TigerDirect Will Take Over 16 CompUSA Stores
TigerDirect has gone through with its plan to purchase CompUSA, including its website, inventory, and "16 of the best CompUSA retail stores," according to an email sent by CEO Gilbert Fiorentino to TigerDirect employees. The tipster writes, "This also includes Tiger absorbing a fair amount of their stock, though most of what's in the stores IS going to get cleared out."
Today, we made history!We would like to point out, for no reason other than it's Friday, that TigerDirect's VP is named Dick Wallet.A journey that started early last year culminated at 9:31 PST today, in the signing of a definitive agreement to purchase the CompUSA™ brand, website, up to 16 of their best stores, and many other valuable assets. In the next few days, www.compusa.com will be ours.
The value of the CompUSA brand is enormous and its potential is limitless. At one point, CompUSA achieved revenues of nearly $5 billion a year, with a "household brand name" status. Included with this acquisition will be millions of loyal customers who know and love the CompUSA brand. We anticipate many experienced CompUSA employees will fold into our company, joining our ranks, and our new improved company will be stronger and better.
The future is what we make it.
The new and improved CompUSA will operate within our family of websites. All web traffic, sales calls, service calls and orders will be taken, processed and shipped within our current systems. In a few weeks, we will begin to integrate 16 of the best CompUSA retail stores into our operations.
Integrating CompUSA into our operations will be a great challenge, no doubt. But everything we've done previously has prepared us for this event, and I know we will be successful.
Update: our tipster wrote back in to tell us that "the stores are going to be in Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico."
And yes, TigerDirect is notorious for receipt-checking.
(Thanks to S!)
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Comments:
I live near Tiger Directs' Aurora Il. warehouse/showroom, and it is a ugly, dirty, inefficient, dis-organized shithole. And they play the "I HAVE TO LOOK AT YOUR RECIEPT SIR!" game more strenuously than any retailer in Chicagoland, going so far as to have uniformed wannabee cops blocking customer egress.
I'll use them for online ordering when the price is right, but they really don't appear to have a handle on B&M retail from my experience.
I always read horror stories about Tiger Direct but they were good to me. Sent me a defective video card and replaced it with no hassles. Helpful on the phone and the best prices I found. I would go ahead and kill off the CompUSA brand name though as it will only be a deterrent to customers.
I'd really like to know where those 16 stores will be located.
I was told by the manager of the San Juan, PR store that it is one of the ones that will be kept.
Our online experiences with Tiger Direct have all been great. Our retail experiences with CompUSA have all totally sucked and prices were always higher than somewhere else.
So I am wondering what attributed of the two will be kept and will they turn into the next Sears?
read the third paragraph (The value of the CompUSA brand...)
those guys at tiger direct are just a wee bit out of touch with reality.
So the stores/website are changing from BOHICA Direct, Inc. to Tiger Direct. WOOHOO! Wait, this doesn't affect me since there aren't any CrapUSA stores near me.
this is definitely a step sideways in my book. Now if it were fry's, that would be an entirely different story
I'm guessing at least several in South Florida, since Tiger D is based in Miami.
It took legal action for TD to straighten out their catalog sales, I just hope that they will keep their new charges clean.
You go Dick Wallet!
I espescially like: "Included with this acquisition will be millions of loyal customers who know and love the CompUSA brand."
Though I would change it to: "Included with this acquisition will be millions of disgruntled customers who hate and abhor the CompUSA brand."
You know, for accuracy's sake.
Why oh why can't Newegg buy the stores? After TD lost my last computer parts (I had ordered EVERYTHING from them, quite a hefty bill) by shipping them to Miami when I live in Jacksonville, I told them to kiss my ass...really...I got hung up on by the supervisor who didn't help me.
So is it safe to say that Tiger Direct will uphold the CompUSA tradition of not giving a shit when you have a problem, and properly wield the Customer Service Bat?
I sure hope they keep the same idiot worthless employees that compusa had...I really enjoyed going in there and asking a question about an item only to have the employee take the item from my hand and start reading the back of the box in order to find the answer.
TigerDirect's reputation as an online retailer is horrible! i would never buy from there, ever! Newegg & Amazon FTW!
It's like a deal signed in 1994 and time-warped to the present....
@Sidecutter: Yes, I think it's safe to say that the only way the customer service for this monstrosity could be worse is if they contracted it out to sears who subbed it to comcast.
