bertilak wrote:
For years and years, I've
encountered the occasional surley employee at Best Buy and elsewhere,
and yet, I've continued to shop at Best Buy.
For
years and years, I've had both good and bad food served to me from
McDonalds from various locations, and yet, I've continued eating at
McDonalds. Does that make me or loyal or stupid?
bertilak wrote:
My
problem comes whenever a corporation institutionalizes bad behavior -
usually through its policies and practices. Best Buy's behavior of late
has suggested to me that this is exactly what has happened at Best Buy,
particularly after the bankruptcy of Circuit City, its only major
similar competitor. I could cite personal experience after personal
experience to suggest that the bad behavior of Best Buy's employees is
now institutionally sanctioned, but I think the fact that Best Buy is
regularly sued for misleading business practices - and that, to my
knowledge, it has never successfully defended itself against such a suit
- speaks to the 'corporate culture' that Best Buy has fostered under
the leadership of its current CEO.
Mmm, this
is just so full of speculation but no solid facts that I'm going to
leave it alone. Btw, if you think the lawsuits against Best Buy are bad,
you should see the ones against WMart.
bertilak wrote:
So,
back to my original question: If people are so frustrated with Best
Buy, why do they shop there? Why do we continue to patronize the shops
of a corporation that has proven, over and over again, that it cares
less about its customers than it does about its bottom line, all the
while failing to recognize that its customers are the source of its
bottom line. I'm really interested to hear what other people have to
say about this. What is so remarkable about Best Buy that, despite the
issues, the never-ending lawsuits, the bad customer service and other
issues that so many have written about here, we all continue to shop
there (myself included, until recently.)
You'll
have to poll the people shopping at a Best Buy near you to get a good
sample. Fortunately for businesses, the unfortunate mishaps of a few
customers do not represent the experiences of the masses.
bertilak wrote:
If
I were a member of Best Buy corporate, this is a thread I'd really want
to read. And I'd fire people I'd hired to help me moderate this board
who didn't know that the word 'triple' is spelled with just one 'p.'
Forum
Guideline: Don't worry if your spelling isn't perfect. I type at a rate
of 110-115 wpm. There's bound to be a few typos and mispellings in
there. I'mm surre thiss iss thee casse withh otther posterrs herre.
bertilak wrote:
But you seem to be forgetting that old business axiom: for every one customer who voices a complaint, at least five customers have had the same issue, said nothing, and simply determined that they won't give their business to the relevant company again.
You mean that axiom that the baby boomer generation came up with back in the days of mom n' pop shops and no big box retailers? There's another archaic one I love, "The customer is always right." Some of my friends tell me Fry's Electronics sucks but somehow I find myself wandering in there every now and then with a completely different experience than they had. It's one thing to hear the experiences of your peers, but it's just blind to take it as complete truth.
bertilak wrote:
In Q4 2010, overall consumption in the US was $43 billion dollars, up an astonishing 11% over the previous year. In the same period, at a time when consumers are buying holiday gifts (and spend more money on electronics than at any other time of the year), Best Buy's overall revenue per store fell 4.6%, per Best Buy's own press release announcing their Q4 2010 earnings (announced just two days ago.)
Now, call me crazy, but in Q4 2010, if overall sales are up by 11% nationwide, with electronics suppliers reporting record revenues (look, for example, at Apple - up $11 billion in net sales the same fiscal period), but Best Buy is posting losses of 4.6% - well, what that should tell any smart consumer, any investor, and any person 'moderating' this board (even if they're just a 'valued contributor') that things at Best Buy are just as bad as I've suggested they are, and that unless the company starts treating its customers like customers, Best Buy *will* be out of business just as soon as any other viable option presents itself to consumers living in cities where Best Buy has 'the lock' on electronics sales.
The math doesn't like, Mr. B.Guy. If people were as happy with Best Buy as you seem to suggest, then the company should've posted record profits this year, along with every other major electronics retailer. It didn't. It posted a loss. Care to explain that, absent the will of the 'silent majority' - the people who don't bother to post here but have had it with Best Buy's treatment of its customers?
You left out some key parts of those articles. For one thing, it wasn't good or bad customer service that affected Best Buy's losses. It was their push towards IPTVs and 3DTVs. The consumer market simply wasn't looking for that type of technology (not yet anyway). If anything, 2010 was the year of the iPad (hence Apple's gains) and cell phones. Best Buy miscalculated and they paid for it. Now, they are pushing more into the lucrative mobile phones sector. Did you by chance read your article on The Onion? If not, I'd like to see what article you read that tied Best Buy's Q4 losses to "bad customer service." So here's my proof. And another. And one last one. Something about a lot of budget-conscious buyers and new flashy TVs but nothing about losses incurred due to bad customer service.
Your move.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I DO NOT work for Best Buy. Whatever I post are just educated guesses or common sense.
