When you are defending a company accused of intentionally deceiving consumers, falsifying evidence is not a good plan. A Best Buy lawyer learns this lesson the hard way.<BR><BR>Read More
Best Buy lawyer falsifies e-mails, memo
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It's stories like these that cause my utter hatred of this company, and I NEVER buy anything at the local Best Buy. I make all my purchases at bestbuy.com
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by THX:<BR>It's stories like these that cause my utter hatred of this company, and I NEVER buy anything at the local Best Buy. I make all my purchases at bestbuy.com </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>The attorney in question was a member of an outside firm. Given that he's taking the blame entirely on himself, which means his career as a lawyer is kaput, I doubt Best Buy really influenced this one. So your hatred is misplaced. It ought to be directed at the occasional attorney who didn't care to pay attention in their legal ethics course(s). <BR><BR>Phil
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Except maybe that part where Best Buy signed new computer owners up for MSN trials without permission, sure.<BR><BR>And bait and switch? <BR><BR>Perhaps piracy to boot?
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by THX:<BR>It's stories like these that cause my utter hatred of this company, and I NEVER buy anything at the local Best Buy. I make all my purchases at bestbuy.com </div></BLOCKQUOTE>You utterly hate the company, so you patronize it online?
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My only beef with Best Buy atm is that their online prices don't match their in store prices, but Im sure everyone here has heard about that con job.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It's stories like these that cause my utter hatred of this company, and I NEVER buy anything at the local Best Buy. I make all my purchases at bestbuy.com </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BR>Wow... you showed them! Overpay for items, and overpay for shipping too! You rebel you!
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Best Buy tried to pull one over on me once. I bought a refrigerator there and used their "no interested until xxx" offers with their credit card. I always decline all the add on "services" that are offered with cards, such as insurance. The first bill that shows up? It had fees for all the add ons. They removed them all when I complained, but still.. I'm sure it didn't happen by accident. I don't shop there anymore. <BR><BR>They're also one of the retailers that used to have check-out dweebs posted at the doors that would try to stop customers and rifle through their bags after they left the checkout. That monster has no love for its customers.
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Having worked for the company at one time (almost 8 years ago now), I found them to be difficult to work for. It was a thorny balancing act that forced employees to get the work done while struggling to meet company objectives. Sound the same as every other corporate America job? Well, it might have been but the difference was that Best Buy (has/had) a confusing web of policies that made their average $7/hr employee have to choose sometimes between following meeting objectives and acting in the best interest of the customer. Often times, being happy and successful at the store was a result of a good store manager who could shield you from bad policies. However, good managers would be replaced with bad ones if they failed to make their quotas or their profits dipped too low.<BR><BR>In my case, our store was tasked in selling "in-home" warranties for computers. What we weren't allowed to tell customers was that the company who provided the in-home warranty wasn’t up to the task. You could easily spend 2 hours on the phone only to discover that they take 2-3 months to repair your PC. Further, you couldn't bring your PC into the store for repair with an in-home warranty (outside manufacturer’s warranty). It had to be repaired by the in-home warranty company. For $300, most people felt ripped off (and rightly so). The average extended warranty was about half the price and could be brought in-store for a repair (average turn around was about 2 weeks). <BR><BR>I worked in the tech center (geek squad came much later) and got many of the irate phone calls from customers who had called for in-home service only to discover it would take up to a week and a half (72 <I>business</I> hours = 9 business days) to just get a return phone call. When they got their return phone call, they’d set up a time for the in-home repair and find out it had to be scheduled months out. In one situation, one person had been waiting <I>3 months for a modem to be replaced.</I> In our case, our store manager actually authorized an “off the shelf” replacement because of the customer’s delay. Most of the time such things weren’t authorized because it was a direct loss for the store, so we techs often got to be the guys who got yelled at for a nearly worthless warranty. We jumped through hoops to help the people who’d visit us explaining their problems with the in-home warranty, but it almost always came down to the local store deciding whether or not to take a hit (thereby failing in your profit margins).<BR><BR>The worst part of this story was that we were notifying corporate Best Buy repeatedly about the problems but got the same response, “We’re unaware of any problems at this time.” It got to the point where we (the techs) and the computer sales people just agreed not to sell in-home warranties and corporate objectives be damned. This is the part where the good store manager is important. In our case, she shielded us when corporate saw our numbers drop to almost zero. She also protected me when someone at the corporate office asked me to remove a post from the internal forums. I had asked techs around the company to email someone at the corporate office if they had similar problems with the in-home warranties. Apparently he didn’t like the deluge of email.