Consumerist
Best Buy called the cops on Alex because he told another shopper that the Jawbone headset he was considering was poor quality and marked up $30 from the manufacturer's price. Alex went to Best Buy to purchase a new Bluetooth headset because the Jawbone he recently purchased from Verizon wasn't cutting it. While browsing the headsets, he struck up a conversation with another customer who was checking out the Jawbone. Alex told his fellow customer that he had been disappointed in the quality of the Jawbone, and that Best Buy was charging $30 more than the manufacturer or Verizon. A sales associate overheard this and told the manager, who asked Alex to leave the store, then threatened to call the police, then did.
Alex called Best Buy's corporate number, but was on hold so long that the police arrived before he could speak with anyone. After getting the manager's information, he left the store, then called Best Buy corporate again, where he spoke with a supervisor who told her that no, actually it's NOT Best Buy's policy to call the cops whenever a customer shares her experiences with another customer, unless it's "disruptive." Alex's email:
Dear Consumerist,We're not big on demanding apologies; money is better. Alex should wait to hear back from the manager he spoke with. If he doesn't hear back or is unsatisfied with Best Buy's response, he should check out The Ultimate Consumerist Guide To Fighting Back to get help writing a formal complaint letter or launching an EECB.I absolutely love reading your blog and have learned a great deal about the horrors of Best Buy "customer service." But never in a thousand years did I think I'd be sending in my very own Best Buy horror story.
I had recently purchased the Jawbone headset from my local Verizon store based on good reviews, but I quickly discovered my supreme dissatisfaction with it and was looking to replace it with a different brand. On March 5, 2008, at around 9 PM, I entered the Best Buy store in East Brunswick, NJ to see their selection of bluetooth headsets.
The selection of headsets at this Best Buy was dismal, and the merchandising was less than appealing, but that's not why I'm writing. While I was browsing the selection, another customer picked up the Jawbone headset and was taking a look at it. I shared my disappointing experience with the headset and also alerted him to the fact that Best Buy was charging an additional $30 on top of both the manufacturer's price online and Verizon's price. All of this was said within earshot of a sales associate, and I walked away after sharing my experience.
Within 30 seconds, a manager named Tom approached me and asked me to leave the store. I thought he was joking, since I had done absolutely nothing wrong, and I asked Tom for the reason why I needed to leave. According to Tom, "it was policy."
I was incredulous. I've worked far too many retail jobs to know the extent of "power" a manager has over customers, and my intuition told me he was pissed that I lost him a potential sale. I refused to leave the store, based on the fact that I had done nothing wrong and that this so-called policy was pulled out of his ass. Tom walked away and directed an associate to call the police.
I was shocked that Tom treated me like a thief—the cops were coming! I asked Tom for the Best Buy customer service number and immediately called to speak with someone that would knock some sense into trigger-happy Tom. Of course, I had to wait for what seemed like forever to speak with a representative, but before I could actually talk to a live person, the cops came.
Two cops and about four Best Buy associates in tough guy poses stood at the front of the store, obviously creating a dramatic scene. I was calmly waiting for a customer service rep to pick up the phone. I gave up on the customer service line, got the store's phone number and Tom's full name and title and left as per police request.
I have never been so humiliated and infuriated in my life. I felt like my First Amendment rights were violated—all I did was tell a fellow customer my experiences with a product! When I got home I FINALLY spoke to Daniel, a supervisor at Best Buy's customer service line, and he was shocked and appalled at Tom's actions. Daniel confirmed that Tom COULD have asked me to leave, had I been disruptive, then stated that Tom had no right to police a conversation between two customers, regardless of what was said. Daniel apologized profusely, took all of my contact information down, and noted that I had requested to receive a follow up email from a district manager that would deal with the investigation and formal complaint.
As far as I'm concerned, Tom can rot in hell. But I know how retail works, and he'll most likely get some insignificant writeup and a slap on the wrist. What I really want is a massive gift card because of Tom's flagrant abuse of "policy" and for embarrassing the hell out of me in front of the whole store. What steps can I take to get Best Buy to make a customer happy, formally apologize, and give me a free gift card?
Thanks so much. I love the blog and tell all of my friends about it! Keep up the amazing work!
Best,
Alex
(Photo: ob1left)
Comments
While the BB manager was wrong in the way he handled this, retail places do have the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason.
You're on Best Buy's property, they can toss you out any time they see fit. Walking into the store is your acceptance of those terms.
Furthermore, why would you want a gift card to a store that treats you so poorly? They showed you what they think of their customers, why would you EVER again set foot into the store?
PLEASE people, don't do the "blame the victim" shit either. I feel like Best Buy was in the wrong 100% - and this customer was right. Hell, I would ask for a massive gift card too if I was treated like shit in Best Buy - but that is why I avoid these stores like the plague.
@tme2nsb: Looks like I was too late. See the two comments above...sigh
I'm no blamer, and everything looked fine, right up until the gift card request. Am I losing my sense of humor?
