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Recent Best Buy Experience

Krazy Bill

Krazy Bill

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Dec 21, 2011
2,985
3
Wife's creaky and quirky $350 Dell finally bit the dust (Thank god and RIP). Just the excuse to bring her into the Apple fold.

No Apple stores nearby and she needed a machine ASAP. I haven't been to a Best Buy in years because... well, I just never liked their tactics. But since that's the only option for us in these parts, we gave it a go.

Wow. No high pressure sales. No employees hovering over you every 2 minutes. (They just ask if you need anything and move on). The Apple guy at the counter just answered a couple of questions then left me alone.

Bought a MPB13... no condescending sales pitch about how I must have an extended service contract, none of this, "you need these extra accessories" or need more RAM, bigger Hard Drive, no paperwork or sales geek demanding my phone number, email, street address and shoe size. The employee just went to the back, got a new MBP box and lead me to the checkout. With a thanks, smile and handshake he was gone.

This was actually a pleasant experience. What in god's name has happened to Best Buy? :eek:
 
this is because BB salespeople dont know a thing about the apple computers in their stores. I was looking at a monitor in BB and overheard a guy telling a customer that the retina screens were a marketing gimmick, apple overcharges for every item they sell and that most people who buy a mac, take them home and have no clue how to work them, so they return them all the time.

i wish i could say he was being malicious and had a motive. but its sheer ignorance

He then proceeded to show the customer a 500 dollar windows laptop. Yeah, it works like that in every BB.
 
The problem is that he most likely was hounded after that as to why you didn't purchase any of those extras.

At least that's how it worked when I was there. Many a lecture on why I didn't provide the customer a "total solution." I didn't have a problem offering the extras, because they at least have their place and people needed to hear what they did at least, my biggest issue was with how financing was pushed so hard.

I was in Home Theater and even if I had a $5K plus setup go out with installation and Black Tie Protection, if they didn't pay for it on a Best Buy card, I had failed.
 
:pI think that Apple Store is really the best store.Nice,caring and really make you feel that you are important.After paying so much money,there is no problem to expect that however most of the stores who still do sell expensive items dont do that.Personally I love my macbook and apple store,good memories
 
ugp said:
Best Buy employees don't work on Commission is why you don't get bothered much. No incentive to do so.
Click to expand...

They're not directly on commission, BUT, they get bonuss based on sales targets, attachment and warranty targets, and dollars sold.

It's lack of knowledge overall that makes them stay away from you in store
 
flipnap said:
this is because BB salespeople dont know a thing about the apple computers in their stores. I was looking at a monitor in BB and overheard a guy telling a customer that the retina screens were a marketing gimmick, apple overcharges for every item they sell and that most people who buy a mac, take them home and have no clue how to work them, so they return them all the time.

i wish i could say he was being malicious and had a motive. but its sheer ignorance

He then proceeded to show the customer a 500 dollar windows laptop. Yeah, it works like that in every BB.
Click to expand...

as far as a lot of ppl buying MacBooks then returning them, that is true. When i worked there, a lot of ppl would return them because of a simple difference from windows. i would explain to them that i would help them figure a few things out, but they were too set in their ways and just returned them
 
ljx718 said:
as far as a lot of ppl buying MacBooks then returning them, that is true. When i worked there, a lot of ppl would return them because of a simple difference from windows. i would explain to them that i would help them figure a few things out, but they were too set in their ways and just returned them
Click to expand...

And thats my point. Buy from apple and get some free classes on how to use it. BB dudes should be explaining this stuff to customers. Id be showing them the benefits and pitfalls of every system. I dont know how an employee "not bothering you" is a good thing when making a multi thousand dollar purchase.

Of course, not being pestered about a million add ons is great, but why throw out the baby with the bathwater? BB is like a drive through and the days of employees actually knowing what theyre talking about is gone. The average salesperson at best buy could be found at a furniture store. They know very little about anything in the store, other than where said items are on the shelf..

----------

btw, i dont mean any disrespect to BB employees. im not referring to intelligence or anything like that. Im simply talking about customer commitment and overall knowledge of the products on sale there.
 
Krazy Bill said:
Wife's creaky and quirky $350 Dell finally bit the dust (Thank god and RIP). Just the excuse to bring her into the Apple fold.

No Apple stores nearby and she needed a machine ASAP. I haven't been to a Best Buy in years because... well, I just never liked their tactics. But since that's the only option for us in these parts, we gave it a go.

