On December 10, 2009, I ordered a holiday bundle, consisting of a Panasonic Viera plasma 42 inch tv, an Xbox, and a game. The total price was charged to my credit card. I received an e-mail confirming delivery between December 15-18. I ordered this bundle as a Christmas gift for my college age sons.
The Xbox and game arrived as scheduled. Before Christmas, I was notified that the tv could not be delivered until February 2. I telephoned Best Buy to arrange to pick it up at a store. The rep said no, that the stores had none. Too bad, but the Xbox had already come and it was still a good deal, so I did not fuss. I was asked to complete a customer satisfaction survey on-line. I detailed the situation in my answer, but received no reply.
On February 2, Best Buy changed the delivery date to February 15. I had someone waiting at home to accept delivery. No tv came. Best Buy changed the date to February 20. I waited at home. No tv. No phone call. On February 23, I telephoned customer service. A very nice rep advised me that delivery could be scheduled for February 27. She set that up. I asked if I could pick up the tv myself. She checked into that and discovered that no tvs of that model were in the stores or the warehouse and that there would be no more. She promised to telephone the warehouses to be sure and to have someone call me. She also transferred me to Sales, saying that they could substitute a comparable tv. That would have satisfied me. We missed Christmas, but the boys would have it for spring break. A woman in Sales heard the situation and put me on hold. I stayed on hold. She never came back. No one from Best Buy contacted me again. The online order status continued to state "delivery date of 2-20-10 confirmed."
On March 27, I went to my local Best Buy store, #646, to request assistance with this problem. The store manager, Brad {Removed per Forum Guidelines}, clearly had no interest or concern about the delay. He summarily dismissed me, stating that if I ordered it from bestbuy.com, he could do nothing. Furthermore, he argued that the computer showed no payment for the tv, even though I had checked my payment records immediately before going to the store. He offered no help, no suggestion, no solution.
Next day I telephoned Best Buy customer service again. I spoke to Michael, who was very nice. I requested some resolution. He offered to substitute a Panasonic TC-P42C2, which was presently on sale at Best Buy for $539. I declined, explaining that the TC-P42x1 which I had paid for, had a $749 value at the time I bought it. He stated it was the same tv as the one I ordered, just a newer version. I can read the specs. It is not the same. Furthermore, while I waited 3 1/2 months, more technologically advanced tvs had become available for $700. I asked to speak with his supervisor. Holly basically echoed what Michael said, offering no other options. I told her I would accept a substitute tv valued at $700, some of which Best Buy currently advertised. Nope. The cheap one or nothing.
Rather than accept a lower value tv, I advised them that I would prefer to return the Xbox and game and get a refund. Both Michael and Holly said no, I could not return them, because those items had been delivered over 30 days ago. I replied that I had bought a bundle, not three separate items. One bundle, one price, one order. What would I do with an Xbox and no tv? I can't believe Best Buy would insist that it's okay to deliver part of a bundle when the customer needs all the parts to play. I would have returned the XBox months ago if I had known Best Buy would reneg on the bundle. I retained the XBox only because Best Buy continued to promise delivery, despite pushing back the delivery date again and again. Holly and Michael would not budge. Holly said I could send the XBox back if I wanted to, but they might not accept it. I asked if anyone else could help me. She transferred me to Customer Relations.
I spoke with a nice Customer Relations rep, Sanden. I explained the whole situation. He listened politely and said he could do nothing. That was all.
Today I got an e-mail stating that Best Buy has cancelled my order "because we are unable to verify your information." ??? What does that mean? What information could they be lacking? The e-mail said the order amount would be credited to my account. $414. This is outrageous. Basically, I paid a lump sum for a bundle. Best Buy accepted the bundle order, strung me along for months with promises to deliver, then reneged, charging me full price for the XBox and game, and crediting me with much less than the stated value of the television. What kind of good deal did I receive, after 3 1/2 months of waiting?
To be honest, I am completely frustrated. I have not been rude or demanding. I am stuck with 2/3 of a bundle. I don't want 2/3 of a bundle. I am willing to take a reasonable substitution, but not a lower value or outdated tv. No one at Best Buy has offered a reasonable solution, or any solution at all, except the low value substitute. As a customer, I have experienced nothing but stonewalling and rigidity from Customer Service and the Store personnel. The offer was unreliable. The service was worse. Does Best Buy expect to keep customers with those business practices?
Melissa-BBY
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