My Best Buy adventure started out on May 2nd, as what was supposed to be an exciting resolution to an easy problem. I walked into the Brandon, FL location with my broken Nikon camera, PSP and receipt in hand. I am leaving for Europe in 14 days and unfortunately broke my camera, which I have the 4-year insurance on. I already had a feeling this was not going to be a pleasant and agreeable experience because the two customers in front of me were both yelling at the customer service associates in regards to the insurance policies on the items they were bringing back. I approached the customer service counter and explained the situation to the associate. When I asked if there was anything I can do to expedite the process of having to mail my camera away before replacing it, the associate sought out the assistance of the store manager, Mark. When Mark approached the customer service counter he did not greet us or say one word to us. It was extremely clear that he was aggravated and defensive. He stated the same as the associate, that they had to send it out and it would take a “minimum of 14 days to hear anything in regards to the camera’s status.” As a customer about to travel to Europe on the vacation of a lifetime, I informed him that I was upset and felt like this was unacceptable. I was extremely confused because the PSP manual states that under accidental damage option, they will replace the camera once. My camera had a cracked screen, missing battery, the battery door was completely missing, had loose parts inside, and one side of the camera was hanging on by a thread – it was obvious that the camera is beyond fixing. I questioned Mark in regards to what the PSP manual states about the option to replace the camera under accidental damages and he refused to answer my questions stating that “it’s store policy and he has to send the camera out.” I asked him twice again to show me and explain the policy in the manual and he refused to do so, threatening me by stating “do you want me to send the camera out at all, because I don’t have to.” Mark proceeded to state that “he has people all the time return within 5 days to replace their cameras.” This made the situation even more confusing because I had already asked him to clarify his previous statement of “it will be a minimum of 14 days to know anything in regards to the camera’s status.” I was so confused and felt like there was no chance I was going to get the camera fixed or replaced by the time I left the country for vacation. After things calmed down for a moment, I finally had a few of my questions answered. I sad to Mark in an appreciative tone, “If you would’ve explained things to me that way, in that tone to begin with, we would’ve never had this problem. As the store manager he should know that the customer is always right at least to their face.” He shouted back at me “No No No, the customer is not always right.” Once again angered by Mark’s tone and attitude, I said “well I am glad that’s the customer service motto of Best Buy.” Mark refused to provide us his last name as we left the counter. I was so frustrated at the way I was being treated; I was almost in tears as I signed the paperwork to send my camera out. I am a Public Relations Executive and my boyfriend a Guest Service Manager for a professional sports team. As a professional in the customer service industry, it is completely out of character for me to send a letter in regards to poor service. This is the first time I have every formally complained to any store. However, it is absolutely unacceptable to treat customers the way we were treated in the Brandon Best Buy location. It portrays a terrible image of your company’s customer service outlook as well as the training of your managers. Although I am a frequent Best Buy shopper, as soon as the transaction with my camera is complete, I strongly feel as though I will avoid future transactions with Best Buy because of the atrocious customer service provided by Mark. I am extremely frustrated, extremely upset, and no matter if the camera situation is complete before leaving for my vacation, I feel as though the transaction between myself and the store manager has ruined the good outcome of this situation.
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