “Nothing is wrong with it.”

Except that there was something wrong with it.  It didn’t work…for me, a petite gal with tiny hands.

“It doesn’t matter if it works for your hands.  It needs to work for mine.  It doesn’t.”

The tech asked me to type out a paragraph to demonstrate.  Was this really necessary?  But, whatever.  I just wanted to move on.  So, I typed out a paragraph that went something like this.

This laptopdoesn’t work and youhave a 15 day returnpolicy.  I readit on the backof thereceipt.  Giveme my moneyback so that we canallmove on withour lives.

He continued to look at the laptop and type on it some more.  Then, he suggested that I bring it home and see if it “loosens up.”

No. 

After another twenty minutes, they finally agreed to let me *exchange* it for another laptop, which was fine because I needed one anyway.  And even then, they acted like I didn’t know how a laptop should work or was trying to rip them off or something.  Best Buy sucks.

It’s Happened Before

A few years ago, we bought a dual DVD player for the kids to watch in the back seat of the car.  I think it was about $200, and I didn’t open it for about a week after we bought it.  Once I finally opened it, I realized that one of the screens was cracked in half.  We never watched it, plugged it in, or even turned it on.  We just put it back in the box and drove it back to the store.

When we tried to return it, the store said that they didn’t accept “used” returns.

“We didn’t use it.  We bought it this way,” I told the manager.  But, he wasn’t having it.

“Sorry, but there’s nothing I can do.”

So, we argued and argued.  They had $200 of my hard-earned cash and I wasn’t leaving until I had a replacement DVD player or my money back.  You could even tell from the packaging that we hadn’t used it because all of the cords were still sealed in the plastic they came in.  Finally, I went into SUPER BITCH MODE and told them that I was going to make the biggest scene they’ve ever witnessed.  Greg cowered in the corner as I prepared to unleash my fury.  They had a 30 day return policy at that time and I was trying to return the DVD player after the 6th day! In my eyes, they were stealing from me by refusing to accept a return that was obviously damaged when I bought it.  Once I turned my bitch switch on, they finally agreed to let me exchange the DVD players for a new set.  I think they were just tired of dealing with me…and I don’t blame them!

Still, I wonder how many people have had a bad experience when trying to return something to Best Buy.  Out of the two times I’ve returned something, I’ve had a horrific experience.  Best Buy sucks.

Have you ever had a bad experience shopping or returning an item at Best Buy?  If not, what store do you think is the biggest pain in the ass?

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118 Comments

  1. I think the guy expected you to have man hands to work that computer.
    The worst return policy is Kmart as there is never anyone there to help you. Saving a few bucks isn’t worth the aggravation.
    Did you at least showroom them and get a discount?

    1. I actually did try…but the computer I bought was cheaper at Best Buy than I could find online!

    2. They are horrendous. The worst customer service on many levels. Don’t even get me started on their delivery routine – simply boogles the mind. Complete disregard of their customers, in fact, disrespect. Never shopping there again!

  2. I don’t have a Best Buy in my area but I JUST had the same exact thing happen with my laptop. Two weeks ago my beloved laptop just up and died on me and with a couple articles that had to be turned in that night I had no other choice than go to the store I hate most…..Walmart. I bought a cheap ass laptop for around $300 and then also had to purchase Microsoft Office.

    So now that I have been using this computer for a couple weeks I can attest to the fact it is the slowest, junkiest computer I have ever used in my life. I have been contemplating taking it back but I figure I’ll catch hell if I try plus I already paid $140 for a one computer download of Microsoft Office.

    What to do, what to do.

    1. I’m working on laptop #2 right now and it’s a huge improvement! It’s a Toshiba and it was on super sale/clearance. It hope it lasts longer than my last one….it was only a year old!

  3. I’m not surprised at your experience. I bought my last laptop at Best Buy, and while I didn’t have any issues with the actual product, the service was terrible. I ordered online and opted for same day pickup at a store on my way home. I thought this should be quick because it’s their major advantage over Amazon and other online retailers. Nope. Took like 20 minutes. I was the only one waiting in line for online pickup. Seemed like there was 6-7 people standing around but no one could help me. Needless to say, that Best Buy is now closed.

  4. So, are you saying you should’ve bought your new laptop at Walmart? 🙂 Seriously, though, you sound just like us, down to the hubby cowering in the corner while the fury is unleashed. You go girl – I would’ve done the same exact thing. And I love the paragraph you typed for him – classic!

