I thought I'd tell you about what happened last weekend with my good friends at Best Buy. The following story, while amazing and seemingly unbelieveable, is actually what happened.
Sometime early last week, I noticed that I was having trouble acessing my laptop and going online. My wife looked at it, and ended up calling our internet provider (Bellsouth) to see if the problem was coming from their end. They assured us that, not only were they not the problem, but that our modem was outdated and that they would be sending us a new one. We continued to work at the problem, and I even managed to go online for about 5 minutes before I got dumped. We decided at this point that we really couldn't figure out what the heck was happening and that maybe we would be better off calling in someone who knew what the heck they were doing.
Enter: The Geek Squad.
Well, sorta.
My wife informed me that I needed to go to the local Best Buy and make an appointment to have someone come out and figure out what our problem was accessing the internet on my laptop--I say it that way because whatever was happening was not effecting my wife's computer. So I'm at work the next day (that would be this past Thursday---2/1/06), and I'm planning on leaving work about an hour early so we could go see our accountant and get our taxes done early. I had mentioned that what I hoped to do was to hit the Best Buy on the way, and then see the accountant afterwards.
Well, while I was at work, I came across the bright idea to call the store and see if it was possible to make the appointment over the phone. Quite the concept, huh?
So I began to try and contact the Geek Squad at the local Best Buy---and while you're reading this, key in on the word "try". I attempted to reach them at the phone number that was in the local white pages. Three times. No answer. Finally, and somewhat amazingly, I somehow connected with the store operator. She wasn't the person I needed to speak too, but I figured she could at least help me reach someone in the department I was trying to reach. There's that word again---"try". She promptly put me on hold and told me that she would be right back. This was the beginning of what I called "the Yanni music". You know, that new age garbage that is supposed to be "soothing" and relaxing, which is why they must play it for their customers on hold---because otherwise they would be losing their respective minds. The operator came back on, announced to me that she was transferring me to the department....and promptly disconnected me.
Well, at this point I was about ready to leave work, so I just figured that I'd probably have to make the appointment in person. Traffic was heavy and so I was running a little late for the appointment with our accountant. Before I got to the accountant's, I decided to make one last try at making the Geek Squad appointment by phone. I tried again, and the phone continued to ring....and ring....and ring....and ring---and then as if by some miracle, the phone was picked up---by a live person. It turned out to be the same operator I had spoken to an hour or so before--and she was getting ready to transfer me to the Geek Squad.
"Wait!" I said, "please...please don't transfer me. I'll get disconnected. All I want to do is to ask you a single question. Do I have to come in and make the appointment for a home visit by the Geek Squad or can I do it over the phone?"
She was very polite and told me that she would be happy to make the appointment for me. A minute or so later, someone else actually came on the phone and helped me make the appointment for that Saturday (2/3/07).
Hey! I got me an appointment to get my computer fixed!
Not so fast there Slick.
Saturday afternoon came, and it was around 2:20pm and my wife and I were just sitting there. I told her that I would go and get our kids from their Tae Kwon Do class, since if the technician showed up, she had a better idea of what specifically was wrong with my laptop--and perhaps more importantly, the router.
I go and picked up the kids, got home and walked in to find my wife exactly where I left her.
"I'm assuming they didn't come," I asked.
"Nope. No phone calls either." she said. "Do you want to call them?"
I then began what can best be described as.....round 2.
I called the store again, trying to find out why the technician was so late. So I called.
And I got the ringing...and ringing....and ringing. Finally, I managed to get through to someone in the Geek Squad and told them what the situation was. They put me on hold. More Yanni music. Then I got disconnected. Again.
I called again....wrong department. Let me transfer you--'no, don't do that'---I'm not making this up...I got disconnected again. So I called again, and this time I actually got through to the Geek Squad on the first try! I explained that at this point (3:15pm-ish) that all I wanted to do was to reschedule the appointment that I had, as my wife and I had made plans to go out late in the afternoon. The person I spoke to (I believe his name was Oscar) was very nice and told me that the person scheduled to come to my house--"Lewis"--had tried to call me and let me know that he was running late.
