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Best Buy Says Customers Not Always Right
linuxwrangler writes "Best Buy is one of the retailers that has now decided that the customer is not always right. Best Buy consultant Larry Selden has identified "demon customers" like those who file for a rebate then return the item. OK, I get that one (hey Best Buy: dump those customer-despised rebates and you won't have that problem...). Other categories like customers who only buy during sales are more interesting. Best Buy declined comment on how they are dealing with those customers. Some stores have actually "fired" customers. Welcome to the end result of all that customer information data mining."
The last two paragraphs are a great example of putting in a worthless interview that has nothing to do with an article, solely to defend an undefendable topic.
If best buy is sick of people using rebates, then stop offering them. Rebates work by the majority of people not using them, while thinking they are buying it at a great price. If people are going to use rebates without actually buying the item, Best Buy is going to have to live with that. If they think they can get it both ways, they are wrong. It is just another example of horrible customer service and deception backfiring, and then the company having such a great monopoly that they can somehow blame it on the customers, the very people they rely on to make money. Just absurd.
What on earth is wrong with waiting until a sale is on til you buy whatever it is that you have your heart set on?
If it is an urgent purchase that can't wait, then buy it then and there, but if you're happy to wait until whatever it is goes on sale due to it no longer being the newest and shiniest widget, what is wrong with that?
This is penalising people who are swimming against the tide of instant gratification that our credit driven society has pushed.
People have done this from time immemorial in raiding the new years and mid year sales at department stores they don't otherwise shop at
"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the World" 1 John 4:14
Normal costomers like my mom are alright. I mean she thinks, "oh, I need a TV" so she goes to BestBuy or Costco or whatever, finds one that looks pretty, and buys it. Big profits for the store.
If I need a TV, I wait a few weeks until I find a good deal on dealsea or FatWallet. Then I price match to someplace with massive coupon discounts, then I try to even pricematch the rebate. Then if they try to get me to pay for shipping I bitch about it and get that charge taken off. The stores make nothing.
If I was running a business, I wouldn't want people like me as customers. I would want people like my mom. It's just plain business sense.
My case in point:
"This sign says 2 confections for 2 dollars!"
"It says 2 HERSHEY candies for 2 dollars."
"So?"
"Gobstoppers and popcorn don't count, and "almost" only counts in horse-shoes."
And then the customer will whine, and whine, and whine, and whine, and whine. My god, I've never heard so many adult-aged persons whine so much.
It's always something retarded they whine about too: they misunderstood the advertisement and want the deal anyway (yeah, right), or they know somone who used to work here and wants an employee discount, or they have a coupon ... that expired two years ago.
No, I don't need anger managment. I need a shotgun and some whiskey.
Argh... I *hate* the way they aggressively push that damned ripoff service plan. I once bought a TV at Worst Buy, and the last thing the clerk said to me wasn't "Thank you", it was "You realize that if it breaks you can't bring it back here."
Honest to god I was told by a Best Buy sales associate that "If I didn't like the mp3 player, I can return it, file for rebate and come out on top." I think Best Buy needs to invest in employee training first before moving on to "firing" customers.
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One is born into aristocracy, but mediocrity can only be achieved through hard work.
My suggestion is shopping clubs.
Get together a group of good consumers, mums on the school run is a prime recruiting ground. Organise until the number of participants is significant; and issue a membership card.
Then visit the shops.
Tell them that the group will promise to use a particular store for a particular type of shopping in exchange for a discount off all elements in store on production of the membership card. Organise an auction process for a type of shopping for an entire quarter and get the shops to bid against each other.
Providing the manager sees the take goes up for those stores in that quarter, everyone wins.
That way you can exercise the power of the mass market in the same way the shops use their marketing size to drive down supplier costs - the enticement of the large numbers with the threat of losing those numbers if they don't play ball.
In fact, since one thing Slashdot does have is size, that model would work well for Slashdot membership and computer goods...
I see that Royal Bank of Canada sends wealthier customers to the head of the phone queue, while making ones with smaller accounts wait and wait. This is a classic example of abusing the facelessness of phone transactions, leveraging it to their advantage. Could you imagine customers putting up with this kind of stuff in a face-to-face setting? You walk into the bank, and they tell you to go to the "poor people" line? Or say you go into a department store, only to be told that you will have to let other customers cut in front of you, because they are buying more expensive items? That sounds almost like it should be illegal. But hey, what do you expect for a gigantic, faceless corporation?
"Firing Customers" is quite possibly the dumbest thing I've heard today.