    1. I don’t know if Walmart would’ve been worse or not. At least Walmart doesn’t treat people like criminals when they return stuff. They take anything back!

  5. SUPER BITCH MODE is the funniest thing I heard all week Holly! Sorry about the laptop and problems with Best Buy but you know it seems like these are just some horrible employees as well. They don’t really seem like the want to help. I usually just buy online so no issues with them. Poor Greg!!! LOL

    1. I just think that most electronics are junk these days. Everything is only made to last a year or two.

      1. That I highly disagree with. You get what you pay for though, so if you pay for a cheap laptop, you are going to get a cheap laptop that doesn’t last long, and vice-versa.

  6. Yes, I stopped shopping at best buy awhile ago…not helpful and annoying. Life is too short for either. Have a nice weekend!

  7. OMG! I refuse to shop at Best Buy unless absolutely necessary (which unfortunately, it sounds like your situation was). It is well known in our household that if you ant something refunded or returned, give it to me. I will handle it and I WILL get my money back or a replacement product. I’ve even been known to write to companies when I did all I could in the store and still didn’t get good results. That usually gets a good response. 🙂 Our last Best Buy experience was when my husband wanted to return a pair of headphones that he had received from my parents for Christmas. He already had the same pair at home and wanted to return the BRAND NEW NEVER OPENED headphones. First they tried to tell him they couldn’t do it for some completely arbitrary reason. Then after about twenty minutes (mind you, I was not present for this interaction) they did the return but told my husband his ONLY option was that they put the money back on the credit card my parents used. HELLO!?!?! Store credit?!?!? So then I had to have the awkward conversation with my dad about the store credit he was going to see on his credit card bill. :/

  8. I have a hard time staying calm when people can’t think, like this guy. Did you get the Microsoft fee back or you have to buy a new license?

    1. Fortunately, I had not installed the Office yet. I had just typed online and tried to write emails.

  9. We don’t have a Best Buy here in Romania (and despite your story, I still want to visit one if I get the chance to visit the US) but similar things happen in hypermarkets in Romania too. At least it’s good that you managed to make the switch and hopefully soon you will forget about this incident.

    PS: Why not try to use Open Word instead of the expensive Microsoft Word? It’s basically the same thing, but it’s free. (Or simply get Open Office which is also free and comes with all the features of MS Office).

    1. Never heard of Open Word! I’ll have to check it out.

      1. Or LibreOffice. It’s awesome. Microsoft sucks as much as Best Buy does! :))

  10. That sucks! What jerks. You should’ve explained that it’s not a personal computer, it’s a work computer and you need it to be AWESOME. It doesn’t matter why you didn’t want it, the point was just that you didn’t want it!

    I haven’t had a bad experience with any computer, but I did recently have a delightful experience with Amazon. A juicer we got for our wedding came out of the box with a portion of it cracked. They replaced it with no questions, free shipping, and gave us free shipping to send the broken one back. I was pleasantly surprised with how easy they were to deal with!

  11. Why would you even consider Best Buy anymore with the way we are connected to a world of options. Almost everything at Best Buy is marked up tremendously.

    1. The only stores nearby are Walmart and Best Buy. And like I said, I didn’t have time to shop around. I make my living on my computer and taking two days to wait for shipping wasn’t an option. I usually have to write between 2,000 and 4,000 words per day in order to finish all of my freelance assignments. Taking week days off means not getting paid.

  12. Ugh, I feel your pain. I am on new fridge #3. Returning a fridge was a nightmare, because I bought the warranty plan and you can get the actualy fridge refunded to your card, but not the warranty. the Best But employee accidentally returned the warranty (which i had to get in cash, I paid with a card) and wanted me to drive to a store a state over to get my money back… and now fridge 3 needs a 3rd call to service since April.. Grrr. All I want is a cold fridge and freezer that freezes…

    1. OMG, that sounds awful!

      I’m so sorry that you have to deal with that.

  13. I just bought a new laptop through Apple. It was $999 but worth it to me as it will last longer and..well, it works! It’s crazy that they were so reluctant to take back the laptop – there is definitely something wrong with having to hit the space bar so hard.

    1. People really seem to like Apple products. I’ve never owned one…maybe I should consider it!

  14. I’m just picturing Greg cowering in the corner while you go in to Super B mode! I’m probably more like Greg but I need to learn to flip that switch when I’m getting screwed. I rarely shop at Best Buy, my wife and I got our laptops from Staples…don’t know if you have one around you.

