agrall

I worked at Best Buy part-time this spring/early summer just to pass the time until we moved. I thought I would use the discount to make a couple of necessary purchases, and a fun one. I bought a washer/dryer for our new house, and a Toshiba 65H80 TV. They came to deliver these items on Wednesday, June 20th. They informed me before even taking anything off the truck that there was no way they were even going to try to deliver the TV. Our house is technically a quad-level house. Each level is only separated by half flights of stairs, however. I want the TV in the lower level, and yes, they need to make ONE turn. My measurements made it look like it would have been close with the 65", but they should have made it.

Well, they absolutely refused to do it... So, they delivered the washer and dryer (which went down the one level and around down another level), and left without ever taking the TV off the truck. Before leaving, however, they gave me some bullsh*t about how they were sure that the 55" Toshiba would fit. I said, "They don't make a 55" widescreen Toshiba." They said they sure did because they moved them before (Toshiba does make a 55", but not a widescreen or HDTV). I said that they do make a 56" in that same model, and asked if they thought it would fit. They were like... I don't know... kind of leary-like.

So, anyway... I go to the local Best Buy later that night, and the video guy says they'll take care of it for me, but I should come back in the next day when the GM is in. He made a photocopy of my receipt for the GM and I left. So, I think, okay, no problem... I come in the next day, and I get to speak to this b*tch sales manager instead of the GM. She has a terrible attitude, walked away from me several times while I was speaking to her, and then didn't help me at all. She said I had to work through my old store where I had purchased it. Well, that store was now 6 hours away, and I wasn't planning a visit any time soon.

So, I called my old store. They (at least they were nice there) told me that we would have to wait until the TV showed back in their stock before we could work and exchange for the 56". Ok...ok... Well, on Sunday, June 24th, I talked with a manager at my old store, and she told me that the delivery was now set for Wednesday, June 27th. Ok, fine... Wednesday comes, and no TV. They had never even called to give me a time window for delivery... So, I call my old store again (after calling both the delivery number, and the 800 customer service number), and apparently my order was cancelled for some unknown reason. ?????? So, I had to call back every day until Monday, July 2nd, until there was someone there who could help me. Apparently there is only ONE person who works at that store who knows how to do this properly. So, they tell me the delivery date is today, Thursday, July 5th.

I actually received a voice-mail with a time-window. However, the half of the time window was covered by my working hours. They left no phone number to call, and I didn't have my receipt yet because they were mailing it to me. I left a note on the door saying something to the effect of,

When I got home today, the note was gone, and there was no new note, so I assumed they would return before 2:00. Nope. 2:00 came and went. At about that time, the mail came, and my receipt was in it. At about 2:05, I called the number on the receipt, and they informed me that I missed the delivery. Now, I am usually a very calm person who doesn't even like to yell at people on the phone...but I was extremely p*ssed off at this point. I asked if they could still deliver it today, and they said no...the delivery people are already off-shift (this is 5 minutes after my delivery window!). I ask to speak to a manager. She gives me the same crap...and want to set me up for another delivery tomorrow or Saturday. I said I want it today...I have waited for over 3 weeks for my $3000 TV! But, no...there was no way they could do that...

So, what do they have available tomorrow? 9 a.m. - noon. Of course, I am at work then too. But my wife could be home. Now, I eventually settled on them coming tomorrow, but I can just imagine them coming and saying...nope can't put this there... So...

Anyhow, this has been such a nightmare that I highly doubt I will ever make another significant purchase from Best Buy, and I am a former employee. If they treat an employee like this...how do they treat you average Joe?



So, anyhow, thank you for reading my rant.

Rider69

Sorry to hear about your problems. I have never bought any big ticket items at BB, so I cannot begin to think what you are feeling. For me though, I would have just made the delivery guys prove to me that it (the 65") would not fit, before just letting it go and take their word for it. Especially if it means comprimising the original purchase. Hope you get it worked out!

MasterofDVD

Dear God! This sucks and I hope that you get it all cleared up soon.

Getting my TV from CC wasn't nearly as much trouble but the delivery guys were a$$holes about it. As soon as they got to my door they told me about how they almost skipped me that day cause they thought my TV was a 3 man job and if they refused......they would send a 3rd guy out the next trip.

Why on earth would this moron tell me this? I would of been nicer to him if he had just skipped that part. Still has me stumped to this day.

skipperdee

hey, you worked there, what was the payscale like? i'm not interested in a job, just wondering why BB employees let customer service(i.e. their job) take such a back seat? i mean the whole thing would be a real nightmare to think that these shiftless employees were actually getting paid decent wages!

-Skipper

"Fooey" -Ignatz

POWERBOMB

Man that sucks. But I think all delivery guys (hell for that matter let me throw in movers as well) all have crappy attitudes. But I take into account that if I did that job, my attitude would stink as well.

Guess that's why I don't work in delivery....

