More Insider Tips When Buying From Radioshack
There's clearly no love lost between D. and D's former employer, RadioShack. A little over a year ago, D. sent us some insider tips on what to watch out for when you shop at RS. Now here comes a follow-up, with more information on cell phone sales tricks, warranty pitches, and used merchandise.
If you recall, I wrote a confessions regarding RadioShack's sales practices back in 2008. I feel an update is now in order. It may also have something to do with me going to college soon and no longer needing a job that requires deceiving the customer daily to pay the bills—but I digress.
Should you go to RadioShack for a purchase, here's some tips to remember.
#1 — ALWAYS, ALWAYS, open the box and check the merchandise in store if possible.
RadioShack stores sell returned merchandise all the time. Sometimes it's cordless phones that have sold and come back to the store 4 times, or it's an antenna that's missing a remote (not that the staff will tell you), or it's a cell phone that a manager wants sold.
The main reason RadioShack hocks used merchandise as new is due to how the returned merchandise is sent to the RS refurb center. The returning store receives no credit if the product is damaged or missing an included part. Sending in distressed merchandise results in the loss being charged against the manager's quarterly bonus—so a situation exists where store management has incentive to resell used products as new.
So, open the box and test the product in store before leaving. Be sure to check the bubble-packed product for taped corners or stapled ends.
#2 — Cell phone deals.
RadioShack has a price match policy for its corporate stores. Here's the fine print, so when the manager/salesman tries to dodge the rebate you'll be ready.
The actual ad must be present,and on paper. No photocopies or duplicates.
No mail in rebates can apply, although instant ones do.
Don't be afraid to bring in several favorable ads. You can only use one per phone, but this way if one flier is disqualified you can still use "the backup."
The way modern phone programming works, there's no reason why the cell phone you just bought shouldn't be making calls before you leave the store. While it's normal for data programs to take longer to work, if your new phone isn't making calls before you leave, ask why. Don't buy the salesman's stock line of 1-4 hours provisioning time. Phones I sold that didn't work the day I sold them generally stayed broken until the customers returned them the next day.
Sometimes there are network outages, but confirm this by asking for the store's Sprint/ATT demo to see.
#3 — Keep the receipt.
RS's customer research system sucks. Plain and simple. Unless you bought a service plan (and I sure hope you didn't fall for that hustle) or agreed to sign up for email registry with a name and address, the ticket is essentially lost after 90 days. Plan accordingly when filing the receipt.
And here's some new sales hustles to watch for:
RSAP card
You don't want a credit card with a 23% APR, do ya? And no, it's really not free for 90 days or a year with purchase-that lovely APR is still charged against the balance,and if you're one millisecond past 90 days or a year all that accrued interest charged over that timeframe is added to the balance.
Personal Data
A lot of stores are catching heat for not meeting credit metrics, so any request for your name, drivers license, or SS# should be qeuried immediately. Some stores have lied and ran customers credit info illegally to keep corporate off their back,so be aware.
E-mail capture
Pretty harmless, just make sure you use a spam box so you can get the occasional coupon for $10 off a purchase over $40.
Wireless Pitches
DO NOT HAND OVER YOUR PHONE. Headquarters was getting real crafty teaching psychology via a method about asking a question about your cell phone battery, and using that to twist the conversation into a cell phone discussion. If an associate asks about how your cordless phone,or cell phone battery works make it clear right there you're not buying a phone from them. That'll kill the pitch, and the look on the salesman's face will be well worth the trip to the Rat Shack.
Service Plans
Very simple. MFR warranty on everything in the store usually lasts a year except on Apple products. It's not smart to pay RadioShack an extra $3.99+ for something that came with the product. Even headphones are better off replaced at the mfr level than at RadioShack, because all the store does is send the broken product to.. drum roll please... the MFR! All the service plan pays for is the right to use RS's glacially slow repair process.
