- Report: #208359
Complaint Review: Best Buy - Richfield Minnesota
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Best Buy
7601 Penn Ave S Richfield, 55423 Minnesota, U.S.A.
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Best Buy damaged home refuses to pay Richfield Minnesota
You'd think buying a fridge would be easy. At Best Buy, you can forget about it.
My fridge (after only 6 years had died). I had the company that I purchased it from out three times to try and fix it every Saturday (only time I could get appointments).to no avail. Of course, it was past the warranty and that's when the real hassles began.
I decided to not buy another fridge from this large company because the fridge only lasted 6 years and decided to go to Best Buy and try them out. The salesperson was extremely helpful and friendly. I purchased a stainless steel fridge and scheduled them to come out and deliver it the following Saturday (I had already been without a fridge for three weeks..due to the service appointments.and in the middle of July, no less).
The following Saturday the fridge showed up in an unmarked truck. The two delivery gentlemen were helpful enough and appeared to know what they were doing. They took away the broken fridge and carefully brought in the new fridge and placed it on my wood floor (Swedish finish) in the kitchen. They hooked up the ice maker and pushed the fridge back against the wall. I signed their paperwork confirming that the fridge was delivered and that no "Property/Appliance" appeared to be damaged. I tipped them $20 for a job well done.
Note: The "Property/Appliance" clause is being interpreted by Best Buy as "Personal Property and Appliance". It may look like Best Buy means "Property (as in the fridge being the property)/Appliance" since the slash make it appear as if the words are interchangeable. They are not, as far as Best Buy is concerned. It certainly is open to interpretation. I wonder if it would stand up in court?
At any rate, the next morning I noticed large scratches in the floor in front of the fridge (the light was different in the morning). Because you have to look at the floor at just the right angle, you don't notice the scratches at first glance. They are more like dents from a large object being placed directly on a floor and then pushed. I called Best Buy to inform them that the delivery guys had done damage when they removed the old fridge and delivered the new one, as they weren't there before I was told to file a claim.
In addition, the icemaker was either defective or had not been hooked up properly by the delivery guys. The icemaker was leaking water all inside the freezer and pooling at the bottom of the freezer and freezing.
I called Best Buy "Customer Care" (an oxymoron, if there ever was one) to inform them about the leaking icemaker and the need to file a claim for the damage to my floors.
They wanted to schedule a repair for the freezer during the coming week. I don't know about you, but I can't afford to take a day off of work to have someone call me between 8-9 am the day of the appointment and let me know that there will be a 4 hour window throughout the day that someone will come to repair the brand new fridge/freezer.
I told them that since they didn't have weekend repair appointments, but they do have weekend delivery appointments.they can bring me a new (non-defective) fridge. They weren't happy about it, but they agreed. An appointment was scheduled. I recommend that everyone do this until best Buy gets the point. I'm sure Best Buy will try to figure out a way out of this one, so make sure you read any/all paperwork before signing!
When talking to the claims people, I was told to wait until the following Saturday to get delivery of the new fridge (now up to 6 weeks without a fridge) as they want to see the floor, prior to removal of the defective fridge and delivery of the replacement.
The claims people came out and looked at my floor. They seemed nice enough. Now, I was thinking that these people were Best Buy's claims and that they would handle it appropriately. How wrong I was. Their job was to determine whether "Best Buy" was at fault or whether it was the "Delivery Guys" fault.
Apparently, the delivery guys are "subcontractors" (they are not employees of Best Buy) and once Best Buy decides that Best Buy is not at fault..but that the delivery guys are.you are on your own to fight it out with the delivery people. This is how Best Buy protects itself from claims. I would think something in "Agency" law would protect consumers on something like this, as the delivery guys are acting as "agents" for their principal "Best Buy". I'm not a lawyer, but it seems like a perfect way to protect a company from any/all liability that any of their delivery guys cause delivery best buy products on their behalf.
