We will soon have a Best Buy store here in BR. In anticipation read this: Best Buy: Worst Policy Scribbled by Benjamin Metzler
Two months ago, I upgraded to Windows XP. My virus scanner would not work with this OS, so I decided to upgrade it, too. I went to my local Best Buy to pick up a copy of McAfee Antivirus software. After I bought it, I attempted in install it on my computer. I discovered that McAfee was preventing another application I had running on my system from working. After some research, I discovered there was no solution to the problem and that a competitor, Norton, had an antivirus solution which did not cause this problem. I decided to return the McAfee package and exchange it for the (more expensive) Symantec product. When I attempted to return the product, the customer service representative informed me that they were unable to exchange opened software unless the product was defective and, even then, could only be exchanged for the same product. I informed her that the product design and implementation was faulty and that exchanging it for another copy would cause the same problems. She proceeded to inform me that Best Buy policy prevented her from exchanging the software for an equal product in order to prevent copying of the product. She then suggested that I return the product directly to McAfee (at my own cost) and they may refund my money. I left the store with no solution and was forced to return the product directly to McAfee at a charge of an additional $6.00 in shipping. I then went to CompUSA and purchased Norton Antivirus and have been satisfied with it since. Earlier this week, I decided that I needed to purchase a DVD player. After talking with the clerks at Best Buy, I decided on a Samsung DVDM301 for $149.99. Upon returning home, I installed the player and was satisfied with it. A couple of days later, I happened to be looking around the Best Buy Web site and noticed that the DVD player was advertised for $9.07 less than what I had paid. While I wouldn't make a trip to Best Buy for the $9.07 alone, I knew I would be dropping by the store on my way home from work to pick up a cable, so I printed out the ad and brought it with me to receive a price match. After waiting in line briefly, I spoke with a customer service representative and presented the printout. She informed me that Best Buy's policy was not to match online pricing. I pointed out that this was a Best Buy price; she said that policy did not allow online price matching - even Best Buy's lower price. I asked why, and again she said it was policy. She suggested that I return the original DVD player and order it through the Web page at the lower price for in-store pickup. While I can respect the need for policies to dictate standard operating procedures, I can not respect a company that does not give their representatives the authority to satisfy the customer or to use their [own] mind to make judgment calls. I have also decided to follow the customer service representative's advice and purchase the DVD player through the Best Buy Web site for In-Store pickup. I will then pick up the DVD player, fill out the necessary paperwork, and then walk over to the return center with my receipt from the first purchase and return the second DVD player to receive a refund for the price of the first DVD player. I will then hand a copy of this letter to the store manager. ================================================ BRLUG - The Baton Rouge Linux User Group Visit http://www.brlug.net for more information. Send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] to change your subscription information. ================================================