DTV Antennas
Before going into the shack to buy an antenna, verify whether your old antenna works well first with the box. I've found that the indoor antennae sold by the shack with 'amplifiers' and 'multi-gain' switches suck so badly a set of 1982 era rabbit ears get better reception. Steer clear of indoor antennae period, and search elsewhere if your current set are broken. Outdoor antennae have worked a lot better, but again make sure to have your current set re-aimed to your DTV broadcast antennae in whatever major city is near you before spending $$ on new equipment.
Last tip—if you're buying a big-ticket item, be sure to ask for the store's district office direct line. If something goes sideways and the manager won't fix the situation, asking for it then will tip the manager off that you mean business, so they'll obviously play damage control—which won't be in your favor. So request the number at the counter before there's a problem, and if you run into problems call it directly. This will catch the moronic store staff off-guard, so there will be no time for lies or damage control on the part of the store staff.
This should help save some Consumerist readers any headaches on dealing with the rat shack. I'm glad that after more than a year I'm finally free of the joint.
We asked D. how you can identify whether a store is corporate owned or not:
Check the top of the receipt. A corporate store will have a store number printed at the top in 01-6XXX format,although the 6 can be a different number too. Products sold from corporate stores can be returned/exchanged at franchise side locations,and vice versa.
RELATED
"6 Confessions Of A Former RadioShack Employee"
(Photo: strangelv)
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Comments:
@militarydave: If you need tiny batteries I suggest checking out dealextreme.com they have the cheapest prices on watch batteries and its good especially if you need a lot of them. You will pay less for 20 batteries than you will for one at RS or Target/Walmart. I order batteries from them all the time and they are good.
Nothing radio shack sells is worth having to be this defensive. Shop elsewhere.
Tip #1 on shopping at Radio Shack: Don't.
@Outrun1986: Outrun thanks for the tip! i usually need small batteries for my tactical flashlights, lasers, infareds, cameras, etc. i paid $14 at radioshack for 2 batteries that i couldn't find anywhere else.
thanks again!
-dave
I have found some deals at RatShack, they have had some killer video game deals like DS games for 10$ (good ones too). However they stopped carrying video games. I used the store locator on their website to find out which stores local to me stocked those cheap video games. If I buy something at Radio shack I always use the store locator and know what I am buying and what it is for before I walk into the store.
I would love to see their reaction when I tell them that I have a cheap 5 year old cell phone that is used only for emergencies because I refuse to pay big bucks to the cell phone companies for a service that I will hardly use. I am perfectly satisfied with the phone I have and wouldn't consider another until this one breaks.
@militarydave: I collect tamagotchi's and honestly I wouldn't be able to afford to collect them if it wasn't for buying CR2032 batteries from DX.
You might find a couple dead cells in every bunch but the price more than makes up for it.
I have also found common-sized watch batteries at big lots or the dollar store for very cheap.
Out of all these tips, the one that is really important is to make sure your item is open and new... I worked there and she's right. If they return a $500 cell phone that's missing a stylus they only receive $0.01 credit for it. Needless to say the managers don't like getting fuc'd with no Vaseline and they just wont do it.
The real thing is that they are supposed to inspect the merchandise prior to allowing a return. But most people don't do this properly. So if you buy something and take it home only to find that it's missing something, the chances are you'll get somebody who doesn't care, but if you get somebody who thinks Radioshack's $18 are more important than your $18, than returning/exchanging the item could be a little more of a headache.
I think #1 on the list is reason enough to never shop at Radio Shack. Given their ridiculous markup, and shady sales practices, I have no idea how Radio Shack has managed to stay in business.
I don't think I've ever bought any big-ticket items at Radio Shack, but it's my go-to place when I need an AC adaptor or other tech device. they're usually pretty good about getting me the right one, even if the package has been opened before.
@Outrun1986: I stopped buying batteries from DX after a card of them turned out to have 80% dead ones. It doesn't matter how cheap they are if they don't work.
Is Radio Shack still selling AA rechargeables inside a C-size shell?
There's no such thing as an amplifier that can improve a signal. All it can do is make it louder, and usually inject some noise into it as well. The only useful purpose for an amplifier is to ensure the signal level reaching your TV is high enough for it to lock on. That limits it's purpose to two things: Increasing the signal level before a long run of cable so when it reaches your TV it can be picked up, or increasing the signal so when you split it your TV is getting enough.