Iron Chef

If we could fit that couch down there, they could probably have fit that TV.

gcribbs

did you get your money back?

I hope you get your tv situation fixed soon. I would hate to be without my tv

agrall

As a part-time loss-prevention person, I made about $7.50/hr. Better than minimum wage, but nothing great... And it was truly insulting considering my education level! Like I said...I only worked there to pass the time until we moved.

I did get the money back that was the difference between the 2 sets, but they did charge me a second delivery fee. Tomorrow is their last chance. If they don't deliver it properly, I am going to cancel my order, demand that second delivery fee back, and go buy my $3000+ TV somewhere else.

Hoc

He told you that because he wanted you to give him a BIG tip for using 2 men to deliver "a three-man job." Such hard work for the poor 2 guys.

dvd-fisherman

Man, I feel for you. If I ordered a $3000 TV from BB and they treated me like that, I would order another one from say CC and tell the BB people to keep their bleeping TV and return my money or else I'd sue the pants off them.

stefanc

id punch them in the ear!

UWSarge

Ever been here?

http://www.bestbuysux.org/comments.html

homeslice

When buying big items, always take a little tape measure and get it's height/width before ordering and ensure it will fit through the door. When delivery people give you arguments, simply cite the measurements and say it'll fit because you did the math already.

Shuts them up, quick.

Brian Shannon

Sad but not suprising.


This store is a blight on the consumer electronics world.

agrall

Followup:

Ok, so the delivery people came while my wife was home. Immediately, they said (again) that they wouldn't even try to take that down. My wife told them that the last delivery people thought this size might fit, and they should try. They refused. She insisted again that they try and prove that it doesn't fit. He walked out the door, she assumed to get the TV. Then my wife heard the truck start, and they just left!

So, my wife immediately called the delivery number, and she was told my the supervisor that it is their policy that if a delivery person doesn't think it would fit, that they shouldn't even try. She was told that they could return within half-an-hour to just leave it in our living room... But she wanted to wait to talk to me (320 lbs between just the two of us and no special carrying tools?).

I come home and she tells me the story. Infuriated, I call the delivery line. The supervisor she spoke to informed me that they had set up a delivery for Monday. I said no, absolutely not. The TV is coming today. He put me on hold, and they came back 10 minutes later, telling me they would call me back. I was called back by the distribution center manager, and she told me that she was told that my wife had turned down the half-hour return and had agreed to a Monday delivery. I said no...she had only said that she wanted to talk to me before they drop it off in our living room. I asked her about why they couldn't even try to put it in our basement, and she again said that there was too much liability for them to try. Ugh... So, was left with the choice of having them return and drop it off in our living room, and see if the two us us can handle it...or tell them not to bother. I told her to go ahead and have them come back. I would call her back in 20-25 minutes if I changed my mind. She said I probably shouldn't expect them until 2-6 p.m. sometime. So, in the meanwhile, my wife has the idea to take some old cardboard boxes (we had just moved recently after all), and try to construct a box based on the dimensions of the TV, and see what it looks like trying to take that down the steps. Well, about 20 minutes after I got off the phone, the delivery guys showed up again... So much for after 2:00... I tried to talk them into trying it down the stairs, unsuccessfully. So, they took the box off the truck, and before we know it, they took the TV out of the box, and are bringing it into our living room. My wife and I checked it out, and there was no way the two of us were going to be able to handle it down that tight space...especially with the weight of the thing... So, after they got it in our living room, I told them to take it back on the truck. T^hey had to check to see if they could, because apparently they had destroyed the box when they took it off the truck. Ugh. Well, they eventually took it away...after some bitching and complaining about extra work and having to come to our house 3 times... (like that was OUR fault?!?)

Well, at this point, I was pretty down... I didn't know what my choices were... But I wanted to go to a local Best Buy and talk to (or bitch at) someone. I went to the Southfield Best Buy (as opposed to the Madison Heights Best Buy where I encountered the b*tch sales manager), and asked right away to speak to a manager. I told him the whole story, and asked what he could do. He was actually very courteous, and promised me we would get this taken care of, one way or another. I went back and talked to the guy in video, and these are my options:

1. Try the Pioneer 53" widescreen HDTV. The dimensions are matters of just a few inches smaller of the Toshiba, yet it is more expensive... I am afraid that the delivery people will just laugh if I ask them to try this one too.

2. Go all the way down to the Toshiba 40H80. It would almost definitely fit without much complaining, but I am sacrificing 16" of diagonal screen space, and I would like the largest TV possible. On the positive side, I would get a large chink of money back.

3. Return this TV, and the manager I spoke to assured me that he would make sure I get the new Toshiba 50H81 when it comes in. To me this sounds like the best option right now. It is 80 lbs lighter than the 56H80, and is several inches less in both depth and width, so maybe the delivery people won't complain...

