Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[Rosie88]

I was a long time Customer of Best Buy, until last Sunday, that is. And I see I'm not alone, this wasn't an isolated incident. I purchased an open box plasma tv in mid-December as a Christmas gift for my husband and kids. Spent $428. They assured me nothing was wrong with it, but I do take responsibility for not making them reopen the box so I could check it out. They loaded it in my truck, got it right home, had a neighbor help me get it in my house, wrapped it and it sat upright like I was advised, until Christmas day. Then the wrapping was taken off, but still we hadn't actually opened the box until January 31st. (we had to make room in living room, etc) Husband takes it out of the box, and the screen is shattered. We immediately take it back to Best Buy and they immediately tell us there's "nothing we can do". My husband offered to pay the difference on the new one in a box, still nothing. I admit, this is when he got very, very upset with them, but they just weren't working with us at ALL.  They even called the police on him when he wanted to picket outside the store. We finally went home, I called Corporate and was told that they don't over-ride a GM's decision EVER. I have never, ever heard of such a thing from a corporation. I told them we were even willing to buy a bigger screen if they'd just let us return and get the money put towards it. Really, they are just going to send the tv back to Insignia, what are they losing? $400 to me is a BIG deal.

Tried yesterday with Corporate again and was told the same thing. Basically a GM's word and decision is gold and that's that. They even told me that it was my fault for not having Best Buy deliver it! NEVER in the store did they tell me that once it's in my car, any problems are mine!!!

I am very upset about all of this and more upset that 'Corporate' handles things this way. I can't believe they want bad publicity over a measly amount of money to them. Not to mention word of mouth through internet these days speaks volumes.

Next step is small claims court. It's the principle of the issue at this point.

I'm very upset.

[trainedloser]

Small claims is great, can't have the big-time bestbuy lawyers in there !!!

Unfortunately, you have no idea how many times people drop their televisions on the way home, and "pretend" it was like that when they opened the box. It probably happens once a day. If bestbuy took the margin hit on every one of these televisions, they would go out of business.  So long to several hundred thousand jobs, not to mention millions with bby in their stock portfolios. It's unfortunate what happens, but you really aren't seeing this from the stores side either. The fact that your husband almost got the police called on him, basically seals the deal. If you can't be respectful and debate in a honest professional tone, I'm not sure why you think the store would take a LOSS to help you out.

[Rosie88]

I absolutely understand that aspect of it. There's a way to speak with people to try to get a point across. But they were adamant from the beginning, seems their slogan is "nothing I can do, sorry". Now, they've done quite right by me in the past with laptop issues and honoring my extended warranties. I'm just very disappointed it's come to this. And we didn't drop it and 'pretend' it was like that. I again, take responsibility for not checking the tv out before I left the store. But to tell me there's no way it's the warehouse or best buy's guys that could have done something...it's the same mentality. Funny thing is, they're the ones that told me when I get it home to keep it upright at all times, yet they loaded it in my trucklying DOWN.

 Don't you think it's possible that when the original owner returned the tv, all an employee did was peek inside, see everything was still packaged and resealed it? Best Buy can't assume every single employee of there's is competent. It's apparent from this forum alone they're not.

I've learned my lesson, take responsibility for my part in not checking, but they weren't going to work with us from the minute I CALLED the store.

I also really have an issue with GM's word being gold and even Corporate doesn't over-ride anything. Never heard such a thing.

[JustusRyan]

Althoughto be fair, how are they to know what happened since you bought the tv over a month ago and are just now making this complaint. I'm not saying what you said isn't true, I'm just saying there is no way to prove it and being as how so much time has passed, it wouldn't make sense for them to take it back. Also, merchants can't just send back whatever they want to a manufacturer and get their money back..... someone has to bite the bullet eventually. Also, the GM is the "owner-operator" of their store, so if they're truely in charge, then their decisions have to go.

[benganzel]

If the TV wasn't broken when you bought it, it most certainly was broken when you transported it lying down... Plasma TVs absolutely, under no circumstances, should EVER be laid flat. The extremely thin glass used in the panel cannot take the stress of being laid down. If the people who loaded it knew anything about plasma TVs, they would have loaded it correctly. I'm sorry to hear about it, as the situation is certainly terrible... I'd be extremely unhappy as well.

[Rosie88]

Again, totally my fault for not insisting that they open the box and show me all was intact. I do wonder now, however, how long they keep surveillance tapes? It would at least show their workers loading it in my truck flat instead of upright like they urged me to do once I got it home, and that's how it sat at my house until Christmas day and beyond...

[cr_client]

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Rosie88 wrote:

I do wonder now, however, how long they keep surveillance tapes?

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Maybe a week, sometimes longer, but doubtful.  Some stores (convenience stores, etc) don't have more than about 24 hours worth of recorded footage on hand at any time, because it's almost never used for anything except shortly after an emergency situation deems it necessary.

[Nokia]

Unfortunately, as you heard, if you do not choose delivery, after the TV leaves the store, it is the customer's responsibility. However, it should not have been loaded laying flat. It's not guaranteed that that caused damage, but it very well may have.

The GM essentially "owns" the store. Corp. will only override his decisions if they do not follow company policy. Other than that, the GM has the final word on most customer issues.

Unless your husband actually began protesting outside the store, the police should not have been called.

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hello Rosie88 -

Allan, from our Community Connector team, will be reaching out to you regarding your concern.  I appreciate your patience until he is able to contact you.  Thank you!

[cr_client]

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Nokia wrote:

Unless your husband actually began protesting outside the store, the police should not have been called.

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That's not necessarily true.  I've seen customers get plenty upset enough to warrant having police called without them ever making it to the point of actually picketing on the property.