"Uh, no...." I said, "that is absolutely false. My wife or I have been here the entire day and no one has called us."
I even told Oscar that I understood that things came up from time to time, people get delayed for reasons beyond their control--but at the very least I should have received a phone call either from the store or from the technician who was supposed to come to my home--he agreed. The appointment for that day was canceled.
(Here's where it starts to get fun)
I then told Oscar that I wanted to reschedule the appointment for some time the next day (that would be Sunday, 2/4/07). I was told that the person who "did the scheduling" for the Geek Squad home service calls---I believe her name was Natalie--was not do to come in for another 15 or 20 minutes, but that he was going to tape a note to her desk to have her call me "first thing she came in" and schedule a new appointment with me. So my wife & I, with our kids, went out. This would have been a little after 3:30 pm.
5pm and I haven't heard from anyone....I decide to be pro-active and call them myself, knowing that I would once again be facing what had almost become, to me at least, a "force of nature"---I refer of course, to the phone system at the Best Buy. So once again, I call...and once again, I get no answer. So I call back--no answer. I call back again--and lo & behold, I get ahold of "Ray", who identifies himself as the manager of the Geek Squad area. Tears of joy stream down my face as I have a feeling of geniune empowerment---I may actually be close to getting something done!!! Ray says that he can help me....and then he puts me on hold. More Yanni music....empowerment gone.
But shockingly enough...Ray comes back on the line! It is the same person that I spoke to originally!!! This is the first time this has happened to me the entire weekend of dealing with Best Buy. I explain, almost tearfully, my situation to Ray---beginning with my incredible frustration at the phone system that Best Buy is currently using.
And then, Ray said the most incredible thing:
"You're not the first person who has complained about our phone system," he says.
"Ray," I said, "do you know how many times I've called in the last few days and haven't been able to get ahold of ANYONE in your department??"
"Oh," he says, "I can explain that. The way that our phone system works is that, when you call, if one of our employees is on the phone with a customer, your call won't ring as a 'busy signal'. It will just keep on ringing."
"You mean, it'll keep on ringing....as if no one is there to answer it?"
"Yes."
"Ray," I said, "I have to tell you....that may be the stupidest thing I've ever heard in my 45 years on earth. Do you realize how much business your store is losing because people are calling and thinking that no one is picking the phone up??"
"Uh," he said, "truthfully....this is something that I've brought up before."
I continued to be amazed by what I had been told. Then, it actually got better.
"Okay Ray," I said, "This has been a really amazing experience. But, ultimately, all I want to do is to reschedule my appointment for tomorrow."
"Oh," he said, "you see...here's the problem. The person who does the scheduling for us---Natalie---called in sick today. That's why she didn't call you."
"Well, okay," I said, "I understand that--its a legitimate reason....maybe I can just talk to the store manager and he can give me a date and time."
"Uh," Ray responded, "no...he can't. He doesn't have access to set up an appointment."
"The store manager?"
"Yep."
"Well Ray," I said, "your the department manager. Maybe YOU can reschedule me."
"Um, no....I don't have the access code to do that either."
"Your telling me that NO ONE there has the access to reschedule me????"
"Nope."
By this time, I had gone past amazed and directly to incredulous.
"Okay Ray, how about when someone who does have the access comes in, they call me and schedule me an appointment?"
"Okay," Ray says, "I'll give the message first thing tomorrow (2/4/07) and have them call you."
Now, the store opens at 10am onSundays. At my home, 10am came and went. I was out and about....and at 2pm, my phone rang. It was Natalie, the absentee access holder, ready to set me up with a visit from the Geek Squad.
Only one problem. My wife and I got home....and fixed the problem ourselves.
We installed the modem ourselves, and my wife called Linksy's, our router company, and after about 15 minutes on the phone....we resolved the problem.
Aggravation from dealing with Best Buy retail store in Plantation, Florida: Incredible.
Amount of money paid to Best Buy Corporation for service call: ZERO
Satisfaction at telling Best Buy employee that we didn't need a service call: PRICELESS
Sincerely,
Jeffrey Bowdren
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