<BR><BR>In all honesty, Best Buy isn’t a horrible company. Their biggest problem is a lack of leadership and vision. If you look at their stores, there is a real lack of focus. They’re extremely, “flavor of the month.” The highest levels of leadership really don’t understand what is happening at the sales floor level and consequently each week brings new strategies with incomplete ones lying broken on the floor. The staff eventually learns that if they don’t try with the current agenda, it’s okay because it’ll get tossed out in a month or two in favor of a new one. <BR><BR>Occasionally you’ll meet someone who has a real passion for what they’re doing whether it’s selling a PC, installing a car stereo, or stocking the movie aisle. But most employees there are just there to get a paycheck until they finish school and can move on. So the fact that they’re in trouble for MSN subscriptions comes as no real surprise. It sounds like another broken strategy that landed them in hot water when a few unscrupulous managers decided to make their numbers. I can almost guarantee it wasn’t a plot by the company to screw consumers. It was probably sprinkled amongst their stores with store managers trying to make their quotas (to avoid getting replaced) and not having the ethics to stop. I doubt the corporate leadership had the foggiest idea it was happening because they seldom knew what was going on in my day. I doubt this was any different.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by BuckG:<BR>My only beef with Best Buy atm is that their online prices don't match their in store prices, but Im sure everyone here has heard about that con job. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>A number of years ago I found a 27" CRT television for a good price at bestbuy.com. I wanted to see it in person before buying, so I went to the local retail location, ready to pick it up there if it looked good. (I also didn't want to deal with the hassles of shipping such a large item, because I'd have to set aside half a day in the middle of the week to receive it and then couldn't move it alone.) They had a higher price at the store and refused to match their own online price for the exact same item. I argued with a sales droid for 30 minutes before wearing him down to the lower (online) price, with manager escalations aplenty. It knocked Best Buy off my list for future purchases.
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I've had some bad experiences with Best Buy. <BR><BR>I was one of the people to got nailed with the MSN stuff from this story, but called my credit card company when I found it and got all my money back.<BR><BR>I also bought a computer there for my wife, and declined when they offered to "configure" it for me. They told me that, as shipped, the OS configuration is only 65% efficient, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. At that point, I wasn't going to let them touch the box at all, for fear they would pull some stunt like giving me an old battery or whatever fraud, but they still had the best price so I didn't walk. Then they turned to my wife and asked "Are you sure he can fix it if it breaks? Will he be around? How close are you?" Now, I'm only 5'4", which is why I'm not in jail for busting their jaws. My blood pressure still jumps every time I hear the name "Best Buy"
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<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">In all honesty, Best Buy isn’t a horrible company. Their biggest problem is a lack of leadership and vision. If you look at their stores, there is a real lack of focus. TheyÂ’re extremely, “flavor of the month.” The highest levels of leadership really donÂ’t understand what is happening at the sales floor level and consequently each week brings new strategies with incomplete ones lying broken on the floor. </div>
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<br><br>This was an interesting post, and best of all I actually got a good laugh out of this part. It is like the cherry on top. The post up to this point, and this of course, pretty much epitomizes what is a horrible company, yet you claim it isn't -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif -- You actually said that they were knowingly screwing customers and not delivering in a reasonable fashion on warranties they sold. And you say they aren't a horrible company? I think your idea of a horrible company must be very skewed.
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">In all honesty, Best Buy isn’t a horrible company. Their biggest problem is a lack of leadership and vision. If you look at their stores, there is a real lack of focus. TheyÂ’re extremely, “flavor of the month.” The highest levels of leadership really donÂ’t understand what is happening at the sales floor level and consequently each week brings new strategies with incomplete ones lying broken on the floor. </div>
</blockquote>
<br><br>This was an interesting post, and best of all I actually got a good laugh out of this part. It is like the cherry on top. The post up to this point, and this of course, pretty much epitomizes what is a horrible company, yet you claim it isn't -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif -- You actually said that they were knowingly screwing customers and not delivering in a reasonable fashion on warranties they sold. And you say they aren't a horrible company? I think your idea of a horrible company must be very skewed.
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The only bad experiences I have had with Best Buy is with their delivery driver’s they contract. The worst one decided it was easier to just turn around on my lawn rather than simply back out the driveway, leaving 8” deep ruts.<BR><BR>As 88merlin88 said it comes down to the store manager. I have had exceptional service from Best Buy on their extended warranties. (getting a refrigerator replaced for a cracked liner after 2 years, and getting a washer replaced under their lemon policy). I also paid next to nothing for a basement refrigerator, after a price adjustment, because the idiot delivery person (a different one) cut too deep unpacking it and leaving a 2 foot mark on one side. I am very happy with their in home appliance repair personal.<BR><BR>I am not excusing some of the shady things they have done, but I have been attentive enough and fortunate enough to avoid them.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">They told me that, as shipped, the OS configuration is only 65% efficient, whatever the hell that's supposed to mean. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR><BR>Basically, they go into msconfig and disable all the garbage that the manufacturers have starting up. I think there was an article on here about how retail computers come loaded down with all that useless stuff.
