Delivery & Installation

[fisheye]

My only conclusion I can make from the is experience is to never do business with Best Buy if there a chance you will need customer service. This is what happened to us:

• Purchased a new refridgerator and water line installation from the Best Buy website.
• Item was delivered and water line was (mostly) installed
• Installation person said something to the effect of "Do you want a shut off valve? Because if so, it will cost an extra $30"
• So I'm not a plumber, and they offered it as if it were optional, so I say no. I figure I can live without it, especially if it costs more money and isn't necessary.
• Later I read the installation service - SKU# 3533705 - is supposed to include a shut-off valve. This is the description: "Have an Installer quickly and professionally install a new water supply line and shut-off valve."
• So I then plan to get Best Buy to remedy this omission
• However, 24 hours later, the fridge isn't getting cold. It turns on, but it simply doesn't work.
• We decide to exchange it for a different fridge
• After hours of support calls in which I insist that we should be getting another working fridge along with a shut-off valve, as well as compensated for our trouble of not having a fridge, the support person tells us to go talk to an appliance manager at a store, pick out a fridge, and they will compensate us for our trouble by having us fill out a food spoilage claim form and a courtesy gift card
• Go to a Best Buy - only to be told that there's no appliance manager (apparently it’s a vacancy that they were in the process of filling)
• Talked to the store manager - they give me a special appliance support number (that we were never given before) making our entire trip to the store unnecessary
• So we pick out a fridge that's on display on the floor for exchange - only to be told that model was not available. So we picked our second choice and set up delivery time, and spent more hours getting support to admit that they are obligated to install a shut off valve at the time of delivery
• Delivery shows up. And they refuse to install the new fridge or remove the non-working one. The reason? The water line has no shut off valve! Can you imagine how infuriating this would be?
• More hours with support. They say that they sent the "wrong team" to do the installation
• At this point we are over a week with no refrigerator. Hours on support calls. Time off from work.
• We are finally so disgusted with Best Buy that we cancel the order entirely
• I follow up on the compensation we feel we were owed - the food spoilage claim and the courtesy gift card
• So, more hours on the phone with support. The result? No gift card if we are cancelling the order (apparently, they only compensate for their outrageous treatment of customers if they are getting a sale out of it). And we are only eligible for the food spoilage claim if we got the extended warranty (which no other support person had mentioned)
• We finally got the fridge we wanted from Abt, who came in and installed it, spending 30 seconds putting in a shutoff valve.
• We still haven't been fully reimbursed. Apparently they made an error in how the charges were entered and will have to send us a check rather than just reimburse the credit card, taking more time, risking interest charges, more worry and headache.
• Go with Abt not Best Buy. I have nothing to gain by endorsing Abt - other than hoping to save others from the humiliating, dehumanizing treatment we experienced from Best Buy.

I'd be happy to supply order number or any other details if someone from Best Buy wants to follow up. Until then I'll be telling everyone I can in person and on line to stay away from Best Buy. 

[KyleR-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hello, fisheye,

Thanks for joining the Best Buy Community forums. I appreciate you reaching out to share this experience with us. That is not at all how we want an appliance purchase to go.

We always want to get a working product out to you, and make an exchange easy when it is needed. I apologize that we fell short on both those things, and that it took so long for us to find any solution, even an imperfect one.

While Best Buy does not provide compensation in situations like this, I would like to look into your entire order a bit more closely so we can use your experience to make sure we provide better service going forward. I'll also review that order to make sure the rest of the refund is coming.

Please send along a private message by using the link in my signature below this post. I'll need your name, email address, and phone number,a long with your order number, to get started.

Sincerely,