Circuit City Firedog Charges $40 To 'Fix' Computer You Just Bought
Update: Circuit City says the repair should have been free. Here's their response. Travis writes that a friend of his just bought a new computer from Circuit City, and after turning down all of the Firedog's "it won't work unless you also buy this" offers, he noticed a $40 fee on his receipt. Turns out the associate claims he had to flash the computer's BIOS or Vista wouldn't work. Travis writes, "Regardless of the fact that Vista booted up just fine with out the update, he was more disturbed with the fact that Circuit City would sell him a computer that they knew didn't work, or so they say." So does Circuit City sell computers that don't work without a preliminary repair, or do they lie in order to generate extra fees?
A colleague of mine recently purchased a new Acer desktop for his dad from Circuit City in Lancaster, PA. After the checkout process he noticed a $40 charge from Firedog on his receipt. When he questioned the Circuit City employee about the charge, she replied "Firedog had to fix the computer by updating the bios."
He had seen an advertisement in a local newspaper for a desktop that he felt was a good buy. He knew that his dad was still using an aging desktop and thought this system would be perfect for the kind of tasks his dad uses the computer for. So he drove 30 minutes to pick up the system to give his dad later that evening. When he got to Circuit City, he quickly picked it out proceeded to an employee to purchase system. The first thing out of the sales associates mouth were, "You'll need to upgrade the system if you plan on using it for anything beyond surfing the web.".
A little history about my friend, he is the new systems purchaser for the company we work for. He knows about hardware and software and what they are capable of doing. He is NOT an inexperienced buyer when it comes to computers.
So he turned down the video card upgrade, the hard drive upgrade and memory upgrade that the sales associated recommended he would need. Of course all of these upgrades were services that Firedog could perform for a fee. He told the sales associate, "Look, I know what I'm buying and this is all I need.". After convincing the sales associate of this, they finally started the check out process. So he slides his credit card through and signs for the purchase. The sales associate hands him his receipt and he is on his way to his dad's with his new computer. Until, after a quick scan of the receipt, he notices a $40 charge from Firedog. He turns right around and asks the sales associate what the line item was for. The sales associate replies that Firedog needed to setup Windows Vista and flash the bios for the computer to work.
What?
To which he replies, "So you setup Vista, which was working just fine in order to update the bios?". Yes, says the sales associate. Regardless of the fact that Vista booted up just fine with out the update, he was more disturbed with the fact that Circuit City would sell him a computer that they knew didn't work or so they say. Unfortunately, he was short on time and did not press the issue in the store. Later the next day he sent off an email to the Firedog supervisor for the store explaining his disappointment in the nickel and dime charge.
Back to school shoppers beware!!!
Travis, your friend shouldn't stop with the Firedog supervisor of the store. He should contact Circuit City's executive level and let them know that you specially refused any additional "help" from this Firedog associate, only to have him meddle with your purchase without your consent and then charge you for it. They owe your friend a $40 refund.
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Comments:
Don't bother with CC, take it straight to your credit card company.
Certain outlets should be avoided to get computers. Circuit city. Best buy. Future shop. You are just paying Mac prices for Compaq Quality and Comcast service.
Just like a new car. You can't get out of the dealership without paying a few hundred for "Dealer prep".
Why didn't he just walk it right over to the returns desk? What a load of crap!! Of course, I'd expect a load of crap if I bought a.) an Acer and b.) from Circuit City.
am i the only one that thinks firedog should be euthanized after needlessly mauling customers in their wallets?
Oh, that's nothing... I went in a few weeks back to jump on a deal I found on fatwallet. An acer laptop for 399 after rebate. The guy at CC tells me that the systems are "preopped" and that it will be 40 bucks on top of the 580 for the system (before rebate). I said uh, no sir, I do not wish to have your "pre op" service, i will go to another cc if you can't sell me this laptop advertised at this price.
Guy says, sorry... as I'm about to walk away though, he finally says "oh, let me see if we have some in the back that havent been optimized yet"... magically he comes out of the back with a fresh laptop and says "oh its the last one, lucky you!"
After paying, and scrutinizing my receipt, I contacted corporate who apologized profusely, and contacted the regional manager and the manager of the local store. Outside of that, they did nothing. They did say that the practice was not supported by them, and that they'd pass that info on down.
The local manager calls me back though, and basically tells me that this is standard practice... that they "remove all the junk" that the manufacturer puts on before you buy it... I asked him how acer felt about cc pissing on the agreement that acer probably has with these software vendors, and he didn't have much to say.
