Believe it or not, this blog post is coming to you from my brand spanking new computer provided as a replacement by Best Buy under my extended warranty. Incredibly, the super secret service center who repaired it and shipped it back to the store to re-install the operating system and deliver it to me, did not actually complete the repair process. Nonetheless, this time around Best Buy finally did the right thing and simply replaced my lemon.

Photo courtesy of Adventures In Dullness

The GM who provided me with the new computer and even threw in an external hard drive with all my files on it couldn’t have been nicer. He didn’t even attempt to sell me an extended warranty. It struck me as I was waiting for him in the store how odd if felt to be there. My sons and I used to refer to Best Buy as hubby’s “mecca” or “happy place”. All those shiny new technological gadgets used to make for an exciting trip to the store. We always had to stop by the TV section to check out the coolest new big screens and would wander around checking out cameras, video games, etc. This time was different. The same agent that tried to scam me out of $130 to run a diagnostic that was included in my warranty was still behind the Geek Squad desk, likely trying to scam his next mark. I had the slimy queasy feeling I have when shopping for a car. I wondered how many of the customers in the the store were getting ripped off and/or were about to purchase something that was going to result in service issues similar to what I’d experienced. I couldn’t wait to get out of there.

Interestingly, my most recent post has apparently been posted to the Geek Squad’s internal discussion forum as I have received several hits from their site. Unfortunately I’m not able to see the forum since you have to be an employee to login. I’m guessing I’m being called even worse names there than I was in the comments from all the internet tough-guys.

I really have nothing more to say on this topic except that I am thrilled that I finally found someone at Best Buy who took care of my problem. It’s unfortunate that this wasn’t resolved when the original problems occurred 2 months after I bought it but it is, thankfully, resolved now. I’ve written so much about my dissatisfaction with Best Buy and the Geek Squad that I felt it only fair that I write once and for all that they finally did resolve it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Yesterday, The Consumerist published my recent post about my on-going problems with my computer, HP and Best Buy. As a result, it was also posted to several tech-related forums. I’ve received a ton of comments here on the blog and have also read those posted to The Consumerist and the forums. It’s overwhelming really. After reading them all it seems that people who commented generally fall into four categories, although some overlap. They are:

Photo courtesy of CtW Connect

 The Internet Tough-Guy – These jerks generally use screen names and fake e-mail addresses when commenting. Some may or may not actually know a little bit about computers but they have only nasty things to say and nothing of value to contribute. Their comments range from infantile name calling to borderline hostility. Some critiqued the length of the post itself, some critiqued the content, some my writing style and other posts on the blog. One even accused me of making the whole thing up. Several called me an idiot or stupid. I imagine the people that fall into this category are unemployed, angry, live with their parents and spend their days playing video games and posting absurd and inflammatory remarks on websites and message boards because they have nothing else to do and use the internet as their personal forum to spew their negativity no matter what the topic.

The Tech-Snob – These individuals are knowledgeable about computers, or at least believe that they are. Their comments may contain bits of helpful information but the insulting way in which they comment overshadows the nuggets of info contained in their comments. They believe that everyone who doesn’t know everything there is to know about computers are complete morons and love to point that out every chance they get.

Photo courtesy of Eric’s Wise Words Of Wisdom

The Empath – These folks may or may not know much about computers but either way, can empathize with my issues or have even experienced something similar. Their comments are polite, can be funny and even helpful. I like them.

Technical Support – They are very knowledgeable about computers. Their comments are detailed and helpful. Many have either worked for Best Buy or have worked at a place where people bring Best Buy’s many mistakes to be corrected. This group comprises the largest number of people who commented overall. Several left specific instructions, helpful tips and general advice on fixing, buying and building computers.  I like them too.

To answer a few of the questions that came up:

I freely admit that I am no computer expert. If any of my explanations about specific issues with my computer were incorrect, that is due to my own error in interpreting what my tech-support friend or Best Buy told me. I work in the mortgage business, not IT. If I asked someone outside of the mortgage industry if FNMA allowed C/O on a SFR N/O/O refi at 95% LTV with a 57% DTI, they would not only not be able to answer my question but would not have a single clue what I was even talking about. Does that make them idiots? Of course not. That is how IT lingo sounds to me. That makes me a layperson, not an idiot, just an average consumer not in the computer industry.

