Ever had a customer service rep compare your issue to having enough water at a party? How about not transferring you to a supervisor? Or answering the majority of your questions with "I/We don't know"? Yeah, it's After-the-Holidays Season. If you can't handle your job, FIND A NEW ONE! Welcome to customer service.... Now service me already!
I'm posting below this my most recent experience with Best Buy. It's quite a bit to read, but worth it. This is what I just emailed to them about my shopping experience!
I would like to purchase the item (Best Buy Exclusive edition or not) at the price I was guaranteed at the time I ordered online. I have no problem going to my local Best Buy to pick it up. I will not, however, drive an hour or more away to pick up an item that I was assured at the time of ordering was going to have free shipping. I know many people that shop at Best Buy, gamers, computer techs, and so on, who are shocked at my experience with this simple transaction. They too are waiting to see how this plays out. Thanks for your time, and I hope to be hearing from a customer service rep or supervisor:
I ordered the True Blood: Complete Third Season (Bbuy Exclusive) - Blu-ray Disc on Dec. 24, 2011. At the time I ordered it, it said Available! Now I am told it is on Backorder. I called to find out the likely hood of actually getting it, because I understand how sometimes there are issues around the holidays. I have worked in customer service and retail before.
The first time I called, I spoke to a rather short tempered woman. As she got more annoyed (which given HER attitude I thought I was staying fairly calm) she would say "I'm not trying to be funny or start anything, but....". Which I took as she wasn't trying to be rude while sounding and projecting herself in a rather rude manner, but in no means was she trying to offend me. I finally asked to talk to a supervisor because the answers she was giving me weren't answering my questions exactly. She tells me that her supervisor is busy and I would be on hold for 30 - 45 minutes. I told her this was fine, and to put me on hold. She puts me on hold for less than 5 minutes, comes back, says she has spoken with her supervisor and the supervisor said there was nothing they could do for me. If the she could take a for short moments to tell the supervisor what my issue was and have a short discussion with her, why couldn't I? I was NEVER transferred to the supervisor after I asked multiple times!
My questions were: Are there any stores that have this item available? There was one an hour away, but I'm not driving a few counties away to go get it. I asked if they could have that store ship it to either my house or the store local to me. She said no, because that was against their policy. She said "Your only options at this point are to cancel the order and order something else, drive to get the item, or wait for the 90 day backorder to be over when they will likely let you know they could not fill your order." I asked her if I ordered the Blu-ray regular version of the True Blood: Complete Third Season (not the Best Buy Exclusive edition), which says it is available, much like the one I ordered said that at the time I put in to purchase it, would this boxset also go on backorder. She did not take the time out to look up the item I was now questioning her about to further assist me. She says there is no way of knowing this until the order is placed and goes through. I asked her if there was anyone else I could talk to who may have more knowledge over the situation or be able to answer the questions that she continued to answer me with "I do not know/ we do not know." She said (and excuse my language) "Fuck it" under her breath and then started telling me a story of how if you bring water to a party, you have no way of knowing how many people at this party are going to want water, and if you'll end up running out. Then tried ending the conversation by saying "Now thank you for calling Best Buy. Is there anything else I can help you with today? Did you want to go ahead and cancel your order?" Then I again asked to talk to a supervisor, which I was told again how busy the supervisor was, and was never transferred. I then asked to confirm that my item was on a 90 day back order. She made this loud sigh and said, "Let me pull all of this back up again, one moment." This woman was RUDE! I stayed calm, even when I asked to talk to a supervisor, which I never had a chance to do so.
After getting off the phone with the woman, I called right back and asked to be transferred to an online supervisor. At which time I was transferred to another online rep. He was very nice on the phone, tried to help, but seems a bit unsure of what he was doing. He said he put in for the item to be shipped to my home, which the other lady said could not be done, and that I would be emailed. My item now says "In Process" and on backorder. I decided to wait a day or two before calling back to see if the status of my item had changed before I pushed the issue further incase this customer service person had indeed fixed the problem.
My disappointment with customer service alone is enough to stop me from shopping at any Best Buy store and/or online. The end result of my purchase will be determining this. However, feel free to contact me further on how to make my shopping experience better, because it may actually, possibly help my shopping experience!
The lady I spoke with needs to be retrained on how to handle customers, at the very least. Poor customer service is one of the leading reasons for companies going under. If someone would like to contact me on helping me with my purchase, that would be nice. The item is no longer on sale to be ordered or purchased at the store as of now when I checked. Though, the day I called about my order, it was still onsale and available at my local store. Although, not the Best Buy Exclusive edition, I could have still purchased the Blu-ray edition at the sale price and have used my reward points. Now the item has increased again in price.