No, in certain unusual situations, it's the best thing you can do. (And it's a term I've heard for many, many years.) I worked in a graphics/print shop for a while, and some customers would drive us nuts, and lose us money over the stuff they did. ie. bring in questionable originals for copying, choose the cheapest photocopy option available, then return a 10,000-sheet job because there was a speck in the copies. Or, in a low-end design job, argue over nickle and dime issues for hours, eating up the designer's time that should have been spent on better-paying work.
A few times, we gave them the phone number for a competitor, and told them not to come back.
In the service industry, the customer who is paying the least, will invariably demand the greatest amount of service and attention. Big dollar-customers know what they want, know the value of what they are purchasing, and trust you to do it properly. I imagine there are similarities in the retail industry.
I don't have any sympathy for bad retailers who offer ridiculous deals to customers, with profit margins based on the fact that customers will not exercise options (eg, rebates) or will buy accessories to supplement the original sale.
:).... And *all* my problem customers left me, taking up the offer.
They deserve what they get.
On the other hand, I did run an ISP, so I know what it's like when you give a customer an unlimited account, based on a pool of bandwidth, only to discover they are a leech, and bring down the quality of service for all customers.
Still, they purchased the service legitimately, so I wasn't going to ban them...
So I sent them 3-month gift certificates from a competing ISP
My competitor wasn't too happy when he found out years later, but I was left with a pool of good customers, and those customers I didn't want respected me also, and often recommended me to their friends, many of whom weren't leeches.
Overall, I didn't abuse the customer rights, and I still managed to offer a premium service at a reasonable price. And at better profit margins than my competitors. Not once did I have to make excuses like fair-use policies do.
The moral of this tale? Treat your customers with respect and they'll respect you in return.
GrpA
Enjoy science fiction? "Turing Evolved" - AI, Mecha, Androids and rail-gun battles. What more could you want?
oh god, don't get me started.
one day I went in to get a replacement xbox. No one wanted to help me, but thats cool cause I didn't need help. As soon as I picked up the xbox box, a salesperson came up to me to pitch the product replacement plan. Then, after she left, another salesperson came up to pitch the same thing. After I explained that I had already been approached, she told me that I should probably get a memory card and xbox live, and that the console only came with one controller. Politely I declined and headed up to the register. At the register, the clerk again asked me if I wanted to buy the product replacement plan (honestly, I expected the lady at the register to ask me, so that didn't bother me). Then the door greeter leaned over and told me I should buy a product replacement plan. Then the manager of the store came over and told me I should buy the product replacement plan.
If 1 simple 'no' would have sufficed, having 5 people confront me probably wouldn't be so bad. But when you have to tell each person no at least 3 times, it gets a little old.
So, I promptly chewed out the manager for having pushy employees, cancelled my sale after the credit card transaction when through, and vowed never to return to another Best Buy. Only once have I slipped up, and that time the same shit happened. My buddy was buying two DVDs, and got the store manager to come up to say "Hey, looks like you are buying PS2 games. You probably want a memory card to go with that."
My only regret is that I didn't adequately express my disgust to the store manager. I have a feeling that she liked the fact that her employees were pushy. I'm guessing for every person like me that walks out, there are 5 that cave in and buy that damned PRP.
I've delt with drug dealers that were less pushy then Best Buy employees. Now, I drive the extra 30 minutes to go to Fry's where no one bugs me until I ask a question.
"However," replied the universe, "The fact has not created in me A sense of obligation."
From the article: Anderson said Best Buy was tightening its rebate policies in the case of customers who abuse the privilege, but declined to say what else his company was doing to discourage its most costly customers.
There is a simple way to stop mail in rebate fraud. Give the rebate when the sale is made and record it on the reciept. But computer stores will never do this because of how many people forget to mail in the rebate in time. I for one hate mail in rebates, and think it is deceptive for stores to list the price of a product as the price after the rebate (with the rebate listed in small unreadable font). On second thought, I wonder if what he really means is how to screw people from sending in the rebate, like forcing them to print out their own rebates from some website or shortening the time window.
Now while Circuit City is no better with the rebates, at least there they really try and help you with what you buy. I purchased a laptop from them, saw 2 weeks later it was $100 less at another store (on-sale), and went to get the price match. The manager gave me the money plus 10% of the differance with no problems. She told me she was happy I was a customer and looked forward to servicing my needs again. That was good service.
Rosco: "If brains were gunpowder, Enos couldn't blow his nose."