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<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hotdog:<br>Wow... you showed them! Overpay for items, and overpay for shipping too! You rebel you! </div>
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<br>Sorry.. was a bad joke. Next time I won't forget the smiley -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hotdog:<br>Wow... you showed them! Overpay for items, and overpay for shipping too! You rebel you! </div>
</blockquote>
<br>Sorry.. was a bad joke. Next time I won't forget the smiley -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_smile.gif --
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by THX:<BR>It's stories like these that cause my utter hatred of this company, and I NEVER buy anything at the local Best Buy. I make all my purchases at bestbuy.com </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>Thanks for the lol, THX.
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I think I've only ever bought one computer at Best Buy (a Gateway Turion laptop last fall) and really didn't have any problems.<BR><BR>They were insisting I allow them to open the (sealed) box and boot up the computer "to make sure it works" before I could buy it, and also so that they could "set up a Windows account" for me.<BR><BR>I told the Geek Squad boys I'm an MCSE and I can handle something like that.<BR><BR>After that they laid off, let me buy the thing, and I was out of the store. No problem.
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BB are a bunch of crooks. Lying is not something isolated to this incident. When I bought my X360 with extended warranty, they claimed that I could return it and get a new one instantly if it ever broke down. <BR><BR>Fast forward a year later with me and my X360 looking for a replacement. They now say that it is not a replacement plan, but rather a servicing plan! Then they wanted to take my X360 for 6 weeks to look at.<BR><BR>They are the worst type of retail scum as far as I am concerned.
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I have to wonder what was going through this lawyer's head. He probably lost the case for his client, will be fired, and disbarred, destroying his ability to earn a living. And for what? As outside counsel, they were going to be paid either way. Plus it wasn't like he'd get into trouble for Best Buy having their own damning evidence against them. Way to screw up your entire life for someone you don't even work for!
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Best Buy indeed stinks to say the least, and it's sad that people are so blind to how bad they are.<BR><BR>If they try not to honor my 360 REPLACEMENT warranty when it inevitably breaks down, they're in for trouble.<BR><BR>I only buy stuff at Best Bey now when I know it's a loss-leader item for them and that is all I buy, so know I'm getting a deal and they're not getting what they want out of my business.
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I'd never shop at Best Buy for a major purchase. Still, they're the best place in my chain-store-hell area for music, DVDs and video games. (I'd have to drive 45 minutes to get to the nearest good independent music store, and this is a heavily populated area.) At least those don't come with add-ons beyond the easily turned-down warranty.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by thekaj:<BR>I have to wonder what was going through this lawyer's head. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>A long list of possibilities for the next lawyer joke, and he simply couldn't decide which option to act upon.<BR><BR>The guy fucked up. He didn't even do anything coherent enough for us to make a decent punch line from.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dlux:<BR><BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by thekaj:<BR>I have to wonder what was going through this lawyer's head. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>A long list of possibilities for the next lawyer joke, and he simply couldn't decide which option to act upon.<BR><BR>The guy fucked up. He didn't even do anything coherent enough for us to make a decent punch line from. </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><BR>*tinfoil hat*<BR><BR>Now who could possibly stand to gain from a summary judgment against Best Buy? And how much does it cost to fund a lawyer's "early retirement"? <BR><BR>*/tinfoil hat*
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<blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tekzel:<br>The post up to this point, and this of course, pretty much epitomizes what is a horrible company, yet you claim it isn't -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif -- </div>
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<br>It isn't because I think one has to maliciously intend for some of these things to happen (profits over all else). I'd say Best Buy's biggest crime is negligence and real ignorance of what is going on. The management seems to have little clue of what kind of reaction their policies will have on both consumers and employees.<br><br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tekzel:<br>You actually said that they were knowingly screwing customers and not delivering in a reasonable fashion on warranties they sold. </div>
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<br>I took it as far up the chain I could (and got in some trouble for it). I suspect there is a layer that tries to prevent the next layer from knowing any problems exist. By the time it gets to the top, it's so freaking sanitized that I'm sure a turd smells like a rose. <br><br>To Best Buy's credit, about a year later they broke the contract with that company and went with a new one. Unfortunately, that new one wasn't the greatest either and they had to change again. I guess the 3rd time was the charm...<br><br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tekzel:<br>And you say they aren't a horrible company? I think your idea of a horrible company must be very skewed. </div>
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<br>While I worked there, I met a lot of people that genuinely cared about the consumer; management and floor staff alike. I personally had a soft spot for older people buying their first computer and for students. One of my favorite memories is saving some woman’s thesis (windows crashed, bad sectors on the disk, but I was able to hook it up in another machine and pull the word doc off the drive). She burst into tears upon hearing that it was retrievable. She came back to visit me along with a thank you card some time later. Things like that really made me care about the next person that I helped. While some customers were people you loved to hate, the people I worked with (for the most part) cared about their customers.
