Best Buy Sells Busted Cam As New, Blames You. Oops! Employee Pix!
UPDATE: Best Buy Goes Above And Beyond To Make Up For Selling Busted Camera As New
Oh this is too classic. Michael's grandma bought a digital camera from Best Buy that turned out to already have its seal broken, be filled with someone else's pictures, and was defective. At first Best Buy said they would exchange it and give her a 10% discount. Then they decided that the customers had busted the camera and insisted the photos on the camera were "demo photos."
When Michael tried to escalate to Best Buy corporate, Best Buy said the manager had told them already that the camera was "clearly damaged" and therefore they could do nothing. There was no clear damage on the camera except for the most minor of scuff marks.
Then, the smoking gun. Michael found in a separate folder on the camera images of what very much appears to be a Geek Squad team member. Oopsie poopsies. All of a sudden now the Best Buy manager is very eager to help him out. Read the full story at Michael's blog.
It's Time For An Apology
The Best Buy Sometimes Isn't [101 Dead Armadillos]
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Comments:
we live in a world of aholes....just refund the damn thing.
He should contact the state attorney general's office and his local newspaper. I'm sure he'd get a little more than new camera then. Shame, shame, shame them into being decent creatures.
GG Best Buy
Good Fucking Going.
BB may go the way of CC, if this keeps up!
I'll never go into another Best Buy again. It's been years anyway...
What is it with these asshole 'managers' at Best Buy?
What a bunch of fucking crap. Why doesn't corporate ever come down on these lowlifes for treating customers like scum?
Best Buy blows!
Remember when stores gave refunds, no questions asked, without having to resort to major litigation? Sad.
Seriously, who would let that geek squad kid touch their computer? I've seen some questionable facial hair decisions in my day, but that my friend is ridiculous!
I sense a Photoshopping spree inbound...
Did he buy the last camera that was on super sale? (Can't read the blog, even with DSL it's loading super slow for me right now.) I can understand if it's the last camera in stock, so it'll have pics on it. Or, it may have been returned. I dunno, either way, he should get an exchange for the camera, although I'm not sure about the added 10% off.
Come on Mike, you let your innocent grandma buy something from Best Buy? You should have said "Here Grandma let me buy that camera for you cheaper and we will get better customer server from this website I know called, NewEgg."
Something very similar happened to my grandpa, he bought an electronic device from BB it was broke, they got the run around, then finally got the money back.
Now they run all their electronic purchases through me first, so in other words every 5 years or so they need something.
In Best Buy the cameras shutter you!
I don't know why people even shop at best buy anymore. They're overpriced compared to amazon, and you have a 10% chance of not getting what you paid for. Even when I need something right away, I still just order it with overnight shipping. It's not worth the hassle to try to get an employee to unlock the cage for 20 minutes, firmly decline the extended warranty 15 times, wait in the checkout line, decline the (not) free magazine offers, then get home and realize you got sold a box of bricks. Even if you open and turn on the device at the store you're adding to your wasted time, and the people behind you in line. Best Buy purposely employs the bottom of the barrel, has corporate policies that make shopping there difficult, and is notorious for selling you broken devices. Just switch, and wave goodbye to another relic of the times before the internet.
I don't shop at Best Buy... I hate going in there and getting assailed by a bunch of spiky haired douchebags that wouldn't know their balloon knot from an ethernet jack. And then you deal with the stare down of some meat head spiky haired douchebag who's job it is to stand by the door and immediately pounce on anyone that triggers the RFID sensors. The place is just a douchefest. I liked CC better because no one bothered me there, but I guess that's why they are where they are now. :P
@MyPetFly: Oh, I still enjoy walking into Best Buy...but only to get an idea for things I'd like to later buy elsewhere/online (for half the price...but you can't always get a good look at a product online)
@katiat325: Okay, nevermind, I take back the comment...however, I usually get good customer service with them, it just really is too bad his MIL had to put up with A-hole. Call corporate again and complain more, this time say you have proof that it was a used camera and that you are considering to stop shopping there for online alternatives and that you'll be letting your friends and neighbors know as well.
Looks like Michael's server now has 102 dead armadillos...
Oh, Best Buy. It's almost insulting how your slogan is "You, happier."
This is why I shop at reputable local retailers like B&H and J&R.
Site's Slashdotted, Wanged, or Goon Rushed, nearly to its knees.
Anyone that works for BBY has to be a masochist or a Dom; always looking for ways to experience the pain, or to inflict it in one form or another.
Anyone that shops at BBY has to be a hardcore slave. To experience or accept that kind of treatment is intolerable and inhumane.
I've seen DOGS get better treatment than this!!!
So the manager lied to cover his own ass, seems to happen all the time these days. I'm keenly interested in creating/applying laws to corporations, and those who represent them, that would punish corporations for making false statements to the public.
In this case since the manager's lie would have resulted in no reimbursement to the customer that sounds to me like intent to defraud. I'm no lawyer, but it sounds like it's time to ask one and maybe file some criminal charges. Is it overkill? Maybe, but until we the public start making examples of those corporations who lie to us this will continue.
