best buy scam

[Ickie]

My neighbor who was having a network problem with her computer took it to best buy to get it fixed, I looked at this machine a few days ago and told her i had no network card and she needed to go to a place which sold hardware for computers and buy one, and she took it to best buy and they told her that the computer is dead and sold her a new one, and it would cost $300 to get her pictures off the old drive.

well she bought the new computer but did not bite on the pictures.

she gave me the old computer and , the same day, (yesterday) and sure enough it would not run, then I noticed the little switch on the power supply set to 230 volts. They forgot to push it back to 115 volts after frying her power supply.

They killed her computer and told her it would cost about $300 to fix it to get her to buy a new one. what a scam they got going.

I removed her hard drive and placed it into my old backup box and in 10 minutes I had her pictures and docs on her new machine.

what a rip off company, I am sorry to bring this up but I have had my problems with best buy and their rip off policy, heck it took me over 6 months to get my money back once when the took it for a product they did not have at the price they sold it to me for and refused to ship it to me, then kept my money to boot.

I had to go to the BBB and complain to get my money back.

Again this needs to be on the internet so others who is looking can find it to read.
I am sorry once again

[Ickie]

to top this off, the new computer came with nortons for 1 year and the talked her into buying kaspersky's

[Ickie]

I just got off the phone with their attorney and they are going to give her a refund of $99 +

I had to talk to several people to get to him

he is going to look into this matter and maybe more money she will get back.

[n4gix]

Well, good on you for being so proactive on her behalf! I wouldn't trust any of their so-called "technicians" to carry out my garbage...

On the other hand, my EE background has me wondering how one could "fry" a PSU by providing only one-half the input voltage?

[Ickie]

how one could "fry" a PSU by providing only one-half the input voltage

I once flicked the switch on a PS to 230 Volts to see what would happen and yes indeed it blew, I never did that again.

[Cazzie]

Sorry Ickie for your friend's loss, but live and learn, that is what you get from a department store chain instead of a dedicated computer shop. I expect you or I know more about computers, especially working on them, than any tech in any Best Buy store in the nation, these people are not ITT grads, promise. Their salesmen are savants and I never use Best Buy except for purchases of computer items, never get a computer from them, iPad or Galaxy maybe, but never a computer, for that got to Tiger Direct, CompUSA, or a dedicated computer store that will build you a computer with no bloatware and only the necessary tid-bits that "you" want.

Caz

[Moparmike]

On the other hand, my EE background has me wondering how one could "fry" a PSU by providing only one-half the input voltage?

Yup. Switch-mode power supplies do NOT like to be under-voltaged.
I've had more dead PSUs in computers from brown-outs than I have from lightning strikes.


That Worst Buy story stinks Ickie! I shop there as an absolute last resort and only if I'm in a bind.
I do gotta admit my current Dell Studio XPS machine came from there though.
I told em to get stuffed when they tried peddling the extra software and service plans. When they asked why not, I asked them to look in their system who their Dell warranty depots were and lo & behold I was still on file with em. (That was from long before the "Freak Squad" days when they didn't have "techs" in store.)

[Ickie]

her computer was a desk model so a normal network card was too big, she needed a mini card about 1/2 the size, and I did not have one and I sent her there to buy a small one so she brought her computer to make sure she got the right one and they went too far on her, she never ask them to work on it just to look to see what size of card she needed, and all they would have had to done was look at the back, instead they pulled off the side/top and fiddled with it and told her the computer would not work. The $300 for a new power supply was excessive.

[capun]

I do computer repairs as a side job (retired) to earn some toy money :)

One time I had surgery so I was out for a few weeks, one of my clients had to use their Geek Squad. They charged her two hours minimun at $80 per hour for a job that would have taken me about 30 minutes to fix. And I don't charge that much per hour.

On top of that they would not even tell her what was wrong and how it was fixed. I normally tell my clients what I have done and what not to do to have the same problem again.

