The Energon Pub

Ok, I need to rant.

My wife got me Venture Bros. season 1 for my birthday. Problem is I already have it. No big deal, I'll exchange it for season two. Not so fast, she lost the receipt. And even though it is still freakin shrink wrapped, they wouldn't let me exchange it because they couldn't prove that it had been purchased there within the last 30 days! I almost had security called on me because I told the manager what I thought of there policy (yes there was profanity). I understand what they are trying to do, but exchanging one season for another just doesn't seem like that big of a deal. All this after I gave them about $1200 in the last two months.

Ok I'm done.

sell it on ebay

If Best Buy pissed me off, I'd just wouldn't buy from them anymore. There are too many options, including online stores.

Take it to Wal*Mart, the'll exchange anything.

I used to be a Wal*Martian, and if you make a big enough stink or threaten to call home office, they'll do just about anything you want.

Same problem happened to me too, I purchased a computer cable for my video camera that I never opened because I didn't need it. Then when I tried to return it I didn't have the receipt and they wouldn't give me store credit for it even though it was clearly a "Geek Squad" cable sold by nobody else but them! This was the second instance with them that pissed me off. The first was when they wouldn't price match a DVD that I wanted to buy after I showed them the flyer for the other store that had it on sale that I couldn't buy it from because they were sold out. They said that they would only price match if the item was in stock over there. The whole reason I wanted it at Best Buy for the other store's price is because the other store didn't have it to begin with! I went to Wal-Mart instead and brought the DVD there for the matched price. I will never buy anything from Best Buy ever again unless someone gives me a gift card. I'll buy all of my electronics from Wal-Mart thank-you very much. No return policy issues or price match qualms there.

Try getting a broken TV replaced 6 months after you bought it from there. Then you'll know what dealing with Best Buy is like. But if your wife used her credit card you can tell them to look up the purchase date with her card number. They'll find it, print a new receipt and refund the money.

With Best Buy you just have to find the correct way to get what you want. It's like boxing really. If you go for the head and they block, you then go for the stomach. If nothing works you kick them in the nuts and laugh.

Though I still shop at Best Buy even though I vowed never to again. No store has what I am looking for besides them most of the time.

that happened to me with some psp games.. needless to say they ended up at ebgames, and i don't shop at best buy anymore

Best Buy is just a terrible place to shop, overall.

No one's helpful, the prices aren't that great for what you get (although they tend to be cheaper than Circuit City...) and their return policy is terrible.

If you want to return something, you're basically screwed unless you jump through their hoops, and even then it's iffy.

If you need to return something, you're just screwed period and might as well give in. For some reason, when they realize you need it, they won't give it.

Their business approach is one of the worst I've seen.

Did she buy it with a debit/ credit card? They can always look up the card on the computer and the receipt number would be on there. Though I haven't been able to do that at Best Buy, I have done it at Target and Wal-Mart.

Autobot032 wrote:Best Buy is just a terrible place to shop, overall.

No one's helpful, the prices aren't that great for what you get (although they tend to be cheaper than Circuit City...) and their return policy is terrible.

If you want to return something, you're basically screwed unless you jump through their hoops, and even then it's iffy.

If you need to return something, you're just screwed period and might as well give in. For some reason, when they realize you need it, they won't give it.

Their business approach is one of the worst I've seen.

You realize that when you give in. They win. It took me almost a month to get a new TV, switching between them and (a company I'll never purchase another item from) Samsung. But when I finally got the SRA forms after talking to the VP of the US branch of Samsung I got their old poopy one taken back and got myself a Westinghouse for $100 less...And it has more features and works better than the two Samsungs I went through.

Seriously if more people would hound these stores they would eventually start breaking down their "oh we can't do that" policies.

My wife was able to get it exchanged later. We had to call the "customer service" line, and get the information from our reward zone card. Thank god she used that or else I would have been screwed. Now why didn't the freakin manger suggest, "did she use a reward zone card? We could look it up that way". She just said no, was not helpful at all, and was rude about it. So I was very rude back. I definitely went a little too far, but at the time I was REALLY ticked.

Someday she will feel the wrath of the Monarch!!!

See thats the thing I've learned. If one of them is rude to you, be nice. Then keep her/his name in mind. Then call customer service at that store and ask for the senior manager. Tell him their name and say because of their horrible and rude attitude you will never shop at their store again. I've gotten two extremely rude teens fired from Best Buy using this method. All because they thought they could be smart and tell me something can do something when I know it can't. And then me pointing it out to them and the person getting angry and belligerent.

Nightwatcher wrote:See thats the thing I've learned. If one of them is rude to you, be nice. Then keep her/his name in mind. Then call customer service at that store and ask for the senior manager. Tell him their name and say because of their horrible and rude attitude you will never shop at their store again. I've gotten two extremely rude teens fired from Best Buy using this method. All because they thought they could be smart and tell me something can do something when I know it can't. And then me pointing it out to them and the person getting angry and belligerent.

