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The New Stuff

Best Buy Customer Service Failure Saved by Twitter

Recently I was replacing a phone which I had outgrown, so I went online, read reviews and did all the comparisons. Sorry, not an Apple girl, so was not even on the list. When I had decided on a phone, it came down to where to get it. I could get it from my provider via mail or an outlet near my home. Then I looked at Best Buy, and found they had the phone $30 cheaper. SOLD!!! So, I made the purchase online and all I had to do was pick it up. Bestbuy.com was great about selecting a location closest to my home or allowing me to choose. They also emailed me when the order was ready, so I wouldn't show up and have people looking at each other going "huh"? Well, turns out even though I had done my due diligence, and so had bestbuy.com, the store seemed like they lacked in some areas. - Walked into store at 10:15, gave them my information and they went and got the phone. - After noticing nothing was being done after 15 minutes, I inquired and found the one who initially helped me decided that he had to do something else first, and that another agent who was with a client would be handling me. -30 minutes later, she got to me. Then she, nor her other teammates knew how to process a pickup, so she had to go get information elsewhere. Here is my problem with the breakdown. First, the lack of communication. If they had been upfront, I would have had no issue, but instead, they pretty much ignored me until it was convenient for them to respond. Second, the one who did finally assist me was too busy reading her own text to consider that I might have something more to do than to sit around a Best Buy. Seriously, she was charging her green phone, and looked at it no less than ten times during my visit. I find that unacceptable. I am pretty sure Best Buy is not paying her to text. Third, while they were waiting around they proceeded to publicly disrespect a colleague who had walked through by gossiping about her. I found it offensive because your customers should not be hearing you trash the people you work with or for. Had it not been for the cheeful Tweets from the social media people from Best Buy, on Twitter, I doubt I would have completed my sale. As it was, they lost money because I had picked up other items, and put them back the longer I waited. What started as a positive experience could have ended very poorly, but I now know that I will not go back to that store again, and just finish my purchase online or at a different location. It just reminds me that as a business owner, you have to make sure that all your employees are on the same page when it comes to customer service, or your reputation could take a hit.