Wow. No high pressure sales. No employees hovering over you every 2 minutes. (They just ask if you need anything and move on). The Apple guy at the counter just answered a couple of questions then left me alone.

Bought a MPB13... no condescending sales pitch about how I must have an extended service contract, none of this, "you need these extra accessories" or need more RAM, bigger Hard Drive, no paperwork or sales geek demanding my phone number, email, street address and shoe size. The employee just went to the back, got a new MBP box and lead me to the checkout. With a thanks, smile and handshake he was gone.

This was actually a pleasant experience. What in god's name has happened to Best Buy? :eek:
Click to expand...

I've bought my last two iMacs and last two iPads at Best Buy and that's been my experience each time. I'm getting ready to get a MacBook Air and if Best Buy will match the education discounts/ promotion, then I'll be getting my MBA there as well.
 
If your making a $1k purchase or more I would have hope to expect you to do research on it rather depend on a sales person to steer you in the right direction.
 
They are alright selling you items, like the other person said, it's because they aren't on commission. Just hope to God that you never have to deal with their customer service if you want something fixed/replaced.
 
I envy you guys who have access to a Best Buy. I know they haven't exactly got a great reputation Stateside, but when they opened stores here in the UK it was like a breath of fresh air.

Our retail chains were always terrible, but BB just kind of showed us how bad they actually are.

Shame they had to close down :(
 
I worked at Best Buy over 5 years ago for a summer and absolutely hated it. The training they gave their employees was ridiculous and included a lot of pressure tactics and up-selling. I didn't last more than a few months. They treated us like we should be selling as though we were on commission, but not being paid commission. I always said that if they continued to treat their customers like big wallets, they would find themselves in trouble. Lo and behold, they are closing up stores and finding 'new direction' to save their business. The store I worked for actually was one that closed.

I'm so glad you had a positive experience. I really do hope that they are practicing better sales tactics and not pressuring their customers so much, trying to sell them crap they don't need. They could also stand to be a little more competitive with their prices, but it's hard to compete with online retailers like Amazon, which not only discounts most products, but is also tax free in most states.
 
I've only had great experiences at best buy. There if you need help and ask. Leave you alone otherwise.

In a store that sells multiple brands there will always be opinion.
 
Charlaux said:
Personally I love my macbook and apple store,good memories
Click to expand...
Well, no Apple stores nearby. And if my wife's work demands could've waited a few days I certainly would've ordered online and avoided sales tax altogether.

And the problem I have with Apple stores is they are just too damned busy. I bought an ATV at one last month and needed a hatchet just to get through to a free "blue shirt". Once I squeezed in though the whole transaction took all of 1 minute. Love how they swipe your card on the iPod touch. Why the hell doesn't the rest of the world do this? Helpful Apple gal too btw.

As far as Best Buy goes... I'm certainly not going to gush over the whole chain after one recent visit to one store. But honestly, I could tell there was something that changed since my last visit. It reeked of training, focus, and overall customer satisfaction. I dunno.... maybe everyone's hormones were just in synch that day.

Regardless, I'll give 'em another go based on this trip. They deserve at least that much. (Note to all retailers: It's really that simple).
 
Had a great experience at a Best Buy when I purchased my latest computer. The Apple guy onsite was incredibly helpful and actually found the machine I wanted in a store about 30 minutes away. He called the manager at that BB and and asked him to hold the machine for me.

I drove to the other BB, met the manage at the door, and was out in less than 10 minutes. This was a high demand item at the time and the guy could have sold it to someone else in the 30 minutes it took me to get there.

While I normally prefer the Apple Store, this was a very pleasant surprise and I'll be giving BB another look the next time the Apple lust rises.
 
karilynn said:
I worked at Best Buy over 5 years ago for a summer and absolutely hated it. The training they gave their employees was ridiculous and included a lot of pressure tactics and up-selling. I didn't last more than a few months. They treated us like we should be selling as though we were on commission, but not being paid commission. I always said that if they continued to treat their customers like big wallets, they would find themselves in trouble. Lo and behold, they are closing up stores and finding 'new direction' to save their business. The store I worked for actually was one that closed.

I'm so glad you had a positive experience. I really do hope that they are practicing better sales tactics and not pressuring their customers so much, trying to sell them crap they don't need. They could also stand to be a little more competitive with their prices, but it's hard to compete with online retailers like Amazon, which not only discounts most products, but is also tax free in most states.
Click to expand...

Uh...you were getting paid weren't you? You were hired to do perform a job function, part of your job was "upselling". You're talking about a dime-a-dozen entry level sales job....a monkey could work at Best Buy.
 