Even worse - when I bought a Playstation 2 there, The clerk gave me her pitch and said multiple times that she doesn't get commission. Then after I told her I wasn't interested, she let it tip over and fall on its side as if she was emphasizing how easy it was for it to break. Yeah, they know how to treat their customers right.
Actually the CEO of Best Buy Refused his last bonus offering and had it dispersed among lower ranking employees
4 /05/17/daily12.html
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/200
Beware ignorance.
There is evidence to prove both Democrats and Republicans are lying cocksuckers. Vote independently.
I worked at a very small specialized retailer (running store) for about three years.
We had our normal "problem customers". People who would buy a pair of shoes and then bring them back after several long runs on the shoes and try to exchange them. People that would complain about our prices, and so on.
The fact that the owner of the store was there most times to make the final decision, what helped more than anything was having firm, clear-cut policies on things.
If you never took back shoes that had obviously been run in, then the person who was always trying to bring them back worn was going to have a problem. And, I admit, sometimes that meant calling the customer a liar, sometimes to their face.
The customer was always free to go elsewhere. There were even times when I would give directions to another store.
We would never refuse to sell someone a pair of shoes, and we would never treat a customer any differently than any other person off the street. If someone came in trying to return his tenth pair of shoes, I could objectively look at him (and the shoes) the same way as someone who was coming back for the first time to return something. Had the shoe been obviously worn outside? Would I feel comfortable selling this shoe *as new* to another customer? Would I feel comfortable buying this shoe myself, as new?
If the shoe passed those tests, I would take the shoes back, tenth pair coming back or first.
And I will add something on about the rebates - others posting are correct. If you have problems with rebates, *get rid of them*. No one likes them except the retailer, and if the retailer is having problems with them, then no one will be stopping them from getting rid of them.
Now, I also see a difference between a retailer rebate and a manufacturer's rebate. I dislike them both, but the retailer rebate is the worst.
SprintPCS, for example, is making a big deal about this new promotion for existing customers. If you have been a customer for over 18 months, you can get a new phone.
Fine print: SprintPCS will send you a rebate check for up to $150 if you buy the phone, even if you buy is straight from Sprint! So I give SprintPCS my money, and then I have to prove to them I gave them my money, and then 6-8 weeks later they will return *my* money to me?
Insane! Just give me the stupid phone up front!
- (c) 2018 Hank Zimmerman
Wow. The most I've ever gotten is a date with one of the girls who works at the Earthlink kiosk.
You know you're a geek when you complain about getting a date instead of assistance with electronics.
Your "friends" sound like a bunch of assholes.
-1 Redundant: he already said they worked at BestBuy.
I was in Best Buy and the only cashier on duty was holding up the line trying to sell an extended warranty on a Playstation 2 to a person who did not speak English. As typical for idiots compensating for a language barrier, she chose to speak louder as her solution.
"YOU are going to PLAY LOTS"
?
"LOTS!"
"no. play stay shun"
"GAMES! MANY GAMES!"
"games. yes."
"You WILL BENEFIT from EXTENDED WARRANTY if not WORK"
"i work. now play."
The fellow was paying cash and trying to hand over the money. He thought he was being accused of something after a while. She called over an interpreter who had a year of high school spanish. He was unable to communicate with the man because he couldn't phrase the speech into anything but very poor Castillian Spanish which confused the fellow even further (foreign language legal terms > foreign language > Unkown language with terms and words that sound like native language).
They wouldn't take his money until he either agreed or refused the warranty. I started to complain to the cashier and call for the manager. The manager of course said the cashier was being completely proper and that she had to complete the warranty transaction with all customers and I should be considering the benefits of buying an extended warranty for my own purchases.
At that point I walked up to the fellow and said "Say This: No Warranty. No Warranty. No Warranty."
I then handed my $400 item to the cashier and walked out the door vowing never to voluntarily return to that exploitative wasteland again.
I was actually assaulted at a Best Buy for refusing to purchase a PSP (pushed), and then they refused to bring my item to the front register to purchase saying "You can't buy it now"
The operations manager was in the store so I found him and I told him what had just happened (had witnesses, and they have video surveillance) and I said I wanted an assurance that the two employees you assaulted and insulted me would be reprimanded, we went over to where they were and essentially I had to argue with them and the manager just to get the manager to get them to say they shouldn't have done that. I wanted those people fired after having been treated that way, I didn't want these two jerks bullying people there ever again. In the end the manager said "We will deal with them as we see fit" and after all that he says, well you can buy the TV if you want.
I said if you aren't going to fire two employees who assaulted and insulted a customer than I'm not buying anything from your store.
