Best Buy is a mess, or worse.

Question

Best Buy is a mess, or worse.  I just signed up for Amazon Prime.  Here’s why:
I purchased a laptop that arrived with a non-functioning touchpad.  I simply wanted to exchange this broken computer for a working model.  Best Buy could not accomplish this, and showed some abysmal customer service in the process.  I thought somebody at Best Buy should know.  Below are the details.
I ordered an HP Envy Touchsmart Sleekbook with a 1TB HD and 8GB memory (SKU 9268057) on 1 January 2014 through BestBuy.com. The computer's specs were good and the price was great ($399), so I pulled the trigger on the purchase.
The computer arrived quickly and as promised, but after a 10-15 minutes of use, the touchpad “click” would stick down and the computer would be remain constantly left-clicking.  In other words, the computer was not useable.
I visited the Best Buy store in Reston, VA (store 297) and showed the problem to the Geek Squad.  They said the computer could be sent for repair (approximately 3 weeks), or I could exchange it for a new one.  Opting for the exchange, I took the computer to the customer service counter.  I was then told that the computer was an online only item and I would have to call 1-888-Best-Buy to exchange it.
Issue #1 – I bought the computer from Best Buy and wanted to exchange the computer at Best Buy.  As a customer, I simply do not care if your internal inventory systems list an item as online only.  If visiting Best Buy to exchange a Best Buy item, I expect my very basic request to be honored.
But fair enough, I understand.  I called the number, navigated a horribly designed IVR, then waited on hold for 30 minutes.  Apparently, I was transferred to Tech Support in error.  Tech Support said I'd have to be transferred again and wait on hold again.  I said that waiting another 30 minutes was unacceptable and asked that I be transferred directly to a person who could help.  At this point, the person in Tech Support hung up on me.
Issue #2 – Despite my being courteous and polite on the phone, the inconvenience of my request caused this person in tech support to commit an indefensible disservice to a paying customer.  I can think of few things in this world that surpass the rudeness, gall, and unprofessionalism of hanging up on a customer. How little training are these people receiving that they would hang up on anybody, much less a customer?
I called 1-888-Best-Buy again, waiting on hold for 30 minutes a second time. This person was more helpful. A shipping label was promptly emailed to me and I sent back the computer.  A few days later, I noticed that my credit card was refunded for the computer, but this was extremely odd given that I wanted an exchange for the exact same computer.
Issue #4 – The Best Buy return forms need to be vastly clearer.  A customer needs to be able to indicate that the product is being exchanged, not returned.  I placed a handwritten note on the form, but apparently nobody at the return center bothered to read the note.
I called 1-888-Best-Buy a third time.  This time, I spoke with a very nice lady who was (frankly and unfortunately) clueless.  She said that since the money was back on my credit card, I could simply buy the computer again.  I explained to her approximately a dozen times that I wanted an exchange and that if I repurchased the computer again, I would not receive the sale price because the computer was no longer on sale (I believe that the price was then $699).  In other words, the failure of Best Buy to correctly process the exchange would cost me an extra $300 if I was to repurchase the computer.  The customer service agent could not resolve the problem and then transferred me to a new person.
Issue #5 – From my first phone conversation with a customer service agent, I was given an RA number.  Subsequently, I was told by everybody with whom I spoke that they could not look up my order or exchange via the RA number.  Why does Best Buy give an RA number if it is subsequently useless?  This is a giant waste of your customers’ time.
I explained the situation a second time to the new customer service representative.  He understood the issue and was very helpful in resolving the issue.  After a few minutes of investigating, he came back on the line and said that the computer was no longer available, but that he would complete the exchange with a like product (HP Envy with 1TB HD and 8GB memory).  This resolution was exceptionally fair and met my expectations (the new computer had a price of $999, after all).
When this new computer arrived, I realized that it was similar but had some substantial and material differences.  The keyboard is not backlit, the screen has very poor resolution (I’ve spent hours trying to resolve this issue to no avail), the touchpad is difficult to use and unresponsive, the monitor does not open beyond 90 degrees (Okay, maybe 95 degrees…but this makes the computer impossible to use on a desk, or more importantly, on a lap.  Seriously, why would HP design a computer like this??  You have to stoop down to see the monitor because it simply does not open wide enough), and the laptop body is horribly designed with all of the weight on the back, leaving the computer constantly unbalanced and the touchscreen 50% useless).  As I discovered, these differences all boiled down to a very small detail:  The original HP I purchased was a Sleekbook, while the new laptop is not.  One small word, one big difference.