The tiger store in Naperville, IL is real good and you can take back bad parts and get new ones the same day.
Also I once built a system useing parts from them and they replaced the bad MB and cpu for free.
The Naperville, IL store is real good and you can get bad parts replaced the same day as well as being able to pick up parts from the warehouse the same day as well.
newegg can't do that and for me to use them I have to pay S&H
Are taking over the merchandise at CompUSA too? Since CompUSA can't sell their leftover inventory at the "going out of business" sale with price reductions of 20%.
I do hope, as the story stated: one tipster noted, that some of the stores will be in Texas. Out of all of the major retail stores, I found CompUSA to be the most reliable and friendly. BestBuy can kiss my ass. Circuit City is too damn expensive. And I wouldn't dare walk into a Radio Shack.
they should really rethink this plan. im almost 100% sure that ANYTHING related in any way, shape or form to CompUSA is cursed.
@pepe the king prawn: actually, the brand name is strong among non techs and non technically inclined (the vast majority of the world) I work for CompUSA and am amazed at what people think is quality and intelligence from the staff. It's scary how easy people can be ripped off.
Add me to the group of people who didn't even know that TigerDirect had a bricks-and-mortar presence. I've had nothing but good experiences with them via the 'net.
@VeeKaChu:
That's not a showroom, it's where broken, return crap goes to die!
And if you order from the catalog, it takes at least 30 minutes to get something from in back.
Oh god oh god. TigerDirect. What a nightmare. SLEAZEBALLS. Never agin!!
@txinfo: Same story here in Nashville. CompUSA was the only real computer store. We have no Fry's, Microcenter, etc. Now we're stuck with BB and CC.
In Dallas we are really spoiled; One MicroCenter and 4 Fry's within a reasonable driving distance. I have nightmares about my Kansas life where we had CompUSSR, Worst Buy, and CircuitShi#$^#&$ as our only real options. Now LiarDirect is going to have more of a presence? Guh.....
I'm pretty tech savvy and I've spent a few hundred at Newegg and a few grand at tiger direct's site and stores over the years. I really don't see why people are complaining about TD. I've never received a defective part, had fast reliable service, and got every single rebate. Now CrapUSA can kiss my @%&*! and I really hope TD can turn them around.
I wonder if they are taking this transaction seriously?
And to think this is the same company that wouldnt let that one woman or guy walk out without showing his receipt.
As long as they sell mac products, like Compusa did, I'll shop there so I don't have to drive all the way to Fry's...
YMMV, what can I say. I had horrible instore experiences with CrapUSA in Queens, NY, excellent ones in Joisey, and always had very good experiences with their rebates.
I avoided TigerDirect.com like the debbil for years because of its bad rep, but when I finally broke down and ordered, had a very smooth experience. I thought one small part didn't arrive, emailed them, they sent a replacement overnight, no charge. 2 weeks later I discovered the original had in fact been shipped, got misplaced in the packaging. I contacted TD and asked them to charge me for the replacement, they wrote back "keep it with our compliments." Rebates also came through timely. I'm currently planning another order from them.
I also regularly order from Newegg, and of course they are exemplary just as everyone says. But the pleasant surprise is that merchants like CompUSA and TigerDirect, who have sketchy reputations, were - in my case - just as reliable, except for one bad instore visit at CrapUSA. So it's YMMV.
I have been to a Tiger Direct store once. That was enough for me never to do business with them again.
When I paid with a credit card the cashier asked for my telephone number. I declined to give it to her. She told me a phone number is necessary to make a credit card purchase. I assured her I have successfully used a credit card with other stores without providing a phone number. She assured me Tiger Direct was not like other stores.
There was also the idiocy of Tiger Direct suing Apple over the Tiger version of the Mac OS.
We have four TigerDirect retail stores in the Toronto area and they are big, new airy big box stores that are geek friendly than other mass market electronics retailers. That being said, prices are moderate to high excepting their bargain basement no-name stuff they are clearing out.
Another vote against. Went to one of their two Miami stores, bought a defective power supply, returned the next day and was told no refund; store credit only. It had no effect since I was getting another power supply but this isn't my idea of customer service. I won't be back.
What about California? We are losing tech stores. We just have Fry's Electronics, Best Buy (ha, like I'm going there) and Circuit City (worse than Best Buy).
Any idea what cities will be assimilated?
Also, I haven't bought from them in years. They had a horrible reputation for the longest time...are they any better now?