    1. There is a Staples about 45 minutes away…..that is definitely an option for future purchases!

  15. I haven’t dealt with anything like this specifically from Best Buy, but definitely from other retailers. I don’t really get it. It seems to me like these places should want to satisfy customers so that they want to keep coming back. I mean, it’s not like you only go to Best Buy for a single one-time purchase. If they simply treated people well, they could get customers for life continually coming in to buy and replace all of their electronics and appliances. That seems well worth the cost of easily accepting returns on crappy products.

    1. I agree. Repeatedly driving your customers away is not an ideal business model =)

  16. Greg and Jim should hang out together. Our big thing is that he will never ever call customer service if something is wrong. He didn’t get his bonus points with our Hawaiian miles Visa, so I had to call and have him give permission for me to be rude to the people until we got our points. At least no one sees that though.

    I don’t think we’ve even returned anything to Best Buy, but we did have another issue there. When Jim’s laptop died last year on the weekend he had two assignments due for his online master’s, we went there to get something same day. We picked out three different laptops to be told they were not in stock but we could order them. We finally asked, “Which ones do you have in stock?” Of course, the $800 ones were available. I just wish they would put a sign up if something is out of stock so you don’t waste your time if you need it ASAP. We ended up going to Office Depot who had everything in stock and the sales rep didn’t act like we were wasting their time.

    1. Ohhh……I didn’t even think about Office Depot! We have one of those- I didn’t know that they sold computers.

  17. I avoid best buy like the plague pretty happily now that I use my phone as a camera. I was on a “camera rental plan” from them for years and years where I would buy one, buy the extended warranty, and then when it broke, get a new better model with a new warranty. The last one of those finally died a month after is warranty went out. Worked for many years, but required too much time in best buy. I think my ears might be permanently damaged from it. Have they heard it is possible to turn the volume lower than full blast?

    1. Ha! I wouldn’t want to buy an extended warranty from them just because I hate dealing with them!

  18. Ugh sucks! I bought an HP computer and printer about five years ago at Best Buy when I went off to college. Super expensive and super crappy product. Swore off HP laptop and printers. I now have a Mac Air and I love it.

    1. I have never had a Mac before. It seems like the people that have them love them!

  19. Good for you, Holly. I have acquired, a little more with each passing year, a better Bitch Mode. CJ also has a good grip on one himself, so we simply state, “Who gets this one?” and one steps aside in case back up is needed.

    What really bothers me about this is how they acted like YOU had the problem when it was clearly THEM…and perhaps Asus. We’re having similar issues and in the market for new laptops, and guess who won’t be seeing us? We have to drive a little farther, but we love MicroCenter. I believe it may be one of its kind here in Houston, but the service is great and the people there know what the hell they’re talking about which is so very unique and refreshing in retail these days!

    1. I wish we had more store options around here! We used to have a Circuit City but it closed down =/

  20. Yeah, I hate WalMart, but I’ve never had a problem returning items there before. They seem a little more accommodating for whatever reason. I’m guessing with the DVD player that they probably suspected that you had broken it after opening it. Not the best way to treat a customer, but from their perspective, perhaps they’d been burned a few times by unscrupulous customers.

    1. I’m sure they have…but that doesn’t give them the right to rip people off.

  21. “Bitch Switch” – I LOVE it 🙂

    One of my side hustles is fixing computers and I have had nothing but crappy service from tech “support” at Best Buy in Montreal. The idiot tech guy you had to deal with sounds quite patronizing and I loved what you wrote in your paragraph!

    Did they bug you for the extended warranty? That is one of my pet peeves!

    Thanks for an amusing, but quite frustrating post Holly.

    Take care and all the best.

    Lyle

    1. Yes! They said if I bought the extended warranty that they could “guarantee” that it would last three years. Ummmm……shouldn’t a computer last three years anyway?

      1. Indeed it should. I found out that the reason they push the extended warranty is due to the fact that that is where they get their commission. The computer sale practically gives them nothing in commission dollars. Personally, I think it’s a huge scam and intimidates the buyer more than it should!

        Take care and all the best.

        Lyle

  22. I need a new laptop and I guess I should be avoiding Best Buy then. I haven’t had a bad experience at Best Buy yet, but I never bought there laptop, so I think I’ll go with your advice and not there.
    Sorr you had to deal with that craziness.