And that's it. Period.
Which Apple products that Radio Shack sells don't carry 1-year warranty also? All major product lines come with 1-year out of the box. I think Radio Shack only sells iPods, if anything, which are definitely 1 year warranty.
"Even the name 'RadioShack'-can you imagine two less appealing words placed next to one another?" Day said. "What is that, some kind of World War II terminology? Are ham radio operators still around, even? Aren't we in the digital age?"
"I'd like to capitalize on the store's strong points, but I honestly don't know what they are," Day said. "Every location is full of bizarre adapters, random chargers, and old boom boxes, and some sales guy is constantly hovering over you. It's like walking into your grandpa's basement. You always expect to see something cool, but it never delivers."
-The Onion
one more tip that i either didnt see or i missed...
# dont go to radio shack for something that you can get elsewhere.
@robdew2: There is LITERALLY no other brick and mortar store that sells simple electronics equipment (at ridiculously marked-up prices). I was in there this weekend buying posts for banana plugs and a clip to hold a 9V battery. Sure, I could have gotten them online, but then I wouldn't have nearly-instant gratification.
Of course, I find it really easy to blow off the salespeople.
Calling the place RatShack is offensive to rats.
I've never understood the Consumerist's generally negative attitude toward Radio Shack. I have had consistently good experiences with Radio Shack. The salespeople have always gone above and beyond with me, and have been very familiar with the products they sell, and the technology. About making sure I'm buying an item that hasn't been previously returned--Walmart has cornered the market on that practice as far as my experiences go.
"Personal Data
A lot of stores are catching heat for not meeting credit metrics, so any request for your name, drivers license, or SS# should be qeuried immediately. Some stores have lied and ran customers credit info illegally to keep corporate off their back,so be aware."
Can someone please explain the above; what are credit metrics and why would they run your ss#?
The shame of Radio Shack is that they could be one of the nation's leading companies if they just used their head once in a while. They really offer an important service in providing a place to buy small electronics supplies in a non-big-box environment.
But in their effort to save every penny they make going to a Radio Shack a sour experience at times. They need to hire happier, more content staff (this means corporate needs to treat the staff better), stop trying using every method short of water-boarding to get my personal data, try not to sell subpar stuff, and just take advantage of their particular niche.
To be fair, and having worked at RadioShack, the vast majority of stuff that gets returned has absolutely nothing wrong with it. Most of the time the people just didn't need it or couldn't afford it and brought it back. So yes, if someone returned a cordless phone that they had for a week and then returned because the color didn't match their end table, I repackaged it and sold it again because there was nothing wrong with it. Cell phones were different, my store would send back all returned phones (assuming they were returned in good condition with all parts) because we could generally get full credit for them.
As for the points about pitching phones, warranties, and credit cards: they work on commission. They get paid to sell that stuff. My paycheck was directly affected by the number of warranties, phones, family plans, data plans, and accessories I sold. So yeah, I pushed them (though not hard). Just tell the employee "no" and they'll usually let it go. The only warranty I ever truly recommended was the cell phone warranty, because the mfr warranty only lasts one year and if your phone breaks between that time and when you're up for your two-year renewal, you're SOL, unless you want to drop $200 + normal cost on a new phone. Plus, the RadioShack warranty would replace your battery for free, without needing proof that it was dead. So you could get a $50-$80 backup battery basically for free.
As for opening your merchandise, you should really do that for any sizable purchase, no matter where you shop.
Just don't shop at Radio Shack. Never had good prices to begin with.
#4 Never listen to the salespeople.
My mom insists on shopping at Radio Shack. She bought a speaker/dock for her 2ndGen iPod touch there; she was assured it would charge the touch, rather than just allow audio playback. I knew immediately from the price she paid that it was an older model and it would NOT charge her touch. I told her not to bother opening it and to just take it back.
She took it back to the store unopened, where they once again told her it would definitely charge her iPod and there was no such thing as a 2ndGen touch anyways. By this time I'm fed up with the salesscum (and with her for continuing to go there). I unbox the thing, dock the iPod, and, oh look, the 'no charge' error window pops up.
