bboisvert

Wow, the world is truely going downhill when people (in this very thread!) think that asking to see a DVD played before spending hundreds of dollars on a TV is a "ridiculous request" or pushy.

If they don't want people to see how the products work, why bother having the TVs out in the first place. Just leaving them all in the damn box.

tjr2mental

Because you can see how the product works at all times. There is a loop that is playing on all the tvs that show how the set will look, so there is no reason to have to hook up a dvd player to see how it will look.

Only thing is you should never buy a set based on how it looks in the store IMO. Hundreds of people a day play with them, and they are so far out of tune it is sad. Like others have said, do some homework before you come into the store and you will be much better off.

westerbergrules

So best buy sends a signal through their 4:3 CRT "cheap" TVs that is set for widecan be "squeezed" if the TV has that feature. I had no idea. How can I access this signal next time I am in Best Buy?

Josh H

Bah, I'm an evil shopper in that regard. I'll go to a local place to test out what I'm interested in and then buy it where ever it's cheapest.

I usually ask the local place if they can beat whatever price at least. But they can't in my experience.

Josh H

That's just for the joe six packs who just go in, see what the set looks like, judge by picture quality of whatever they have showing and walk out with a set.

Best Buy is by no means a store catering to audio and videophiles that really want to test out equipment before they buy. That's what the local, dedicated home theater stores exist for.

I'm not saying it wouldn't be nice if Best Buy offered that kind of service, but it's not going to happen as that's not the market they care about.

Troy Stiffler

With all do respect to your money, and your TV selection process, THAT'S A PRETTY FUCKING WEIRD REQUEST.

I think the employee did the right thing by offering a passive, bewildered response, and akwardly walking away.

Brian Shannon

Yea sure! Why would they want to show off a tv with a superior signal source and sell the dvd player to go with the tv after explaining why it is better.

Better to just load up the boxes after the customer makes their own decision. Oh wait, that is what Price Club is for!

Gerry P.

I guess he could buy the TV, take it home, test it, return it for another brand if he is unsatisfied and repeat the process over and over until he finds the right one.

Yeah, that's more logical than testing the sets in store.

Troy Stiffler

So this is a common process these days? Exchanging TV's until you find the one you want, not common. Taking the time to hook up a dvd player to prospective TV's until they find one they like, apparently not common. I've never heard of it, and have a few friends that work at Best Buy.

Do a little online research, look at the display at the store, and buy it. Read the brochure. THAT'S what you do.

If you are looking at a toaster, are you going to take a bagel with you to check it out? Maybe a pack of Ramen with a range? A buritto with a microwave? Gotta make sure it's cooking properly! Do you go to the grocery store, and ask for a fucking taste test before you buy a box of cereal? When you buy a digital camera, do you take it out of the box, take a bunch of pictures, and check them out on their PC before purchasing?

Threads like this, and people like this really get to me. To see if they'll let you do it, okay. To be SHOCKED when they don't comply, funny.

kayak99

Or he could "SHOCKED" by extremely bad BB "fucking" customer service or are we supposed to expect that from a company issuing a press release to their potential investors like this:

BULLSHIT, Best Buy is a company that continually strives to creat large profit margins from uneducated and unsuspecting customers.

BB offers a wide variety of products however the average consumer best perform due diligence before buying lest they become a possible victim of preying sales clerks. The clerk in this case could certainly have handled this in a more professional manner!

tanman

I think it is hilarious how people think that being paid well and good customer service aren't mutually exclusive principles. So just because people aren't paid well gives them the right to tell a customer to eff off? I was at the bottom of the food chain at one time and when I was busy stocking groceries and someone asked me where something was I actually took the time to make sure they can find it. Guess what, I was paid even less then BB people and did a whole lot more work AND I was still considerate of people. That's sad when this is such a foreign concept.

Look as Disney. They don't pay their employees jack, but all of them are still very pleasant and have that Disney charm. Are they still a greedy company that will pinch every dime that walks in their theme parks? Yes. But they smile while doing it and are willing to go the extra mile and THAT is why people (myself included) are willing to pull out their wallets and pay.

You should not have to be paid well to treat people with respect and decency.

asianxcore

isn't this time of year usually slow for retail stores? everyone has what they wanted for Christmas. also aren't a lot of retail stores understaffed around this time of year because of a slowdown in customer traffic. I work retail and some customers don't seem to understand you can't just hire a crapton of people around a time where sales aren't too high, even though it would be nice. Usually means not a lot of cashiers, etc etc. I had a customer come into the store I work for today and ask rudely for me to open another cashier line because the line she was in was so f***ing long. even though there were clearly 2 HUGE signs that said checkout lines were also open in another section and customer service.