I never went back to that branch again, MAPLEWOOD MINNESOTA, I have had enough experiences with Best Buy that intrestingly enough I still am a customer... I did specifically spend money elsewhere for a few years after that experience however.....
There is evidence to prove both Democrats and Republicans are lying cocksuckers. Vote independently.
No highly modded post has mentioned this yet, so I'll do it. From the article:
/. summaries are) is wrong. The Best Buy VP specifically said "firing" customers is wrong. I'm not saying I like Best Buy or their rebate policies, or pushy sales reps, or questionable return policies, but they (apparently) are NOT looking at "firing" customers.
"Best Buy executive vice president Philip Schoonover said the idea of "firing" some customers is one place where Best Buy disagrees with Selden. The company will try to find ways to make money-losing customers profitable, he said."
In other words, the article summary (as so many
-Trillian
At the store, the clerks look up up the printer and then they tell him they wouldn't let him exchange it. The printer he had had been discontinued for years and there was no way Best Buy could have sold it to him. Basically they tell him tough luck.
Now in Best Buy's defense it looks like he's trying to scam the store, but my buddy asks them two questions. 1) If they can look up the printer, can they not look up if the box had been returned previously. 2) They can certainly look up his purchase history and see that he was a good customer.
After some reluctance and some heated words, they find out that the box had been returned 2 months before my buddy bought it. My buddy had bought thousands of dollars of appliances, electronics, movies, etc with almost no returns.
In my buddy's case they let him exchange the printer, but wouldn't had they not had the data and if he hadn't been so persistent.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
I was looking for a second TV but I was being as frugal as possible, but I also wanted to get the highest quality I could afford. I was working with a Female sales associate who treated me just fine, I had some question she couldn't answer so she went back to ask a co-worker when she came back out two gentlemen (or not so gentle actually, as it turns out.) started to help me, I explained what I was thinking and that I had my eye on an open box Toshiba, they suggested the PSP and I said 'It's an analog TV it only needs to last me 2-3 years (till HD) and if it dies I don't really care as this is a secondary TV for my house) and if I buy that TV I can't afford the PSP.
Then (I shit you not) the one I had been talking with said "Well, you can't afford this TV then, you should get one that is cheaper so you can afford the PSP." I again politely said I am not interested in the PSP, I used toe work at Best Buy (yadda ya) I don't by a warranty unless it is 10% or less than the cost of the item because less than 10% of the electronics I buy either obsolete themselves or don't break within 4 years. The he was like "But do you know that the PSP covers.... I cut him off and said Look I don't want the PSP so please stop talking about it, I'm feeling harassed right now please stop asking me to buy it because the answer is No. Then I said I'd like this open box TV can you have it brought up to the register please. He said, "You should really buy the PSP." Then I calmly said "Do not mention the fucking PSP again, this is abusive, I have stated clearly 3 times that I am uninterested and have also kindly asked you to simply just stop talking to me about it at all. You don't seem to get it.
Here can you understand this "I don't want the fucking PSP"
Then quicker than lightning the other guy who was working with him was standing with his face less than 1/2 inch (really) from mine and said if you are going to swear I'm going to have to ask you to leave, you can't swear here. I said "I'm trying to leave but he won't stop badgering me about a PSP, he crossed the line and is being a jerk" - then the guy in my face pushed me, and I restrained myself entirely and said "Are you going to help me take the TV up to the front? He said "No." and then I said okay then I'll get a cart and do it myself, thanks for nothing. "He then said, you can't buy it" "I thought about engaging him in debate but said you don't have the right to tell me I can't you have assaulted and insulted me, you are not doing you job at all. Then I turned around and walked towards the operations center and talked with the manager we all went back to Home audio where they were now and I had to argue with them because all they would talk about was the fact that I swore (as a defense to the abusive tactics they were trying to employ). You know the rest I stated it above.
I did contact a Lawyer because I was so upset at how things had happened, however since it was at night I left a voicemail for him. I never got a call back and I just kinda let it go, knowing that people who act like that will eventually get theirs or learn to not act like that (either case is fine with me)
There is evidence to prove both Democrats and Republicans are lying cocksuckers. Vote independently.
My old man was a cheapskate, but he grew up in Europe without a lot of money. I was with him one trip when he pulled up to the Texaco in his Jaguar and bought $1 worth of gas. (OK, that was 2 gallons in those days, but still...) That would keep him going until the Esso where he could use his Esso Credit Card. Oh, and he got a fantastic deal on the Jaguar...