This time she gets her money back and I go along to ask why uninformed bozos are pushing products on people. They still insisted there's no 2ndGen iPod touch. Idiots.
@perruptor:
Costco is now selling NiMH AA rechargeables with sleeves for both C & D cells.
I think they're made by Sanyo.
Up until very recently I worked for radio shack for a good many years. I always tired to be straighta nd honest with all my customers on items that were returned. Certain things like head phones batteries things like that once returned I would scrap if I could.
Cell Phones, yeah I would ask how your cell phone is holding up or who you have. If the customer didn't want to discuss it at that time I just simply said "Well when you are ready to think about it or want more information. Come back and See me I'll get you taken care of." A lot of the times that worked out really well, I would have folks come back when they were ready or I would send them out the door with some information to consider.
Service Plans, yeah that is really something that make sense some times but most of the time dosn't. On small items like head phones, remotes stuff like that it dosn't make sense anymore. When I first started they was something called instore replacement on those. It was great you bought a pair of 30 dollar head phones spent 3-5 bucks on a one year plan you came in the store we did some paper work and sent you out the door with a new pair. Now with the gift card thing on the little things it dosn't make sense. Though on things like cordless phones cell phones anything with rechargable batteries included the warrenty covers replacing those batteries. It can worth it when some batteries we started to charge to near 20 bucks the service plans included the replaced once per year.
Over all I just want to say not every employee at Radio shack is out to rip you off. I never was but then again I remember the days when it was about customer service not how many emails or how many service plans someone sold.
Tip #1: Shop at Newegg or Monoprice.
As a kid I always hated RadioShack... I was a geek who always had money to spend, but the sales people would ignore me until I went and brought my mother back in...
They also tend to be higher priced for the commodity-type things.. Sure, there are things you can only find there... but otherwise I'll shop anywhere else.
@Outrun1986: Wow Tamogotchi's!!! yeah i remember those. we called them Giga pets I think. I lost a girlfriend once cuz i didnt feed the stupid electric dog and she got pissed. of course i was in like 5th grade and could careless. haha! thanks for the flashback~!
-dave
WOW, who is this guy D.? Brett Favre?
He is going to great lengths to screw his former employer, a la Favre.
@militarydave: Sometimes. If the package is taped or stapled together, it's been used.
Countless times my old manager would take a return for an item that the purchaser also bought battery's for it. The battery's would be in the product if the packaging for the battery's was also returned, he would stuff them back in, tape or staple it and put it back on the rack. There's no telling how much charge is left in them, but, he'd go ahead and sell them new again.
Given the low noise level of today's radio frequency transistors found in televisions and digital converters, it is rare when an antenna amplifier will help. This is especially so with digital. An amplifier will amplify both noise and signal. Cheaper amplifiers will intermodulate the various noises and signals and generate even more noise.
An antenna amplifier WILL help when the antenna is quite some distance away from the receiver/tuner/TV using it. That is a signal boost to overcome the signal loss in the antenna cable.
The primary way to improve a TV signal, especially digital, is a more directional antenna. This kind of antenna receives more signal the direction of the station, and rejects signals in other directions. A directional antenna works by being electrically and physically larger. An indoor set top antenna can only be directional on a limited basis and mostly on the UHF band. The best directional antennas are so large they must be used outside. But if you have indoor space for them (for example a wall that happens to face in the direction of the station for a flat antenna, or an attic that can hold a long boom antenna) they should still work OK (as long as there is not too much metal in the way).
Don't fall for those direction adjustable indoor antennas. They can in fact adjust the direction, but it's actually done at a loss of signal by using capacitors and inductors.
In some cases, the receiver/converter/TV is so bad (junk) that an amplifier really will help. But a better unit might be a better option. When buying a new digital TV with any expectation of using it with an antenna, insist on seeing how well it works on a real antenna.
@DaynaRT: Of course there is no such thing as a 2ndGen iPod touch, to them, if they aren't selling one right there in their own store. Yes, they are idiots.