So, anyhow... That's the latest chapter in the story... Please feel free to leave your opinions, comments, suggestions.

P.S. I apologize for the stupidity of my subject title... I had posted this at another forum first, copied and pasted to here, but somehow messed up the title... Ugh...

Iron Chef

CaptDS9E

Some lazy delivery people there. In the last year I redid our basement into my home theater (15 steps) and had all types of things delivered down there including my 43 inch Proj tv and a lot of bigger stuff. Some stuff they said they may not be able to get down but, All the delivery guys tried and the stuff did fit because I measured before hand, but they did try in case. I dont get this really about your delivery guys If something is able to fit down or up stairs, why is there really a problem from them. I have family members and friends who have been delivery guys with stuff heavier and bigger then tv's and they delivered to all sorts of places. If they were delivering a big tv like that to Say Bill Gates apartment all the way at the top in the new Trump building are they going to say "We cant do that" I dont think so

Capt

oldchuckles

I would never compromise on something I really wanted (such as a certain car style or color). You'll probably regret it later. Never settle for less than what your heart desires! Possible options are to have the TV delivered to your living room, and then hire some local movers (or moonlighters) to finish the job for $50.00 cash or whatever. A second option is to disassemble the TV into smaller pieces and then reassemble it after the final move. This is common for frigerators and other large furniture items. It is possible the TV may have to be recalibrated, but so what. It'll it worth it in the long run. But never settle for something you don't really want (a smaller TV, wrong color/model car, second-choice dog or cat, etc.)! Special "buys" should always be your first choice, not stinking compromises!

[Edited by oldchuckles on 07-07-01 at 07:27 AM]

happypants

Forget those rear projection tvs...

here is what you need to get

http://www.dynamism.com/pioneer_plasma/index.shtml

Preacher

Agree heartily with oldchuckles b/c if you settle for less that is what you will get. Small personal example is the phones in our house, which we had been having trouble with for quite a time. Finally decided to buy a couple of phones for our bedroom and downstairs in the living room. Bought one at a pawnshop and the other was from the Sony store and it was on sale. There were numerous reasons for buying these 2 but mostly it was a little money saved. 5 months ago 1 of them went into a snowbank after its insane ringing went off for the last time. The other consistantly runs out of juice and is not only cordless but is also useless. I knew what I wanted but got waylaid by thinking that some money would be saved. Eventually all the money will go back out as the models that should have been bought ends up being bought. For the money we will pay eventually, ie phone #1a +phone #1b, we could have gone another model up. Sorry for all your problems with this, thought poneying up the money for an expensive TV was the hard part

agrall

Thanks for the input, but after seeing the 56" in my house, I realize that with how tight the fit would be, even if we got the TV in our house, we may never get it out if we move. So... Take that with the fact that the 50H81 has some new features that the 56" does not have... and I think the 50" will end up being a good choice. The space the TV will be located will be relatively small, so I think the 50" will still give a nice big screen feel.

Believe me...If I felt it were at all possible to still go back and fit the 65" in, I would probably do it. But, I think that one might have been a lost cause... Now the 56" might have fit, but it was more trouble than it was worth with the delivery people, and I'll be happy with the new features on the 50" (including the fact that it is lighter by 80 lbs and not as deep).

Soybean

I feel for you, especially since I'm not very confrontational and would probably give up pretty easily. What a hassle. This just makes me want a plasma TV even more. I can just take care of that myself.

gcribbs

so I hope they agree to bring it in this time

let us know how it looks. a 50" is a nice size TV.
I used to own one before my divorce caused me to go back to a 27" TV

MikeEckman

Not entirely related to the original post, but heres another example of how Best Buy screws their own employees. I was an employee at Store 317 in Matteson, IL from 11-95 to 11-97 and then went to work at the Chicago Service Center 610. Well, ALL Best Buy employees get an employee discount, even the ones that dont work in stores.

The service center is basically just a warehouse where things get fixed. Its not a store. I happened to work there around Christmas, and when youre an employee, you want to buy stuff with your discount as gifts. Well, there were several complaints from service center people that the stores they were going to were giving them a hard time and not wanting to do employee purchases. (For those who dont know, to get an employee purchase, a manager needs to look up the price for the item in the computer and sign off on a work order so it can be adjusted at the register).

Anyways, our service center also happened to be where the office for the district HR manager was. So this lady kept getting complaint after complaint. Eventually, she decided to check it out for herself cause she too, didnt technically work at any store.

So she went into a store that wouldnt know her and did just like the other employees were doing. She approached a manager and identified herself as an employee (she didnt say she was the HR manager) and the manager flat out ignored her. She went to another manager at the same store and that manager told her he was too busy to help her.

She then spoke to the general manager at the store and sent a memo to all stores demanding that the stores treat all employees with respect. It was a huge thing at the time.

So theres one example of how this company doesnt give a **** about their employees.

Thunderball

Did you ever get your TV?