In the end, he told me that its purely optional to have the systems "optimized" but that they do the service to about 50% of them as soon as they come in. This didn't jive with what corporate said, but I have a feeling this is becoming the norm at cc...
... Geek Squad (Best Buy's FireDog equivalent) does the same thing.
I'm convinced that Best Buy and Circuit City hire used car salesmen for their sales staff and computer school dropouts for FirePuppy. When you people learn that these places are not full of technology... they are filled with overpriced, nonexistent customer service and horrible warranty techology!!!!! Shame on people for reading the consumerist and STILL shopping at these places.
Some sales manager/department sup needs to lose their job. There's legitimate business in computer service, but these tricks are just slimy.
I always felt bad enough charging $30 for RAM install, even though for the average joe who knows nothing about computers could use the service just out of the fear they had of wrecking their computer (even if $10-$15 was probably a more honest fee). I don't understand how their underpaid associates can live with themselves pulling this crap.
Return it and take your business elsewhere. Escalate the issue to corporate. Don't let them get off the hook for this!
Given that so many computers sold by places like Circuit City, Best Buy, Walmart, etc. are underpowered for Vista, at least in terms of RAM, I wouldn't be surprised by a memory upgrade being suggested if the user was intending to do more than browse websites. When I see these computers on sale at places, running Vista and only coming stocked with 512MB of RAM, I fear for the people that actually buy them and find them practically non-functional in a matter of months (had to deal with a relative's computer that suffered from this exact problem).
But, all that aside, charging a random $40 for a BS service? It's crap like that which has made me stop going to Circuit City completely. Last thing I think I bought there was a WD MyBook 1TB external drive on Black Friday last year.
Sometimes I don't read so good. When was Circuit City able to do this upgrade? The guy walked into the store, found the PC, walked to the sales associate, and then made the purchase. Where is the part where Firedog opens the box, pulls out all the gear, sets up the hardware, sets up the OS, flashes the BIOS, repackages everything, and hands it back to the customer?
Or did all of this happen before the customer got to the store, and Circuit City just taped it back up and stuck it back on the shelf? I don't get it. How did the customer know Vista was working with the BIOS upgrade if thing thing was still in the box?
@edicius: You have a point about RAM upgrades being a pretty good idea for a lot of systems - however, this shopper clearly knew what he wanted and didn't want the upgrades etc. I'm a server hardware engineer and just felt so annoyed the 2 times in the last 5 years I've bought personal computers when they try and tell you you NEED antivirus etc. or ask "so what are you planning on using the PC for?". If I ask for advice, please give it. If I don't then please just find the product I asked for, ring it up for the advertised price and let me leave.
If this story had happened to me I would have walked right back to the counter and demanded either a) You refund the bogus charge or b) I return the entire purchase.
ok. so I work for CC as a firedog tech. On these specific acer desktops we were instructed to open and upgrade the bios by our district firedog managers. there was not supposed to be any fee to the customer for this as it was Acer's mess up and we wanted to make sure that the customer was satisfied. who ever charged you for this was obviously a scumbag.
this was not instructed by corporate. stuff like this makes people who try to be honest and fair in retail look so terrible just by association.
please bring it back to the store and demand a refund. if you are denied by the store, call the CC cool line 800 number (it is posted by customer service). they will fix the problem for you.
@edicius: Exactly.
Why do people continue to buy computers from CircusCity, WorstBuy, Wallsmart? Because they DON'T KNOW BETTER.
BB and CC won't sell a system they can't markup, upgrade, fix, repair, warranty or accessorize. Therefore whatever they sell will need resources they "also" happen to offer.
I'd not be surprised if the buyer for CC, BB and Walmart doesn't dictate to the vendor what they will sell, when, and return process. "We have n-amount of stores. You want us to move your item, it needs to be paired down, for us to make extra margins".
Why do you think their systems have so much crapware, and different model number variations than the manufacturer other version?
And what consumer PC doesn't come with Vista installed?
( I know you can get Vista w/ XP Pro back-installed for $50 from Dell or HP Business...)
The buyer needs to go back and get his $40 back. Sounds like he figured it out and has remorse.
I had a relative that worked for CC. She told me they were encouraged to tack on bogus charges like these when they thought they could get away with it. Watch your receipts.
I saw something like this done at Best Buy at least 8 years ago...perhaps before they brought in the Geek Squad. The cashier asked the lady in front of me buying a new-in-box PC if she like to pay to have the tech support dept check it out for viruses.