"Radio Shack - You've got questions, we've got blank stares."
As I worked at Radioshack 7 Years from associate to manager I can confirm these are mostly true... A few clarifications though:
One the RSAP card charging interest if your a second late. PLEASE keep in mind every other store card does that as well.
Price matching is the same as most stores. Most stores will honor instant discounts but not mail in.
The part about re boxing and selling used items is 100% ture!!! Check everything in a box before buying it!!!!
Apple items sold at RS do have a 1 year to to clarify. Service plans are worth it on certain things just make sure you understand. Most radioshack brand items are 90 days warranty. So a 1 year plan for $2.99 is not bad.....
Personal data... If your being asked for SS, drivers ect your getting either a credit card or cell phone... You need to give that data anywhere you go...
@Zclyh3: I have no problem shopping at RS. I just know not to listen to the sales people. I go there when I know exactly what I want. The only time I have to ask them anything is when they've re-organized the store and I ask where it is. They've even learned not to bother asking me if I need batteries. They quit asking me for my phone and address a few years ago. On occasion I still have a problem with a new salesperson.
should be qeuried immediately - how do you do that?
@Adrienne Willis: My guess is that a "credit metric" is a quota the store is expected to achieve for a number of credit card applications.
Just never give your DLN or SSN. I don't even give my name or address (though I know a couple of the sales people at my nearest RS store from elsewhere).
@razremytuxbuddy: I always take my grain of salt with me when I shop at any corporate or franchise store. That includes/included Best Buy, Circuit City, CompUSA, Home Depot, Kmart, Lowes, Radio Shack, Sears, Target, Walmart ... or any other.
Radio Shack used to make a very good indoor DTV antenna called the double bowtie antenna. Unfortunately, they've stopped making it and now only sell crap DTV antennas. I have no idea why.
I stopped going to Radio Shack for the most part about 5 years ago. I got tired of going into the store and not being able to determine the price of anything because the prices weren't placed on the shelf by the employees. Then finding an employee who was not too busy chatting with someone else was impossible.
Not to mention that they are always out of stock of "regular" versions of things, but usually have plenty of "Gold-plated" premium versions that are ridiculously overpriced.
I have gone there to pick up a random cable if I couldn't find it at Walmart and I needed it badly. But that's maybe 2-3 times in the last 5 years.
I worked at "The Shack" for a while and can also confirm what D says in this post. Used stuff sold as new ALL over Radio Shack. I was motivated by D's first post after my Radio Shack experience and posted a detailed blog about it at : [mjayp99.blogspot.com]
@Skaperen: wow, isnt that illegal? And for what reason would they need your ss# or DL # unless you are doing a return (even then your ss# should never be required or even asked for)?
I love that usage of "Rat Shack" is still going strong, even since my mischievous 2600 days. (Never did get that crystal for my dialer, kind of glad I didn't after seeing Kevin)
Their old cell-phone sales technique was, whenever you purchase anything (even a battery) they would ask you
"What type of cell phone do you have" (to introduce the pitch)
and my reply was always
"The one that my office bought and pays for, thank you"
@muddgirl: And if you actually go in knowing you need posts for banana plugs, etc., or anything of the simple electronics equipment ilk, you're much better off blowing off the sales people 99% of the time. I've gone in asking just to be pointed to where audio parts were (I can find the pieces, thank you) and they dragged me to the wrong part of the store and proceeded to spend several minutes handing me the wrong parts, despite me protesting that I knew what I needed and that wasn't it.
On the other hand, at least he was trying to help. Most of the time, I get completely ignored.
The easiest option is not to shop at Radio Shack at all.
@muddgirl: Yep, sometimes you need resistors, capacitors and some wire ASAP to finish a project and RS is the only place that has the stuff. Although, I still find it hilarious when the RS staff tries to sell something to me when I walk in the store, the moment I open up the electronics shelves they walk away.
Although I still find it a little odd that they don't sell inductors, I don't remember if they even sell the iron cores to make them yourself.
are the enercell or alkaline batteries used? i sure hope not. they usually have that tiny little lithum battery that cant be found elsewhere.
-dave