I don't have that kind of brass, or I'd be the "you're fired" customer. If I go to Joe's Eats, I don't know what a burger costs til I walk in the door and read the menu, and I don't know how good it is until it arrives. If I was brassy, I could then reject it and walk out without paying , but it's so much simpler at the big franchises. Plus, sometimes (often) my wife and I will split a single meal; I feel imposing to do that in a small private business (lack of "brass"), but McDonald's couldn't care less if you order nothing but a small coffee and a cup of water.
People will agree that getting rebates on returned merchandise is theft, but I don't think BB will win customers by telling them not to take advantage of sales. I think they'll win more friends with a "let's get simple" approach. Also, here in Canada, eh?, you pay sales tax on the price before rebate - no rebate on taxes - 14% or more! Hmm... I wonder if they claim GST (VAT) back on that rebate? Rebates are a practice I tolerate because I have no choice - and usually take months for the cheque to arrive - and oh yeah, the bank will charge you a service fee to deposit - another 50-cent insult...
The rebate is a gimmick that (a) allows them to advertise a lower than true price - exaggerrated low price gets you in the door so the salesman can work his magic... - and (b) puts some limit on the quantity you buy (If like many box stores, the small retailer says "Their retail is lower than my wholesale!". The Grocery chains enforce limits with their "club" cards, but food is a whole different class of retail.
Those stupid warranty programs are a rip. When Sears first tried selling me one years ago for my fridge, my response was "are you suggesting you expect this product to fail??" When we bought coverage for our car tires from the dealer, and had to claim while away from home, it was almost as more trouble than it was worth. "Sorry, that warranty is through the dealer 1500 miles away, talk to them..." Had to buy a used tire as a spare and ask the dealer later for reimbursement of extra expense. Good thing they liked us...
BTW, notice that the world's biggest, most successful retailer is the one that offers NO gimmicks or sseasonal sales or other crap? Just "everyday, low prices". OK, so they're not always, but for all the (many) complaints thrown at Wal-Mart, the rarest are "I just bought it and then it went on sale", "I found it MUCH cheaper at another store", and "they tried to sell me an extended warranty".
I used to work at the big yellow tag (oh gosh I hope they don't track me down and kill me for this). I only worked there for a few weeks while I waited for my interview for a real job. Anyway, one night while we were closing the store some of the employees were crowded around one of my coworkers in my dept. (computers of course). One of them turned to me and said, "This guy can juggle anything". Sure enough, he was juggling 2 Hard Drives and a spool of CDRs. He dropped one of the harddrives and said "Oops, they better buy the service plan on that one!" ... Everyone chuckled.
I work for a major department store chain as a your basic associate (younger geeks have to find crap first jobs as we all know). Now I agree with all of you when it comes to the shopping experience: leave me the hell alone, if I need your help I'll ask for it.
But the thing is, it's not how you or I want your shopping experience to be, it's how the management wants your shoppping experience to be.
I didn't say hi to you within 30 seconds of your walking into my department? Bad associate!
I did say hi to you, but a manager walked by so now they insist I have to say hi to you again, even though that just makes you mad.
Done shopping? NO! How about more of the stuff you've got now, but in different colors/styles or accessories even though you told me you only came in for a pair of socks.
Now you're done shopping? Would you like to put this on our store issued credit card? Don't have one? Well what's holding you back from opening a 25% interest account? I must insist!
(Incidentally they feed us BS saying that the real reason they issue cards is because those customers who have them tend to be more loyal and spend more than on your standard everyday credit card, but if that was the case why charge so much interest?)
Now that our transaction is complete, and all you want to do is get the hell out of here, would you like to fill out a feedback card describing your shopping experience and determing my worth as a human being to my superiors?
Unless your dealing with just a complete asshole, odds are the employee is as equally annoyed as you are by pushing those nonsense extras.
Cut us some slack ehh?
Its a cultural thing, as an American I really never noticed the way customers are treated in the states until I travelled abroad.
People in the states all feel they are equal and won't let themselves feel subservant. Its that sense that, "yes I'm a waitress, I'll get your food, but you're not better than me." Except, like you said, fancy places, where people will cater to you since you will pay the extra it takes. That gets combined with the sense that the job is what counts mentality, your plane ticket just entitles you to get from point A to point B, whether the stewardesses like you or not doesn't matter.
I don't think your experiences are uncommon, Americans are used to and expect that kind of treatment. The perception from American customers is basically "I don't care how nice you are to me, as long as the food doesn't suck." There is a level of service expected, but its below what I've experienced in foreign countries.
