Best Buy Trained MePossibly Trained Other Employees I Heard About To Commit Credit Card Fraud, And 4 More Bad Things
A commenter to our Worst Company in America nominations picked Best Buy, his employer of six years, to win it all. His reasons, including the credit card fraud, phony bundling scams, and other schemes they made him do to keep his job he heard rumors about happening at other Best Buys, inside. UPDATE: The original commenter has contacted us to say that these things did not actually happen to him and he was not trained to do them by Best Buy. Rather, he heard about them happening at other Best Buys or read about them in other Consumerist articles, and, in a pique of anger, wrote a long comment that remixed all this information together and framed it as if it happened to him. Consumerist regrets the error, and the commenter has been banned.
1. Watch out for extra charges
"They forcefully signed up ignorant customers for internet contracts and magazine subscriptions without the customers knowledge," writes our insider. "I was trained in the way of how to act like the credit card wasn't recognized the first time through since we needed to scan it once for the contract and later for the purchase, and also to do a little X on the screen for them when they had to sign the contract."
2. They don't like warranty repairs
"If we found one single scratch on the phone, we would tell the customer it was sign of abuse and refuse their warranty . . . I think I saw 1 out of 20 phones handled under the service plan because of that." Eventually Best Buy corporate took over because of the complaints.
3. Tart it up if you're gonna ask for a favor
"You better be attractive if you want the easy road through a policy or friends with somebody. If you don't have much on your side, you won't qualify for a 'case by case' policy procedure."
4. Best Buy loves unnecessary charges and services as much as the next big box store
Remember the story about Staples charging $390 for a basic computer repair? Best Buy can beat that: "I remember when Best Buy first started selling VPR Matrix Computers. The machines came with virtually nothing on them but the operating system, yet we still heavily pushed a system optimization to eliminate background programs and make it work so much better. I think all we did on this particular PC was turn on automatic updates, and install the latest patches... There were no unnecessary programs on boot.
5. Bundles are a ripoff
"You want the 299 advertised core system? We have plenty in stock!!! But it's only available in the package with 10 extra controllers, all 32 games, 15 memory cards, 2 extra hard drive kits, and the Replacement plan! Oh and 10 years of xbox live subscription!"
Our insider didn't offer any advice for escaping these pitfalls, but one obvious solution would be to stop shopping at Best Buy.
(Photo: greggoconnell)
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Comments:
I don't get #2. Doesn't Best Buy get paid by the manufacturer when they do warranty repairs?
Look - I HATE Best Buy, and now I hate them even more, but I am buying a PS3 with my economic stimulus check, so, if Best Buy is shitty, and I know Circut City is too...where SHOULD I buy a PS3? Suggestions?
My anecdotal experience for (formerly) working and shopping at a local Best Buy is that the company, on a local management level, is offensively misogynistic and high school girls are often taken advantage of by their superiors after they're promoted for their quality "assets."
As a former employee of Best Buy, I can tell you that just because this ONE person's store did this doesn't mean it was the whole company. We never did any of this. Plenty of reasons to hate Best Buy, but this is just a reason to hate the Best Buy this person worked at.
@B: Yeah, that was confusing. From the text, I think he means **extended** warranty/service plan repairs.
As I recall, they could care less about the manufacturer's warranty stuff.
Never heard about anything like this in Canadian Best Buys.
@olivia2.0
Amazon where you don't pay sales tax?
Wal Mart where they have a fairly lax return policy compared to everywhere else?
Toys R Us where at least they're not Best Buy?
Gamestop where...um...uh...yeah....don't buy at Gamestop.
But there are other options for something as common as a PS3.
@olivia2.0: Gamestop, Wal-Mart, Target, Costco (as Alex mentioned), Toys R Us, etc., etc. Best Buy and Circuit City ain't the only games in town.
Yea that sounds about right. Its not really the store managers fault or the people working under them at fault. Its corporate who demands they meet quotas or lose their jobs. If every manager stepped up and was very vocal about all this crap then maybe it would end and the customers would come first.
I think these big box companies would be surprised that if they treat customers fairly and honestly that they would make more money on repeat sales and more walk ins from good reputation. Instead all you hear is horror stories and chances are they will sell the average person 1 high ticket item and then lose them as repeat customers later on.
@B: I think she is talking about the extended warranty repairs.
also they don't like basic manf. warranty repairs b/ they don't always get paid for them rather they just ship them out. Or they know you didn't buy a service plan so they hate you.
The store sees backend dollars and nothing up front...
Gamestop is bad?
I've only been there once, but it was the most pleasant retail experience I've had in a while. Beat the hell out of EB and the other gaming stores. YMMV, naturally.