She said "No thanks, if it doesn't work we'll just return it", to which I audibly laughed. She looked at me and I said "Good for you, toots".
Ok, the "toots" part didn't happen. But that began my hate-affair with Best Buy. And I see Circuit City as a poor man's Best Buy.
@masonreloaded: dude, that's what they are trained to do. Most people who go into a retail store are looking for someone to help them out as they aren't informed enough to make their purchase online or through other means. Retail sales is a dinosaur, some people really like being helped out by sales people.
Since most sales people aren't commissioned anymore (cc has not been for 5 years at least), most sales people just like to do what they are told by management so they can get their $8.75 an hour and then go home without incident. Sure it might be annoying some times, but if you're polite and explain it to them without getting indignant, most will let you be on your way.
@SigmundTheSeaMonster: "I'd not be surprised if the buyer for CC, BB and Walmart doesn't dictate to the vendor what they will sell, when, and return process. "
That's exactly what happens. The 800-lb gorillas tell their suppliers what they'll sell in their stores, and if the supplier won't supply it, they'll go to a competitor. So you get the crap the big box stores sell.
Take Amtrak!
Oops, wrong thread.
@PresidentSquirrel: maybe by a scummy manager but never at a corporate level. stuff like that happening in our store will get you fired in an instant. that's called theft.
It is unfortunate that the purchase was 'short on time', if it were me, I was in a hurry, and they didn't immediately refund the $40, I would have returned the computer.
Also, I know I check my receipt before I sign it, $40 is a pretty big discrepancy, even if it is a relatively large purchase.
Unfortunately, most people probably don't even catch that. I'm sure to Circuit City, the payoff of charging customers this bogus fee completely outweighs any risk of doing so.
What's going to happen to these poor salecritters when Circuit City follows CompUSA over the horizon?
The model effected by the problem is the ACA AX1200U1520A. IF you currently own one, go to the Acer website (terrible, I know) and download the current BIOS for it. The error can cause Vista not to boot and sporadic problems with the NIC.
@SigmundTheSeaMonster: Markup? Hahahaaha. The moment you said "markup" and "computers" in one sentence, you lost all credibility. You know all those laptops in the ad commonly run -20% gross margin, right? Tell me, friend, why does a computer that you would buy directly from the vendor come with the same software that comes from a retailer? You have no clue what you're talking about.
Also, the other dude was right. Acer had firedog update the bios. I think it was an ethernet problem, but I can't remember. It was supposed to be free, though. Someone didn't get the memo.
I haven't bought an assembled system in many years, they are absolutely for suckers.
I also don't believe that anyone who knows how to assemble their own computer would set foot in any CC, BB, or FS and even if they did that they would even entertain a salesperson for half a second if they were pushing any kind of unnecessary upgrade. All these people who claim to be a 'Network Manager' or 'Procurement Specialist' and insist on shopping at those s-holes are blowing as much smoke as the salespeople pushing installation fees for software or upselling 4GB of ram on an XP box (if you don't know why that's funny, you're cursed to continue paying $45 to have free AV software installed).
Free AV @ Trend Micro...Firedog, more like Firefraud.
It's stories like this that make me oh so happy I went to the Apple store and walked out with a MacBook in like 20 minutes with no hassle, no extra charges, etc. (short of trying to get me to add on .Mac).
@DePaulBlueDemon: Most places that sell computers won't take back an opened computer without an open-box charge. I think that's one of the reasons for the $40 service- they have to "open" the box to do it.
@The_IT_Crone: Open box fees can be waived for such issues, though. When I was with CC we would retape boxes after we installed software for a customer, and if he/she returned the unit unopened there wouldn't be a restocking fee; how fair is it to penalize the customer when all they wanted to do was buy more stuff from us, yet we take away their ability to return? (We wouldn't refund the labor costs of the installs, but that was a separate issue.)
@sketchy: You realize that 3gb is only for application space, right? XP can *use* the full 4gb, but the last gb is reserved for system use. Now if they were trying to upsell over 4gb.....
@sketchy: eh, that's fine if you want a desktop. I don't know how well assembling my laptop would go :-p I actually got my computer there a few years ago because best buy happened to have exactly what I wanted and a sale made it comparable to online prices. It's not hard to see the appeal though, no one likes to pick out their system and then wait a week for it to show up :(
@sketchy:
You mean my 8GB of RAM was a bad idea?
XP Pro 64 bit can access more than 4GB.
BTW, 8GB on Vista 64, at the moment I am encoding a video and sucking 7GB.