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tekzel:<br>The post up to this point, and this of course, pretty much epitomizes what is a horrible company, yet you claim it isn't -- View image here: http://episteme.meincmagazine.com/groupee_common/emoticons/icon_wink.gif -- </div>
</blockquote>
<br>It isn't because I think one has to maliciously intend for some of these things to happen (profits over all else). I'd say Best Buy's biggest crime is negligence and real ignorance of what is going on. The management seems to have little clue of what kind of reaction their policies will have on both consumers and employees.<br><br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tekzel:<br>You actually said that they were knowingly screwing customers and not delivering in a reasonable fashion on warranties they sold. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>I took it as far up the chain I could (and got in some trouble for it). I suspect there is a layer that tries to prevent the next layer from knowing any problems exist. By the time it gets to the top, it's so freaking sanitized that I'm sure a turd smells like a rose. <br><br>To Best Buy's credit, about a year later they broke the contract with that company and went with a new one. Unfortunately, that new one wasn't the greatest either and they had to change again. I guess the 3rd time was the charm...<br><br><blockquote class="ip-ubbcode-quote">
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div>
<div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Tekzel:<br>And you say they aren't a horrible company? I think your idea of a horrible company must be very skewed. </div>
</blockquote>
<br>While I worked there, I met a lot of people that genuinely cared about the consumer; management and floor staff alike. I personally had a soft spot for older people buying their first computer and for students. One of my favorite memories is saving some woman’s thesis (windows crashed, bad sectors on the disk, but I was able to hook it up in another machine and pull the word doc off the drive). She burst into tears upon hearing that it was retrievable. She came back to visit me along with a thank you card some time later. Things like that really made me care about the next person that I helped. While some customers were people you loved to hate, the people I worked with (for the most part) cared about their customers.
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I've purchased a few electronic gagets from Best Buy years ago, including a walkman (before mp3s) a computer and a set of walkie-talkies. Every single item had a problem with it. The cmputer had a faulty CD-drive, the walkman had a piece fall of it so it wouldn't play the tape, and the walkie-talkies were screwed too.<BR><BR>With my walkmin I returned it the next day, unfortunitly I didn't have the receipt. The manager made me feel guilty for bringing it in and showing them it was defective and insinuated that since I didn't have a receipt it was stolen anyway. They laughed me out of the store.<BR><BR>Ever since then I refused to shop at BB, because their equipment sucked, and their customer service was worse.<BR><BR>So no surprise here.<BR><BR>And dude, that wrote that piece that used to work at BB. I feel sorry for you.
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by thekaj:<BR>I have to wonder what was going through this lawyer's head. He probably lost the case for his client, will be fired, and disbarred, destroying his ability to earn a living. And for what? As outside counsel, they were going to be paid either way. Plus it wasn't like he'd get into trouble for Best Buy having their own damning evidence against them. Way to screw up your entire life for someone you don't even work for! </div></BLOCKQUOTE><BR>It makes someone like me, trying desperately just to get an entry level job somewhere, cry to see someone in a relatively high end profession toss it out the window like that.
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I think 88merlin was on the nose here, local store management probably means everything in terms of your experience.<BR><BR>My only recent purchase from BB was a SanDisk Sansa music player preconfigured to use Rhapsody music service. I'd already been to the Rhapsody online store, the only place you could get it online, and checked out the prices. I happened to be near the BB at the mall that weekend so I stopped in to check out their inventory. The young lady who helped me went straight to the item, knew that the 6 gig player was on a special (about $60 less than Real was selling it online) and walked me to the checkout counter with it, had me out of there in 5 minutes.<BR><BR>Yeah they offered me an extended warranty at checkout, they gave me no hard sell when I said "no thanks."<BR><BR>I remarked on other tech-worker friends on that consumer experience for several days ... well-trained employees who knew their products and got the customer what they wanted in a hurry. Wish it was more common.
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Intentionally deceiving consumers with bait & switch ads, reassuring lies from customer support when questions are raised about the availability of an advertised discount & falsifying or losing evidence in reply to consumer complaints seems to be established policy.
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