Never been high on their service and customer support, just get stuff on sale and know what you get. And they keep pushing their extended warranty on hardware sales, which IMHO are not worth it.

[Allen]

BB use to not be that bad when we had a Circuit City but after CC left BB became worst than CC every was....

[Kofschip]

Thanks for the warning Ickie.

[Willy]

After all the stories I've heard on Best Buy, I don't even enter their parking lot.

[OBIO]

I do the system repairs and updates and such within the family....and I love knowing that the Freak Squad is being left out in the cold. Not sure if this is true nationwide, but the Freak Squad at our local Beast Buy charges $150 just to come to your house, and that is before they even look at the computer. A few years ago, my bro-in-law had the Freak Squad come out and optimize and clean 2 systems.....the bill was just shy of $600! And the systems still didn't run right. Now that he knows that I am a semi-nerd capable of doing system repairs, updates and such, he calls me and saves a TON of money...and I tell him exactly what I am doing, why I am doing it, and how he can do it on his own to keep his systems working properly and smoothly.

OBIO

[n4gix]

I once flicked the switch on a PS to 230 Volts to see what would happen and yes indeed it blew, I never did that again.

Well, that emphasizes how ancient and obsolete my EE background is... which just barely got past the introduction of transistors timewise...

I had quite forgotten that these newfangled devices use switching logic (SMPS) to generate voltage and current... :ernae:

That is not only a dirty trick, it is indeed actionable. Too bad pictures weren't taken!

[Ickie]

I have the proof in my house and contacted our local ABC legal team which does these kind of stories, and I am willing to take a lie detector exam.

They need to fire this guy and come clean, like I told the ABC people his only mistake was forgetting to turn it back to 115 volts. and he never figured this old lady would give it away to a computer nerd like me as soon as she got home. lol

[andersel]

I'm going to have a bunch of bwork done on my DT In the near future. I was considering Best Buy as a possible doer of the work so I went in line to check them out. I googled Geek Squad and a number of sites - all of who's names escape me at this point - reviewing BB's maintenance practices showed up. of the 50 or so posts I read, all but two or three were entirely negative. Those few that were not negative were, by no means, positive. Needless to say I AM NOT GOING TO BEST BUY FOR MY COMPUTER REPAIRS!!!!! I found a luittle computershop near my house that has universally excellent reviews. After spending a little time talking to the owner I've decided to have them do the work. A little bit more expensive for parts but the labor is cheaper and they gaurantee their work. After reading this tread, along with personal experience, Best Buy is definitely in my rear view mirror.

LA

[Willy]

The guy that built this comp back in '02 has a little shop the next town over. If I can't handle it, it goes to him.

[Kiwikat]

I expect you or I know more about computers, especially working on them, than any tech in any Best Buy store in the nation, these people are not ITT grads, promise.

Though I agree with most of the thread, I really don't agree with this statement. I had several classmates in college that worked in the "Geek Squad". They definitely knew what they were doing and were always offering good advice to people at school. Just because Best Buy's policies are stupid doesn't necessarily mean everyone working there is.

ITT grads, lmao. That place is a total scam. Talk about overpaying... :mixedsmi:

Don't get me wrong, I can't stand Best Buy either. Save money by buying online and doing it yourself.

[Ickie]

I heard back from ABC news,
Ron,</SPAN>

Thank you for watching and for writing. I will mention this to my producer and will get back to you if we decide to move forward.</SPAN>
Meanwhile your friend should file a case with Pinellas County Consumer Services at 727 464 6200.

also I am filling a claim with AARP and the above services named.</SPAN>

[GT182]

Remember your little run in with Worst Buy a couple of years ago Ron. Nice you got her photos for her and some money back too. I sure hope she and ABC persue compensaion back from BB.

I only go to CompUSA for any computer needs. It's where I got everything for this computer I'm running now. And they even made good on one screw up I did. I didn't realise I did it but I did.... I bent pins on the CPU and didn't know it. :redf:

[BPbobafett1982]

What's sad about all this, is that it wasn't a problem until best buy bought geek squad and put it in every store. I used to live less than 20 miles from their corporate HQ in Minneapolis.