Precisely yesterday, a friend bought a laptop online at Best Buy. When he went to pick it up at the store, he was told he still owed $40 for the copy Trend Micro Antivirus they installed. He refused to pay for something he didn't order and was told that it had to be removed but that he had to come back in an hour for his computer. He said he couldn't wait for it and that he wanted his money back for the entire purchase. The sales guy told him that it was ok and he could take the software but to not tell anyone.
I feel like there's a major portion of the story missing here. I may be slow, but, I think I missed the part where the computer was unpackaged, hooked up to KVMD, and the BIOS was updated. Is that purported to have happened before he bought this "new" computer? If that's what happened, then, I'm mortified. One the major points of logo certification on systems is to avoid this type of scam.
I guess I'm glad we don't have a Circuit City in my metro.
With a nickname like "Jerkit City," you can only imagine the types of services they performed on that computer for $40 before you bought it.
Might want to double check the files and make sure they didn't spyware you to be served with their ads.
All of these BS services that Firedog sells are offered to be performed for free at Staples.
Excuse my ignorance but this guy KNEW the price of the system as he'd specifically seen it advertised. How was he able to be charged $40 more without him noticing?
I went to school with some of the guys that work at circuit city, and I can fully believe they lied to generate more money.
I think the manufacturer of the computer would be interested to know that CC was claiming this machine was in need of fixing.
I was at Circuit City the other day, trying to get a price for some head phones when I saw a sales man with a couple and they were talking to the person at FireDog making sure what was covered in the service plan and the FireDog guy was saying its all in the small print what he was saying that was covered and the couple was like show us and the FireDog person couldnt find where the BS coming out of his mouth was in the fine print.
I like how all these letters have crap like "my friend is not just a techy, he's an xyz for a 123!"
I'm fairly certain that the average interweb junkie is more deft with computer knowledge than a random assortment of titles. How about "my friend surfs the internet all day, every day, and spends at least 3-hours per day on consumerist. He has nothing better to do with his time than be prepared for crap like this."
I think that's far more intimidating that saying someone writes script garbage all day.
This story stinks!
You (your colleague) "know(s) about hardware and software and what they are capable of doing. He is NOT an unexperienced buyer when it comes to computers."
Ok. With that being said, I would assume that he would be more knowledgeable by double checking PRIOR TO PAYING (of letting anybody else).
Hey Circuit City is at $1.70 we are dying slowly. Cut the Jugular.
Do you expect anything less? I work there and don't like it.
The associate claims he had to flash the computer's BIOS...
Just so I have this straight: Windows computers won't work unless you strip naked and shake your junk at it?!
I'm sort of impressed while being repulsed, all at the same time.
Did they also put paint sealant on the pc case and fabric protectant on its mouse pad???
I like how one store doing one shady thing is part of the systemic problem with Circuit City, yet Fry's is touted as God Almighty, and if there is a problem with Fry's (as has been recently) then it's a local incident, and Fry's is still God.
The Double Think is so impressive, I may shit myself.
Once again, CC proves why they will never survive the retail marketplace. I had a similar problem with an HP printer in 2006.
I bought it at a nearby CC, took it home and set it up per the HP instructions. But the printer was faulty and failed to initialize. Of course, the only way to know this was to open the box and to attempt to setup the printer.
I took it back to CC but they had no other models in stock. I asked for a refund, since the purchase was barely 24 hours old. The manager charged me a 15% restocking fee because the box was opened! (And of course, the box had to be opened to determine that the printer was faulty.)
I protested the fee (around $70), saying it shouldn't apply to factory defective merchandise. That, obviously, went nowhere. And since I paid by check, I couldn't even dispute the charge by credit card.
I mailed a description of the problem to the CEO, Senior VP and every director in the CC Richmond HQ, including letters to every board member. (One board member actually responded and was very helpful, but ultimately ineffective.)
After 3 months of back-and-forth correspondence, CC eventually issued me a gift card in the amount of the restocking fee. Upon receipt of the card, imagine my surprise when I used it and the casher told me the gift card number had never been authorized! It took almost a month to get that problem resolved.
Bottom line: Stay away from CC. They are a dying chain and everyone knows it. Even Blockbuster, who was considering an acquisition of CC, walked away from the deal when they got a look at their financials.
I have acer... damn good and cheap.
My dentist had something like this happen to her... they gave her free software but charged her an ass load for installation... of AV software. $40 i think. then they did everything else totally wrong to include keep the CC proxy in the system after turning it over. needless to say, when she got done with my cleaning i pretended to be her son and bit out the firedogs.