[OhioYJ]

Short Version:

BestBuy owes me $127.79 and I can prove they owe me the money, what can I do?

Long Version:

I bought a laptop, and purchase a service plan with it. My battery died and BestBuy shipped me out a replacement. The replacement was wrong, after talking to the customer service (twice) they said to purchase the correct battery from HP, fax the receipt and documentation, etc, to them. I would then receive a check in the mail within 3-weeks.I faxed in a letter explaining everything, copy of the original receipt, copy of the service plan, and copy of the receipt for the new battery. I have the confirmation from the fax machine with date and time of the fax. At the 2 week point I call them back, and ask them where they are in my reimbursement. I’m told it takes three weeks, and call back then. At the 3 week point I call again, I’m told they are behind, call back later. At the 4 week point, I call them and am beyond mad, at this point the lady did her best to try and at least answer my questions. However the answers weren’t good, they don’t know if that department got my fax, they can’t tell me if a reimbursement has been issued, this department doesn’t take phone calls so I can’t talk to them. Basically that department is separate from BestBuy’s customer service, and there is no way to reach them to even find out if they are working on my reimbursement. This service rep said she would email that department and call me when she got a reply, no calls so far. At 5 weeks, I get the same story they have no idea, they can’t tell me anything.

-I have documentation for everything, I have when I called, and what I was told, but I don’t have all the names of who I spoke to.
-I am still in possession of their incorrect replacement, and will not send their battery back until I have a check.

Ideas?

So far, I’ve gotten these ideas:
Better Business Bureau
Local News Station (They cover things like this sometimes. I’m thinking work the angle that they pressure the sale of these warranties then won’t back them?)
Clark Howard
Small Claims Court (Obviously I would win, but it’s a pretty hefty fee to file here in this county.)

[yj_ryn]

Burn their house down?

[alexrule123]

Originally Posted by perro_ryan

Burn their house down?

Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Richmond88yj]

I work for CC and man do we handle this stuff differently. (sometimes better, sometimes not so better)

What I'd suggest is getting on the net and finding every e-mail and phone number of every executive listed. Politely and clearly (good positive vibe) explain what happened and why you're upset etc.

They have an "Executive response" division that will make this right fast, all big retailers do. They key is to spam them and BE NICE.

Look, they really do want you as a long term customer and will make it right. You've just got caught up in the hassle of all the departments and divisions and systems. Cut to the chase, hit the execs.

Trust me, your check will be mailed tomorrow, along with a nice gift certificate etc. if they have any class, and like most big retailers, they do, they want that long term "positive customer experience".

[Johnny5isAlive]

Sorry about your hassle. It seems to happen too often these days, especially with large companies.

I do however feel as though a cold beer and and a nother cold beer is in order so you can calm down.

My father taught me this trick a ways back when I had trouble with a company. I might even make a new thread about this :

1. You can begin this by doing one of two things:

a. Buy a few shares of Best Buy stock (10 is usually the best number, since buying one is relatively worthless)

b. do some Google work and find the Best Buy investor relations phone number


2. Call this number and calmly say the following, or somehting along these lines:

"Hello, I am calling in regards to the very poor customer service displayed by store (insert store number). I have been a long time investor of Best Buy and I shop there frequently because I believe in the integrity of the company and what it stands for.

I recently purchased a new laptop which turned out to have a defective battery. I have called customer service numerous times and have all of the documentation to prove it. I am very disappointed in what has been done (or not done) to help resolve the situation.

I plan on bringing this to the attention to the CEO and Board of Directors at the next stockholders meeting."

etc. etc.


This works for three reasons:

1. Investor Relations bends over backwards to help investors in any way. and
2. Becasue they have no idea how many shares you own, or if you really intend to attend the next stockholders meeting.
3. They have no idea if you even own any shares

This trick works incredibly well. But only for publicly traded companies. The thread I will post will explain what to do for non-stock traded companies.

Hope it helps..Actually, I guarantee it will work.

[mopar3389]

Yeah I agree with JDB416, but just in case you do call customer service again, ask to speak to their supervisor or the person above them. There's always someone there who knows tons more than the people who answer the phones. Unless of course, you are speaking to someone who's over in India, then you might not be so lucky........