I have to say I don't like BB either but my camcorder broke and i didn't have an extended warrenty or anything and they fixed it for me no charge or hassles. I guess I got lucky. Sometimes it's who you deal with and not the company itself.
@KyleOrton: Well, even with extended warranties sold by Best Buy, the store is still compensated for the work.
@Ash78: EB and Gamestop are the same company now. I think most of what people complain about is the fact that GS and EB Games buy your games for low, and sell it high. I don't see why people hate them. I don't think margins are too high on video games alone, so if they figured out a way to make more and people will fall for it, all the more power to them.
Once a BB cashier asked me if I wanted a free subscription to Sports Illustrated. I asked if I would ever get charged. She said I would not get charged, and when the free issues run out, I would have to call up SI to pay for more. No automatic billing according to her.
Low and behold I was charged for SI. The next time after that a BB cashier asked if I wanted free magazines, instead of just saying no and getting more sales pitches, I told him the story. That shut him up quick.
Yeah, I got signed up for an AOL account when i bought a laptop there. I SPecifically said that I did not want it. But months later I got a bill from AOL saying my 3 free introductory months were up & had to start paying. I said that i didnt sign up for it & thankfully they cancelled their bill/contract.
I later found out that it was common practice for best buy employees to sign you up for things you didnt want.
Another reason best buy is the devil!
ps. the dude who was "helping" me while I was buying the laptop was being a REAL PRICK about the fact that I didnt want to buy a battery or lcd screen failure insurance policy. I mean he was being an insipid prick about it.... saying that they break all the time & I was stupid for not buying it. He was pissing me off so much that I almost walked out without the laptop, but it was such a deal (and I needed a laptop) that I was willing to tolerate it.
@winstonthorne: It's called regifting, haha.
I have an aunt who likes to give me gift cards to BB, because she remembers me talking about them (but apparently not full of burning hatred. Go figure).
I try to hold onto the card in the hopes that maybe I can find something that is worth sucking it up and setting foot in a store, but I always end up giving it to my mom or my brother.
@B: No they're not. They're compensated when they don't perform any work at all. If they sell 100 "performance plans" and have an expected warranty rate of 5%, they make more money by denying legitimate warranty issues. They aren't spending the money to repair the item (i.e. parts, shipping, labor), so they get to keep more of the money they allocated for that warranty repair work.
The manager's bonus was probably somehow tied to the amount of profit tied to the service plans. One way of increasing that profit would be to sell more plans (that's when the salesperson pushes you to buy the warranty). The other way would be to deny as many claims as you can.
As a former BBer myself, I can say that while Best Buy isn't perfect, this is not what every store is like.
There are bad stores, and there are good stores. Most stores are a direct reflection of their General Manager, though. That is true of almost any retail store, Best Buy or not.
@forgottenpassword: "ps. the dude who was "helping" me while I was buying the laptop was being a REAL PRICK about the fact that I didnt want to buy a battery or lcd screen failure insurance policy. I mean he was being an insipid prick about it.... saying that they break all the time & I was stupid for not buying it."
That's when I say "why are you trying to sell me such a piece of crap?" and walk.
@olivia2.0: I purchase my game systems from Costco when I can, they have (or at least had) a really solid return policy on their electronics. Yeah, generally they're bundled with a couple unspectacular games and an extra controller, but I live in a small town <30k in Alaska and it's the only local place with a decent return policy.
Online options like Amazon or okay, but it's nice to be able to return a product to a store and get it swapped out if you have a problem. I'm still kicking myself for not buying a 360 through them. I'm on my 4th Xbox in 2 years because of the Red Ring.
hold on, couldn't you buy things at best buy and pay with cash instead of a credit card? that seems like a good way to not get scammed into other things because you can show the guy right there, "i only have this much, so i don't want any magazines or internet contracts." then they would have to ask for your information to fill one of those things out, which you would refuse.
@InfiniTrent: This can't be said enough. At 99% of big box retail stores, it depends on the store. I've shopped at Best Buys in three different states and have never had anything but good experiences. The last major purchase I made at a BB was for a 42" Sharp Aquos LCD TV the week before the Superbowl. My regular store was all sold out, and there was only one left in stock in the area. The salesperson who helped me called her friend at a BB across town *on her personal mobile* and asked him to hold it for me despite the fact they weren't really supposed to do that. I picked it up and had it in time for the game. I can tell you that this experience is par for the course for me at BB. Maybe it's because I'm a hot lesbian, but I doubt it.
