I took my 2009 Nissan Versa to Besty Buy in Bel Air Maryland for the installation of a $15.00 FM adapater for my XM Radio. I drove the car to the rear of the store spoke to an installation geek as they call themselves the geek explained the process and told me it would take about 30 minutes to complete. I went browsing adrounf the store to kill time while the installation was taken place. I get a call on my cell phone from the so called geek telling me there is a problem. So my qestion to him was is ther a problem with the radio? He said no. Then he said you need to come outside I came out side and there it was my car had be smashed by a truck. $3, 551.38 worth of damage Best buy had the nerve to ask for payment for the installation, never offered any kind of compensation or any thing .

After reading some of the other complaints I now think that I was lucky that I did not get my check approved. Today, 4/8/11, my husband and I walked into the Best Buy on Cobb Pkwy in Smyrna, GA prepared to buy a flat screen television. After a moment of looking (and listening to a DirectTV sales pitch) we decided on a television. I must say that we had been in the store over 20 minutes and aside from the DirectTV salesman, no one offered to help us. I finally, walked over 2 aisles where 2 salespeople were preparing a display, and asked for help. The sales rep, actually didn't appear thrilled to help us, but he put on his corporate smile and gave us minimal help. During the check out process, we wrote a check, and the check declined, I must say that we are 50 somethings, we own our home, and are probably the most fiscally conservative couple in Atlanta, and oh yes, we're African-American (so was our salesman). At this point, the corporate smile dropped and we began to get the "why are you wasting my time" treatment. I firmly asked him to call the Telechek company because I KNEW that this was a mistake, especially since we minimally keep a healthy account. Our salesman, reluctantly called Telechek and after several minutes we were vindicated, the Telechek representative, confirmed that the error was on Best Buy's end. The salesman was a bit sheepish and asked me to rewrite the check and he would resubmit it. Once more the check declined the salesman looked at me, I asked him to get the store manager and suggested that he try another register, especially since Telechek said it was a problem with Best Buy's equipment. We went to another register and finally the manager joined us. Unfortunately, the check declined once more, the manager stated that this has happened several times before and then asked if we wanted to open a Best Buy account.
I must say, that I was more than disappointed that this manager, knowing that there is a problem with their system, one that he had seen before, and knew it to be flawed, did not offer to override it and accept the check or at least act like he wanted to resolve the problem and maintain a customer. I am not naive, I understand that there are many scams out in the world however the perception given (from the salesman and the manager) was that we were guilty of attempting a scam. I have worked in customer service, trained salesmen, and customer service reps and this runs against every customer service principle in business. I have always maintained that when I am treated poorly by a business I generally refuse to support them again, and this is no different. (If they had taken a moment to check our buying history they would have found this to be so.) Perception is as important as truth, my perception is my truth, my husband and I believe in living a life of integrity which means we have stellar credit, we live within our means, and we owe no one. I know that our business is welcomed in many other stores throughout Atlanta. We will take our business to one of those stores.

This afternoon I looked on the Best Buy website and found a Toshiba Satellite laptop which was just what I wanted, advertised at $429.99. Went to Best Buy location #1 where they did not have the laptop in stock, but had a display model marked at $429.99, and the salesman confirmed that this was the price. The salesman very kindly called another Best Buy location in the same city (Albuquerque, NM) and found that they had the laptop in stock and it would be held for me at the customer service desk. I went directly to my car and arrived at Location #2 no more than 30 minutes later. When the clerk rung up the computer the price had suddenly increased to $529.99! The sales manager came over and acknowledged that "everyone in the industry is using market-reactive pricing" and the price is now $529.99. He admitted that the price had gone up within the past hour or so (probably while I was en route from Location #1 to Location #2) but neither he nor his boss would offer the product at the price that had been advertised and confirmed at Location #1 just minutes before. Needless to say I walked out on that shafting and found a nicer computer for about $450 at Office Depot. Never again, Best Buy!

(I wrote the following letter to the Best Buy Corporate Office back in January over a very disturbing and embarrassing situation that happened to my family and I at our local Best Buy store.)