With that rant, I do agree Best Buy's customer service needs to improve a whole lot. But I also agree Best Buy is definitely a store where you need to know what you want (DVDs, electronics, etc) before you get into the store.

Y2K Falcon

I doubt my local "Tweeter" will carry the low-end Sharp 27".

Gerry P.

Actually, it's less common these days than it used to be thanks to "big box" stores like Best Buy with their crappy customer service.
Are you older than... I don't know... 25?
I suppose that would do if you are not particularly picky. However, before I spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a new television, I want to test it out with a DVD or two that I am familiar with. Call me crazy.
Silly.
I see a very fine career at Best Buy in your future.

Y2K Falcon

Do you ask the seller if you can sleep a couple nights in their house before you'll make an offer?

Gerry P.

Only if she's cute.

::

Y2K Falcon

I think you meant...

I'm not siding 100% with the policy, but the comparison to tasting some chips before buying them was weak. (though in both cases, my grocery store and my BB have return policies)

Josh H

Again, Best Buy doesn't cater to people like you that are that picky. The smaller HT shops and places with salesmen on commision are where you should go to test out stuff in store.

It's a trade off between price and service. Like I said earlier I'll go to the local places to check stuff out, and then buy at Best Buy or other cheaper stores if the local place can't match the price.

tjr2mental

Actually, yes. The signal that is being pumped through all the tv's in the store is a HD widescreen signal. The signal is just downgraded to the non-hd crts. If the tv has the ability to be "squeezed" then just select that button on the remote.

Sekots

I work at BB and sure I don't get paid as much as alot of people. But for the easy work that I do and for being in High School I get paid pretty good. But even if I'm not making top dollar, that's not the customers fault. Today someone asked me where the Palm accessories was, I could have just pointed and said over there but I made sure he found out where it was and got the help he needed. I'm not claiming to be the perfect employee, but if alot of people would just take the 20 seconds to help someone then it would go along way.

Troy Stiffler

Hehe. That's pretty funny, as I own my own electronics business.

story

Hooray! Year-Old Thread!

Numanoid

Good for you. With that work ethic, you will probably do very well in life and go on to much bigger and better things. In contrast, the nimbus employee from the original post who was too bothered to assist the customer will most likely be working retail until they die. It takes a while, but we will have our revenge.

dumbdvdtalkers.

Stop bitching about BestBuy and their dumb and stupid employees! I mean, come on, look at MOST of the dvdtalkers on this forum and the dumb and stupid questions that they come up with! MOST dvdtalkers are plain and simple, DUMB and STUPID......I never ceases to amaze who dumb MOST of you can be. Looking for proof???? Just browse the various forums to be found on this site! LOL!!!!!!

fujishig

In all honesty, the guy probably had no idea what "anamorphic squeeze" meant, didn't want to look dumb, so made up that excuse. He knew he couldn't hook up the DVD player without tracking down a manager, but why even try if, after going through all that trouble, he has to ask the customer what in the world he's talking about. (in his defense, it's not a common feature, and I agree with the above poster who suggested just going with the more expensive Wega)

Sure, he shouldn't have lied like that, but I assume he was a kid who's just trying to make some extra cash, not a home theater enthusiast who's more than happy to discuss the merits of OAR.

My wife and I went to BB this past weekend (always a mistake) and knew exactly what camera we wanted to buy. Tracked down a guy who said he'd get back to us, and no one ever did. We came back later, half an hour before closing, and again couldn't find anyone to help us even though the store was empty. Computer guy, who was also doing nothing, couldn't help because it wasn't in his department. Camera guy comes, targets my wife, and tries to sell her the wrong kind of memory for the camera and an accessory bag before I finally step in and tell him no accessories, no warranty, just ring us up. Couldn't really fault him (though I did get a little upset), but I don't go into BB looking for purchasing advice. I pity the guy who's looking for a big screen TV and doesn't do his research before going there... they'll always recommend the more expensive set, always.

This all pales in comparison to another thread I read, where the customer asks the guy why the anime DVDs are so expensive, and the BB employee replies that it's because they're imported... which strengthens the testimony of one BB employee here on this board who admitted that his supervisor told him that if he doesn't know the answer to a question, just make one up...