@Starfury: Yep, at that point they are allowed to call the police if he refused to leave. It is a given that the manager was out of line, rude, over-reacting, possibly enjoying the power a bit much, but he was legally right here.
The fact this is written with the hopes of getting "a massive gift card" throws me, though.
Wow. I'm surprised that the police themselves didn't tell the manager to go pound sand.
Isn't there some rule or law against frivolously using public resources to enforce non-existent corporate policies? Do the cops in East Brunswick, NJ have nothing better to do?
Sic 'em, Alex!
@tme2nsb: What do you want? I didn't blame the victim for a thing, but the manager IS allowed to ask him to leave the store, and the police followed through within the law. No blame involved. Whether or not they were 'wrong' is a matter of opinion
I'm rather surprised by her experience with the Jawbone. I've spoken with at LEAST a dozen Jawbone users, who have all been using bluetooth headsets for years now (this is silicon valley after all), and they adore the thing, regarding it as the biggest improvement since the invention of bluetooth headsets. I wonder if her expectations were unrealistic, or if she was using it wrong.
I'd be willing to bet that he was doing a little more than engaging in casual conversation with a fellow customer. Something along the lines of him camping out and telling people not to shop there at all/for headsets/whatever seems more likely.
The consumerist should protect consumers from businesses that act badly. The consumerist should not be used to protect consumers who act badly from businesses.
@Starfury: Including your skin color? I think not.
@tme2nsb:
I didn't say Best Buy was correct in treating him this way, but he has no "First Amendment rights" to violate. Period, end of story. He should have turned to the woman, told her this is what you get for sharing experiences, and left. Instead, he's trying to get Best Buy corporate to crawl over to him, apologize for some crappy manager's behavior and soothe his wounds with a gift card when they already *know* he'll come back. The fact he's asking for a gift card indicates that he'll still shop there.
The lesson: Best Buy treats its customers like crap. This is old news for anyone who reads Consumerist. So why should it be a surprise that if you share product experiences, Best Buy gets warped out of shape. If you still insist in going there, don't be surprised if *you too* get treated poorly.
I'm not blaming the victim for Best Buy's ridiculous policies. I am blaming him for the circus side-show of the police showing up and the subsequent pleas for "fix my hurt feelings".
He should have left when the manager told him to leave. Best Buy is private property, so even if the manager is a complete idiot he still has the legal power to tell you to "git off muh land".
The cops didn't get involved because of what one person told another person. They got involved because Alex was trespassing.
Too bad he was humiliated, but that was caused by his actions, not theirs.
Here is what I don't understand:
Best Buy sucks, we can mostly agree on this.
Vote with the only means that counts to those companies - with your money.
Store sucks? Don't shop there.
Only time I will even think about BB is when the have buy 3 get one free iTunes cards, and even then, only online. (And yes, they have managed to mess that easy transaction up as well...)
I shop where me and my hard earned money are welcome and well teated.
I really hope there is a followup to this. I MUST know what happens!
As much as I like free stuff from places, I would much rather have this guys head on a plate then a gift card. It would probably be doing him a favor to get a new job anyways (no thats not a jab at retail jobs, but obviously this manager has got some problems).
"I felt like my First Amendment rights were violated"
No doubt others will chime in...First Amendment doesn't apply here. Government can't deny you free speech (in most cases), but jackass store managers can all they want.
Can we have an article on how to entice a store employee into doing something that offends you such that you can get free swag?
Seems like it's all the rage.
Oh, and I looooooove girls named Alex. Don't know why. Just thought I would share.
I'm no blame the blamer either....though as a part time photographer I know that once you've been asked to leave a premises...you have to leave or your trespassing.
That said...It's obvious that the manager and sales associate overreacted. Having read post after post about how dreadful bestbuy is though...I've quit going there. Are there any normal managers working for them anymore? Or is everyone there just weird anymore?
I'm no fan of Best Buy, but what bothers me about articles like this is that you only hear one side of the story. I find it hard to believe that the police would be called unless there was more to the incident than reported by Alex.
Why are multiple commenters referring to Alex as "he" when the story clearly indicates the Alex in question is a she?
I do this all the time, I just wonder into Best Buy to tell them that new egg is much better and usually prevent 2-3 people buying anything from them.
Gift Card request is suspicious tough...
@zentec: For the record, Alex is a she.
If Alex is ugly then I blame her, if she is hot then I don't
I WAS WRONGED AND EMBARASSED AND THE POLICE WERE CALLED TO ESCORT ME OUT EVEN THOUGH I DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING WRONG but I'll totally take a gift card in compensation because I'm a sucker for your shiny gadgets ps does that make me a sell-out?
Tell them you're not shopping there anymore until Tom himself issues you an apology. Then tell Tom his store sucks and you're not shopping there anymore.
The First Amendment doesn't apply, AND Best Buy was 100% in the wrong. Stores in interstate commerce do NOT have the right to refuse service to anyone they like; that was how restaurants, etc., used to get around serving food to black people, and the Feds clamped down on them. Alex may not have been a member of a "protected class," but she didn't do anything wrong. Best Buy didn't want to get called on gouging. How anybody thinks they're in the right here is beyond me.