I was in a BB recently to look at the new RMBP. While I was holding the RMBP in my hands, a salesman came up and said "are you looking for the new macs?" I said yes and he told me they hadn't gotten them yet, and they wouldn't be in for a week :rolleyes:
 
If that is what happened, then those Best Buy employees didn't do their job. They are suppose to offer you a service plan and suggest accessories.

----------
filmbuff said:
I was in a BB recently to look at the new RMBP. While I was holding the RMBP in my hands, a salesman came up and said "are you looking for the new macs?" I said yes and he told me they hadn't gotten them yet, and they wouldn't be in for a week :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

He was probably referring to their current stock.
 
Krazy Bill said:
Wife's creaky and quirky $350 Dell finally bit the dust (Thank god and RIP). Just the excuse to bring her into the Apple fold.

No Apple stores nearby and she needed a machine ASAP. I haven't been to a Best Buy in years because... well, I just never liked their tactics. But since that's the only option for us in these parts, we gave it a go.

Wow. No high pressure sales. No employees hovering over you every 2 minutes. (They just ask if you need anything and move on). The Apple guy at the counter just answered a couple of questions then left me alone.

Bought a MPB13... no condescending sales pitch about how I must have an extended service contract, none of this, "you need these extra accessories" or need more RAM, bigger Hard Drive, no paperwork or sales geek demanding my phone number, email, street address and shoe size. The employee just went to the back, got a new MBP box and lead me to the checkout. With a thanks, smile and handshake he was gone.

This was actually a pleasant experience. What in god's name has happened to Best Buy? :eek:
Click to expand...

We've had a massive shakeup recently (I work for the geeksquad). The idiots upstairs finally understood (after kicking the other guy out) that for physical stores to exist it all has to center around customer experience.

We will still be in transition for a long time, however, so don't expect that experience to remain constant.
 
NT1440 said:
We've had a massive shakeup recently (I work for the geeksquad). The idiots upstairs finally understood (after kicking the other guy out) that for physical stores to exist it all has to center around customer experience.
Click to expand...
And it was one of those "idiots" that made me swear off BB 6 years ago. Returned a faulty laptop and they insisted on charging me a 20% restocking fee. Even the pompous store manager wouldn't budge after I pointed out that all I needed to do was dispute the CC charges. I also told him I was going to buy something else there at the store. Didn't matter. In 3 minutes I had the problem resolved with Visa, BB was out a sale, a long term customer, and this guy most likely didn't care. Freaking amazing. :eek:

I'm rootin' for you guys. :) Let's hope the new leadership is not too late. The pie is still big enough to share with retail store fronts and I'm sure people need the jobs.
 
Krazy Bill said:
And it was one of those "idiots" that made me swear off BB 6 years ago. Returned a faulty laptop and they insisted on charging me a 20% restocking fee. Even the pompous store manager wouldn't budge after I pointed out that all I needed to do was dispute the CC charges. I also told him I was going to buy something else there at the store. Didn't matter. In 3 minutes I had the problem resolved with Visa, BB was out a sale, a long term customer, and this guy most likely didn't care. Freaking amazing. :eek:

I'm rootin' for you guys. :) Let's hope the new leadership is not too late. The pie is still big enough to share with retail store fronts and I'm sure people need the jobs.
Click to expand...

the truth of the matter is that the retail experience has HUGE variance. My local BB actually has really good CS, whereas the one 10 miles away is walmart bad. Sadly my closest apple store is full of incompetent employees and I have yet to have a good experience there (montgomery mall store AVOID at all costs). Tysons and fair oaks are better but the experience is never the same.
 
I got my MBP from bestbuy and my iPad from apple. But I did my research before buying either. When I was ready to buy I walked in and just bought it. BBY has a plus on their side with a 30 day price match and return policy and if you have the silver reward zone it's 60 days now. They seem to offer more sales on the MBP and will also match all of apples education pricing. I bought my TC from BBY and they matched apples education pricing on it as well.
 
I would like to comment on the idea that BB sales people do not know anything about apple.

I just returned from my local BB store (here in Champaign, IL). This is one of those stores with an Apple "store" in it. The Apple rep was busy with another customer, and one of the Blue shirted BB sales people came up and asked if he could help. I asked him my question, (which concerned moving photos from iPhoto onto a thumb drive I purchased yesterday) and he quickly gave me the info I needed.

Not knowledgeable about Apple? In this store at least they are very knowledgeable.
 
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