CC execs should send him TWO cards and have the Supervisor deliver them in person.

Unless it is all the fault of the OP for shopping at CC (JK).

Personally I'm glad someone is pursuing this strongly. It seems every company from pizza delivery to infomercials offers some kind of guarantee and much like rebates I think they count on people not holding them to it. Just lip service. And clearly this person wasn't there with a stopwatch waiting for the time to hit 24 minutes and 1 second, he was there an hour and a half later and they STILL didn't have it!

We will always get this kind of behavior simply because the people that get promoted to these positions do not care.

And honestly, I don't think "doing a good job as the supervisor of a CC" was on my list of asperations, ever.

I had a similar issue, and I was there in 28 minutes and the order wasn't pulled. After some stalling I did walk out with my giftcard.

I think they were just upset that it was completely dead in the store, and I didn't have to "wait" while they went and got it from the floor. However, that was not the policy.

This just happened to me, but I waited 3 days to pickup my order, and when I got to the store I had to wait a 1/2 hour before they realized they did not even have the product in stock! In the past I would get a phone call telling me so I did not waist my time. But not this time so I wasted my time and gas money going to the store a about 10 miles away.

Did I get a gift card? No! because my item was under $25. I argued that since one of there employees did not do there job by calling me, and they admitted to me that it was someones job to do so, I should still get some compensation. But to no avail.

I ordered two identical items from CC for my kids, about an hour before the store closed, using the website and knowing that I would be fairly close to the B&M store the next morning. I received confirmation and everything. When I got to the store, I was informed they only had one of the two items in stock. I asked if that meant I would qualify for the 24 minute guarantee, since they had about 90 minutes to get my order ready, and I was told no, that they hadn't yet been open for 24 minutes. The manager did not seem bright enough to understand my position on the issue. Calls to the corporate office did nothing so now they get none of my business having wasted a significant amount of my time. It'll be fun to watch them go out of business - there are much better online options with quick delivery timeframes.

@Scuba Steve: Being the manager of a store (even Circuit City) is a respectable job. There are many worse things you could aspire to... such as doing a lousy job as the supervisor of a Circuit City.

I blame The Consumerist for not having Circuit City in their Worst Company in America poll after having several nominations.

I had the same issue once before. I ordered a pair of Bose bookshelf speakers, to go pickup at the nearest location to me, a store about 30 minutes away. I placed the order, got the confirmation e-mail and headed out. I got there, all the employees were talking to each other, not really concerned about me, I walked up and asked for my speakers. All they had available was the wire I ordered to go along with it. After they dispatched someone to pick the item, it was about another 15 minutes before I got it, so I asked for my $24. The employee said it was a bulk item, and they would not honor it. The box is light (about 20lbs max) and is 1'x1'x2', easily could have fit on their empty shelf behind the count. I asked for the manager and he also gave me the "well it is not 24 minutes because I said so" type of response. I was not in the mood to fight, so I left with my items.

Please, letters to the "executives" at Circuit Shitty go to the same pathetic rep. who answers BB complaints. You will receive a canned "form" response telling you how much they "value your business" and THAT'S IT. CC could NOT CARE LESS about it's customers. The managers are the only ones WORSE than the regular employees, because they are REAL morons who can't get better jobs and have chosen to be lifers there. The chain is a JOKE.

I think they should rename the store to SHORT-CIRCUIT CITY!

You know what's ALSO fun at Circuit Shitty? Try looking for a particular item while in the store, usually a sale item that you don't see on the shelves. Then ask one of the morons, I mean employees it they have it in stock. They'll say "no" because to actually check would mean they would have to stop BS'ing with their friends and checking out the "neat stuff" and do some work. THEN, go online and choose the same item for in-store pickup at the same store. WAALAA There it is! This has happened to me on several occaisions. nope, won't miss it when these clowns, along with Bleckbuster goes under

i seem to recall a consumerist how-to on how to quote people? I mean, I know how to do the @whoever thing, but how to make the blockquote?

@Fist-o: like this:

< blockquote> quoted text here </blockquote>

Yeah I have never had problems with CC's online ordering until last time, when the item I purchased was not in stock despite the email telling me to go pick it up.

They did at least give me a gift card though, still a pain in the ass, frankly.

there's no reason not to give him his gift card as it cost's the store nothing from it's budget (it all comes from CC corporate coffers). usually when people get shitty and demand something instead of being nice is when people become uncooperative.

