I read on line that Primeval set #3 (seasons 4&5) was coming out on Jan 10th so I went to Best Buy to check it out.  The good news is that the DVD set is expected in their store on Jan 10th, and they are getting 4 whole copies.  I tried to reserve one of the copies and that didn't go so well.  I wrote a letter of protest to Best Buy and then put it on my facebook page.  Jarrod saw it there and suggested I post it in the blog section at Mania for the edification of the Maniacs.  I tried but it kept giving me pop up error messages because I was copying and pasting from Word.  So I'll share it with you here.

BTW, I also posted it on Best Buy's facebook page and several people there have been trying to convince me that since Best Buy doesn't specialize in DVDs then I don't have the right to expect good service from them regarding that product.  I feel that if they offer any product they have the obligation to provide good customer service to a customer who wants to buy it from them.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am a frequent Best Buy customer.  When I am in the area of the Danbury CT store I frequently like to drop in and see if there are any DVDs I want on sale.  The store is always neat and clean and pleasant to shop in but let me tell you, the customer service sucks.

It’s not the fault of the employees.  They are always polite and helpful, as much as they can be.  But the system is apparently not set up to let them help me in the way I want.

Let me explain.  For the Christmas of 2010 my mother received a Best Buy gift card as a present.  She wanted to spend this money on a DVD collection of a BBC series called Upstairs Downstairs, of which she had heard but never seen.  We looked for the DVDs at the Danbury store and found they were not in stock.  Not a surprise.  I don’t think many people were breaking down the doors to buy a 40 year old BBC series.  We asked one of your kind and polite employees if the DVD could be ordered.  She told us that it couldn’t be ordered through the store but could be ordered off the Best Buy website.  We found it confusing that the Best Buy website could stock a DVD that could not be made available through the store.

The nice employee pulled up the Best Buy website on her computer and helped us order the DVD.  Since the DVD collection was worth more than the gift card we had, she sold us another gift card to make up the remainder of price.  She told us that the DVD should be delivered to our address in 3 or 4 weeks.  If the DVD had actually been shipped we would have been happy customers.

Unfortunately the DVD collection, while available on your website, was discontinued and out of stock.  After 4 weeks the DVD didn’t arrive.  I gave it another 2 weeks and when the merchandise we paid for was still a no show we went back to the Danbury store to inquire after it.

I spoke to a manager who, after an argument that his store was not responsible for website orders, looked up our order and discovered that the order had been cancelled and the money refunded to the gift cards.  But we had thrown away the gift cards after we had used them.  So the manager had to order us a replacement gift card and we had to wait several weeks for it to arrive in the mail.  Since the DVD we wanted was not available we returned to the Danbury store a 3rd time and they refunded us the money on the gift card and we left.  We didn’t have our DVD collection and you didn’t have our money.

Another thing the manager told me was that the kind employee who had helped us order the DVD had violated company policy by doing so and would be disciplined.  I was flabbergasted!  The nice young woman had provided excellent customer service by finding a way to order the DVD for us even though it wasn’t available through the store.  That she should be disciplined for that made me feel sad and also guilty for getting her in trouble.  Who would have guessed that trying to help a customer get the product they were looking for would be something to be disciplined for?

But that’s all old news.  Why am I writing now to complain about something that happened a year ago?  Well, I went back to the Danbury Best Buy today.  I wanted to reserve a copy of a DVD collection which I had read on line would be available on Jan 10th, a week from now.   A nice employee in the cell phone dept. looked it up on his computer and assured me that 4 copies of the DVD collection were scheduled to come in on Jan 10th.  I asked if I could reserve a copy and he suggested I go to customer service for that.  But the nice woman at the customer service desk told me that copies of that item could not be reserved.  I spoke to a manager named Carlos who politely but firmly told me that copies could not be reserved but I could order them on line.  I told him that I had had a bad experience trying to order DVDs through your website and wasn’t anxious to try that again.  Why couldn’t I reserve one of the copies due to be received on Jan 10th?  I’d pay for it today!

He told me that your computer system wasn’t set up for that and he couldn’t help me.  I should come back on Jan 10th. 

I really don’t understand why your system is set up to frustrate customers this way.  I have a few questions. Why should an item be available on your website but not through your retail outlet?  Why didn’t your website inform us when our order was cancelled?  Why should I have to fight with your manager to get him to look up my order?  Why can’t items on your website be ordered at the store?   Why would an employee be disciplined for helping the customers buy the merchandise they want?  Why can’t I give my money to your store today to reserve a copy of the item due to be delivered in a week?  Why should I have to go back on Jan 10th and hope the item is there because if it’s not, or all the copies are sold before I get there, I know I’ll be SOL?  Exactly who at your head office thinks this is acceptable customer service?

I’ll go back on Jan 10th and hopefully you’ll have the DVDs in stock.  I’d like to purchase them at Best Buy because, you guessed it, I got a Best Buy gift card for Christmas, and I would like to spend it on that DVD collection.  If the DVD collection isn’t there I think I will demand a refund for my gift card and take my money to FYE and buy the item there.  FYE is more expensive.  But their employees don’t tell me things like “I can’t do that.” or “Our system isn’t set up for that.”  Instead they say things like “We’ll be happy to reserve that for you and call you when it comes in.” and “Let me help you order that and you can come pick it up at our store.”  and “If you have a problem with us or our merchandise I will be happy to help you solve it.”