I can understand how foreigners are shocked by customer service in the US. On the flip side, many Americans feel uneasy and even guilty at the extra level of service they get in foreign countries. When I travel I feel bad that I'm not supposed to tip the bellhop, or the waiter in some countries no matter how good the service.
Just write off your experience to cultural differences
As for taxi drivers, they will rip you off in any country, I think its part of the test to get their license.
The Atkins craze is because everybody has a friend who dated this person who knew somebody who lost 50lbs on the diet.
D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
No, you know you're not a geek when you can get a date and need assistance with electronics!
"[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz
I thought extended warranties ruined the consumer electronics market... Now I think rebates are taking it to a new low. Here's my story:
At an electronics store I worked at in 1985 and 1990, they were pushing "extended warranties" (essentially 2-year over the counter replacement plans), and were telling us they were over 90% pure profit for the company. These plans were about 8-10% of the purchase price.
I did my part as a salesman and always took the customer's word of a problem on any "replacement plan" return. I did have to see a demonstration of the problem (company rules), but once shown the problem I never argued about it and sided with the customer. One great example had a customer who bought a dictation recorder that had "auto reverse" when recording, so both sides of the tape could be recorded on without flipping the cassette. it was a very cool feature at the time and it cost a cool $99 back then. When it came back busted some time later, I told him that model was discontinued and we don't have any more. The only replacement was a $249.00 unit that was the only model that currently recorded in auto reverse. The customer balked and said he wasn't going to spend the extra money and the auto reverse was not that important to him. I gently reminded the customer that we are required to give him an "equivalent model" as a replacement.
He suddenly got a clue and said yes, the auto reverse is a very nice feature indeed. The manager came over and I told him this was the only model with the features of his broken unit. The customer got the $249 unit and left very happy (bought another plan too, at a prorated price). The odd thing is, management did not care how many replacements were done, they only wanted the number of plans SOLD.
That serves the company right for shoving these plans down the salespeople's throats, and I managed to do it all within the framework of the company's rules. My job was customer service and sales, and harassing customers over these things was not serving the customer. I thought replacement plans were very worthwhile on certain items only, such as cassette-type Walkmans (this was in the mid-late 80's). These saw tons of abuse by joggers and were lucky to last 6-12 months. I saw lots of these come back after a few months with unhappy customers and determined these were the only thing I ever thought a replacement plan was good for.
In 1990, the company switched to a 3rd party warranty provider that said basically said they repair it. If it breaks more than twice in a 2, 3 or 5 year period, it would be replaced. Then work really started shoving these plans that cost up to 33% of the product price down our throats. We were required to sell 5% of our total sales with these plans. Later, this rose to 8% then 10%. Failing to meet quota meant lowered commission percentages and possible suspension.
In the end I and another worker were suspended over not selling enough of these. I waited the full week, then called in to say I wasn't coming in anymore. My coworker did the same. It made no difference.
One year later there was an article in the paper over this 3rd party not honoring the plans sold by my company because the company failed to pay them their share of the warranty price.
I always find "No thanks, under EU law it's covered by the manufacturer for five years anyway" is a great way to shut them up.
"Extended warranties" are just a cheap form of insurance policy, with a one-payment premium, no surrender value and {probably} a claims procedure designed to discourage claims. Great for the insurance company, but to get the best value out of it as a customer, you really need your own paper recycling facility. Yet, incredibly, people are stupid enough to pay for them. This suggests to me that they don't know how something works, whether that's the insurance or the electronics. But then again, there's a fine tradition of getting fat off other people's ignorance .....
..... drops sharply over the first few months, stays constant, begins rising again after a fixed time). In fact, we used to deliberately pre-stress many of the units we made, by running them for a few hours at high ambient temperature and then rapidly cooling them, before giving them a final test. Better an important component fails in our test chamber than on the customer's premises ..... especially if the thing is strapped to the engine of a muddy tractor ..... And for the failure rates we experienced and the cost of corrective action {most of the failures were repairable ..... unless they went on fire ..... it was always fun when that happened} this testing was still cheaper, and less work, than honouring a warranty.
Having worked in the electronics industry, I know about the bathtub curve (the probability of failure plotted against time resembles a side view of a bathtub
The point is, if just about anything electronic doesn't break within the first year -- where it's covered by law -- then it'll probably last ten years or more. {Of course you have to allow for the Six B's (batteries, bulbs, brushes, belts, bearings, blades); but since these are usually designed to be field-replaceable, they fall outside the scope of any warranty.} Extended warranties are almost never worthwhile -- if you ever have to claim on it, a new appliance even better than the one you bought probably will not cost you much more than the extended warranty plan.
