Even Celebrities Get Crappy Service At Best Buy

Here’s a familiar story to readers of Consumerist: Customer goes into a Best Buy to make a purchase. Best Buy staffer gives customer incorrect information. Frustrated by the situation, customer vents about it online. Of course, when that customer is big-time pop star Kelly Clarkson, Best Buy actually fixes the error.

On Tuesday, the original American Idol champ posted the following on her Facebook page:

So I’m in Best Buy… literally trying to buy iPod shuffles for orphans and they won’t sell them to me because they’re saving them for other customers. Thank you Best Buy for all of your help. They wouldn’t let my friend buy the rest either haha! What the hell is wrong with y’all?!

She was later able to purchase all the iPod Shuffles she needed at a Best Buy across town, where no one tried to enforce the company’s nonexistent limit on the number of Shuffles a customer can buy.

When the folks at Best Buy got wind of Clarkson’s Facebook posts, they publicly apologized to the singer: “We spoke to the management and they’d like to apologize for this experience … their intention was not to upset you.”

According to TMZ, Best Buy also made a donation to the singer’s charity.

While this is all well and good and everyone loves a happy ending, it says something that a customer needs to be a celebrity in order to earn a public apology from Best Buy.

Kelly Clarkson — Best Buy Fixed My Orphan Problem [TMZ]

Kelly Clarkson’s Facebook Page [Facebook]

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.