I wrote Best Buy's "upper board echelon" concerning a customer service fowl-up that was just disclosed to me yesterday (04/02/07), but the problem actually began two weeks ago (03/18/07) when I walked to the Dedham, Mass. Best Buy to have my Minolta camera repaired. I explained that the built-in flash no longer pops up and there appeared to be something small broken where the bulb is located. I explained that we had purchased many cameras at that store, this was “my favorite, my left-arm” and I mentioned several times it had to be repaired and back in my hands for me to photograph a friend's wedding on April 7, 2007. I was told at that time that I would have a quote phone call within 72 hours from a company in Connecticut, called Precision Camera.

Days passed and I heard nothing. I emailed Precision Camera several times; I called Precision Camera several times--no responses came back to the calls nor the emails. I called Best Buy on 03/27/07 and was told I would get a call back as to the status of the camera; I heard nothing. Yesterday early afternoon (o4/01/07) I called yet again and nicely insisted I hear from someone—I was having no luck reaching Precision Camera and the wedding I’m photographing is this coming Saturday. "Mike Pellteer" told me that "Greg Pelletier" was the manager of this department and would definitely call me back as soon as he was out of a meeting. I waited 4-1/2 hours for this call and didn’t get a response; I called yet again and the store was closed. (To date, Pelletier has never called me back.)

I emailed Precision Camera again on the morning of 04/02/07 begging for a response as to what was going on with my camera--I needed it repaired and back for this Saturday. I finally got a response at 4pm (EST) that day (04/02/07). I was told that Best Buy sent the camera with the wrong paperwork (a different camera we purchased) and Precision’s policy was to send back the camera untouched; it arrived in Dedham last week Wednesday yet, yesterday when I called Best Buy totally stressed about the camera's whereabouts, I was never told the camera was there and I could just as easily get it repaired here versus sending it back to Connecticut. My camera hasn’t been looked at, hasn’t been repaired and is sitting two miles away from me when I need it operational this coming Saturday. Upon contacting the Dedham store this afternoon (to find out what on God’s green earth went wrong) I was put on hold countless times for no less than 8 minutes each time—which seemed quite purposeful to this customer. When I finally got an employee they heard my situation and again offered to have Greg Pelletier call me “for sure, this afternoon.” Same guy from yesterday, I explained I’d heard this promise before and I would never get a call back from him. This afternoon Dedham store and got one person after another with an “I could care less about your problem” attitude. I was told to call the customer service office at 888-Best-Buy and I spoke with my fourth Best Buy employee, “Sam” had the same “not my problem” attitude and the more he upset me the ‘thicker’ his inane telemarketer voice became.

‘Sam’ did ask what the Dedham store “offered to do for me” and when I said, “They offered me the ‘corporate office number of 888-Best Buy, it’s obvious they don’t think anything was done wrong.” Sam then yapped on about me being upset (as though I had no reason to be, which was really infuriating) and said he could “do nothing more for me” (as though listening to me was doing something to remedy the situation Best Buy had created. I explained that a weak apology didn’t undo the “balls that had been dropped by Best Buy on this repair, that his apology wasn’t going to help get my camera repaired by this Saturday and that I couldn’t take pictures with his apology. This phone call to the Best Buy ‘corporate office’ was a complete and total waste of this customer’s time and Sam also could have cared less. He acted as though re-sending the camera to Precision with the correct paperwork this time was a huge immpostion on his part but he’d do it anyway. Please! This should have been done five days ago, but it was ignored by all at the Dedham store.

Again, I called the Best Buy Dedham store (after speaking with ‘Sam’) and was transferred and then put on hold by 3 different employees—all of whom I was nice to—and after holding 15 minutes on the third transfer I listened to Musak for fifteen minutes before hanging up and redialing and then complaining that I’d been holding for 15 minutes and could someone walk over to the repair desk and see if Peter or Susann Low’s Minolta camera was still there. Someone did, it is there and I asked that it stay there--we will pick it up tonight after 7pm. How much do you want to bet I will be forced to pay the $70.00 “look at” fee?

My problem is this. I trusted Best Buy with the very camera I had purchased from them and they completely abused my sense of store loyalty. Even after goofing up the repair paperwork no one contacted me, fixed the paperwork nor expedited the camera back to Precision; Best Buy took my camera from me two weeks ago and yet, it’s sitting in Dedham again for the last five days. This is shameful.

I went last night to retrieve my broken camera and was told that it was PRECISION CAMERA that 'screwed up' and not Best Buy. Ironically, there were people there to pick up other repairs--none of which were done. "We got busy and we couldn't get to it. It's opened up but we need another few hours." This was the lament I heard three times to three different customers while I stood waiting for them to locate my camera. "John" had the unfortunate experience of dealing with me last night.

I now will spend my day tomorrow going into Boston to see who can repair my favorite camera—and probably pay top dollar to have this done as I need the unit by 10am this Saturday. I then will have the stress of waiting for parts, quotes, etc. all because Best Buy's "geek desk" couldn't pick up a geeky phone and say, "Sorry, we dropped the ball, your camera is actually here for the last 4-5 days but we didn't email you... we're geeks and email just isn't our thing..."

My husband and I have been loyal customers of Best Buy but I have to ask why loyal customers would be treated so shabbily, the employees I spoke with throughout this experience were unprofessional and apathetic to the situation--they are clearly there for the discount and nothing more. Customer service is an oxymoron in this customer's eyes.

I shared this experience with the Best Buy "big wigs" mentioned below via fax I sent yesterday (04/02/07) around 5:30pm. I asked to hear from someone very soon as to what will be done to remedy this debacle; a friend’s wedding memories are counting on it. I think at the very least they can generously discount a flash attachment for me or we can resolve this in small claims after I pay a few hundred in rush fees to get my camera in working order by this coming Saturday's wedding. Sad, really sad.

Susann E. Low

TRANSMITTED THIS BY FACSIMILE TO 612-292-4001

Bradbury H. “Brad” Anderson, Vice Chairman and CEO
Brian J. Dunn, President and Chief Executive Officer
Timothy D. “Tim” McGeehan, Exec. V.P., Retail Sales
Tamara A. Kozikowski, Sr. V.P. Retail Support

at...

Best Buy Co., Inc.
7601 Penn Avenue
Richfield, MN 55423