Best Buy Randomly Delivers Your New Stove In The Middle Of Your SuperBowl Party
Reader Jennifer wanted a new stove so she could cook delicious vittles for noshing during the SuperBowl. Sadly, she bought her stove from Best Buy, so instead of having a new stove for her party, she had a new stove delivered during the SuperBowl while she had a house full of guests. She launched an EECB (Executive Email Carpet Bomb) on them and CC'd us so we could listen in.
Here's her letter:
Dear Best Buy,We hope that Sears idea is just an empty threat. Let's toss this one out to the readers: Where should Jennifer make her appliance purchases in the future?I bought a stove on-line on January 3, 2008 (order number[redacted]). I paid for delivery ($60.00) and set a delivery date of January 28, 2008 in the hope that I would be able to use my new stove for the Sunday Brunch/Super Bowl party that I was planning to throw on February 3, 2008. When I ordered there was no mention that there would be a separate installation charge ($100), nor did the website describe the procedure for how to get the stove installed--it only asked me about delivery. For someone like me who has never purchased a stove before it was unclear that delivery and installation were two different things. When I purchased my new refrigerator from Sears last year, for example, they delivered it, installed it, and took away the old one, free of charge! It did not occur to me that this would not be the case with my new stove.
On Sunday, January 27, 2008 a local Best Buy clerk called to confirm the delivery time for the next day and informed me then (in response to my asking) that the stove would not be installed when it was delivered and that I had not requested installation. When I asked about how I could get the stove installed when it was delivered, the store clerk was completely unhelpful and blamed me for buying it on-line. I called the Best Buy helpline repeatedly that Sunday afternoon to determine what I needed to do to get the stove delivered, installed, and the old stove removed. Often put on hold I was entertained by the friendly Best Buy spokesman who informed me that buying appliances online with Best Buy was so easy and installation was a breeze! I'm sure that you can imagine that these reassurances did not help my frustration. In fact, no one was able to help me on that day, despite my many calls and what seemed to be their best efforts.
Repeated phone calls to the Best Buy helpline the next day yielded a promised installation date of Monday, February 04, 2008--a week after it was supposed to be delivered and too late for my planned party. I figured that this was the best that I could do under the circumstances. I waited all day for delivery on Monday, January 28, but no one came. I did, however, receive an email from Best Buy informing me that my stove had been delivered on that day. I wrote back to say, "hey, no it had not" and I received an email in response that said that they would look into it and that they had assigned my case to a specialist--ohh a specialist! I have not heard from said specialist, so I fear that your specialists are not so special.
I made many more calls to the Best Buy helpline, local store, and the distribution center. I was told that they would now deliver on Friday, February 1. I waited all day, but they did not come. I called and was told that the local store would contact the delivery guys and call me back as soon as they learned something. I received no phone call. Many, many more phone calls between me, Best Buy helpline, local Best Buy store, Distribution Center, Delivery guys, and Installation guys ensued. I had now wasted two whole days waiting for my stove to be delivered without getting a stove.
Finally, my stove was delivered yesterday (on Super Bowl Sunday while I had a house full of guests). Today the stove was installed (only a half hour late!) and seems to be working fine. I suppose that I should be grateful that I have my new stove, but I have to admit that I'm still quite frustrated. On a positive note, I liked that the many times when I called your helpline there was an actual human being to direct my call--well done, Best Buy! Additionally, the many Best Buy helpline folks I spoke to were friendly, but unfortunately there was little that they could do to actually get my stove to my house or get it installed. The local people I spoke to were rude and frustrating, for the most part.
Here are my questions for you now: Why doesn't your website tell consumers that delivery and installation are not the same? Why not give them the information about how to arrange to get their new stoves installed? Why did I have to make phone calls to five different levels of the company to get my stove to my house and installed? Why has no one offered to refund my delivery charge?
Obviously, I am not pleased. Recounting my tale of woe to everyone I know has frequently yielded the same question: "Why didn't you order your stove from Sears?" Gee, I think, that sounds so sensible. Why didn't I buy my new stove from Sears? I am going to need to purchase a new dishwasher in the next year, I'm sure that Sears is the sensible choice for all of my future appliance purchases.
Sincerely,
Jennifer
(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)
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Comments:
I have never had a problem with Sears. They show up on time, install without issues, and even take care of Los Angeles city permitting (now that's a racket!). No muss, no fuss.