My name is LF, I am a highly involved customer at my local Best Buy here in Texas. I am a Rewards Zone Program member who nearly reached Premier Silver in 2010. I have an active HSBC Best Buy Credit Card I used to purchased my Samsung LCD TV and my Sony Playstation 3 with, and planned on purchasing my 3D Samsung LED in the near future with as well. My family and I spent our Black Friday camp out at none other than Best Buy. My store of choice for all of my electronic needs or concerns, as well as my families, for birthdays and holidays has been Best Buy. But today [1/18/11] has led me to have a change of heart caused by the management running my local Best Buy. I had a very unpleasant and disconcerted experience, one that would lead this consumer to never return to Best Buy for my store of choice. So here is my explanation of our terrible experience at Best Buy tonight:


My father, my wife and I read of your January 16-22 ad, a 'buy two (mix and match) video games of $29.99 or more get a third game free' sale and thought to take advantage of it. We had at the front counter to purchase, two LittleBigPlanet 2 Collectors Editions ($80 MSRP) and Dj Hero 2 ($60 MSRP) as our free game of choice. I noticed Dj Hero 2 had not been noted as free on the register screen and asked the young associate to double check her ad. After contesting my side of the argument for a few minutes the young woman calls for her supervisor, we spent a while sorting out this matter with what I thought to be the worst attitude I had ever seen displayed by an authority figure. He asked if I cared to speak with the manager. I replied yes, hoping this gentlemen would be much more caring and understanding to this situation, but I guess this was too much to ask for in the manners of customer service. This Manager by the name of William, walks to the counter with a very assertive attitude to start off. He claims my 'argument did not hold any water, ' in his terms, before I could fully explain to him that there were no restrictions placed in the ad for any certain games to pick and choose other than an equal or lesser value of $29.99 or more. After this gentleman's bitter attitude, this conversation was getting way to heated for a public store, I finally surrendered to his side of the argument and went to search for another game that would meet these 'so called standards.' My father stays behind close to the manager as my wife and I were on our way to the video game section. I soon see my father walk up to me claiming he was getting kicked out of the Best Buy store, and for what reason? Well he so happened to see Manager William lean over another employees shoulder to explain the situation and heard the Manager refer to me as a 'Smart ass guy.' My father, being a parent of course, retaliates by asking him, 'is this the way you treat your customers, by calling them obscene and harsh names?' My father continued on by telling Manager William he should not talk of his son in such a manner. Manager William, very arrogantly, replies with 'maybe if you would have raised your son to not argue with people.' My Father, having his parenting methods questioned by Manager William, grows frustrated and continues to shout back at him and making him aware he was very wrong for his behavior and poor choice of words. William noticing he's drawn attention from other customers in the store, repeatedly denies of saying such a thing and grows aggressive with my father and asks him to leave the store immediately and that local police officers are on their way. I grow very frustrated with this Manager at this point and am asking for his full name. He continues to act aggressively in this behavior and refuses to give me his full name and in his words, repeats 'don't worry about my name, I'm not going to give it to you.' He then finally is kicking me out, along with my father, and having me escorted out the door. I then turn to my wife, who has remained entirely silent at this point, to continue purchasing our items and Manager William then denies my wife's service and claims we all need to get out or he will have the local authorities to arrest us. My wife reasoning with Manager William that she has committed no actions of wrong-doing, and would like to just simply purchase what we drove across town for. William then claims he's had enough, denies not only my purchase of goods but disrespects my wife and denies her service, seeing that she was only a third-party. William has us dismissed out the door. At this point we are all very infuriated and very appalled that our first-choice store has treated us in such a manner.

My reasonable fear, as a paying customer is seeing the attitude, and the disrespect displayed by Manager William and curious to the fact if this is how he teaches his employees to handle such a situation and mistreat their honest customers. I would like some word on this issue and some sort of apology before I ever think about returning to my local Best Buy ever again.

Thank you for your time

(I received a phone call two weeks later from the Best Buy Corporate office themselves, advising me to never go back to my local Best Buy ever again. I asked them to check their surveillance cameras for visual proof to match my story. They refused and said I would need a Subpoena if I was interested in taking this any step further. The lady was very rude and refused to give me her last name then hung up the phone. This whole situation has felt very unjust and very unprofessionally handled.)

I was in best buy on January . I bought 2 Apple Laptops from them. I specifically asked them if Apple is going to send out new Apple laptops. I specifically asked them if they know about it. and they said NO. they said No apple laptop is coming out soon. However a month after new generations of the Apple laptops came out. I called Best buy, they send I should call Apple. I called Apple they say I should call Best buy. I am very disappointed and Need help. PLease guide me.