I'm posting below this my most recent experience with Best Buy. It's quite a bit to read, but worth it. This is what I just emailed to them about my shopping experience!
I would like to purchase the item (Best Buy Exclusive edition or not) at the price I was guaranteed at the time I ordered online. I have no problem going to my local Best Buy to pick it up. I will not, however, drive an hour or more away to pick up an item that I was assured at the time of ordering was going to have free shipping. I know many people that shop at Best Buy, gamers, computer techs, and so on, who are shocked at my experience with this simple transaction. They too are waiting to see how this plays out. Thanks for your time, and I hope to be hearing from a customer service rep or supervisor:
I ordered the True Blood: Complete Third Season (Bbuy Exclusive) - Blu-ray Disc on Dec. 24, 2011. At the time I ordered it, it said Available! Now I am told it is on Backorder. I called to find out the likely hood of actually getting it, because I understand how sometimes there are issues around the holidays. I have worked in customer service and retail before.
The first time I called, I spoke to a rather short tempered woman. As she got more annoyed (which given HER attitude I thought I was staying fairly calm) she would say "I'm not trying to be funny or start anything, but....". Which I took as she wasn't trying to be rude while sounding and projecting herself in a rather rude manner, but in no means was she trying to offend me. I finally asked to talk to a supervisor because the answers she was giving me weren't answering my questions exactly. She tells me that her supervisor is busy and I would be on hold for 30 - 45 minutes. I told her this was fine, and to put me on hold. She puts me on hold for less than 5 minutes, comes back, says she has spoken with her supervisor and the supervisor said there was nothing they could do for me. If the she could take a for short moments to tell the supervisor what my issue was and have a short discussion with her, why couldn't I? I was NEVER transferred to the supervisor after I asked multiple times!
My questions were: Are there any stores that have this item available? There was one an hour away, but I'm not driving a few counties away to go get it. I asked if they could have that store ship it to either my house or the store local to me. She said no, because that was against their policy. She said "Your only options at this point are to cancel the order and order something else, drive to get the item, or wait for the 90 day backorder to be over when they will likely let you know they could not fill your order." I asked her if I ordered the Blu-ray regular version of the True Blood: Complete Third Season (not the Best Buy Exclusive edition), which says it is available, much like the one I ordered said that at the time I put in to purchase it, would this boxset also go on backorder. She did not take the time out to look up the item I was now questioning her about to further assist me. She says there is no way of knowing this until the order is placed and goes through. I asked her if there was anyone else I could talk to who may have more knowledge over the situation or be able to answer the questions that she continued to answer me with "I do not know/ we do not know." She said (and excuse my language) "Fuck it" under her breath and then started telling me a story of how if you bring water to a party, you have no way of knowing how many people at this party are going to want water, and if you'll end up running out. Then tried ending the conversation by saying "Now thank you for calling Best Buy. Is there anything else I can help you with today? Did you want to go ahead and cancel your order?" Then I again asked to talk to a supervisor, which I was told again how busy the supervisor was, and was never transferred. I then asked to confirm that my item was on a 90 day back order. She made this loud sigh and said, "Let me pull all of this back up again, one moment." This woman was RUDE! I stayed calm, even when I asked to talk to a supervisor, which I never had a chance to do so.
After getting off the phone with the woman, I called right back and asked to be transferred to an online supervisor. At which time I was transferred to another online rep. He was very nice on the phone, tried to help, but seems a bit unsure of what he was doing. He said he put in for the item to be shipped to my home, which the other lady said could not be done, and that I would be emailed. My item now says "In Process" and on backorder. I decided to wait a day or two before calling back to see if the status of my item had changed before I pushed the issue further incase this customer service person had indeed fixed the problem.
My disappointment with customer service alone is enough to stop me from shopping at any Best Buy store and/or online. The end result of my purchase will be determining this. However, feel free to contact me further on how to make my shopping experience better, because it may actually, possibly help my shopping experience!
The lady I spoke with needs to be retrained on how to handle customers, at the very least. Poor customer service is one of the leading reasons for companies going under. If someone would like to contact me on helping me with my purchase, that would be nice. The item is no longer on sale to be ordered or purchased at the store as of now when I checked. Though, the day I called about my order, it was still onsale and available at my local store. Although, not the Best Buy Exclusive edition, I could have still purchased the Blu-ray edition at the sale price and have used my reward points. Now the item has increased again in price.