My IT friend did give me a USB NIC. Unfortunately he was unable to install the driver, presumably due to the fact that the motherboard needed to be replaced.

I most certainly could have asked him to repair my computer instead of taking it back to Best Buy. I’m sure he would have been more than willing to do so. However, this computer exhibited the exact same problems 2 months after I bought it, I paid for the extended warranty, why should I pay one dime to have it fixed? Yes, since I’ve purchased this computer I have learned that it is better to build your own or buy from a local shop because Best Buy is notorious for selling shoddy equipment, horrendous service and useless extended warranties. But I didn’t know that in 2008 when I bought the computer and the extended warranty. My thought was they needed to fix it (again) or replace it. I held them to the standards I expect. Just because I, many other consumers and the entire IT industry now know they are a joke does not mean I should not exercise my options under the warranty I paid for.

Graphic Courtesy of Write On Target

I did contact corporate both times. I got nowhere. They wouldn’t even tell me who the district manager was back in 2008, let alone put me in touch with anyone in upper management who would help. This time around, I finally e-mailed every executive I could find online, spoke with numerous agents on twitter and submitted my complaints to The Consumerist. I don’t know if it’s a direct result of The Consumerist’s post or some combination of all three but I have now received an e-mail indicating that my computer was returned to the store but that the motherboard was not “tattooed” (same thing happened last time) so now they are finally replacing my computer and providing an external hard drive with all my files on it. I left a message for the GM as instructed to arrange to pick it up but have not yet heard back.

Thank you to all the Empaths and Technical Support people who commented!  You made a frustrating situation better and gave me valuable information on how to handle repairs and purchases the next time around. And thank you The Consumerist for consistently exposing corporations who fail to provide satisfactory service to their customers.

Thanks for stopping by!

“Geek Squad® Agents and Installers are ready to take the hassle out of your technology woes. They have the know-how and skill to set up, install or repair your computer, network, home theater solution and car audio, video and navigation systems, no matter where you bought your gear.” – Best Buy Website

Long time readers of this blog may remember my struggles with Best Buy back in December 2008/January 2009.

To sum up that situation:

We purchased our computer in 10/2008 with a 2 year extended warranty. Two months later it would not power up. We took it to the local Geek Squad where they put in a new power supply (for unknown reasons they did not replace the power supply with the same part, they added a different power supply with a separate on/off switch), claimed all was well and sent me home. When I hooked everything back up I couldn’t connect to the internet. The NIC appeared to have been damaged or was missing. I returned it to the store where they tried for several hours to install software to workaround this hardware problem before finally telling me they had to ship it to their super secret service center.

At the service center they replaced the motherboard but the replacement motherboard was also defective. They replaced the motherboard again. Then they replaced the CPU. They declared it fixed and returned it to the store. I was instructed to come pick it up. When I arrived there was nothing on my computer, not even an operating system. I had to return the next day to pick it up again.

All of this took a month and significant time and effort on my part to even find out what the status was throughout the entire ordeal. This was a 2 month old computer with at minimum 5 repair attempts. Best Buy’s extended warranty has a no-lemon clause which says it will replace any item on which there are 3 qualified repair attempts (I notice on their website this has since been changed to 4). The loophole is the word “qualified”. Even though they attempted to repair my two month old computer 5 times, they did not assign a new service order number to each attempt so all of these attempts only counted as 1 repair attempt.

Never mind that it would have been more efficient, less expensive and better customer service for them to just have replaced my two month old computer. No, they much preferred to spend a month replacing multiple components that they had to purchase from HP while their customer became more and more dissatisfied.

Fast forward to the end of May 2010. Suddenly the NIC is once again damaged or missing. Nothing else was acting up but I could, once again, not connect to the internet. I took it back to the dreaded store where I immediately encountered a shady Geek Squad Agent who claimed that he couldn’t even get the computer to boot up, it appeared to be a software issue, not a hardware issue and that I would need to pay $130 in order for him to perform a diagnostic test to diagnose the problem. I questioned the $130 fee since it is still under warranty but he insisted it was a software issue, most likely a virus he said, and therefore I had to pay for the diagnostic test. I left the store with my computer.

