(let me count the ways). I hate Best Buy because the sales people won't leave you alone in the store. They always, always, always try to sell you something more expensive than what you want or need and they always try to get you to buy things you don't need.
- me, to Best Buy salesperson when I bought a new computer last year
But, apparently I'm sucka for punishment because I returned to Best Buy last weekend. I needed a new printer. I did all my research - thought about the functionality I desired. I hadn't bought a home printer in some time - for a couple hundred bucks you can get a piece of equipment that prints, copies, scans, faxes, does the dishes and wipes your butt in the bathroom - I was floored. Anyway, I decided on a model and researched the prices. Best Buy had the best price. I was tense just thinking about going there, but I had my whole game plan down. Walk in, go directly to the printer section, hope and pray the printer can just be picked up without contact with the salespeople. DO NOT MAKE EYE CONTACT with them!
The plan went smoothly at first. I circled for a moment until there were so salespeople in the printer aisle. I went down. The printer was RIGHT THERE. I got it in the cart with no problems and made my escape. Phew.. no one saw me. I get in line to pay... feeling quite good about myself. The cashier is ringing up my sale when a printer salesperson comes literally running up with an armful of printer cartridges. "You forgot these!" he exclaims. I stare open mouthed. He somehow saw what printer I had and is now stalking me with printer cartridges! Unbelievable! We then have the following exchange: He Stalker Salesperson (SS): You need ink. You won't be able to print.
Me: {narrowed eyes, biting tone} It comes with printer cartridges
(who does he think he's dealing with? I'm no amateur. I do my research).
SS: It only comes with a sample cartridge. You can only print 10 pages.
(this is complete bullshit. I hardly believable that he had the balls to say it)
Me: Wrong.
SS: No, really!!
Me: Well, I'm going to have to only print 10 pages, then.
SS: But if you buy 4 cartridges from us now, you will save $5.
Me: That's ok.
SS: How about a printer cable. You need a USB cable for that printer.
Me: I HAVE ONE!
Thankfully, he then retreated. The cashier turned to me and said: Go ahead and say it. "Say what?", I replied. "That was really annoying!", she said.
Finally, a normal Best Buy employee.
On a related topic. I've noticed that whenever I write something like this about a company, I get a comment or an email from someone telling me that I'm a loser or an asshole for writing negative things about the company and don't I have better things to do. I say: don't you have better things to do than defend companies with horrible service. But really, I believe they are paid by the companies. So bring it on whatever Best Buy employee reads this and tells me I'm the freak.-----
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| Comments (13)
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Comments (13)
URL: http://weblogs.livingreflections.com
Perhaps I should travel over to the Dedham BB... actually I think there is somethinga about me that leads this dimwits to think I'm a sucker. I'm reading the Malcolm Gladwell book, Blink. Clearly, they are thin slicing me all wrong! hahahahahha
And Dave.. I am loving that site!
Posted by amy | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.blogdaddy.com/
http://www.bestbuysux.org/
Posted by dave | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.universalhub.com
No, I won't defend Best Buy, but maybe they hire more laid back people for the Dedham store (or maybe it's my homeless-guy look).
Posted by adamg | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.upforanything.net
amy... you're such a loser for insulting the fine people of Best Buy... don't you have any better way to spend your time!?!?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?! ;-)
(Yeah, they suckered me into special cables for my DVD player even though it came with cables. I was not prepared for the salesperson onslaught!)
Posted by CJ | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.cookieshouse.com/MT3/blog
I hate WorstBuy because they won't price match their own website. Sometime I just have cash and don't want to charge my purchase. Can't do it. Can't spend cash on their site and if you go straight to the store with a tick wad of green, they charge you more.
Posted by Rebe | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL:
The management has obviously instructed the sales people to try and include USB cables & extra ink because Best Buy gauges on that stuff & that is where all the profit comes from. The dude is being paid to be annoying, not his fault. Well, I suppose in the whole "life path" thing I guess it is his fault ultimately, but I digress. $35 for a 6ft USB 2.0 or Firewire Cable? They cost Best Buy $5.46. No, they probably cost best buy $3 because they buy so many.
Best Buy does suck, but why even walk into that store when you can just go to froogle.com and find the lowest price on the web? I refuse to believe Best Buy had the best price, and if you tell me the model I bet I can find it cheaper :) Once you include tax and hassle factor, not worth it. The Best Buy at Fenway even charges you to park there?!? No thanks.
Posted by Ron Burgundy | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.pressuredrop.blogspot.com
If you're getting shitty customer service or being tricked into buying something you don't need or want, then you have every right to bitch about it. That's what having a blog's all about!
Strangely enough, my own (rare) experiences with BestBuy usually involve painfully un-helpful staff. They don't seem to know anything.
Posted by Chris | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.blogdaddy.com/
That site I put above actually says in a post from an employee that they can be 'written up' for NOT pushing that stuff on you. Amazing.
I have to ask though, did your printer only do 10 pages before it ran out of ink?
Posted by dave | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.bigdumptruck.com/index.php
He lied to you about how many pages it would print so you'd buy cartridges? That's against the law. I'm serious - contact the AG's office and tell them about this. It's illegal.
(I was in a Nashua BB and couldn't FIND someone to talk to me about printers once, if you can believe it.)
Posted by Jody | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.3cat.com/bigcat
I can't stand salespeople like that. Even if they are under orders to do it doesn't make it any less annoying. Some online stores even do the same thing -- the last time I bought a digital camera, somebody from the online store called me to "confirm" the order and try to sell me recharable batteries and a bigger memory card (both needed, but both probably overpriced). I resisted.
The one consolation I think is that stores that do this probably DO charge less for the main item, in hopes of making it up on the accessories. So if you resist, you probably are getting a pretty good deal.
Posted by markj | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://weblogs.livingreflections.com
I'm way over 10 pages (color and b/w) with my printer. Just out of curiousity I went to Office Max and bought additional printer cartridges and compared them to what came with the printer. They were exactly the same. I paid $5 more at Office Max, but I consider that a worthwhile investment.
You're right, Chris. It's my blog, and I'll bitch if I want to! Ha.. I like that so much, I may make it the tagline for this blog.
Posted by amy | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.blogrolled.com
I've had aweful experiences in Best Buy, but also been pleasantly suprised. I was hunting for a region free DVD player ($200 + at speciality / illegal websites). On the off chance, I asked a Best Buy employee if they sold one.
He looked me in the eye and said "sorry sir, we don't sell, and I cannot recommend the Cyberhome model for $40, because it is not region free" while handing me a print out with the remote control hack to *make* it region free :)
But I think he may have been a freak instance, I've not seen him there again
Posted by smeg | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06
URL: http://www.bigdumptruck.com/index.php
P.S. OfficeMax? Traiter! Staples, my love! (Their store-brand ink, by the way, tested out as equal in quality to the branded inks. They were the only ones who can claim that.)
Posted by Jody | October 26, 2006 8:06 PM
Posted on October 26, 2006 20:06