I then went back to the Best Buy store in Reston, VA and explained the situation.  My request was to exchange the HP Envy that I now possessed for the same model that I originally purchased (the HP Envy Sleekbook).  The lady at the customer service desk said that she could not perform the exchange.  Her rationale was that the exchange could not be made if the new computer would cost more than the original computer that I purchased.  I explained that I was now in possession of a $999 computer and was wanting to leave the store with a $699 computer.  This would net Bet Buy $200.  Regardless of that fact, however, my request to her was very basic:  I purchased an HP Envy Sleekbook, the first exchange did not work, and I still expected to receive an HP Envy Sleekbook.  She then went to find her supervisor.
Issue #6 – Why can Best Buy employees not make a decision?  Can Best Buy please empower somebody?  Waiting around at the counter while employees search for a supervisor is unacceptable in 2014.  If you need an example, visiting an Apple store would be hugely beneficial.
The supervisor, James {Removed per Forum Guidelines}, then arrived.  I explained the situation a second time.  James verified that the computer I originally purchased was indeed available at a nearby store.  But, he would have to charge me an extra $300 for the exchange.  Thinking that this was preposterous, I asked him to explain.  He said that he could not verify the price that I originally paid on January 1st.  Conveniently, I had a smartphone in my pocket and offered to show him the receipt from my purchase.
As I did with the first employee, I explained again my very simple request to exchange the HP Envy Sleekbook that I originally purchased for a functional version of the same.  He said that this was impossible because I was shipped an HP Envy Sleekbook as an exchange.  I explained that this like-item exchange was the decision of Best Buy and that I had no control over what I was shipped by Best Buy when they were choosing an equivalent product.  Nonetheless, all of those facts notwithstanding, I was now in possession of a $999 product and wanted to exchange it for a $699 product.  THIS WOULD NET BEST BUY $200!  James {Remvoed per Forum Guidelines} was unwilling to hear any of this, said I would either have to either keep the HP Envy Sleekbook or pay $300 extra to leave the store with the computer that I originally purchased for $399.  These were the options, take it or leave it.
Here’s the bottom line:  Best Buy won mightily.  Best Buy got its way.  I did not.  I admit it, Best Buy is the victor.  Congratulations.
I could continue to fight for an exchange, but in Best Buy’s victory, the archaic process and automaton employees have worn me down.  I’ve now given up.  I’ll keep this sub-par, hardly useable computer.  I’ll also hate it.  I’ll also scorn Best Buy when I log on every morning and every evening.
I’m not without options, though.  As a matter of fact, I’ve now joined Amazon Prime.  The Amazon service is amazing and I encourage every Best Buy customer to do the same.  You order heavily discounted products, you have the help of many customer reviews, and the products arrive at your door the next day.  I’ve already spoken to Amazon’s customer service team, and the experience was first class.  Since my Best Buy experience, I’ve already ordered an iPad and Nikon D3200 for my wife’s Valentine’s Day present.
Best Buy could have had these sales.  James {Removed per Forum Guidelines} and the Reston store won the battle, though.  The price of losing the battle is that I have to keep a $999 laptop.  The price of the victory for Best Buy, though, is that a lifetime of sales will now be channeled through Amazon Prime.
I expect Best Buy to do nothing after receiving this note.  But, my ideal resolution:  Please have the manager of your Reston store, along with James {Removed per Forum Guidelines}, write me a letter of apology.  It would be wonderful, and go a long way towards resolving the situation, if both the manager and James {Removed per Forum Guidelines} would acknowledge that when given the opportunity to do the right thing, they instead chose to hide behind inflexible and inappropriate company policy.  When given the opportunity to surprise and delight a customer, they instead chose to not lift a finger to make things right.  When given the opportunity to win a loyal customer, they instead chose the easy path that resulted in alienating a customer.
All customers have a choice.  My choice is now Amazon Prime.

Answer 1

Hello cathacker,
Buying a new computer should be fun and exciting and not fraught with problems after the fact. I deeply regret the numerous obstacles to receiving a successful exchange for your defective machine and for any resulting inconvenience.
The problems that you encountered are not helpful or endearing in the remotest measure. Having to cope with an unprofessional telephone representative is not the least of the unfortunate circumstances you describe, and for that above all I offer you my own personal apology. There is never a circumstance where behavior of that kind is appropriate and you shouldn't have had to cope with it.
I was gratified to read that your subsequent call to arrange an exchange through BestBuy.com was successful and netted a comparable computer for the same financial outlay. I was disheartened to hear that, while the offer met your expectations, the hardware did not.  I know that your objective was to exchange the substituted device when you revisited the Reston store, but were you offered a refund during your conversation?
In any case, it's clear that the Reston store and BestBuy.com created a disappointing situation for you with this purchase. Certainly, this was not our goal. While I understand your decision to pursue a relationship with one of our competitors, it remains my hope that you will one day give Best Buy another chance to win you over.
Please know that i'm grateful for your eloquent remarks and for taking the time to compose and present them, both here and on our Facebook page.
Sincerely,
John|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate
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