When I got home I plugged it in, turned it on, and it booted up just fine. The only issue was still the NIC. A friend of ours with a master’s degree in Information Technology, ten years of experience working on much more complicated problems and systems than the Geek Squad agents are qualified to handle and diagnostic tools of his own, ran the same diagnostic that Best Buy runs. Twice. Nothing. No virus. No malware. No software issues at all. The NIC was simply missing from the ROM BIOS.

After finding a sympathetic and seemingly helpful Geek Squad agent on Twitter (@AgentScottie) who confirmed that the diagnostic test was included in my extended warranty and that I should not be charged $130, he suggested that it sounded like a hardware problem and that I should take it back to the store just to have them ship it to the service center. He understood that I did not trust the in-store Geek Squad since they claimed that my computer had no operating system when it did, had a virus when it did not, and tried to get $130 out of me for something that is included in my extended warranty.

I returned to the dreaded store and asked them to ship it to the service center. I specifically stated that I did not want them to touch it, other than to pack it and ship it. The same agent who tried to scam me out of $130 immediately started plugging my computer in and taking it apart despite my having just instructed him not to touch it. A manager came over who did acknowledge that I should not have been asked to pay the $130 but that it was “irrelevant” that his employee had insisted upon charging me. He was combative and rude and not helpful in any way.

Today I have learned that the service center replaced the video card for no apparent reason as we had no problems with the display when we dropped it off. They also replaced the motherboard (this would be motherboard #4, including the original) claiming it had a short. I have yet to find out if the original problem (NIC) has been repaired or replaced but I have been told that the operating system will need to be reinstalled due to the number of components that were replaced. When I pointed out that the only reason the operating system would have been removed was if they had replaced the hard drive, I was given a new excuse for replacing the operating system: the computer is only able to boot into safe mode and that this can be a sign of either damaged startup files or corrupted drivers – both of which are issues that can be addressed by reinstalling Windows. The catch here is that if the latter excuse is accurate, they can move my profile including all files, off in safe mode, reinstall Windows and then put all my files back onto my computer. However, they really want me to pay the $150 fee for backing up my files so therein explains the multiple excuses for reinstalling Windows.

Upon expressing concern about all of this AGAIN, I was told to take it up with the in-store Geek Squad when my computer arrives there later this week!

I had also e-mailed my issues to HP and even received a call stating that I would hear from the retail services department within 48 hours but, shockingly, have not heard from anyone at HP since then.

In summary, my complaints about the horrible service at this store have been completely ignored. I have no idea if the problem I took it in for has been fixed. Multiple components have been replaced with no detailed or logical explanation provided. They are trying their hardest to either claim this is a software issue or to get me to pay to back-up my files when it is not necessary and is also not in line with providing excellent customer service after all the nonsense I have had to put up with over this computer. And it would have been cheaper and easier to replace this computer since we are now up to 8 repair attempts.

Update: Immediately upon publishing this I received this response from @AgentScottie:  “I apologize you’ve had such trouble with us thus far. If it were up to me, I would’ve replaced the PC already. But sadly” – via Twitter. And this from him this morning: “Again I’m truly sorry for the issues you’ve encountered. This is definitely not the level of service client’s should expect“ - via Twitter. Too bad he’s not running the show.

Thanks for stopping by!

“Miracles are like meatballs, because nobody can exactly agree on what they are made of, where they come from, or how often they should appear.”— Lemony Snicket

I have my computer back from The Evil Empire!!!

Apparently they actually do care about Better Business Bureau complaints (or they were just sick of dealing with me).  I got a phone call from them about the complaint, with an offer of a $50 gift card and assurances that I would have my computer back on Friday morning.  Of course, it turned out to be Friday afternoon, because they are incapable of living up to any promise they make.

But still, I have my computer back!!!

So far, it works fine.  Of course, they didn’t restore everything they said they were going to, but they did get most of it, and everything else we pretty much had on disk.