Why won't people start treating BestBuy for what it really is? A glorified show room. You go there to look, NOT buy! They don't deserve your money. You want a TV? Great. Go to BestBuy. Pick out the one you want. Write down the model number. Go home, go online and buy it from an online retailer who probably has a better price and better guarantee. As far as I'm concerned, BestBuy lost their status as retailer long ago. They don't deserve your business or mine. And, after a couple months of customers treating them like a show room, they'll wise up. Until then, it'll be BOHICA from the moment you walk through the doors.
Forget Jawbone. Plantronics Voyager 520 FTW. Best bluetooth headset I've ever had.
@Chongo:
She's hot for Best Buy. She refused to leave when they asked her, and now she wants a gift card so she can shop there some more. I would have left and never gone back.
"What I really want is a massive gift card"?
Sounds to me like Alex is looking to game the system and Best Buy would do well to ask such a customer to take their business elsewhere. If Best Buy succumbs to this flagrant merchandise grab then I will have even less respect for them than I do know and I honestly didn't think that were possible.
As far as I'm concerned ALEX can rot in hell.
Hahaha that is SO funny. I worked at the store in that picture. That was our store on Black Friday. Crazy article...I can't even begin to tell you the crazy things that I have experienced there from an employee-company standpoint to an employee-customer standpoint.
Sure Best Buy can ask her to leave for her comment, it doesn't make it right. If you trespass on my property in my state I can legally hurl a rock at your melon and drop you like a bad habit. It doesn't make it RIGHT....
@Starfury: First off, no. Businesses do not have the right to refuse service to anyone for any reason. While I don't think this reason was legally limited, there are plenty of reasons companies cannot use to refuse service.
The greater point here, though, isn't whether Best Buy has the right to do this. Its whether they should. The answer to that is a resounding NO. That is why this case is being publicized. Because some trigger-happy sales associate and manager are strong-arming a customer for talking to another customer. Its not because they don't have the right to call the cops when they ask someone to leave. Its that they asked someone to leave and called the cops over something so harmless.
@picardia: In the right in what sense? The manager has a right -- a legal right -- to kick anyone he likes out of the store, unless he's doing it because that person is a member of a protected class. Interstate commerce has nothing to do with it.
That doesn't mean the manager was right -- morally right -- to call the police on Alex. I have a right to call my boss a jerkwad but that doesn't make it right for me to do so.
However, I agree with the person who said we may not be getting the whole story here.
I might be more apt to feel she deserves a gift card if she had left when the management who are reps of Best Buy asked her to leave. It is their property, nowhere does the 1st admendment give you the right to be on someones else's property whenever you feel like it and without their approval. Now to the comments about the fact that she must have done something more to warrant this, are you new to consumerist or just have your head in the sand? As far as not spending money at Best Buy, a big fat gift card from them would be free, so I would take it and get me something from Best buy.
Best Buy Horror Story seems to be this site's "Dear Penthouse Forum, I never thought this would happen to me..."
Yes, blaming the victim happened, but that's par for the course here, lately on Consumerist. I don't think anyone will disagree that it was poor customer service in this story, so why shouldn't Alex try to get something free for her troubles? It's not extortion. BB can either do it, or not, either way at their own peril.
In regards to my comment above ... I went to BestBuy a few days ago and saw the game SimCity Societies. But, even being a SimCity fan since its inception, I balked at the $39.99 price tag. Amazon's price? $16.16. In fact, the MSRP of that game is $29.99. This is just one example of why I go to BestBuy to look, not buy.
The other day when buying lunchmeat I notices some other meat packages with expired dates on them. When another shopper came and was picking them up I mentioned the dates and she put them down. I hope I don't have a warrant out for my arrest.
Alex needs to let all the flying monkeys loose on Best Buy. Nobody should be humiliated in public just because some underpaid Best Buy manager needed an ego boost.
I refuse to buy anything there any more.
Is there a reading comprehension problem? Alex is a WOMAN and Not a man.
The obvious spiteful thing to do is to make flyers and stand on the sidewalk outside the store.
This is no surprise. I'm currently having a headache with Best Buy's warranty policy that I paid $200 for but that hasn't deterred Best Buy from denying me a service I paid for. If in 2 weeks things don't work out, I'm likely to send my own letter to the Consumerist next to the State Attorney General's office.
They are just terrible at customer service because they don't care about their customers period. Whatever right Best Buy thinks it has for denying people service is no excuse for them to call the police for unless a customer is being "disruptive". Treating people like criminals for talking about a product's price cannot be excused.
@Riddar: So it's the victim's fault huh?
@tricky69: Maybe. Or maybe just gender bias. On another forum, my first name is clearly included in my signature on every single message I post.
I still get people assuming I'm male.
Over there, sadly, I'm actually shocked if someone either uses female pronouns or calls me by my name.