[Johnny5isAlive]

Originally Posted by mopar3389

Yeah I agree with JDB416, but just in case you do call customer service again, ask to speak to their supervisor or the person above them. There's always someone there who knows tons more than the people who answer the phones. Unless of course, you are speaking to someone who's over in India, then you might not be so lucky........

Nearly all Investor relations numbers for U.S. companies go straight to world headquarters for said company. They are almost always in the U.S.

The key to this strategy is that Investor Relations is trained to the n^th power in customer & investor services. They are there to kiss your *****.

Beware however, your mailbox will be full of gift certificates, a free battery, an apology letter, and probobly numerous other goodies from Best Buy. Now would be a good time to get a P.O. Box

[koheed]

Please don't call your local news team. I have no respect for that type journalism and those types of journalists. Your options are many, but I agree with asking for a supervisor and working your way up the chain. If worst comes to worst, you could always complain to your local store, be nice but firm. You'll get nowhere if you start raising your voice and carrying on like a loon. Good luck.

[RollerHman]

man, im soooo glad that the employees at best buy were ****** bags when i tried to buy a laptop last month..... i am not buying anything expensive from best buy ever again....

[Jeeples]

It seems like you have been dealing with customer service and only people over the phone and e-mail.

Here's a thought:

Have you tried going to an actual store and talking to the manager there? If he gave a damn about customer service he would have no issues giving you a refund for your defective battery (even if they are not the same price, they can override that) and then once your transaction is complete he can ship it out for warranty reasons.

Seems like that might get you to avoid all the run around.

[RickyN29]

Originally Posted by koheed

Please don't call your local news team. I have no respect for that type journalism and those types of journalists. Your options are many, but I agree with asking for a supervisor and working your way up the chain. If worst comes to worst, you could always complain to your local store, be nice but firm. You'll get nowhere if you start raising your voice and carrying on like a loon. Good luck.

What?!? How could you not? I had a terrible experience with a local Home Depot. I tried EVERYTHING. I called our local news agency, they contacted home depot with my issue. Home Depot blatantly ignored them, then the news threatened to go public....bam, issue fully resolved.

How can you say you have no respect for a new agency using their power to help out the local consumers???

[dzdiver]

The following is based upon California law. I am not an attorney, but have been trained to answer questions like this.

Write a simple demand letter. The letter should be dated and give the following information: The problem, the resolution of the problem that you seek (reasonable), and a reasonable time frame (usually 20 days) for a resolution. Make a photocopy of the letter, include photocopies of all relevant recepits, etc. Send the letter to the company certified mail return receipt requested. That is the first step to a lawsuit. If they fail to respond appropriately, file a small claims action against the company in the jurisdiction where you made the purchase.

[OhioYJ]

Have you tried going to an actual store and talking to the manager there?

Yeah I tried that, they told me to fax in the information like I did. They were rather un-helpful. I'm calling again tommorow, to get a meeting setup with the store manager so I can take in all my paperwork, and see what they say then.

Worst part is I'm a big computer nerd, and buy a new laptop nearly every year, (Heck my desktop is a dual CPU, SLI, Raid machine, so I spend some money on tech stuff every year). BestBuy has forever lost my business over $127 dollars?

[OhioYJ]

Also I'm wondering what the legality of BestBuy decieving their customers is? They promise an aftermarket battery of at least OEM capacity and quality. The incorrect battery they sent me is a much smaller capacity, they tried to convince me it was the correct battery for my laptop? So how many people have they pulled that on?

[Jeeples]

Originally Posted by OhioYJ

Yeah I tried that, they told me to fax in the information like I did. They were rather un-helpful. I'm calling again tommorow, to get a meeting setup with the store manager so I can take in all my paperwork, and see what they say then.

Worst part is I'm a big computer nerd, and buy a new laptop nearly every year, (Heck my desktop is a dual CPU, SLI, Raid machine, so I spend some money on tech stuff every year). BestBuy has forever lost my business over $127 dollars?

See, all you have to do is make this point to the store manager and I'm sure something can be worked out. If you have made large purchases from them in the past, they should be able to look this up and see how much you have spent with them.

The key to actually getting somewhere with the store manager is to not blow up or go in there with a negative attitude to begin with.