So….hopefully I won’t feel compelled to write any more posts about Best Buy (crossing my fingers, knocking on wood, etc.).

Thanks for stopping by!

“To insure an exceptional customer service experience, your call may be monitored or recorded for quality or training purposes.”  – Recorded Message While On Hold With 1-888-BestBuy

I officially give up.

After being assured that our 2 month old computer was fixed (new power supply, motherboard & CPU) and all data loaded, guess what.  Not so much.

It arrived back at our local Best Buy store completely blank.  No operating system.  Nothing.  For some inexplicable reason, it will take them 5 days to load everything back onto the computer.

No one can explain why.  No one gives a crap.  No one will even give out their last name.  One of the “Consumer Relations” representatives I spoke with last night said, “I don’t understand why you’re calling us.”.

So….I give up.  I guess we’ll get the computer back, whenever they are good and ready to return it to us, in whatever condition they choose.  I’m so glad we got that extended warranty.

Thanks for stopping by!

“I received a response back from them this morning and they are still working on the unit. A request was sent over to the technician assigned to your computer to expedite the repair. I will do my best to keep you updated. As for a contact at Geek Squad City, we unfortunately do not have one that we can give out to customers.”
- Most Recent E-mail Received From Best Buy “Consumer Relations”

I don’t really know what to say anymore. 

Best Buy is refusing to replace my computer saying that because they did not assign a new case number to each incident, it is still considered to be the FIRST repair attempt.  In fact, this is the FIFTH repair attempt.

They are refusing to honor their own extended warranty based on this technicality.  How convenient.

Thank goodness they have asked the “technician” assigned to my computer to expedite the repair! 

How ridiculous that they can claim to be all about the customer but then refuse to give any useful information or assistance.

I’m not the only one.  Check out this horrific ordeal….“Best Buy” vs. Consumer Protection Blog.

“While the environment continues to be as challenging as we expected, consumers are being drawn to brands that they trust, and they are responding to our customer-centric model. In this light, we believe the market share gains we’ve been making will be sustained.” – Brad Anderson, Best Buy CEO

Mr. Anderson,

Since your corporate policy is to not give out any contact information for anyone within your company, I am forced to post this letter here.

I find it insulting that you consider your company to be customer-centric due to my completely unacceptable experience with your company.

I purchased a new computer along with a 2-year extended warranty from Best Buy in October 2008.  In December 2008, it stopped working.  It wouldn’t even power up.  I took it back to the store where the Geek Squad said it needed a new power supply and that it would be ready the next morning at the latest.  The next morning, they had successfully installed the new power supply but were still running the 3 hour diagnostics to determine if anything else was wrong and said they would call me when it was ready.  At 2pm, I still hadn’t received a phone call so I went to the store.  My computer was just sitting there.  The diagnostics did not indicate any additional problems and no one bothered to explain why they didn’t call me.

When I got home, the network driver had been removed from my computer and therefore, I was unable to connect to the internet.  I took it back to the store where I waited for 2 hours for the Geek Squad to attempt to figure out what happened to the network driver and to reinstall it.  They were not successful.  They informed me that they would have to ship my computer to Kentucky via UPS 2-day air on December 28th.  I spoke with the store manager who refused to even consider exchanging it for a new one, even though it was only 2 months old and I had the extended warranty.  He actually shrugged his shoulders and walked away saying there was nothing he could do. 

For reasons no one I have spoken to has even attempted to explain, my computer actually sat in the store for another week and was not shipped to Kentucky until January 2, 2009.

Since it’s been in Kentucky, they have ordered two new motherboards, and now today, a new CPU.  Both were working perfectly fine until the Geek Squad got their hands on it to replace the power supply.

The extended warranty states that Best Buy gets three chances to fix the computer before they are obligated to replace it.  This is the FIFTH attempt to fix this computer and I am still being refused a replacement.

The customer service supervisor I am dealing with has refused three times to escalate my complaints to her manager.  The only thing she has ever offered is a $50 gift card.  Why would I ever want to buy anything from Best Buy ever again, even if it is with a gift card?

This is, by far, the absolute worst customer service I have ever experienced.