Other Customer Service Support

[tank12]

Good Evening,

I wanted to make sure you were aware of the terrible service I recieved today from multiple channels at Best Buy.

I started by going into your store on Morse Rd in Columbus, OH to do a price match on an item I ordered.  I purchased a graphics card from Best Buy but found it at a better price.  I showed the picture that it was available and show a picture of the lower price.  But due to the fact that the Graphics Card was out of stock by the time I got to the store, the manager refused to honor it, even with pricing proof of the same item and availablity quoting "it is out of stock now".  If you know the market right now, it would be nearly impossible to find a price match for a graphics card, drive to your store, call, or chat before they would be sold out again (hence the picture).

This hardly seems like a business model to go by considering, I could have gotten the lower price if I would have purchased it through the other site at the lower price, taking, my business away from Best Buy.  I have been a loyal Best Buy customer for over 10 years, our family spends a lot here, and service has always been in the past top notch.  We are the Elite Plus members consistently and I am sure you make tens of thousands of dollars from our purchases annually between our business and personal.

None of that mattered to this manager at the store.  So from there I called the support center.  Without a doubt they rocked from showing empathy and they (the support person and their manager) agreed they would have matched the  price immediately, and tried to but due to system limitations it would not allow them.

So... they referred to the chat line.  Now I am 4 hours into this mess.  Once I got on the chat line the person who "helped me" was nice in the beginning and even wrote they would price match it if they could but would be against "policy".  There is that unfriendly customer experience word again.  Eventually, I was referred to this forum to complaint and mysteriously disconnected from the chat line.  

So now, here I stand 5.5 hours in to this mess, writing a complaint but more of a "Dear John" letter to Best Buy.  I looked up how much my family and business has spent at Best Buy recently (it amounted to over $20,000).  So Best Buy I say, thank you for the journey, I was a loyal customer over 15 years.  You lost me over a $500 price match (of which I was willing to negotiate to $250 since I made the mistake and did not know a picture would not be good enough)...  I am guessing if you run the numbers and the lost potential revenue from us as a customer, you might rethink your "policy", so you can retain more in the future.

I will be returning the $5000 in purchases we just made in the past week too.

Good luck Best Buy, the ride was fun but when I turn into another number, I will move on to a company who values me as a customer.

P.S. Here is my order number ({removed per forum guidelines}) so you can take a look (I am betting at the price match alone you were still making money off us).

Side Note: Best Buy lists this same graphics card (same maker, same type) for the lower price I was trying to get price matched but avast you are out of stock too.  Seems like someone wanted to take advantage of the current demand and crank up prices, change the UPC and get more money out of their customers.  Same card for $500 more, wow that is not good customer service (by the way your in town competitor does not do this aka MicroCenter).

Your Former Customer

[nckhammond]

That has always been the policy. It's been sence they started price matching. They do not price match a competitor that is out of stock and they have to verify all the information at the time of the price match.

[tank12]

"Policy" as a customer experience answer is a quick way to lose customers. In my opinion, policies should be there to benefit the company and the customer (supporting both). When a policy hinders that experience and is the shield for why a decision is made (even when employees think it is wrong, which was quoted to me over the phone by the way) this should be reviewed. Companies should address situations uniquely and treat all customers well (especially loyal, long-term ones). The competitive landscape is too aggressive nowadays to shield behind a policy versus looking at the entire relationship and intent of the customer.

Again, this taught me that I am a number not a unique customer (person). For that, I will now seek to purchase our products elsewhere, driving business away from Best Buy. Which is rather ironic because the business case for Price Match is to KEEP customers at Best Buy.

While I am only one customer, continuation of experiences like this are primary reasons why you will see a declining base in repeat customers and you will see the company move towards commodity competition versus value of experience differentiators.

If a similar situation to this occurred at Apple, Google, Amazon, Starbucks, Disney, and any of the great experience companies, it would have ended much different than this experience, with the customers walking away feeling cared about and not quoted it is "policy" but rather a company driving for a win-win situation for both parties taking into account intent, loyalty, relationship, and empathy.

[Alyssa-BBY Social Media Specialist]

Hey there, tank12,

While I wish that your joining our community here on the Best Buy Forums were under different circumstances, I truly appreciate you taking the time to bring your experience to our attention. As our goal is to provide world-class service, I'm disheartened to hear about the events that transpired when you made a request under our Price Match Guarantee. I love getting a good deal on items, and I can understand wanting to take advantage of a price match to save on your new tech.

With that said, our Price Match Guarantee does not cover items that are advertised as limited quantity or out of stock items at the time of purchase. It sounds like this may have been the case based on the information provided, and I apologize that this was not communicated appropriately. As our team works out of the Corporate Campus, I would like the opportunity to document your feedback within our internal system. To do so, can you please send me a private message that includes your full name, phone number, and email address? You can send a secure message by using the Private Message button below in my signature.

Best Regards,