  23. Patricia Oliver says:

    They’re closing Best Buys down all over the Country & I wouldn’t be surprised to see them just plain go out of business all together before long. When we were putting our home back together following Hurricane Katrina we purchased all of our kitchen appliances from them – and our local store @ that time was “okay”, but now it’s a different story. Amazing what a few years can do to lower the standards in a store – but we no longer go there for anything.

    1. That sounds like the smartest move, really. We just don’t have a lot of store options in my area. I wish we did!

  24. OMG I would have been so insulted if someone said I was just doing it wrong. I mean seriously, this isn’t the dark ages and people know the difference between a working computer and a non-working computer. I’ve never had a bad experiences with BB, but you are not the first person I’ve heard who has had a bad experience with them. Sorry to hear that!

    1. I know, right?

      I mean….it has to work for me….I sometimes write ten thousand words per week. I cannot slam on the space bar repeatedly or go back and add spaces back after the fact.

  25. Sounds like Best Buy is consistently bad everywhere. I took my laptop in for some repairs years ago and it was taking forever for them to work on it, I kept calling and calling and getting various excuses. I finally got tired of it, told them I was coming in to pick it up, whether it was fixed or not and then the truth came out, they had lost my laptop. It took forever to get that rectified as well but finally they ended up replacing it with a better model. Never again will I trust them with anything though.

    1. WHAT>!>!>!>!>

      They completely lost it? Ha!

      Well, hey, at least you got a new one out of the deal. They owed you that!

  26. I’m not a fan of best buy either. I hear P.C Richardson is a pretty good store. I never bought anything from their but I heard from ppl I know that they have s good selection and excellent service.

    1. Never heard of that store…it isn’t in my area!

  27. Yes, Best Buy definitely sucks. There’s a sick part of me that likes the fact that they’re having to close so many stores.

    You handled the situation well though. Retail stores often have a weak first line of defense that will deter most customers from actually trying to get a return. You need to blast through that nonsense. Well done!

    1. Oh, I have a death stare that could make a member of Al Qaeda cry. Pray that you never have to see it.

  28. Hate, Hate, Hate best buy with a passion. Glad they”worked” everything out for you!

  29. Did anyone else get a tweet back from Best Buy after tweeting this post? I did, they said “@FreeMoneyMinute I’m sorry you feel this way about us. Please let us know how we can change your mind. ^Blake”. Interesting. How do you suppose they can change our mind?

    1. No, but I think that’s hilarious!

      Here’s the thing. When you provide terrible customer service, sometimes this happens. I wrote this post which will be in internet circulation for eternity….likely having a bunch of searches per day once it’s up for a few weeks. Then, I tweeted the post to 4,000 people, shared it on facebook multiples times. Then at least 15 other people tweeted it to probably another 25,000 people at least.

      And sure, not everyone will read my post…but some will. And the others might see the tweet that says “Best Buy Sucks” and get the gist of it.

      The power of the internet is simply amazing.

      1. I completely agree. I propagated the article to over 1,000 followers as well . The internet can and has been used to improve service from companies. It has also been used as tools for revolutions in other countries. Amazing indeed!

  30. Mrs. No Waste always handles these situations.

    I just stare at the ground and awkwardly shuffle my feet.

    I’m a coward!

  31. Wow – that’s terrible service and incredibly insulting to you. I have no doubt they deal with stupid people all the time but if the space bar doesn’t work – it doesn’t work. I’m not a tech person, but even I know that you shouldn’t need to slam keys to get them to work. No wonder Best Buy is struggling so bad. Glad you did get it resolved. I’m a Mac user too. They are definitely more expensive but they last for years too.

    1. I know, right. I’m not techy either….but I know that a space bar shouldn’t have problems from day one!

  32. I think it’s a hit or miss depending on who you talk to. That’s all customer service really.

    My buddy’s wife dropped a full glass of water on a 6 month old Apple macbook air they bought at Best Buy. She had a warranty on it and they ended up just giving the cash-equivalent from purchase back as a Best Buy gift card since they no longer had that model and she pretty much turned around and bought something newer.

    Again, she just probably had a good customer service rep. It’s a hit or miss when dealing with people who are underpaid and get yelled at everyday already. Not your fault, but more explaining the reasoning.

    No….I don’t work at Best Buy. 😉

    The Warrior
    NetWorthWarrior.com

    1. Yeah, I’m sure it is “hit or miss” to a certain extent!

    1. It wasn’t funny at the time…but I suppose that it is now!

  33. Improving business solutions. Great find.

  34. That’s crazy that they even made you type out a paragraph, let alone insist that there’s nothing wrong with it when clearly there is. I haven’t been to Best Buy in ages, but I’ll stay away!