@TinyBug:

like this

Thanks! couldn't have been any easier.

i was going to purchase a new desktop at cc....i wanted windows xp ...they said the units no longer come with xp, but i could have xp installed for $350.00 extra....

THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS!?!

Wow, their policy online actually says:

"What if I can't get to the store in 24 minutes?

Don't worry-we're ready when you are. While we guarantee that your order will be ready in 24 minutes, we will hold your item securely for 14 days. After that time, it will be returned to inventory and your money will be refunded."

It sounds to me like the manager was just an idiot. You definitely deserve the gift card.

I was denied the $24 gift card after having the manager tell me "There's been a glitch in the system. That doesn't apply when there's a glitch in the system." I kept asking for the manager to help me understand how it didn't apply to this "glitch" by showing me the actual policy. He explained that the understanding the policy was MY obligation as it had been prepared by "professionals" who "take this stuff seriously." I almost figured that it was worth the $24 to be entertained in such a manner, as this was totally laughable. I finally got my item, then proceeded to return it, requiring the manager approval. I just smiled and shook my head.

When I got home, I called their corporate offices to talk to someone about the experience. While on hold I heard, "your call may be recorded for training purposes." When I got to speak to a representative, I said, "To ensure compliance with your posted policies, this conversation may be recorded." They immediately hung up on me. I wish I'd actually recorded it.

I have friends who work at their corporate offices in various capacities. When we talk about this stuff, they don't appear surprised.

And I yelled I said "What do you want from us monsta!?" An the monsta bent down an said "I need about tree fiddy."

In store pickup is about the only time I shop at Circuit City. Hopefully their fowling up isn't going to be systematic.

If they actually took 26 or even 30 minutes, I wouldn't complain. But when they had almost two hours to print an order and pick it up off the shelf and sit it behind the service desk and couldn't get it done, that's just absurd. And then the manager gives a bunch of BS... This is why CC is going under.

You should have called corporate right on the spot. When I did, I explained the situation and I had a GC mailed to me within a week. The store by me always pulls this crap with the 24-minute guarantee. I've seen it explained at least this many different ways by various employees and sales reps:

1. You must be IN the store for 24 minutes.
2. You have to wait on line for 24 minutes.
3. It has to be within 24 minutes of being placed.
4. It doesn't apply if the store is busy, or if there is a line.
5. Having the item "ready" can mean anything from it's sitting behind me, it's in the back room, it's out on the shelves, or "I couldn't find it for ten minutes, but eventually dug it out".

Why wouldn't they give him the gift card because they *might* have made a mistake? I've had other stores give me gift cards for stuff that's out of their control before. Circuit City can afford to lose $24 gift cards a lot more than they can afford to lose more customers.

I've never tried CC but I've used BB's a few times. You get an email when your order is ready for pickup, and they have a minute from when you present your ID and confirmation to get your stuff (a bit longer for big items).

And y'know, I don't care if they go over that minute as long as it's not an unreasonable wait.

@TinyBug: I find it funny that this only works on Consumerist. No other Gawker Media sites allow this. Watsupwitdat?

@DashTheHand: Coffee out of my nose. Enough said.

@HOP: $350.00? Jeez, they giving you XP Pro with another 4 licenses? What does this version of XP do that others don't? If it doesn't make me pancakes in the morning, it ain't worth it.

That "supervisor" was probably just a senior employee with little real power in disguise. I would start by taking this up with the store manager.

You were likely dealing with someone who didn't know the policy very well or someone who was trying everything he could to not have to give you that gift card, as I suspect Circuit City does not appreciate having to give out gift cards because its associates didn't get the items ready in time.

My best is your order was forgotten about and the Supervisor's bogus explanation was just an attempt to cover it up.

The store is clearly mistaken here, which can probably be attributed to their recent in-store restructuring where they got rid of most managers and promoted "senior" staff to "supervisors."

I worked at CC when they first instituted this policy. They actually found that if they gave out the gift cards willingly customers would be more likely to come back and spend even more money, instead of being upset and boycotting the store.

In fact, there was an instance where my manager told me to give a gift card to a customer that didn't deserve it at all - his order was pulled and waiting for him, but the combination of me having to walk back to the staging area where we kept all of the "go gets" and him coming in within the 24 minutes, waiting in line for 5 minutes, apparently made it so that we didn't have his order ready in the 24 minutes allotted.