@minsky: Really? You don't think for even a second, with this being the case with every best buy story we ever hear, that this is just possibly something corporate encourages?
I hate to admit it but I do occasionally shop at BB...but I have only ever bought DVD's and the occasional CD from them.
I completely agree. If the customer has the time on his hands, it would be good to hold Best Buy's feet to the fire. Companies need it every now and then. It is healthy for all consumers.
@DerangedRoleModel: Yeah, I know. But they don't have the selection that BB does, and the "skilled"(and yes, I shivered/hit myself when typing that) employees to help people buy things.
Haven't shopped at BB in a while, but the one time I did, I found it very easy to order my item online for in store pickup. They can't add extras like magazine subscriptions since its already charged to your credit card, and they most likely will not pester you about anything. Also saves you the time of having to get someone to unlock the cage while they purposely make you wait in the store for 20 min hoping that you will buy something else while you are waiting. Your order will be waiting at the pick up counter instead. Yes you could order something online just as easily and have it delivered to your door however if you MUST have it now this is the way to go with minimal hassle.
@justjimi: in BB's defense, (please don't pelt me with responses I'm a heretic!!) Monday night I bought a Swissgear backpack from BestBuy (through the site to store for a sale of $10 off) and picked it up. I put all my crap in it and went to class, and it hurt my back, so yesterday afternoon I took it back, tags unattached but included. I walked to the counter, said it hurt my back, the service rep said ok, would you like an exchange or a refund, I said refund, and it was instantly credited back. There were no questions asked, just the info I voluntarily provided, and it was easy as pie. So maybe, occassionally, every once in a while, there is an easy purchase and/or return at Best Buy.
@katiat325: And why not the added 10% off? They REFUSED to help him, even after he had proof. He had to jump through hoops to get taken care of. That is ridiculous and uncalled for. 10%, imo, is low. They should give him a free upgrade to the next model up. And if they don't, a full refund so he can buy a camera elsewhere.
Oopsie poopsies...I don't know if two words have ever summarized Best Buy service better than that.
To play devil's advocate here, until the pictures of the Geek Squad member surfaced, BB did really have no way of knowing that the pictures on the camera were from the customer or not.
Still, better that the customer be given the benefit of the doubt. It's tough to play devil's advocate to a company who knows the devil better than i do.
@jtheletter:
Just don't call 911. Even the most incompetent lawyer could win this case but he still would charge 20-30 % of the winnings. The best bet would be to threaten them with small claims court and most corporations will pay up to avoid the bad publicity.
@minsky: back before bestbuysux.org succumbed to the evil blue gianty there were plenty of stories on the idiocy, malcontent and prejudiced actions of BB management.
@McNugget911_GitEmSteveDave: Well, ultimately a new company will step in to fill the gap, perhaps radio shack will expand or something. Then, as usually happens, new company will be considered a godsend until it loses its focus and starts to show up on here for ripping customers off. Its a vicious cycle.
I really like how Customer Service is a court room now. They won't help you or budge on their position unless you have legal evidence.
/sarcasm
@ManiacDan: I agree with you -- I actually get angry when I hear a friend say they went to Best Buy for a big purchase. The money saved in shopping at places like Amazon and Newegg more than make up for the extra time spent waiting for shipping. It's absolutely ridiculous.
Oh look, it's a Casio Exilim... Quite possibly the most unreliable camera (or rather most unreliable /series/ of cameras) ever made.
Seriously, when we were selling the stupid things at work, you could guarantee that most of them would be back within a few weeks with a lens fault. We even had one of our demo cameras (that is, a camera we kept in the cabinet solely for showing to customers) jamming up mid-way through a demo. Fun fun fun.
To their credit, Casio did release the first "affordable" digital camera -- the QV-10 -- but even that was an unreliable dog of a camera. Google "casio qv-10 memory error" for the story behind that one...
While it's obvious that someone at BB was playing with the camera before it was sold, I wouldn't be surprised if the fault was down to the sheer shoddiness of Casio kit...
@ManiacDan: +1
Anyone who intentionally shops there at this point is just asking to be screwed; not if, but when.
@Courteous_Gentleman: Of COURSE they knew. The pictures found on the camera have embedded meta data on each one. That data would show those pictures were taken prior to the purchase.
@skizsrodt: Radio Shack could have gone the Big Box route years ago but decided not to.
Small mall stores aren't sexy but Radio Shack remains profitable.
@FoxBearDog: I like to use www.beachcamera.com, I have never had a problem and the prices are pretty good.
@waitaminute: You average BB shopper (much less a Geek Squad tech) has no clue what "meta data" is. You may as well have said "jabberwocky" is on the camera and it would have had the same effect.
Although I must admit, I love to go to BB and hear the lies told by the BB employees selling HDTV's. Even more fun is to tell the customer the BB employee was talking too "the truth" after the employee walks away. Comedy gold.
Assholes.