Je fume. Tu fumes. Nous fûmes!
Reminds me of when I tried to buy a mobile phone in Phones4U (a UK chain). I did my research, told the salesman which phone I wanted and on which priceplan. He tried to upsell me to a different phone; I said no. He tried to upsell me to a different price plan; I said no. He tried to sell me insurance; I said no.
He then started to plead with me that if I didn't buy anything extra or more expensive, he wouldn't make any commission. Eventually he said he'd need the manager's approval to sell me an item that was advertised on the shop floor and that I was trying to buy! At that point I walked out of the store, to his apparent amazement. (Though the amazement was all mine when I saw the same guy working there a year later. If he's as efficient at getting rid of other customers as he was with me, it's amazing the store is still open.)
The author of this post asserts his moral rights.
A business is under no obligation legally to take back a returned item once sold, as long as it is not defective and was not sold under false pretenses. Businesses like BestBuy take returns in the first place as a courtesy to customers, because it's something people expect from large stores.
This is not true. Most states have laws on their books that say something to the effect of "Any buyer has the right to return an item within 3 days of purchase."
In addition, always buy with your credit card. Most credit cards have a 90 day return policy on any item you buy. They say, what they will do is refund your money if the merchant refuses to take the return back within 90 days. In actuality, they issue a chargeback to the merchant, and you get your money regardless. Of course the merchant is getting screwed, but remember folks, this is Best Buy. Fuck 'em. Until they stop using deceptive marketing practices like "FREE after rebate!". Of which, there are three rebates, and they purposefully disqualify you for some nitpicky reason like you forgot to dot an I on the rebate application, or each one of the 3 rebates requires the Original UPC code (not a copy), so you can only really get one of them.
The practices they have been engaging in for years are fraudulent and deceptive. They shouldn't be surprised to find out that some customers are manipulating these processes for their own gain (getting rebates after returning the items). The entire system would be far better if the FTC made rebates illegal. Everything would be one price, you would pay that price, and that's it. This will never happen though, because the government likes the higher sales tax they get, because customers pay the sales tax on the original price, not the price they get after rebate.
"When the president does it, that means it's not illegal." - Richard M. Nixon
Looking at the mail address ajs318 might be british. I don't know if they have legally mandated coverage, but here in Denmark we have 2 years (with a change in the "burden of evidence" after six months, after that the customer needs to argue that the defect was not caused by treating the item wrongly). There are of cause stores that try to weasel out, but then there is a cheap (~$10, refunded if you win), government sponsored organisation to complain to, and in the worst case the courts and the media to help you (obviously this does not work in all cases, but if you avoid really shady businesses it gives quite good protection).
i have a laptop sitting here that they absolutely refused to repair/replace under their "PSP" the backlight died 2 years into it's life and I have 1 year left on the PSP...
i was pointed to the clause specifically EXCLUDING the LCD screen. I pointed out that the PSP Ibought does not have that wording and I was told "we change the terms and wording all the time, and we reserve the right to do so without notification." and had it pointed out to me...
Then all smiles, "I can get an associate to help you buy another laptop."
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
In 1999 I bought a stereo system from BestBuy. I was going to get a free sub-woofer but they were "out" of them so i got a rain-check. After visiting the store about 10 times over the next 6 weeks to get the woofer, I finally became so irrate that I virtually turned the store upside down talking to the managers.
After the heated discussion, I went out to my car and got a book I had laying in the car and went back to the same manager, now engaged in another discussion with a customer and said "Here! You take this book since I believe you have an urgent need for it!" The books name was "Customer Service for Dummies". I ended up getting a much more expensive woofer than the cheap one they bundled with the stereo system.
BestBuy hear this: Since 1999 I have not been inside one of your stores and I have spent over $20000 on consumer electronics. Money that your stores could have gotten if you had people with the faintest clue on how to treat customers. Remember BestBuy, it's customer like me who pay your paycheck!
If you mod me down, I *will* introduce you to my sister!
Not Best Buy, but CompUSA.
I was having a computer repaired. The woman and her husband in front of me were arguing viciously with the manager that they should be able to buy a memory card that was on sale two days prior at the sale price.
She was in a wheelchair, she was vulgar, abusive, played the pity card, etc. Her husband was no better. They even lied that they had called in and the "manager" had told them they could. (note: she was talking to said manager)
The manager wouldn't budge.