Bottom line, hit or miss customer service experiences will continue to be the rule of big box stores as long as the prevailing corporate retail culture emphasizes bean counting and metrics above all else, including employees and customers. It's this kind of atmosphere that allows rogue GMs like the one who ran the OP's store to exist. Less pressure to meet ridiculous goals set by corporate to make the CEO and shareholders happy means less desperation and resorting to fraud tactics.
the dude who was "helping" me while I was buying the laptop was being a REAL PRICK about the fact that I didnt want to buy a battery or lcd screen failure insurance policy. I mean he was being an insipid prick about it.... saying that they break all the time & I was stupid for not buying it.
Happened to us at Fry's, too, when we went in to buy a loss leader laptop and nothing else. The salesman gave us the hard sell on a warranty, going so far as to forcibly bend the screen on their display model as hard as he could with his hands, to show how "fragile" it was. He also claimed that if we needed warranty service, we "would have to send it to Korea" and we wouldn't see it for three months.
Three years later, the laptop is still working just fine, and other than one warranty claim (which we had to send it to Illinois for, not Korea!), it's been fine.
My only consolation is the knowledge that he got NO commission for that sale, given that we bought nothing extra.
I have worked for BestBuy for 4 years after retiring from teaching electronics at a community college. This story is absolutely false. ANYONE AT MY STORE WHICH WOULD DO THESE THINGS WOULD BE FIRED ON THE STOP. I do not respect the persaon who wrote it. SHAME
rmz, you must tell us how to make a quote box!
@hi:
"You better be attractive if you want the easy road through a policy or friends with somebody. If you don't have much on your side, you won't qualify for a 'case by case' policy procedure."
Or maybe you just caught the fancy of some BB geek.
@KarmaChameleon: You're right - when I worked at BB during college, I was aware of all the bad stuff that takes place at some BBs, and I just did my best to do a good job and do things the right way. That's what it comes down to - GMs that hire good people and then support them making the right decision for the customer.
rmz, you must tell us how to make a quote box!
Type ..<..blockquote.) and .<../blockquote), like html, but remove the periods and close the ) with a reverse of <.
I can't type the actual commands for you.
good luck understanding that.
@olivia2.0:
Buy it direct from Sony. Why do you need a high school kid, spiffed up in his blue polo to sell this to you?
Long time reader, first time poster here.
With the exception of waiting around FOREVER to ask a question and some pretty lousy customer service desk representatives, I've only had good experiences at BB.
I bought the extended warranty on a cell phone there then exchanged it no less than two times each after a year or two of use to upgrade for free (and they weren't in perfect condition).
I think if you're careful and patient you can find some pretty good deals there too.
My worst experience was when they switched the BB card to HSBC. I was trying to buy a laptop and they told me I would have to re-apply for the card. The manager wouldn't (couldn't?) budge but I called up corporate and explained that my credit was good enough for BB before the switch, it should be good enough now and that they would be losing a $2,000+ sale if they didn't let me through. They saw it my way and I got my computer.
I DO agree with number 3, however. I have certain "assets" and I guess a friendly, flirty personality so that could very well be why I've not really had any trouble. Of course, I'll argue a point in a very nice way until I get my way, ;-)
So, Amazon it is apparently. (I'm pretty sure Wal-Mart is evil, and I don't have a Costco membership.) No one worries about having something that expensive shipped? Also, what if I want it RIGHT NOW! I might have to go to Target, and put my receipt in a safe deposit box...
Olivia, Amazon is a great idea - I do all kinds of shopping there, including most of my Christmas shopping.
They ship lots of electronics without incident. If there is a problem, they'll replace it for you - Amazon is known for great customer service.
Oh - and thanks everyone for suggestions, and no, I'm not stupid, but you know, once you cut out Wal-Mart, BB, Circut City, Gamestop/EB games....I was hard pressed to come up with something!
@MayorBee:
Just encase the part you want to quote with blockquote and blockquote.
Thanks! I had forgotten the exact command - blockquote it is.
@olivia2.0: The best idea would be Newegg...they take customer service to the level of the 50s (back when customers mattered)
Is that why I'm now receiving 'Details' magazine in the mail? I just bought a TV @ BB- then all sudden I'm getting this garbage in the mail.
@Crymson_77: And if you still hit Best Buy for electronics when you really don't feel like waiting for Amazon or someone else to ship you the goods, know that NewEgg is phenomenally fast both in processing orders and shipping methods. Ordering both from Boston and from San Diego over the past few years, I _always_ get my stuff within three days with the basic (and usually free) shipping. Unless you absolutely can't wait, go NewEgg every time. Oh, and they're usually _way_ cheaper than Best Buy.
Haven't Seen anyone post it, but does anyone else think the girl in the picture is cute?
I like it when Consumerist takes anecdotal stories of one store and decides the entire chain works that way.
Best Buy has the distinction of being the only retailer thus far to land on my "gift card only" list - I'll only shop there if someone gives me a gift card.