Sorry in advance, I know I can get a little long winded...

A year before BB had GS. I had bought a Samsung 19" LCD monitor with BB's 3 year replacement service contract (RSC). A year later on finals week in college, trying to write my final project papers for the term, my monitor went belly up. As I was at the time a computer engineering major. I have a very good understanding how components interact and work together within a PC.

At my parents place I searched online for similar happening with that model of monitor. And it was a known problem with a easy fix for the tech shop.

So I drove to BB (the key store next to their HQ) with my monitor packed in original package under one arm and the replacement service contract in my other hand. Got into line at what I thought was tech support but was in fact Geek squad (merged just months before). When I got to the counter I told them what the problem was and that according to my RCS that if I had any problem with my monitor that couldn't be fixed on sight there that they would replace my monitor with a exact model or a newer one at the same price as mine if they don't carry my model in stock anymore. I had it in writing!

Well I was in for a shock, they no longer supported that contract. And according to them that they had to send my monitor out for service 3 times before a replacement was an option. I was told by the supervisor that it would take 4-5 days for that to be done. Well i left it with them to be taken care of, not liking the new policy but having no time to really argue more that day.

After 5 days I go back to the store to pick up my monitor being told that the faulty component was changed out. I asked them to plug the monitor in to test it as I noticed looking over the monitor that the screws showed no wear from being driven. They did and in about 2 minutes it started to flicker then shut itself off. The tech guy looked nervous, I spoke to the manager this time and he assured me that it would be taken care of and that they would call me when the monitor arrived back in store.

Another week goes by no phone call, I call them and they said it was still for service, then two more weeks no call. At this point I was tired of phone tag and a little upset, so I drove back to the store to see them in person. I requested the manager again, and it was explained to me that my monitor got lost in shipping between there and a distribution warehouse in Ohio. I then asked where the service center was and was informed at there HQ campus next door. You can guess at what kind of expression I had on my face. They said that if it's not recovered by the end of the business week that they would replace it outright. Friday evening I got a call at 8pm telling me they found it and the Service Center manager was going to repair it himself that Saturday a drive it over on Monday morning so I can pick it up.

Monday came, I drove to BB again! Went to the tech counter to pick up my monitor. And can you guess what happened, NO ONE HAD A CLUE where my monitor was. After searching the store for thirty minutes or more, they found it in a plastic tote out on their loading dock. When they brought it to me I instantly unpacked it to check to see if any work had been done to it. Well one more problem, they never repacked the VGA and power cable that was with the monitor and it was missing over half the screws that held it together. MAN, WAS I UPSET! They replaced the cables with new ones and hooked it up for a test run. It finally worked, so wanting to get out of there I repacked my monitor with new cables and headed for home.

Once I got home I got everything reconnected, got windows to load and was loading FS9 when it started the flicking then shuttng itself off. OFF TO BB again that day. Back to the tech center, the employees must of read my face for I was greeted by the manager at the counter. I worked retail as a manger myself, so I know I was his worst possible nightmare standing before him.

He attempted to appease me by telling me that he would personally carry next door to the service center and letting my grievances known to PR. I didn't go for it, I told him that I wanted to return and refund for my monitor and that I would be writing BB Corporate and letting them know that I very upset with their lack following a service plan that I paid $80 for a year before and being told that wasn't how they did things now. The manager refused to accept my return.

So I left the store with my monitor in hand and drove the two blocks to BB HQ, where I walked into the lobby with monitor in hand and service plan papers and requested to talk to the district manager and a customer service manger. After waiting for what seemed like a half hour, I was escorted to a meeting room somewhere in the labyrinth of that building. I had my meeting where I explained what had transpired the last month and the fact that I will most likely never shop at BB again. They told they would look into it taking all the info that I could supply them, and that they were sorry that this had happened to me.