  35. Garbage. I hate dealing with retail. Sorry to hear about your experience, I was getting frustrated just reading it! I’m getting a new computer soon, but buying refubed online at the Lenovo outlet. $400 for something MUCH higher quality with more power and storage than I could find in store.

    Butforrealswhoneedsaspacebaranyways,Idon’tseewhattheproblemis….?

    1. Iknow.

      I’msurethatallof myfreelancewriting clients wouldn’tmind. I mean, I’msuretheydon’thave anythingbettertodo thango backandaddspaces.

  36. I had the same thing happen to me at Best Buy. After 3 trips to the store, two computers, and getting to the know Geek Squad to the point I thought I should invite them to Christmas dinner, I was done. The return wasn’t so bad because the cashier had dated my nephew, so she was very pleasant with me. I then took someone’s advice and bought an Apple computer. The people in the Apple store were professional, very nice to deal with, and sent me out the door with a fully functioning computer that was set up and ready to go.

    1. Maybe I will buy an apple laptop next time. I’ve heard nothing but good things at this point!

  37. KateJones says:

    You don’t HAVE to buy Office at all 🙂 Like someone else already said, you can use Open Office, or LibreOffice.

    For other software, you can search for free/open source (/cheaper) alternatives at http://www.alternativeto.net (type in the name of the expensive stuff, then use the filter for free and your platform/OS). If you find free or open source software and you love it, a donation to the maker usually is appreciated.

    And BestBuy should have just switched the laptop for one with a working keyboard – though it sounds like you just got ‘helped’ by some idiot, and that this might not be representative for the whole chain of stores …

    1. I seriously did not know about the free Microsoft Office alternatives. I appreciate the info!

      The other thing that annoyed me about Microsoft Office anyway is that they tried to steer me toward the $99 per year annual plan…where I never really owned the software. I thought that was crazy. $99 per year? I shouldn’t have to make payments on computer software…I should be able to just buy it.

      1. KateJones says:

        Ugh, yes! Once you pay for it you should be able to reinstalling it 20 years later if you happen to wish so!

        Adobe is starting to do the same thing, with yearly subscriptions vs. buying anything. I really don’t like it.

    2. KateJones says:

      PS – regarding Apple Laptops.. They are very expensive, and if you just email/surf the net/write/occasionally edit photo’s etc, I’d go for the much cheaper Windows laptop.

      Or if you have a few days to get used to something else – go with Ubuntu. It’s free, as is all the software. It comes with email(Thunderbird)/internet(Chrome/Firefox)/music player/video player(VLC)/free photoshop alternative (GIMP) pre-installed I think, so after installation you’re ready to go. It is faster than Windows too, especially booting up and shutting down.

      Also – I just spent half a day trying to solder the power cord/adapter of my neighbor back together. Apparently those are NEVER under warranty, are fragile as hell, and a new one was around 60 EUR. Same thing with the front plastic part of my Macbook that started falling apart after a year or two – bad construction.

      I’ve got a Macbook myself that I’m happy with (after I superglued the plastic bits that fell off back on), but I also have a Asus Eee running Ubuntu that I’m equally happy with, and that was about 3 times cheaper with similar specifications (speed/harddisk space/memory etc – slightly smaller screen though, but feels sturdier than my Macbook..).

  38. Grrr @ Best Buy!! Their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. But, with that being said, I bought an ASUS from there when my computer crapped out on me and it works just fine, so hopefully this second one will be better!

    1. My second one is a Toshiba….so far so good!

      And,

      thespacebarworksfine

  39. I can’t stand Asus. The only reason we have one is because in a rush we purchased it thinking it was an Acer. Since day one it’s had nothing but problems and delays. I like to think of it as a knockoff like Gucc is to Gucci.
    I’v only been to Best Buy a few times and I couldn’t complain. The absolute worst place to buy electronics (or anything) is Brandsmart. The products are fine, but it’s the horrible customer service and hair pulling that you have to endure just to get what you payed for. Not to mention it takes an act of congress to return anything.

  40. Yikes! I would hate having to deal with that. I’ve never really shopped at Best Buy before, but dealing with any Apple store is an absolute nightmare. My laptop is 3 years old and trucking along just fine, but I live in constant fear of something going wrong.