That's my experience. Let the "you're insane-- they suck!) bitching about Sears begin.
Local. Local. Local. Find a locally owned business that prides itself on service and knows about their products; there are actually such places still around for appliances (well, sometimes) and though you can still run into trouble you can actually talk to human beings - even the owner, perhaps - and get results if you have issues. The price might be a tad higher, but the experience will be vastly superior and the additional money will go back into your local economy.
To be more helpful than my last comment, I bet Best Buy outsources their deliveries to local companies. I went through a similar nightmare with Home Depot when I ordered a fridge online. They immediately charged my account, and on three separate delivery dates my fridge failed to show up. Each time I was told by home depot that the fridge had been delivered, when I was standing in my kitchen staring at an empty spot. I called the delivery company each time the fridge failed to show up, only to find out that they were closed for the day and the fridge was "probably" on the truck. When I got through to Home Depot and got the manufacturer's number, I learned that the fridge was actually backordered and never left the warehouse. So not only did Home Depot consistently lie to me on the phone, telling me that the fridge was out for delivery, the delivery company flat out lied as well. After cancelling my order and being promised coupons, it took them two weeks to refund my money. I never got the coupons.
Moral of the story, any time you order a large item like an appliance online, ALWAYS find out if they do their own deliveries (Sears, Lowes) or if they outsource. If they outsource, often you will be SOL for weeks if the product is not in stock. I ordered a fridge from Lowes and got it in a day.
The last time I got something from Sears (a chest freezer) it was delivered on time and professionally... but then that was well over a decade ago.
I've had no problem with Sears either. Why Best Buy even keeps their joke of an appliance department running is a mystery to me. In store, they only ever have 1 employee and with no commission, they have absolutely no desire to help.
I would not go to sears because i had bought a refrigerator with a warranty on it. In the middle of the summer it would not keep my food cold. I called the service department and asked me if i had it on. WOW But it took them a week to get to my house saying that it is in a rural district but the sears store is just 5 miles away. When they came they looked at it and saw what was wrong and said that they would have to order the part. But this is a brand new refrigerator. It took 2 weeks for the part to come in. Meanwhile i had called them to get an appointment to get it fixed. They said it would be 3 weeks until they could get to my house. So overall it took at least one month and a half to get it fixed just for one part and this was in the middle of summer. So do not go to Sears to get something new hopeing if something went wrong it would be fixed quickly. The best bet would be to go to a local mom and pop store that recognizes customer service. it is worth the little bit of extra money.
Was it a gas stove, or electric? Electric seems like it would be easy to plug in, like the refrigerator.. But gas, I really would want some credentials before allowing install.
@Me:
It's not that you're insane or they suck, they just had an online database so you can view all the appliances your neighbors bought at Sears.
I highly doubt my local burglar will want to rip out my stainless range microhood, but that information is out there....
RAmen, TheStork! I bought our dishwasher, fridge, washer, and dryer from a locally owned appliance business in town - Christie's Appliance in Tucson, AZ - and they were great from start to finish on every single appliance. Delivery was free, installation was included, the customer service was top-notch. And my appliances cost on average about $50.00 more than at Best Buy or Sears. Worth every single penny.
How about a local place? I bought all of my appliances from a locally owned store. They gave me an additional warranty, free delivery and installation. The glass top on my stove arrived broken and they ordered a new one without a hassle. And they apologized profusely. I was very happy with the way they handled everything. Shop local!!!
If you live in NY, always, ALWAYS, go to PC Richards. Their prices can be slightly higher, but they are amazing when it comes to delivery and installation. They set up my oven in less than 24 hours after buying it, and did the same thing with my refrigerator, also in less than 24 hours. They beat any national chain store at what they do.
This lady is obviously a Consumerist reader if she put them on the CC list. She should know that Best Buy sucks. As for appliance purchases, I used Sears several times without a problem in the past but with their reputation lately, I'll likely be going elsewhere. In the future, it'll either be American or a local appliance store (if I can even find one).
I bought my parents a new stove last year from Home Depot. It was a good deal, discounted shipping/installation/removal for $50 and I had a 10% coupon for the stove. They were on time, polite, and did a great job. I'm going to stick to HD or Lowe's. Although some other minor issues with HD has me moving towards Lowe's.
"Reader Jennifer wanted a new stove so she could cook delicious vittles for noshing during the SuperBowl"
Meg, your Yiddish is getting really good. That was the first time i've ever seen vittles and noshing in the same sentence!
