Complaint Review: Best Buy - Aurora Illinois

Hello my name isSS and until yesterday I was a frequent Best Buy customer. On October 30, 2001I visited the store in Aurora, Illinois and purchased a Western Digital HardDrive model #WD400ABRTL. During the car ride home I opened the sealed box todiscover that the installation hardware was missing. I turned around and wentto exchange the hard drive for one with the hardware.

I was told by the security person to go straight to the computer department to obtain anotherhard drive and bring it with to customer service desk in order to avoid twotransactions. I spoke to an employee in the computer section and showed him thebox with the missing hardware. When he opened the box he told me that the harddrive (IBM) in the box was not the same brand as the box (Western Digital) itwas in and it looks as if I am trying to pull a fast one. He proceeded totell me to just go and exchange the two hard drives and no one in customerservice would know the difference.

Confused Iproceeded to the customer service desk and asked to see a manager (Kim Stepp).I showed Kim the box and its contents and she insisted that I was trying topull a fast one and that I had switched the hard drives. She then refused toexchange them for me or even investigate the matter further; she thenthreatened to have me escorted out of the store.

I cannot even begin to explainthe embarrassment I felt in the manner in which she handled my situation andthe way she belittled me. I was so angry that I returned the other items I hadpurchased and asked for the corporate office phone number.

When I returnedhome I immediately called the corporate office and they proceeded to tell methat it was not their problem and all items are new and sealed from themanufacturer, and I should contact the manufacturer. The customer servicerepresentative proceeded to give me the phone number for Western Digital. I donot believe this hard drive was shipped from the manufacturer with an IBM harddrive in the box.

The following day I contacted Western Digital and spoke witha very polite and professional customer service representative. Sheasked me about the plastic wrap in which the package was sealed, she informedme that Western Digital uses plastic wrap with their logo on it. The package Ihad purchased did not have this specially marked plastic wrap.

I believe someone returned this item to Best Buy, and the store carelessly put it back onthe shelf. There is dust on the hard drive and looks like it is used, as amatter of fact I don't even own an IBM computer, I own a Hewlett Packard 6545Cwhich I purchased from Best Buy (Rockford) in December of 1999.

I could understandhow this situation may appear in a third person's perspective, but I felt thesituation could have been handled in a better manner on the part of Best Buy. I felt I was immediately judged and treated as if I was a thief, I am a seniorengineering student at Eastern Illinois University and I work hard for themoney I have, and I am not just going to sit back and be taken advantage of andbe treated with disrespect.

I would like to clear up this situation as quicklyas possible and in a manner that is more professional than the manner I havealready experienced. Thank you for your time.

SS

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