I recently purchased an iPad for my wife for mother's day. Ordered online from Best Buy and selected "store pick up". The online process worked very well and I was able to go to one of the local stores and pick up within the hour. However, when I got there there during the afternoon, there was nobody at the pickup desk. My presence at the desk wasn't acknowledged for 10 minutes, although many staff members walked past me during that time. Eventually I had to go to another desk and ask someone to help and she was very pleasant and apologetic but the customer service experience was already unsatisfactory. With the problems Best Buy seems to be having (closing stores etc.) it would seem that they really need to get ordering online for pick up right. Has anyone else had similar experiences with Best Buy or was I just unlucky and should give them another try?
Wow, I haven't had a bad experience with Best Buy before. I've also never tried their store pick up service, but it could use some work if I say so myself. Many stores hire people who aren't friendly, and they don't like to interact with customers. I worked at Staples before and there was a guy who was terrified of people. I think this might have been the case with your situation. I would say give them another chance, and if they do it again, I would stop going to that store. I'm impressed by your patience because I know how easy it is to get ticked off from poor service.
Many thanks for your reply. You may well be right about the reasons for the delay and poor customer service. I have typically found Best Buy staff to be friendly and helpful, BUT only when you can actually get one to help. When they do help, it is a bit of a lottery whether they have the technical knowledge to really provide the answers you need. I think I will give them another chance since they do tend to stock things that I want. I do like the idea of having an online ordering solution plus a pickup option - that is the advantage they have over Amazon. Amazon is great but you have to wait for shipment. I will try Best Buy again and leave a response here to see how they do the next time!
Employees at my local Best Buy usually come up to me first if I need assistance, without question. Last time I went to buy a new TV, they were very knowledgeable about the different types of TVs and which one would suit me.
Our local Best Buy is really good about asking us if we need any help. I am surprised this happened to you and I am glad you are going to give them another chance. I do agree with you on some of the technical knowledge being questionable. I usually do some research online so when I go in, I already know what it is that I am after.
I've never had an issue with Best Buy's online pickup. There was no one at the desk when I first approached, but someone else came up to acknowledge me and find the guy that works there. While I was waiting, another guy came up to me and acknowledged me. The guy that actually worked the desk came from obviously helping someone else and knew exactly where my purchase was. He also went to look for something else for me when I asked about my purchase. I can't really give people that are working too much grief. It's one thing when I walk into a store and it appears that no one is doing anything, but when I can see that the people in a section are doing what they are actually able to do, then I let it go.
I haven't experienced any such problems at my local Best Buy in Orlando. When it comes to online ordering though, I always make sure to have things shipped straight to my house. I did go through the process to avoid interaction with the employees after all lol.
I have not had a bad experience picking up orders at Best Buy. But I have had a really bad one at Walmart and I refuse to do site to store orders in the future because of it. They lost my items I ordered and I waited almost an hour for them to find it. Then it was in my husbands name and even though I brought his ID they wouldn't let me have the items! They said, "for all we know you could be in the middle of a divorce and ripping off your husband." Worst customer service experience ever!
I also stay away from Walmart because their customer service is horrible. Best Buy is one of my favorite stores, and Target is a close second. The comment they said to you was uncalled for, and I can understand why you won't order from their store.
I had ordered a phone on-line with store pick-up and had no problems at all with Best Buy. The service guy at the desk even took it out of the box for me to make sure it was the right phone. I think maybe you might have just gotten unlucky or went during a busy time.
I am surprised to hear about a poor Best Buy experience. Then again I have not tried their pickup service. When I am purchasing through Best Buy, I just go right to the store. They always have what I want in stock, and the employees are always eager to help me. I thing doing your purchase in the store itself is smarter anyhow, especially when purchasing a product such as an iPad or computer. Naturally the employees are going to want to be helpful, because they make commission on those types of products.
I have always had great experience with Best buy. I found the staff very pleasant and helpful. Perhaps they thought you were already being helped.They just may not have been aware that you needed assistance.
Well it really does depend on which Best Buy you're at. The one closest to my house really does do it's thing. I bought my iPad from there and their service was brilliant.
That's kind of surprising, I've been in a couple of different Best Buys within distance of my house and the service has always been quite good. With your situation though it's rather understandable as to why you would get a bit ticked off. You would think with all of the money they are losing that they would make sure their services like online pickup runs smoothly to get people to choose them over another vendor like Amazon.
I have had nothing but good experiences at my local Best Buy. I think with any type of nation wide business like this, their reputation can vary greatly. The best thing you can do is probably get in touch with the store manager. They may be fully unaware of the issues their store is having, and will be open to the feedback.
I have used pick up at store as well a few times and only once was it any type of wait appx. 5 minutes, but it was an extremely busy day and the checkot girl was working both returns and pick up. I have always had great customer service and if someone didn't know about what I was asking they went and found someone who did. I love Best buy and it is actually the only store I allowed myself to get a credit card for. I couldn't resist the no interest for 3 years, if I remember correctly it is on purchases of $500 or more, anyhow we had a power surge that wiped out two televisions and all the stuff hooked to them. (Yes we had surge protecters, but there were actually power lows that did it the protecters only pick up on high surges.) Anyhow the options were great and paid all off over time without all the interest. I always try to do business with them first if possible.
I think this issue is for all stores. I bought a camera and paid for it at one Circuit City who did not have it in stock, now this is some years ago, but they sent me to another store with the receipt and called the other store to tell them. However, I had to wait for 35 minutes to get someone to help me and then it was even longer because the other store was trying to sell me on the next model up and even the add on features which the camera could have. Terrible service because I was in a hurry!
I actually had a really great experience when I did a pickup in Roswell Georgia, I think it may depend on the store and how it is managed. If there are other stores in your area that are convenient to get to you may want to try placing your order for pickup there instead if you decide to give it another try. That just really sounds like the manager wasn't managing the staff properly, someone should have been available at the desk to help you, especially if your order was ready.
I have had tons of experience (bad and good) with Best Buy. I find that they do not like to stick to their price match guarantee so much and have frequently got in to it with managers. The store clerks vary, even in the higher end stores I never find the AV guys very knowledgeable. Mostly because they are kids and no nothing about Home Theater. You can find some good deals on video game clearance stuff but its very YMMV depending on what store you are in. Overall, they need to step it up.