Of course, the policy doesn't include time waiting in line, but we gave the guy the gift card anyway.

Ironically, the manager that told me to give the customer the gift card is now in jail for stealing over $100,000 worth of merchandise from Circuit City.

I had an experience with them where I ordered something in the morning, spent the day at the zoo with my family and then stopped by to pick it up. After checking for the order they came to me and said that someone had already picked up the item. They obviously didn't check ID or billing because it was not me and after nearly 45 minutes, the manager authorized them to release the item to me. Now since they did not have it ready when I got there, I asked about the gift card and they told me it didn't qualify because the item was available within 24 minutes from the order its just that they gave it to the wrong person. When I pressed the issue they actually said I was lucky because usually they don't release items in this situation. I told them they would have either released the item or the money that I had already paid. The person actually was pushing my bag towards me to try to get me out of the way as I was debating with them what the term "available" meant because it certainly wasn't "available" and I had to stand there while they tried to figure out what happened. Unfortunately, I just decided not to shop there in the future rather than writing a letter.

@ARPRINCE: Too long. Just go with Circuit Chitty.

CC has boned me several times on this garbage. I just stopped going to my local one for pick ups and now go to one that's just a little farther away where the service is MUCH better.

There was actually one time when I went to the local CC and after having waiting probably close to half an hour, they came to the conclusion that, apparently, the item I had ordered wasn't REALLY in stock and transferred my order to the other store that allegedly had it in stock. And then they gave me a $24 gift card, sounding like they were reading a script in a low monotone while doing it.

Thankfully, the other CC *did* have my item. And they were polite and quick there.

why cc why? I like you guys better than the hastle of bb but why do you have to do things like this?

Why is it that retail managers can't comprehend simple English sentences?

I am so sick of managers being unable to understand simple coupons and promotions.

Corporations need to force their employees to pass basic reading comprehension tests at least yearly to keep their jobs.

@DashTheHand: Maybe the consumerist has a rule where the company has to have more than a 1% of being in business next year...

Hi all, Dustin here. No news from CC yet, but something I forgot to add to the email. After they called to have my order pulled and refused my gift card they actually sent me to Merchandise Pickup.

I'm not sure if all CC's have a Merchandise Pickup area, but it was a sort-of separate area from the main store (the door I walked through locked behind me). Then a guy wearing a safety harness entered after a few minutes with my printer.

The point? The item clearly wasn't ready.

I don't know... the manager kind of has a point. What if the product had been pulled and then after an hour someone put it back for safe-keeping? They guy came in 1.5 hours after he ordered the product. There must be a policy on this: is there a special place they hold these orders if the person doesn't show up in a reasonable time?

Anyway, the way CC has set up their system (and the way the manager enforces it) if you showed up at 23.5 minutes after ordering you'd get your $24 gift card every single time.

@ mariospants: When you pick something up you have to go to customer service and they have it in a storeroom behind the desk where they keep all the 24 minute pickup stuff. so it should never be "put back for safekeeping" as it's already in a safe place. the policy says you have 14 days to pick it up, period. so if you come in 13 days later, it should be ready or you get the giftcard.

@thesabre: "Wow, their policy online actually says:

"What if I can't get to the store in 24 minutes?

Don't worry-we're ready when you are. While we guarantee that your order will be ready in 24 minutes, we will hold your item securely for 14 days. After that time, it will be returned to inventory and your money will be refunded."

It sounds to me like the manager was just an idiot. You definitely deserve the gift card."

I stand corrected.

News Bulletin: Nuns and Orphans killed in tragic crash as Circuit City customer speeds maniacally to reach store in 24 minutes to pick up his Monster Cables. The murderer claims "The manager told me I had to."

I have no idea why their commission based sales staff wouldnt snappily fill a web order.........

@Papa Midnight: Windows XP Pro Retail 299.99, $50 to install it and find drivers even though the manufactuer is only supporting vista. Totally reasonable.

A guarantee that you wouldn't have to stand around in the store more than 24 minutes to receive an item that you've already bought would be a pretty crappy guarantee.

@TheDude06: Circuit City employees haven't received commission in almost a decade...

@TheDude06: Sales staff at cc not on commission.

Warehouse staff pulls the orders.

Probably got busy and forgot, happens to everyone from time to time.

Manager still in the wrong here.

@rbf2000: That may be overstating it - they still had commission in 2002, so six years, which doesn't really round up to "almost a decade".