By the way, if you were worried about my mother getting her Upstairs Downstairs don’t be.  The nice people at FYE looked it up for me, explained that the old DVD collection was discontinued because a new anniversary edition of the DVD set was being issued and helped me order it.  We enjoyed watching it very much.  And FYE has our money and you don’t.  You lost this sale to your competitor because your customer service sucks.

Thank you for your time and attention.
Kara L Stern 

Odd, it lets me copy and paste from Word here in comments but not in the blog section.  Hmmm...

kara, try Amazon.  Not only will they beat Best Buys prices but if you spend 25 bucks or more you get free shipping as well.  Plus they are very good at service, I've been using them for 10 years and no complaints.  

February looks a little slow title wise but it is the time of the year where movies are slow both at the theater and dvd's.  You usually get a couple of decent ones but that's it.

My buddy gave me a copy of Drive last week...man, what a horrible freaking movie. I was interested when I started seeing it hit people's top 10 movies of 2011 list.  If I was 14 again I would probably think it was the best but not at my age.

 Kara,

I have to co-sign with Hobbs.  I usually buy most of my Blu-rays, DVDs, etc. through Amazon especially for hard to find items and the prices are SO muhc better. Given the superior online shopping experience (cheaper prices, item availability, lack of dealing with poor customer service), I wouldn't be surprised if Best Buy goes out of business in ten years time.

A friend of mine recently refered to Best Buy as OK Buy, and I'd have to agree... sometimes they're pretty much Worst Buy.

I think since Circuit City went out of business they've gotten lax.  I have tons of bad customer experience stories wtih Best Buy, sorry to hear that someone else had to go through the frustration.

 Kara, I had an issue with Best Buy last week too.  They had an entire stack of teh Ultimate Citizen Kane Blu-Rays incorrectly marked as the 10.99 version.  They've done this before with other Discs like Terminator Special Edition  Blu-Book, which I got for 9.99 as the sticker marking the regular blu-ray edition for 9.99 had nothing by the special edition blu-books behind it.  Same instance here, but they refused to price match.  

Now can I really fault Best Buy for not wanting to give me something that normally 50 or 60 bucks for only 11?  No, not really.  However, my real issue is with consistancy!!  Be consistant in your policies and there won't be any problems.  It's obviously the mistake of your employees for putting the sales stickers on the wrong editions.  But I've also had issues where (at the same location mind you) one manager will approve a price match for Amazon.  Then a month later when I try to get another Amazon price match, a different manager denies my price match.  What the hell!  Just be consistant in your policies damn it!

 Amazon all the way. Best prices and best services. 

My last three transactions with Best Buy sealed the deal in never returning there anymore. The DvD department is never accurate on arrival dates, shipping information, or correct pricing. And that's JUST their DvD department, the rest of the store is much worse. 

I've never been disappointed with Amazon. Even if something goes wrong (maybe twice in ten years), they are very quick and easy to fix. 

 I don't even mess with Best Buy.  I go straight to Amazon.  Best prices and you will get your moneys worth if you buy a lot online and sign up for the free shipping deal.  Where I get all my electronics, Blu Rays, books and even housewares.  No fuss and no mess.  Been satisfied every time.  Best Buy is a pain in the arse and the service always looks dazed and bored.  I've never found the obscure film, or even the best prices. 

I too have given up on Best Buy. I went int here for Blank CDs the other day and took forever to find them. I had a similar problem KaraS two years ago when I wanted a blu-ray box set. I had to order it online. Send it to my local Best Buy and pick it up. Little to no hassel but it why didn't 1 out fo the 5 stores carry this new release? One copy of this would have been fine. I stopped shopping there before that but it was all because of a gift card I recieved. Best Buy is the new SEARS. Go there for a fridge, microwave or a TV. Just maybe you'll find a Blu-ray really cheap in the impulse bin on your way out.

as a previous Best Buy Employee (Service dept mngr) I have to say that BEST BUY sux. The last thing Best Buy wants is to help their customers.  they want your money not your happiness. I was SO RESTRICTED by the store policies that I could rarely provide a positive customer experience. It only took a few months of customer frustrations leading to my own frustrations that I began to complain to MY supervisor and the Store Manager and subsequently my position was suddenly no longer available. I was happy to seek employment elsewhere. Their Prices are also no where near the "Best Buy" I will order online thru Amazon (anything I could buy locally at best buy) and Save money and time, as well as not being put thru situations such as U describe. As far as the new SEARS, I would say still avoid Best Buy go to HOME DEPOT

 there you have it, Trollman was an employee. AMAZON! Subsequently that is also where I get the new releases from for this column. ~ Robert

Kara,

Even though you rag on JJ Abrams Star Trek, I will show solidarity to a fellow maniac and boycott Best Buy.  Truthfully, Best Buy sucks, and Target is better if you are out and about, but Amazon rules.

Good luck................