Gadgets and Video Games

I’ve been shopping for electronics for quite some time now, and I’m no newcomer to the retail scene (I’ve worked in a retail store for more than a decade now), but it seems that as technology is advancing, companies more often are placing a lower emphasis on quality customer service. The focus of this article is the retail big box chain Best Buy, but this could easily be transposed with just about any retailer out there.

So lets get on with it; my latest gripe about Best Buy!

I’ve spent tons of money at this place, and almost every time I go in to one of their stores I am left with a sinking feeling in my stomach, a feeling that humanity would be doomed if we had to rely on these sales associates for anything more than ‘its in the next isle.’ I’m not sure what Best Buy pays their employees, but judging by the service, or lack of service to be more accurate, it isn’t a whole lot to write home about.

I was so annoyed by the poor customer service within the stores that I decided to order a new PC on-line, this way I didn’t have to deal with the ignorance that we know as sales associates. As expected, the order process went very smoothly, I found everything I was looking for, and checkout was literally a breeze. I was quite happy. The PC was listed as available to ship from their warehouse within one business day, and a confirmation email reiterated this to me shortly after my credit card was charged for the order.

Now, if I could stop the story right here you’d be left with the impression that ordering from Best Buy on-line is a great experience. Sadly, the story is not over. I placed my order almost two weeks ago; two days post-purchase I received an email telling me that the PC was back-ordered. Back-ordered? But the web site said ships in a day. In fact, even after I got the back-ordered message, the web site was still telling me the product was available and will ship within a day.

The worst part of this whole thing is this - the on-line customer service associates use the same system to give you information when you call in to check on the status of an order. I can understand that the web site may not be updated in real time, and that there are indeed going to be sales spikes, and product that is not available, but why can’t we get this information in a timely manner?

Two weeks?

Why does a phone call from me to Best Buy nearly two weeks after I placed my order produce no better results than looking at the site? In both cases the information was inaccurate.

I like being able to order on-line, its convenient, but my latest experience tells me that even if you can eliminate the need to deal with unqualified associates in the store, you still have to deal with them on the phone. In the end I cancelled my order with Best Buy and went elsewhere for my purchase.

Have a gripe about a retailer? Post a comment, they’re free.

Tags: best buy, gripes, on-line ordering, poor customer service, Rants, Retailers