Yeah, I was too angry at the time to think of that. Normally I'm much calmer about these things, but this one just set me off. Just because it's "policy" doesn't mean it's right.

I'm glad I've never had much trouble with Best Buy. Maybe it's my Best Buy, but they are the best place around and the people are nice. The only trouble I ever had was I bought the TNA Best of the X Division Vol 2 DVD a couple days ago and it rang up too high. I got my 3 bucks back though. (although I had my receipt and I hadn't left the store yet.) Only trouble I ever had with them.

Nightwatcher wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:Best Buy is just a terrible place to shop, overall.

No one's helpful, the prices aren't that great for what you get (although they tend to be cheaper than Circuit City...) and their return policy is terrible.

If you want to return something, you're basically screwed unless you jump through their hoops, and even then it's iffy.

If you need to return something, you're just screwed period and might as well give in. For some reason, when they realize you need it, they won't give it.

Their business approach is one of the worst I've seen.

You realize that when you give in. They win. It took me almost a month to get a new TV, switching between them and (a company I'll never purchase another item from) Samsung. But when I finally got the SRA forms after talking to the VP of the US branch of Samsung I got their old poopy one taken back and got myself a Westinghouse for $100 less...And it has more features and works better than the two Samsungs I went through.

Seriously if more people would hound these stores they would eventually start breaking down their "oh we can't do that" policies.

Might I ask, what exactly is the problem with a Samsung TV? My dad wants to buy one of their 27 inch Slim-Fit HDTVs (and it's rather cheap at $468 or so..) but if it's going to end up going back (which takes a lot of hassle) it's better to just not get it from the get go.

EDIT: Forgot one thing, I've heard several cases of the screens..."bowing" (I've seen that on other TVs, it's a real pisser.) is that still the case with their stuff?

when I bought a video card from best buy I couldn't find out why it wouldn't install. Best buy ran me back and forth from my house to the store a total 9 times. costing me 100 bucks, giving my compy a memory wipe and a bunch of worthless info.

They send it out to be looked out, find nothing wrong and tell me they're stumped. I go home, find out I haven't downloaded the rest of the drivers and it works.

Geek squad spend all that time and never figured that out. No wonder they're geeks, geeks aren't smart.

You aren't alone in your hatred bud.

It's not surprising, stores will try anything not to give back money once they've pocketed it. I used to work for a few companies we have over here (Dixons, Currys, PC World and Partmaster) and they used to give us training sessions titled, "How to Take Customer Downpayment Without a Product To Sell" and so forth. It was actually written like that on our digital work schedules! It was always related to pre-orders on Samsung fridges, LCD's, etc. when they knew that their stock intake was not going to satisfy expected demand.

They would teach us how to lie to customers, how to delay or prolong exchanges / refunds, etc. One thing they always told us was no matter what time of the year it was, we always tried to delay a refund until the start of the new tax year (April) so that the money they would eventually have to give back would still be counted on the end-of-year profit accounts.

Needles to say, I resigned mid-2006.

Autobot032 wrote:

Nightwatcher wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:Best Buy is just a terrible place to shop, overall.

No one's helpful, the prices aren't that great for what you get (although they tend to be cheaper than Circuit City...) and their return policy is terrible.

If you want to return something, you're basically screwed unless you jump through their hoops, and even then it's iffy.

If you need to return something, you're just screwed period and might as well give in. For some reason, when they realize you need it, they won't give it.

Their business approach is one of the worst I've seen.

You realize that when you give in. They win. It took me almost a month to get a new TV, switching between them and (a company I'll never purchase another item from) Samsung. But when I finally got the SRA forms after talking to the VP of the US branch of Samsung I got their old poopy one taken back and got myself a Westinghouse for $100 less...And it has more features and works better than the two Samsungs I went through.

Seriously if more people would hound these stores they would eventually start breaking down their "oh we can't do that" policies.

Might I ask, what exactly is the problem with a Samsung TV? My dad wants to buy one of their 27 inch Slim-Fit HDTVs (and it's rather cheap at $468 or so..) but if it's going to end up going back (which takes a lot of hassle) it's better to just not get it from the get go.

EDIT: Forgot one thing, I've heard several cases of the screens..."bowing" (I've seen that on other TVs, it's a real pisser.) is that still the case with their stuff?

DO NOT BUY A SLIM FIT! That was the type that I had problems with entirely too much. Two sets in the span of 5 months went bad with the deflection shield going out. Biggest pieces of **** I've ever bought. Got a Westinghouse LCD for $100 and have never been happier.

Psycho Warrior wrote:when I bought a video card from best buy I couldn't find out why it wouldn't install. Best buy ran me back and forth from my house to the store a total 9 times. costing me 100 bucks, giving my compy a memory wipe and a bunch of worthless info.