Why doesn't your website tell consumers that delivery and installation are not the same?
If you click on a range, it shows this on the first page.
Learn more about our Appliance
Selection, Delivery and Installation Services.
If you click on "Delivery", it says the following:
* Product placed where requested, if accessible.
And if you click on "Installation",
* Product placed where requested, if accessible.
* Gas line to existing range must be disconnected, with shutoff valve present and turned off prior to the delivery team's arrival.
* Connections will only be made to a new gas flex line (purchased separately).
* Includes installation of manufacturer-supplied anti-tip bracket (wood surfaces only)
* Includes recycling of old range.
* Liquid propane conversion available as an extra service. Service includes necessary parts.
Meg, did you name the picture?
Just my 2 cents...I don't see what the big issue about the stove arriving during Super Bowl. I mean, yes, she had a house full of guests...but should Best Buy not deliever that day because of some sports event? It isn't like they showed up during Christmas dinner or anything.
Buy it yourself, get a truck rental for 20 bucks and go home and install it. If you don't know how to install it, find a friend that does. If you have no friends, go live in an apartment with your cats and don't worry about buying appliances.
Is it just me or is there a bad story about Best Buy on this site everyday?
On large purchases like this, I think that there is a lot to be said for going local. We just bought a Summit stove (to be delivered and installed tomorrow--hopefully!). I found lots of places to order it on line, but it turns out that our local appliance dealer offers the same price, and includes delivery, shlepping away the old one, redoing our gas line, and will triple the warranty on the stove to three full years. Local companies have to work harder for our business in order to compete with on line dealers, and the money we spend will help keep people in the community employed. Everybody wins.
I wouldn't buy online. Go to Sears for this type of thing. Its about the only reason I would go there anymore other than tools. We went to buy a new washing machine. We walked in the department, plenty of help, we told her that we were going to be buying one from her no matter what, so she didn't have to pressure us. She didn't, showed us what we wanted and rang it up. Whole process took 10 minutes.
It came on time the day it was to be delivered, the guys were friendly and sociable, took away the old one and hooked up the new one. They were even nice and gentle with it, and when they had an issue, instead of forcing it and causing it to break, they asked us what we wanted to do.
Sears uses a third party company by the way, but its a good one.
Sure, I feel for the lady, but come on... She wants to be TOLD that delivery and installation are not the same thing?! Take some responsibility, lady!!! And, unless it was a gas stove, how hard is it to install a stove?! Uh.... plug it in?
People whine about way too much these days...
I had lots problems dealing with Sears when getting a central air unit installed, in the middle of summer, with an elderly woman living in the house (I had to install a bunch of window air conditioners). As SOCALROB pointed out, it was a third party. Sears was pretty good about it helping to straighten it all out. I'm not looking to complain about Sears, just pointing out that when a third party is involved, there is the chance that no matter how good Sears is things can get screwed up.
great advice!
I hope i have friends that know how to install a stove. I'd hate to be stuck living alone the rest of my life with cats!
@foxbat2500:
Where you been hiding? bby is pretty much synonymous with bad business practice. What they do is, simply put, godawful work to make a fast buck. I've seen bad working my stint in retail, but to sit back and watch their mercenary tactics just to earn that commish, it's horrible.
You think we're bad, go look them up at resellerratings.com. What you see here is not all that bad, just more public and carries more punch because people with clout are watching and are in the know that WE, the Consumerists, can make their lives as miserable as possible.
I bought a dishwasher and washing machine from Home Depot and, although it was clearly a third party delivery/installation, they were on time and did everything they could for me (my washing machine doesn't drain into a sink but directly into the sewer).
You post/read here and still shop at Best Buy???
I learned my BB lesson a few years ago. I had just received my tax refund, had $1700 in hand and set out to buy a new washer and dryer. It was Saturday and my wife already had Sunday's paper, so were cruised the ads and found a nice set at BB for a good price. We called the local store and asked if they would honor the price even though the sale technically started the next day. They said "sure, come on down". I got there and they changed it to: pay the full price and come back tomorrow for a price adjustment and "we don't keep them here, you have to go to our warehouse or have them delivered.
I was peeved; me and my money went to Lowe's, got a better deal and they had the washer and dryer AT THE STORE. Put them in my truck and went home to a happy wife.
What is the lesson here? BEST BUY has always sucked, still sucks and will always suck. SHOP ELSEWHERE or bookmark this page to make it easier to post a complaint.
