Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[kuroiatropos]

I am having trouble with my Laptop and was wondering if anyone had suggestions on how I can get someone to listen and help. Over a month ago my laptop fell (cracked casing, a ripped power cord and a bad headphone jack). On a PSP they ran tests and found the problem (the Motherboard). It was sent to the Service Center. 2 weeks later it was at the store. I arrived 6/3 to find that the SC tech hadn't replaced the Motherboard, had wrongly replaced the Hard Drive w/ a bad HD along with several other things. They took pics of the damage to send to the SC, said they would have it next day aired since it was a redo, that as a redo it would get priority, but warned me that it could still be a few weeks.

Another 2 weeks and I went to the store 6/17 to see if there were updates. I found out that it didn't ship til the 10th, and didn't get to the SC til the 15th. I asked why it hadn't been sent as promised she said they didn't do it. She said she would email them to see if they could NDA it back. I asked if there was nothing else she could do and she wrote down 2 phone #s, a complaint line and a number for the SC, so that I could call to "try to negotiate to get it done quicker if you want to." After her doing nothing but say it wasn't her fault and there was nothing else she could do I found a manager who got me the other GS manager who said he would call for for me to see what could be done and give me a call back that day. I was unsure about their ability to follow through, but I would wait and see before I called to complain since she came up when I was talking to the other manager and said she sent the email.

I didn't get the call, so I did call 06/18. The initial reps lack of empathy, care and common sense ment that all he did was connect me to the store and I learned that the guy who had said that he would call, hadn't yet. The Rep reiterated at this point "there is nothing I can do." I finally got sent to a Supervisor, who I managed to get some information from. They are so unempowered they can't even call the SC for me, and that the only thing he could do which is put an 'Escalation' on it won't help me at all since as far as the SC was concerned it hasn't been there on the same issue for a full month. The Supervisor was better w/ CS skills, but did nothing to reassure me I'll get a repaired Laptop.

They have no way for me to check up on their ability to follow through on what they promised, since so far I have been let down, all I have is an extension to the Supervisor who may or may not be able to tell me anything. Not even a week ago, even after the 1st mess up I was a BB fan because they have treated me well in the past and I was certain that my current problem was being taken care of. Not anymore. Does anyone have advice on how I  can get in touch with someone at BB who can actually do something to get my computer back before another month passes? Someone who can do more than say there's nothing I can do or it's all up to the SC?

[RealGeorgeW Valued Expert]

Hi kuroiatropos, insteresting name.

Anyway, in short, there are people who can check on your laptop and light a fire uder those who need it. That would be the community connectors here. Elizabeth should be along later today to assign your issue to one of the others who will look into it and let you know what they can do to get this resolved for you.

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Hi kuroiatroops,

I've asked Aaron, one of our Geek Squad Community Connectors, to review your concerns and see how he can help.  As the weekend is approaching, you may not hear from him until early next week, but I wanted you to know we're checking into it!  Thanks for your patience,

[kuroiatropos]

Hey Elizabeth,

I was just able to get on a friend's computer to check on this (she has been great and keeping an eye on the forums for me as well).

Thank you for responding to my message, I was glad it made sense since I had to keep cutting out words to make it fit in the character limit. I do want to say that the thing that upsets me most, besides not having my computer for over a month, is the customer service, or lack-there-of, involved in this. The first time I went in to pick it up despite the initial mistake I actually complimented the Geek Squad members there to a Manager because I was impressed with how they handled it, assuring me that it would be next day aired, rushed, everything they could do to get it back to me faster. It was learning they did not follow through and then finding no one who would take ownership of the problem and help me get it taken care of that really set me on the war path. 

Since I have written the first post on Friday I was contacted again by someone from the Local store, the same person who had been, well, frankly mishandling the enitre situation, and they said they had received a response to the email about the net day air, but that despite additional reassurances no one had called the service center yet. I asked her again to call and I believe she did because a little while later I got a call from a Geek Squad Tech who said that they would get my computer out to the store as soon as it was serviced. It sounded like it would happen soon. 

Hopefully this should help the Community Connector have an updated view on my situation. Again, the thing that bugs me the most is how poorly this was handled, most especially the lack of follow through and empathy that I was given. Even the Supervisor, the best of the rather poor CS, seemed to think that giving me a gift card would reassure me that I would get my computer back. I lost almost $4,000 worth of programs that I am going to have to put multiple hours into getting back, and my computer is an essential part of my daily life that I have been without for over a month. I just hope that my experience can save someone else from having to go through this. It most likely will not be me however, as I am still unsure if I will ever return to Best Buy for fear of something else like this happening. I have never had so many problems, especially with the customer service. It shows a distinct lack of care for the customer that I am really afraid is the trend now since I received it across the board, from the GS members to the Supervisor. 

Anyway, thank you again for doing everything you can, I can get an inkling of how restrictive the policies you have to work with are.

Carissa T.

[Kamel]

I had something like this happen to me.   I wanted to ship my hp monitor through geek squad to HP.  But when i got it back they said that Geek Squad did not have any HP parts and that im going to have to call HP.  They did the oppisite things.  Im mad... im 16 idk if i would pass as a "adult" on the phone with HP.

[Aaron-BBY Community Connector]

Hey Carissa (kuroiatropos),

I’m sorry to hear about your recent repair difficulties! Although I do not know why your laptop would have been returned from service without one of the primary concerns being addressed, I certainly apologize if this occurred. Additionally, I was disheartened to learn if there has been any lack of communication on our part. Like you, we assume that promises of return phone calls, status updates, and expedited shipping will be kept and are disappointed to discover when they are not.

I would like to provide you some additional information regarding your computer’s repairs, so please keep an eye on your private messages (the letter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page) for further communication.