    You would think electronic stores would understand how often their products just have glitches and need to be returned. It’s not Best Buy’s fault when a product is bad (unless they mishandled it), but they need to have a great return policy none-the-less. Glad you got your exchanges, regardless of the mode you needed to get it!!

  41. I hate returning electronics, because whenever I´ve gone alone and tried to explain in my own not-very-technical words what´s wrong, the tech always looks weird at me, as if I´m stupid and probably don´t know how to turn the PC on! Which is why I always bring my BF along.. He can be very strict and authoritative and makes thing happen ASAP! Somehow the tech support always get a big frightened, especially since he knows all the technical terms, so they can´t trick him into anything!

  42. Did you ask to speak to a manager, Holly? If the employees at customer service were giving me that much of a hard time, I would’ve simply escalated. Well, what I would have done is tell the giant man hands guy that “I would like to speak to his manager and I’ll be letting the manager know about your poor customer service skills.” If that didn’t work, then flip on full super b*tch mode!

    1. Yep.

      I was talking to manager, the cashier, and the tech guy =)

  43. You found a retailer that doesn’t understand customer service! You just bought it and you should be able to return the next day, no questions asked! That aside, I am the designated returner or problem solver. I seem to always to be successful.

    1. Me too, even though sometimes it requires that I turn on my bitch switch!

  44. Holly! They jacked you around pretty good. There is such hate in my heart for this store. I’ve been a few times and I am always astounded by the obvious lack of knowledge the staff has of products in a store where one really ought to know the subject matter inside and out. They ain’t selling ice cream floats here. Ya know?

  45. Wow Holly, I wish I’d posted last week instead of today on how to find a good laptop at a good price. Sorry for you pain at BB!

  46. I don’t think you should have to have man hands to work on any laptop….they’re not really designed based on the size of your hands, are they? It sounds like it was just messed up.

    Best Buy hires teeneagers and touts them as experts. My fiance bought his computer there, and every time we had to take it in for a return I had to educate the “geek” that was working on the computer. I couldn’t fix the problem myself, but at least I knew what was wrong with it! Every time they’ve had to call in extra help and it’s been a major PITA.

    1. I don’t think they’re designed based on the size of your hands BUT I don’t think he had to hit it as hard as me because he had giant man-hands that were much stronger than mine.

  47. The ex-retailer manager in me would of lost it. haha! I would of called the store manager asked him where in the policy does it state hit the space bar hard when using laptop purchased at Best Buy? Where does it say you get questioned for a return? Unbelievable.
    I don’t like Best Buy either. Their buy online pick up at the store is a joke. Geek Squad is a joke. All the customer service had to do was scan the receipt and the laptop serial number and make you happy.
    Thanks for the post.

    1. I know! They acted like I needed to prove it to them or something!

    2. Geek Squad experiences can vary. In fact some can identify blown capacitors which could save a customer from wasting money repairing something that is too far gone.

  48. This is crazy! Personally, I have never experienced anything like this, I had to return a couple of items due to a fault and every time they were more than happy to oblige. I’m glad you sorted it in the end.

  49. I worked at a best buy for a long time. I know what you mean by no one ever around to help you, or the workers treating people like idiots. I was one of the very few who went above and beyond to take care of customers. They let any one be in the geek squad. You don’t have to have hardly any computer knowledge at all. You were right for turning your bitch switch one. They do not like a scene. So if you want to get something exchanged get loud. As long as its within the policy and you know your right, it will get done. Btw you shouldn’t have it hit a space bar hard at all on a laptop. That’s how other components break. That guy was an idiot!

    1. Glad you don’t have to work there anymore, Lenny!

  50. Tara @ Streets Ahead Living says:

    I still have a slightly wonky keypad on my laptop but everything else about my laptop is so fabulous that I just put up with it. If I right click to open in a new tab when I’m too far from bottom right corner of trackpad, for instance, it might open two tabs of the same thing. I tried adjusting the settings, but it’s a flaw with the driver so I just have to make sure I always right click in furthest bottom right corner.

    I can’t believe BestBuy would have such a run-around return policy. That’s one thing I love about Costco too… I bought a router online from them and they took it back, no questions asked!

    1. Oh yeah! You abso-freakin-lutely CANNOT beat Costo – they will make things right. NEVER EVER had an issue with them about anything. LOVE them! And I love to use them for travel, too (membership gives you great rates on rental cars, etc.!).