That is all
Yes, Best Buy screwed up, BUT was her situation worth an "exeucutive carpet bomb?" I'm concerned that if too many people use the "last resort" it will soon be available to no one.
As it has been mentioned, an electric stove needs no real installation, but if she was getting a gas stove, she cannot compare it to having a refrigerator delivered. Gas installation is and should be extra. You only want a licensed professional dealing with your gas lines.
Rule of thumb, do not buy large appliances online.
If it is something you can pick up and install yourself, then going to Best Buy or someplace like that is OK (in my opinion)
But for delivery, installation, and removal of things - try finding a local place.
I know of a local place which advertises every once and awhile, showing how their price of appliances are a little more then places like Best Buy - but they offer free delivery, installation, and removal of old appliance which compared to the other places are actually CHEAPER - plus more likely to get better service since they know if they do a good job it is more likely they will get more business from you and who you tell about them.
She should probably just cut her losses, since once the NFL finds out she's having a 'Super Bowl' party, this story's only gonna get worse.
@Clays: vittles ain't yiddish. It's a variation on "victuals."
I've been happy with the service at Warehouse Discount Center, an appliance retailer in SoCal fwiw.
The Stork is right. We started buying all appliances from a local independent store 20 years ago and have never shopped anywhere else for those big items. He matches most of the big box deals and provides superior, personalized service; also, he can special-order anything we want from all the major manufacturers. If they screw up a shipment, HE deals with them, not us. We never have to try to reach faceless CS ppl via a Web site; we just call Joel and he takes care of everything.
I just bought a washer and dryer from Lowes and it was a fantastic experience. Everything went smoothly from order to instillation, and the salesman helped us fill out the reimbursement paperwork that the city of Austin offers to people who buy front-loading, energy saving washers. Lowes customer service rocks!
@The Stork:
Why do people always comment on where the OP bought the item. A lot of areas in this country do not have local places to buy things. Maybe Best Buy is the only place to go. Go local is not good advice!!!
@floyderdc: Last line of the Consumerist article:
"Where should Jennifer make her appliance purchases in the future?"
Thanks for playing.
@zouxou: Agreed. It looks to me to be misuse of the EECB here. As far as I can tell she made no significant effort to resolve the issue with regular CS (after the delivery).
I lke to play a game whenever I read a Consumerist reader story/gripe. i like to play "What did the author leave out of the story".
Consumerist readers are still buying at Best Buy?
Another vote here for your friendly neighborhood appliance dealer. The place I use matches the price of the big stores including delivery and installation. If there is ever a problem I can pick up the phone and speak directly to the "CEO" - try that with Best Buy.
Last time around, I bought an upright freezer, before delivery they called to tell me the unit showed up from the distributor with a small dent in it. They apologized profusely and offered to take $40 off, otherwise they'd have another unit for me in a week. The thing was going in the basement, so I took the discount, when they delivered the "dent" turned out to practically invisible.
Needless to say I'll never go near a Sears or Lowes for an appliance as long as these guys are around.
Thank you very much for sharing this story. I definitely feel the frustration! I am planning to purchase a computer in the near future and had not counted out Best Buy entirely, even though I have a generally low opinion of them, if they had a really good deal in the paper or something. I've now changed my mind. I've now added Best Buy to my list of places I NEVER shop - which so far includes Sears (over 20 years on my no-buy list) and Wal-Mart (over 10 years on my no-buy list).
@zouxou: I'm with you on this one zouxou- seems like she may have pushed the red button prematurely, especially if the delivery and installation info was in fact spelled out on the website.
Sears. I've had nothing but EXCELLENT experiences with my appliance purchases and installs from them in the past!
They should have hooked it up when they delivered it. That way you could have used it to cook some grub for you friends.
I bought a Wolf stove locally and they hooked it up right away.
This actually seems to be one the more positive BB experiences I've read about. It's easier to exceed lower expectations.
Also best buy never has their sale items in stock I swear when they have sales they make sure each store only has one stock in inventory.
@mthrndr: I believe it's illegal to charge your card until they ship the item, I'd complain to your AG, and the FTC.
"When I purchased my new refrigerator from Sears last year, for example, they delivered it, installed it, and took away the old one, free of charge! It did not occur to me that this would not be the case with my new stove."
Did you order the stove from Sears? No? well, then, duh, fool.