BestBuy.Com

[obiwanchunn]

When I discovered that BestBuy had recently adopted an online service that allows for me to pickup orders at various stores, I was ecstatic.  I use Walmart’s online/pick-up-from-store service and I am very happy with it.  BestBuy frequently has better prices, more electronics selection, and a more knowledgeable staff.

When BestBuy put the LG Optimus V mobile phone on sale a couple of weeks ago, I attempted to purchase the phone from several different stores - but they sold out quickly.  I then started to monitor the online site for availability for in-store-pickup.

Yesterday, March 14th, several local area stores posted that the LG Optimus V mobile phone had become available.  At roughly 1pm I selected the store closest to me and purchased the phone using bestbuy.com.  I immediately received a confirmation email stating the my order had been received and that I would be notified when my item was ready for in-store-pickup.

At around 3pm the same day, I got this email:

    3/14/2011

    Order Number: {removed per forum guidelines}
 Your item is now ready for pickup during store hours at the KATY FWY TX BestBuy store #216.  Please make sure this order is picked up within 8 days to avoid order cancellation.

    Note: If you ordered items that are not listed below, you'll receive a separate e-mail with the status of those items.

    :

At 7pm that night, I drove to the KATY FWY TX BestBuy to pickup my purchase. When I asked the lady at the Mobile department about my pickup, she stated that all the phones had been sold.  I assumed at this point that the saleslady did not know where the phone was stored for my pickup, so I asked to speak to her manager.

At this point all the sales people started acting very odd.  The saleslady acted panicked, and the store manager took nearly 10 minutes to arrive.  Another saleman showed up and laughed to himself while calling multiple store employees on his cell phone say things to them like "where is the phone you took?"  When the store manager finally showed up, he gave me the run-around, saying that he was going to find my phone for me.  He then disappeared.  I assume he was just waiting for me to leave.

I ended up driving to another BestBuy store to purchase the phone.  I was informed that my in-store pickup purchase would simply expire, and I would not be charged.  There appears to be no way to cancel it.

I got the impression that employees at store #216 were doing something they shouldn't have been doing.  Everyone involved acted frantic and guilty of something -- including the manager.  I recommend that someone at BestBuy audit that store immediately.

Store #216 is, at best, grossly incompetent.  At worse, they are crooked. Either way that store sullies the BestBuy brand.  I will have a hard time using your online store-pickup in the near future for all stores, based on this one event.  The personal effort involved just isn’t worth it.

[faiafontes]

The same thing happened to me in store #2505. I will never use Best Buy pick up in store again.!!

[Aaron-BBY Community Connector]

Hi obiwanchunn,

It’d be difficult to determine why store associates wouldn’t have been able to locate the phone reserved for your order without being physically present when it was picked.  I can imagine why you’d be concerned though!  I’d be disappointed too if I received notification that an order I placed was ready for pickup, only to later discover that the item could not be found.

I’ve sent you some information, so please make sure to check your private messages.  You can check your PMs by signing into the forums and then clicking on the letter icon in the upper right-hand corner of the page.