  51. Oh, yeah! I’ve got the “bitch switch” too – and heaven help them when I throw it! Husband has had several bad experiences with both Best Buy and Wal Mart and refused to walk in to either one of them.

    For about the last 10 years or so, we we have been buying most of our electronics, etc. on-line – mainly from Amazon. Although hubby handles it all – when he buys our laptops they are usually refurbished Dells (I think directly from Dell). And when it’s on a credit card, you always have that “safety net” of being able to stop payment if you have “issues.” (which I LOVE – even if it was in the last billing cycle for which you’ve already paid they will credit you for the amount while the “dispute” is on-going). The refurbished Dell I am currently using is 5 years old and going strong. I use it a lot as I run an ebay store. Never have had anything wrong with it. Just a thought for the future. Although I know when you laptop dies you need to get another pronto – and ordering on-line would take probably more time than you are willing to wait – which puts you in a pickle!

  52. I do not like Best Buy and I never buy any expensive items there. I also hate their customer service because I hate being asked 100 times per minute if I am looking for something. Makes me feel like I am trying to steal something and they have to keep bothering me.

  53. Never had trouble with Best Buy, but not sure I ever had to return anything either. I will say that the bet return policy that exists in the known world is at Costco, especially for electronics. They’ll take back anything and won’t ask you 128 questions in the process.

  54. Best Buy will not accept a return or an exchange with the original receipt and credit card unless you let them scan the magnetic stripe on your driver’s license. So Best Buy maintains a database containing i) your detailed biographic data, including DOB, full name, license number, address, etc., and ii) your credit card information. It’s a paradise for fraudsters, identity thieves and hackers. Today was the absolute last time I deal with “Best Buy.”. This experience was just another way in which they suck.

  55. I ordered a video card from best buy online The site said the store down the street as well as several others had it in stock and could be picked up the next day The next day came no text or email from Best Buy checked the order status and it showed it was being shipped to the store call customer service and they said that the location was out of the item and it would be 5 days before I get it I asked to speak to a supervisor and told him that online that store and 6 others in the area show in stock available for Ready for pickup today! I convinced him to check the other stores and non of them had it in stock So he was sorry either wait or cancel the order and the Corporate customer service said I can give you the tracking number but you still have to wait or cancel that’s all we can do for you

  56. Best Buy will never get a red cent from me ever again! I don’t shop with them much because every experience makes me ban them for my wallet for 5 to 8 years at a time but this was the last straw.

    1. First bad experience: A Best Buy had just opened in Clearwater Florida off of Drew Street and US 19. I bought a cassette that was on sale of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. It had a huge “SALE” sticker on it and it was $4.99 so I figured I would get it. I get out to my car, unwrap the tape… put it in my tape deck and out comes “dance” music! I’m like, WTF is this??? I look at the tape again and behind the big obnoxious SALE sticker it said “Dance Mix” under “Red Hot Chili Peppers”. I immediately walked back in to the store, went to customer service and was like, “I just bought this and to my surprise, it says it’s a Dance Mix. I couldn’t see that behind the big red SALE sticker though. Can I go ahead and exchange it for something else?” The Best Buy employee says, “No sir, it’s media and you opened it so it’s yours now. We can’t return media because people will often copy it and then return it.” I said, “The date and time on the receipt isn’t even 8 minutes old yet… do you think I have a high speed tape to tape deck in my car or something? I’m not even asking for a refund, I just want to exchange it.” The Best Buy employee says, “Oh well, sorry sir we can’t help you.” I said, “Okay, NOW I want my refund!” And he said, “You’re not getting a refund, sorry!” I started to drop the F-Bomb at this point and they threatened to call the police and have me removed from the store. Very scummy and deceptive! For me, it wasn’t the $5 bucks, it was the principle that they were being deceptive.

