Re: WalMart search..

[Heather Honerkamp <heather@mindspring.net>]

EXTENDED WARRANTIES
Best Buy, Circuit City, Sears, and a whole lot of other stores sell
extended warranties.  They're a huge rip-off!  

http://www.accessatlanta.com/partners/clarkhoward/consumer_help/tips/extende
d_warranties.html

*Extended warranties often are the most profitable part of the sale of a
TV, VCR, or stereo for an appliance dealer. 

*They're a bad deal for the consumer because they rarely pay off. Only 12
to 20 percent of the money paid for extended warranties is ever used to pay
for repairs or claims. 

*People often lose the contracts, they move, or they forget they purchased
the contract in the first place. The usage rate is even lower than the
breakdown rate of the appliance. 

*You're better off taking the money you would have spent on service
contracts and putting it into a repair fund. 

SEARCHING YOUR BAG / URBAN SPRAWL

We really can vote with our feet/pocketbook.  These superstores are in
business because consumers continue to shop there.  Especially with the
advent of online shopping there are plenty of opportunities for other
alternatives. 

RETURN POLICY

Checking on Best Buy's web page seems to support the stories:
http://www.bestbuy.com/services/index.asp
Vote with your pocketbook.  


 

At 08:15 PM 3/29/99 -0500, you wrote:
>> I have tried very hard not to shop at Best Buy, and it's not their search
>> policy that gets me mad. It's their return policy on all electronics,
>> including computers (but if you're crazy enough to buy a computer there,
>> that's your business).
>
>Yep. I'm with you. Let me share you a nice, happy, Best Buy ass rapin' 
>bedtime story.
>
>Once upon a time... well, more like 3 weeks ago, a friend of mine wanted a 
>new shiny lightning fast STB Riva TNT video card. And, given the 
>price-to-instant-gratification-ratio that Best Buy provided him, he purchased
>a card from the Best Buy up at Northlake.
>
>He took his brand new card home and opened the box. There, in all glory, was
>a Riva 128 card made by Creative Labs with a TNT sticker stuck on it.
Software
>unopened, he returned to Best Buy at Northlake to return the card. The rude
>clerk at the desk would not assist him and told him to take it up with the
>manufacturer. He called STB and they told him to call the Best Buy
*DISTRICT* 
>MANAGER. He called the DM, no return call. 
>
>I went with him for the next rally. The cheesehole manager came up and told
>him "Well, I tell ya, I don't think I can help ya, there man." Apparently,
>he said, that this was a "common scheme on the inter-net" -- you know how
>the stupid bungholes who wanna be smart try to say internet in that clearly
>punctuated annyoing speech -- anyway  I digress... "as a way to defraud 
>companies like Best Buy". He re-iterated that he thought my friend was
telling
>him the truth but that the higherups told him that he could not exchange
stuff
>that was in the wrong box... and that the manufacturer told them that that
>simply couldn't happen and the  manufacturer was expecting them to take a
loss
>on it. He said that my friend should write a letter to the district manager
>about it.
>
>Now, setting that profound logic aside a moment, I have two things to say.
>At MindSpring, if a customer calls in and says they got shitty service,
>and they aren't lying (WE KNOW!) or clearly abusing our good nature, we'll
>give them credit. I bet any self-respecting, customer-oriented, decent
>business would do that. Obviously, best buy isn't self-respecting, 
>customer-oriented, or decent.
>
>Second, I firmly believe theft or fraud is a cost of doing business in a
retail
>environment. And they wonder why I buy all my shit mail order and get it so
>much cheaper shipping it overnite fedex -- AND there are federal laws to help
>you as a consumer. I have no sympathy for them. They were clearly shafted
once
>and expected my friend to pay his $150 to them for the pleasure of being 
>screwed by them.
>
>We prolly screwed up - we should have just returned the card.  Needless to
say
>my friend will be writing a letter to the manager with a long list of cc:s
>on it, like the BBB, the police department, several email lists, etc.. I 
>think it will be kinda funny.
>
>> When you buy, say, a DVD player at Best Buy, they'll of course try to sell
>> you the extended warranty, which is a HUGE waste of money. The companies
>
>Sell? They try to force it down your damn neck. They try to scare you - ok,
>but I really recommend it with these... they need to be cleaned often and if
>it goes out of alignment it will cost you...
>
>I've even had them BARGAIN with me over the cost... "Since you're such a
nice 
>guy, I'll give you the warranty for $50 instead of $65." I said "$40!" He 
>wouldn't go down any more. Even if he had I wouldn't'a bought it! Jerks.
>
>> that sell these love them, because they generate like 92% profit. Only
8% of
>> the money that all people pay to these warranties goes to the warranty --
>> all the rest stays in the company's pocket.
>
>Yah, and the warranty covers concurrent with the manufacturer warranty -- 
>so you basically have coverage you don't need for the duration of the mfgr
>warranty.
>
>What a rip... While I'm ranting about best buy.... I also noticed they have
>an anti-drug policy. Now, I've never taken a stronger drug than like, cold
>medicine or antibiotics. But that hung in my craw; I don't care if a clerk
>drops acid, I only care if they can help me decide between DTS and Dolby
>Digital. I nearly barfed when I saw that cheezy "we want to provide you the
>best service by making sure our employees are drug free" sign. Hell, the
only 
>way I would work there is if you kept me on a regimen of prozac, hasshish,
>and PCP. 
>
>Ever try to call best buy? I think you'd get someone to answer the phone
>faster at a freaking crack house. 
>
>Yes, they've made my #1 most-hated vendor slot.
>
>Baron.
>
_____
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