About a week later got a large package in the mail from BB containing a very lengthy letter of reconciliation and a Samsung 22" LCD monitor that I still use today. To this day I still haven't set foot in a Best buy store again.

Brian

[Allen]

↑

I lols at that and feel bad for it.

[Naismith]

Best Buy Geek Squad, what a joke. I recently was in the market for multi screen and went to BB to ask their advice. In the first place, they had never heard of Tripleheadtogo, one of them, a fat sweaty dude with nails bitten down to the quick and Mayo (I hoped) stains down the front of his swanky blue sweater had heard of Matrox but thought they were out of business. I enquired about ATi's Eyefinity and was met with blank stares. I had to point out that in the body of the shop they had a 3 monitor set up on display which was working and clearly labelled with ATi/AMD stickers.
I will in future restrict my BB purchases to DVD's.

[SpitXIV]

It seems that when a woman goes into a store like this, their an easy mark.
Shouldn't be this way but it happens. Folks if your girlfriend\wife goes to buy a
computer make sure you go with them, so that they won't get sold the store. My mother
went to frys to buy one and she took my next door neighbor with her, he worked for IBM and
knew what to look out for. I'm glad she's getting part of the money back.

[Ickie]

Mary is letting me handle it, This just pisses me off just knowing what they did to her, and it is criminal to do what they did.

Best Buy owes Mary a new computer, they illegally played COMPUTER GOD and killed her machine, but got caught doing so by forgetting to hide what they done. Now she should get all her money back.

I wonder just how many other people this guy has done this too, and/or if it is a store policy to do this to old women. Maybe the truth will be forced out in further investigation, (remember Watergate was started by just a person smelling a rat and thing just did not seem right.) Heck this may be a nation wide corporate policy to sell computers.....

[rhumbaflappy]

Hi Ickie.

You're absolutely right. The computer was in their care when it died... they owe her a new computer to make it right.

In Wisconsin, we have a small claims court to handle this type of thing. A judge can render a decisionto resolve the issue. If BB wouldn't appear in court with a decent explaination, the judge would simply find for the plaintiff, and could assign court and legal fees to the defendant.


Dick

[GT182]

Heck this may be a nation wide corporate policy to sell computers.....

From what I've seen of BB I wouldn't doubt it one bit. I've seen them push crap computers on people just to make a sale. I've even gotten the hint to clear out when I'd step up and say something to the customer..... "You don't want that, it's no good for what you want to do with it. And full of bloatware besides."

At least CompUSA is honest and doesn't push things on you that you don't want. If anything they're very helpful. Especially when you're gathering up parts to build your own computer.

[Ickie]

Today I won round 2 with best buy, and I now have a case #, the lady i spoke to for 30 minutes was just blown away by all of this. I even told her I would take a polygraph if the 2 people at best buy would, and this was put into the notes. even the word "fired" was mentioned, and they need to remove this repair guy now before he can do more damage. I also told them about Jacky callaway in Tampa ABC who is looking into this too.
Now on to AARP which I joined today. (I'm getting old)

[OBIO]

Ickie

Fight the good fight and you will prevail. It's a darn shame how Mary was treated, but a good thing she has you in her corner.

Tim

[Gdavis101]

We had a similar situation with Staples, had a customer come in and she was telling me how she had taken her PC to Staples and they told her that her motherboard was fried and she needed to just buy a new computer.. She paid the 70 bucks for the diagnoses on her old PC and bought a new PC... She came in, complaining about how she couldn't run some of her programs on the new pc, and I managed to talk her into bringing the "dead" PC into us... Come to find out, it was just a dead power supply.. Put in a new PSU and she was a happy customer!

Something else I am noticing is that MS isn't honoring the Vista product codes on laptops, I have seen three laptops HP, Dell and Acer where the product code would not activate.. There were no hardware changes, just a fresh install of Vista.. A call to MS, and they informed us that the customer would have to buy a new copy of windows, whats up with that?? Quite a marketing plan to get people to go to Windows 7 huh?