    2. Second Bad Experience: I basically boycotted purchasing from Best Buy for years after that until I was in the market for a new TV. They had a deal on a Samsung 50 3D LCD TV. I had about $2500 to drop on a package as I wanted to upgrade my home entertainment. They had a decent sale and on the final day of the sale, I convinced myself to give them another try. I was talking to some punky snot nosed kid in the TV area at the Best Buy on 1725 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa and told him what I wanted. He started with his “add-ons” pitch and told me I needed to buy their $100 gold plated HDMI cables otherwise my 3D experience would not work properly. I basically told him I understood the need for good cables but that I was pretty sure he was full of crap and not to lie to me any further otherwise I would walk away. He brings my TV out and there is a huge forklift hole in the front of the box. I said, “Bring that back and get me another one, I don’t want one that has been damaged by a forklift. He said, “Oh, well this is the last one in stock and the deal expires tonight.” I said, “Well, then get me a rain check or something…” He said, “We don’t do that, if you don’t purchase it tonight you won’t be able to take advantage of the sales and besides, the forklift never came in contact with the TV.” I said, “So you are telling me you personally inspected the box and that you can see that the forklift never came in contact with the TV.” He said, “Yes, that’s correct. I looked in back and all looks fine.” The box had the plastic tabs you can release at the bottom so that was possible I guess so like an idiot I said, “Ok fine…” I get the TV home, unpack it and find a huge indentation/scratch on the screen directly in front of where the “forklift” hole was on the front of the box. I got very upset, repackaged it back up and drove back to the Best Buy and dragged the piece of crap up to Customer Service. They asked me for my reason for return and I said, “Forklift damage”. The associate said, “Well, do you want to exchange it?” I said, “I can’t, you don’t have any more in inventory, this was it…” She looks at the computer and said, “Ummm, no we have plenty of those in stock.” I was furious but it was getting late and I just wanted to be done with it so I took the exchange and told them they should fire the liar in the back and to keep him away from me because I had a violent urge coming on for him sticking it to me.

    3. Third Bad Experience: About a year and a half ago, they had announced the release of a 4K Anniversary DVD for the Terminator 2 movie. It comes with a cool Terminator Arm on a pedestal. It was on pre-release so I pre-purchased the product through BestBuy.com. For whatever reason, there were delays in releasing it, etc. so it’s been at least a year and they still hadn’t fulfilled the order. In that time I had moved and had contacted BestBuy with my new address, etc. I just got an email today that they cancelled my order because they couldn’t charge my card. I called them up and got a snotty woman on the phone saying, “Sorry sir, your order was cancelled because your card declined.” I told her, “Well obviously the billing error is on your side because there is plenty of money on the card, can we just update the information and reprocess the order?” She said, “Unfortunately no sir, and since this is a pre-purchase item, you can’t reprocess the order.” I started seeing red… I said, “Get a supervisor on the phone NOW!!! You people are the worst slime on the planet, how do you people sleep at night….” and she interrupted “well sir, I like working for Best Buy… sorry you feel that way!” Meanwhile, I’m getting more mad, she keeps defending their actions so I told her to be quiet and get a supervisor that I didn’t need to her her reply to my venting. Tina the supervisor got on the phone and basically told me, “Yes, we can’t process the order again… I’m sorry.” I didn’t take it out on her because I can tell she actually cared and this was something not in her control. It’s an insignificant item, but this was the last straw dealing with a company with poor customer service and lack of consumer compassion, lying and deception.

    Best Buy will never, EVER see another red cent from me. I am going to work feverishly to blog about my horrible experiences and make sure I get the word out. They have been the worst company to do business with. It is my dying wish to see that this company get shut down. I’m considering a complaint with the Attorney General’s office about their deceptive business practices.

  57. Jenny Rogers says:

    Hello,

    We just had the most bizarre customer service experience ever at our local Best Buy. It was such a horribly negative customer service experience that we are still in the worst mood. Yesterday, we went into our local Best Buy to purchase an open box available at the West LA Store. When we got there we were told we needed an appt, which was no problem. Since we didn’t have one we were asked to just waiting patiently in a cue and when we got inside our sales rep couldn’t find the tv. He told us to go home and purchase it online and come back the next morning and they would hook it up for us so we could make sure it was working well. So we did just that and today when we went back we were treated so incredibly badly. They found the tv, but would not hook it up and they refused to allow us into the store even though we had an appt. for curbside pickup. When we asked for a consultant appt. they said there were none available, but during the 2 hours we were there NO APPTS. showed up. The Sales Manager even let someone else in while we were waiting for our LYFT to help get the flat screen home. He had no excuses. We believe we were subject to discrimination because of our sexual orientation and plan to pursue this compliant with Best Buy corporate.

  58. I wonder how many times Best Buy faces chargebacks from credit card due to their refusal to honor their own return policies for defective merchandise.

  59. Christian says:

    I can’t agree more. They have had one of my laptops in their bs service for months now. The machine is only 7 months old and under warranty and I they won’t do anything. I’ve talked to their management, they could care less. No refund, no exchange, just sit and wait. Pretty poor customer service. I’m their target demographic and they have successfully alienated me. I’ll never spend another dime with them.

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