They send it out to be looked out, find nothing wrong and tell me they're stumped. I go home, find out I haven't downloaded the rest of the drivers and it works.

Geek squad spend all that time and never figured that out. No wonder they're geeks, geeks aren't smart.

You aren't alone in your hatred bud.

...ahem, check user name.

Here it gets good though. I got their credit card, maxed it out on car stereo, knock down some prices down on open items (100$ off for 2 1800 watt 12's subwoofers at 119$ each minus 100$) and now since due to my bankruptcy vent final I dont have to pay none of it off. Lmao.

Mighty Scorponok wrote:Here it gets good though. I got their credit card, maxed it out on car stereo, knock down some prices down on open items (100$ off for 2 1800 watt 12's subwoofers at 119$ each minus 100$) and now since due to my bankruptcy vent final I dont have to pay none of it off. Lmao.

i don't know what the beginning of that story is as you seem to have forgotten to post it, but that ending makes you come across as a sleazy thief who's probably got some criminal charges in store. and i don't think any story that concludes with "i didn't have to pay because i went bankrupt" (assuming i interpreted the awful grammar correctly) can rightfully have "lmao" tacked on at the end. bankruptcy isn't exactly the ideal loophole for weaseling out of a bill.

on the subject at hand, i guess i must be lucky. i buy from best buy pretty frequently, and on the occasion that i do have to return a defective product they've been nothing but prompt and courteous. but then, i mostly buy cheap stuff like dvds and cds that go on sale, and i always keep the receipt until i'm sure the thing works. obviously there's much more red tape with the more high-ticket items, but that's probably true anywhere.

Nightwatcher wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:

Nightwatcher wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:Best Buy is just a terrible place to shop, overall.

No one's helpful, the prices aren't that great for what you get (although they tend to be cheaper than Circuit City...) and their return policy is terrible.

If you want to return something, you're basically screwed unless you jump through their hoops, and even then it's iffy.

If you need to return something, you're just screwed period and might as well give in. For some reason, when they realize you need it, they won't give it.

Their business approach is one of the worst I've seen.

You realize that when you give in. They win. It took me almost a month to get a new TV, switching between them and (a company I'll never purchase another item from) Samsung. But when I finally got the SRA forms after talking to the VP of the US branch of Samsung I got their old poopy one taken back and got myself a Westinghouse for $100 less...And it has more features and works better than the two Samsungs I went through.

Seriously if more people would hound these stores they would eventually start breaking down their "oh we can't do that" policies.

Might I ask, what exactly is the problem with a Samsung TV? My dad wants to buy one of their 27 inch Slim-Fit HDTVs (and it's rather cheap at $468 or so..) but if it's going to end up going back (which takes a lot of hassle) it's better to just not get it from the get go.

EDIT: Forgot one thing, I've heard several cases of the screens..."bowing" (I've seen that on other TVs, it's a real pisser.) is that still the case with their stuff?

DO NOT BUY A SLIM FIT! That was the type that I had problems with entirely too much. Two sets in the span of 5 months went bad with the deflection shield going out. Biggest pieces of **** I've ever bought. Got a Westinghouse LCD for $100 and have never been happier.

Yeah, we checked into a Westinghouse 22 inch HD Monitor. (For use primarily as a pc monitor, but can be used as an HD-Ready TV. Component, DVI, Composite, S-Video in.

You still have to supply the tuner or DVD or whatever, of course, but it does indeed do what it claims and has a fantastic picture. Geez...it's gorgeous.

Faceful of Kitchen wrote:on the subject at hand, i guess i must be lucky. i buy from best buy pretty frequently, and on the occasion that i do have to return a defective product they've been nothing but prompt and courteous. but then, i mostly buy cheap stuff like dvds and cds that go on sale, and i always keep the receipt until i'm sure the thing works. obviously there's much more red tape with the more high-ticket items, but that's probably true anywhere.

Yeah, most of my purchases at Best Buy has been for stuff like that. However, if I'm gonna make a more expensive purchase, I guess I'd avoid Best Buy.

I had problem with them exchanging an item that was faulty. One of their subs was an open item in a new box, so I ot screwed, but I told them this: "(Quote) Man you guys sucks, Walmart exchanges everything they sell, and you guys beeing such a big company, cant exchange a single subwoofer. You S-U-C-K. " and walked away.

Mighty Scorponok wrote:I had problem with them exchanging an item that was faulty. One of their subs was an open item in a new box, so I ot screwed, but I told them this: "(Quote) Man you guys sucks, Walmart exchanges everything they sell, and you guys beeing such a big company, cant exchange a single subwoofer. You S-U-C-K. " and walked away.

Well that was your fault actually. It was an open item. There is normally a good reason for it being returned. You taking a crapshoot on the item and having it be broken isn't their fault.