Best Buy

Where to begin? Well, let's begin by stating that in September our Whirlpool dryer died after some thirty years, based on the original paperwork, and we went to Best Buy for a replacement on 9/26/2020. We needed the "smaller" variant in order to fit through out basement door. The worker, Joseph (Springfield, PA), was quite helpful, though seemingly intent on us buying a larger dryer, measuring some 27" in depth, with the reassurance that "if it doesn't fit, you can return it". Now, it has to be asked, why would we do that? Especially when I had already explained that our door was only 27" wide! True story. He wanted us to buy a dryer that would have to be pounded through the door, destroying the door frame and the dryer, just to prove a point. So, we held our ground and said, "No, we need a dryer that will actually fit."

So, the order was placed with the understanding that it wouldn't be available until 11/7/2020; a wait of more than a month. Irritating, but survivable. So, we went through a ritual of doing our wash at home and then taking the load to a laundromat for drying...for weeks.

Then on 10/28/2020 we received a voicemail from "John" stating that "We have just received word from our vendor that there is a slight back-order on that product" and that it "looks like" it will be available "about the 18th of November". My wife made arrangements for the 21st to have it delivered and, again, we went through a protracted headache of our lives revolving around the inconvenience of lugging laundry to the laundromat for drying. Annoying, but our attitude was "what can ya do?"

Ah, hang in there, it get's "better".

On 11/20/2020, at 4:44 pm, the very day before the NEW scheduled delivery, we received the message stating that "There's a good chance that that's not going to happen tomorrow(?)..cause it...uh...looks like it got back-ordered(?), but just give us a call if you have any questions. Have a good one!" The tone matter of fact and casual. I nearly took a stroke.

At this point, going on two months after having ordered the item, with blood pressure through the roof, I attempted to call Best Buy, for I had a whole range of questions! But after being on hold for some twenty minutes, my wife got herself ready and we went there in person.

And do you know what we were told? When I outlined our issues around simply getting a dryer (gas) delivered, the associate said, matter-of-factly, "I can tell you EXACTLY what the problem is: COVID!" He then said...and I kid you not..."We can probably get it to you in January." January!?! That would bring it to four months after having ordered it in the first place and then..."maybe".

So, we got our money back and went to Home Depot. The associate there was awesome and as honest as he could be, stating that their system showed only two of the dryers available and pointing out that "system lags" and such could make them unavailable in actuality; but we risked it anyway. And guess what?

We had it in six days! Six...days (ordered Saturday 11/21/20, the date our Best Buy dryer was SUPPOSED to have been delivered, and received on Friday 11/27/20).

What did we learn from this experience? Well, for one, apparently COVID-19, as serious as it is, completely cripples Best Buy while leaving other more customer friendly organizations fully capable of customer service. Also, if the problem truly WAS "COVID" or "malaria" or "the plague", why was the excuse repeatedly given that the item "was on backorder"? Nothing was ever said, in any of those palm-slapping forehead moments of delay upon delay about "COVID" or anything else but suddenly deciding that the item was on backorder and the last time not realized until the evening before delivery!

Something is amiss with Best Buy, a place that we have shopped at on many occasions, and right now I'd say the chances of us trusting them with anything more "high end" than a pack of double "A" batteries is highly unlikely. In fairness, "COVID" is a disaster, but think about it...IF, and I do say "if", "COVID" was the deciding factor to make ANYONE to have to wait four months for a project, that level of crisis would have been across the boards impacting everyone. There's simply no chance that Best Buy's claim holds water if another company could provide the product in just six days with no headaches at all (and based on only two listed as being in stock)!

And what's more with Home Depot's service? When I complained about Best Buy's non-sensical claims concerning the virus and why that puts everything on a "35 year back-order" he actually defended you guys by speaking of "What a problem COVID has been for everyone." Very professional.

My wife and I actually joked, concerning how we were constantly told of "back orders" and nothing of "COVID" that it all sounded like Best Buy had a staff meeting where the employees were told, "Whenever somebody complains because we make them wait forever for their purchase, cite 'COVID' and move on!"

I believe that about covers it, but I should add that the claim that "Best Buy has a reputation for great customer service" is misleading. If the endless wait wasn't bad enough, the attitude that came with it...something between outright dismissive to "we really don't care...we'd like to...but we don't" made the experience all that much worse. I mean I "loved" the whole thing about buying a dryer that I KNEW was too large just so that he could make the sale on some "over stock" piece or to simply get us out of there with less work on his part. Never again.