Today was definitely the worst experience I have ever had at ANY retail store. My girlfriend and I went to the West Hartford Best Buy in Connecticut at 6:30 PM to purchase an iPhone 4 for her as a present. We browse for roughly 15 minutes and not once were we greeted or approached by anyone to ask if we needed help. Finally we decide to walk up to the Mobile Desk and ask Travis for assistance. He asks us “You guys need help?” We briefly explain that we are here to purchase a new iPhone 4 and open a new account. He tells us he will be with us shortly and we patiently wait.
We are finally attended after being in the store for the better part of an hour. We explain to Travis that we would like an 8GB iPhone 4 for Sprint under a new line in my girlfriend’s name. Immediately he states, “you don’t want Sprint and why an iPhone?” For the next half hour he continues to speak about the capabilities and defects of the iPhone and why she should get this phone or that phone. Stating and I quote “The iPhone is 90% glass and nothing compared to the new Galaxy S 2” Pretty much anything but the iPhone. He is blatantly attempting to talk my girlfriend out of not only getting an iPhone but getting an account with Sprint at all. Prior to this I informed him that she has been using my iPhone (who I have with Sprint) and she’s loved it, hence why she wants one. So at this time not only is my girlfriend completely confused and discouraged about this purchase but I feel somewhat insulted due to the fact that he keeps referring to the iPhone as a phase and a waste of money and Sprint as horrible and useless service. This completely ruined the experience and the effect this “Present” has on my girlfriend. We tell him we are going to look around the store and discuss this before we make a decision. My girlfriend at this point is in tears because she is confused and upset that she was made to feel stupid and ignorant.
After telling my girlfriend that she should not listen to him and get what she came here to get because that’s what she wanted and had her heart set on, we return to the mobile center. I tell Travis that she wants to get the8GB iPhone 4 for Sprint. He proceeds to run a credit check for AT&T anyway and informs us that she would need a $150 deposit. I ask him “how much will she need to pay for Sprint?” to which he replies “I’ll check now….” Sprint required she made a $100 security deposit. I was informed they needed a Debit/Credit card to make the deposit. I attempt to swipe my card but before I do Travis says he needs to enter it manually so I gladly give Travis my Debit card and he entered it into the system. Seconds after entering my card into his computer, it allegedly crashes but not before taking the money from my account. He attempts to go through the motions of setting up an account for my girlfriend and the "system" is requesting another $100 deposit. He informs me that the previous deposit will be returned to my account in 6-8 weeks. But if I wanted to leave the store with a cellphone for my girlfriend I would have to make another deposit. Of course I did not agree. He proceeded to tell me that he could not reverse the payment because he says "Sprint" charged my account and not Best Buy. I inform him that I will go to Sprint and work things out with them.
It is now 8:50 and I have no choice but to drive to Sprint who closes at 9:30. As we all know Best Buy closes at 9:00 pm. So I have 10 minutes to drive to Sprint resolve the issue and return to Best Buy to get the cell phone. I arrive at Sprint and an agent informs me that no account was ever created in my girlfriends name or my name and they did not receive any deposits from me. I call Sprint and two representatives and a Supervisor tell me they don’t see any account or deposit from my account. At this point you can only imagine my frustration level. I call my bank and request a stop in the payment but they cannot process it due to it being after hours and tomorrow being Easter. So I would have to wait until Monday to stop the payment.
I return to Best Buy, being a prior Best Buy employee I know the night shift finishes at 10 pm. The doors still open, which I know for a fact is a violation because when I worked at the Manchester Best Buy, once the store was closed to the public we locked the doors until the registers were emptied and it was the end of the employees shift, I walk inside where everyone is either listening to music on their cell phones or on the computer browsing the internet (Including Terrence Hubbard, the Customer Solutions Manager, who is on Craigslist looking at Rims). My girlfriend explains the situation to him and while laughing he states “There is nothing we can do, take it up with Sprint”. We inform him that Best Buy is liable for the money taken from my account as not only did they “set up the account” but Travis manually input my Debit card into their system. He continues to mock us and tell us there is nothing he can do. We ask if he can at least look up the account Travis set up so that we can still get the cell phone and he says that’s not his job and the agents, including Travis, whose job it is to handle this, went home.
At this point my frustration level is thru the roof. Not only were $100 taken from my account without being provided with any services or products but we are being disrespected. I call the police and inform them of the situation and they are on their way. While we wait for the police to arrive, a female representative standing at the door provokes an argument with my girlfriend telling her that we are stupid for coming in when the store is closed and there is nothing anyone can do about our situation. She proceeds to laugh and also states that we are keeping her from going home and calling the police isn’t going to do anything but waste her time. Terrence, the “Customer Solutions Manager”, is standing there laughing and allowing the agent to disrespect us and escalate the situation.
The Police arrive and we explain the situation. Terrence comes outside and of course his demeanor completely changes when the Police officers speak with him. Not once did Terrence apologize for either of his agents behavior but continues to say there is nothing he or the police can do to help us. We were never given a receipt for the $100 deposit so the only proof we have of this is my bank statement. I have no choice but to return on Monday and “See what he can do”. At this point neither my girlfriend or I are interested in doing any business with Best Buy let alone get a cell phone and protection plan with them. The Police ask Terrence if he has a business card and he provides one. It is now 10:20 pm and we are forced to go home without the $100 or any kind of compensation or collateral.
There is no reason why a company who prides themselves on their customer service should have agents and Managers who treat their customers this way. I have spent hundreds of dollars in this store and expect to be treated with courtesy and respect.
Ryan-BBY
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