I was amazed and amused at the gall these assholes exhibited and watched as the worked their way out of the store and through the parking lot. Making *very* sure everyone saw how upset the poor, crippled woman was.
Upshot. When they got back to their truck, the "crippled" woman got out of her wheelchair, picked it up, and TOSSED it into the truck .
I told the manager what I'd seen and all he could do was shake his head.
And people wonder why retailers come to despise some people.
After a few more problems with the way BB treats its customers I don't shop there anymore. There is a Circuit City right across the street.
My family has had several great experiences with Circuit City. We bought an open-box big screen TV (for a good bit less than a new one), which promptly broke a week later. As frustrating as that was, Circuit City delivered a brand new one the next day, at no cost to us. When this same TV broke again a few years later (bad model, i suppose) we called in to have it serviced under the extended warranty. Also another poor experience at first, as the repairman seemed relatively clueless and couldn't fix the TV, but a few weeks later when the TV still hadn't been fixed, Circuit City gave us store credit for the full price (unopened box) of the TV when it was new. That let us upgrade our 4:3 standard resolution TV to a bigger 16:9 HDTV for something like $60 more.
As much as I hate those 'extended warranties', Circuit City's definitely turned out in our favor.
"Do not mention the fucking PSP again, this is abusive, I have stated clearly 3 times that I am uninterested and have also kindly asked you to simply just stop talking to me about it at all. You don't seem to get it. Here can you understand this "I don't want the fucking PSP"
Rule #1: Never drop the f-bomb. It gets you noplace and changes the basis of the conversation. Forty years ago, it was shocking and people would react by surrendering. Today it just makes them angry and you immediately lose any opportunity to win the argument.
At least you won. I purchased an open-box Viewsonic monitor years ago, with the promise (printed on the box in huge letters) that Best Buy would honor the manufacturer's warranty. Six months later, the monitor went Kaput. Best Buy no longer carried it, or ANY monitor that met the specs it had-- and refused to replace it. I was offered store credit only. Nothing they had would match the refresh rate and resolution of the broken monitor. I went around and around with them for months, finally receiving an email from customer service that "this was the last email I would receive on the subject."
While I'll admit to having bought a DVD or two there in the intervening four years, they haven't seen a dime for hardware or software. Which, as in your case, has been a significant amount.
The problem, though, is that there is no real alternative. When BB screwed me, I tried other stores-- but when my HDTV failed it took HHGregg (local electronics chain) 4 house calls followed by SIX WEEKS in the shop to diagnose and repair it, despite promising 1-week turnaround. They missed four promised delivery dates to return the set after that.
Circuit City hasn't done it yet, but I can't imagine they're any more honorable than the rest.
What do you do when ALL your choices are like that? Stop buying, I guess.
I worked at Best Buy while looking for a full time programming job and I can tell you everything you want to know about the computer department.
:(
It is true that the managers receive bonuses based on the performance of their departments but it is based by monthly performance, so if you don't want to buy a PSP and don't want to be badgered by pressured sales people, go to buy from beginning to mid month.
Also, as any customer service or sales representative will tell you, being hostile will get you nowhere. If you antagonize me or address me as if I am beneath you, you will not get any help from me. From someone else, you will get some lip back, because it is not a job people regret losing (low paying, crappy hours, dealing with customers like you).
Last but not least. PSP (at least in my store) was a good buy ON CERTAIN ITEMS. (like emachines) We had an extraordinary number of them returned due to problems and Best Buy does not deal with manufacturer warranties. The reason people tell you "You know that you can't bring it back here if it breaks" is because many idiots bring an item back without a service plan, past the return period, and demand Best Buy to repair or replace the item. It wears down everyone in the customer service and the tech department when the customer should know that they need to contact the manufacturer.
That said, I worked in a great store, while it was a great store. Rule of thumb is: Go to a newly opened Best Buy if possible, or one where there is a lot of competition. The managers there are more experienced and customer (as well as staff) oriented because they are either:
a) training new staff or,
b) trying to retain customer base.
Our good management went away after a while (promoted internally) and supervisors, while good sales people, moved up into management and just were not so good. After that our entire computer dept. left because we could not deal with the management.
After my stints in sales, and customer service, I was amazed at how many people can be just plain rude and hostile just because someone has to ask one question (I never repeatedly asked for PSP, but I was knowlegeable about computers and thus had a better sales record, and thus was retained as an employee)
My dream is to make a "How to be a good customer" website, describing techniques of being nice AND getting what you want from the sales person (not mutually exclusive).
TANSTAAFL