It's unfortunate that consumers don't know this is going on until it's too late. They also informed me that the drivers should have used a "floor guard" to protect the wood floor. All trucks carry them. The drivers were later to state that they definitely used it in their response. Believe me. If I had seen one and they had used it, I would be a lot happier. As stated earlier, I signed the paperwork confirming receipt of the fridge and that there had not been any "property/appliance" damage, definitely interpreting that there was no damage to my property/appliance (i.e., the fridge).
I received a letter from the "ESIS" stating that after looking at my floor, that "..the delivery was made by FSA network". That's nice. All they are confirming is that their delivery guys delivered it. Who is ESIS and FSA network? I asked for Best Buy to deliver my Fridge, I didn't have any agreements with ESIS or FSA for delivery of my fridge. It doesn't say anything whether they agree that the damage was done by the company acting on their behalf. Now, I have to follow up with FSA network (not Best Buy) to file a claim. Their (ESIS) letter was sent to someone who no longer works there and the person I'm dealing with now can't seem to find the paperwork. Best Buy basically stays out of it. Bye-Bye. You're on your own. Best of luck.
In the meantime, I was supposed to get the new fridge last week. The appointment was scheduled. I confirmed the time (7-9 am, Saturday morning) with the warehouse and that the fridge would have the icemaker installed. They said "Yes, no problem".
The delivery crew arrived the next day (wearing Best Buy shirts, but they are still not employees) in another white truck (no Best Buy markings). They were nice enough. This time, they showed up with a big rug and a "Floor Guard" (Yeah!). Supposedly, all the "Best Buy" trucks have them and the delivery guys were required to use them (like mentioned, I had never seen one before and they were definitely not used in the first delivery). In addition, the delivery guy informed me that I would have to schedule a service appointment to get the icemaker hooked up! (he wasn't qualified to do the hook up) The whole reason I was doing this was to avoid a weekday appointment! And the warehouse person had confirmed that they would have the icemaker all hooked up (I didn't think to ask if the delivery personnel were qualified to do the work, if it wasn't hooked up at the warehouse like they said it was. Now I know to ask!..even though it probably wouldn't have made a difference).
I decided at that point to not take the new fridge. If it's this bad now, what happens when I need to actually schedule service? I think the drivers were disappointed, because now they had two fridges to cart around (instead of just the one they were planning on). We were causing an inconvenience for them and the warehouse, I'm sure.
They carefully removed the defective fridge (using a large floor /packing rug and the floor guard) and left.
I went out to the Best Buy (the same day) to make sure that my account was credited for the fridge. The salesperson there informed me that Best Buy had changed contractors and that they are seeing a lot of complaints on how deliveries are conducted and she wasn't surprised. I get the sense that even employees won't shop there (I don't blame them, they see this stuff everyday. The salesperson used to work in the appliance department but that she left because she said they had to deal with too many customer complaints). I had to wait 24 hours for the "new" fridge to be checked back into the warehouse before I could get my credit. The credit showed up the next day on my credit card.
Now I have the distinct pleasure of having to navigate through the claims process with Best Buy's delivery company. I'm sure that this will not be resolved to my satisfaction. Why would it? Best Buy doesn't care, they screwed up and I am no longer a customer of theirs. Note: I got a bid for $1,700 to repair the damage to the floor.
In the end, I went back to the same company that my old fridge was from and bought from them. My attempt to prevent a recurrence on the "6yr old dying fridge syndrome" only made it worse. Still no fridge (going on week 7) and nice marks on my floor to remind me of my experience with Best Buy. I'm contemplating keeping them so I can show everyone who comes to my home what happened.
Needless to say, I will never shop at Best Buy again. I wish I had found this site earlier, before I went to Best Buy. It would have saved me a lot of time and aggravation.
You read the stories on line here and you think they're isolated incidents and that they won't happen to you. I hate to tell you...I never thought it would happen to me, but I have the marks on my floor to prove it.
I 've never dealt with a company that pays so much lip service to "Customer Care" and then basically takes time out of your day by scheduling an appointment to view the damage and to tell the customer. "you're on your own with our delivery company".
I'm sure many people shop there without any problems. However, may whatever deity you pray to help you if anything goes wrong. The incompetence and lack of "customer care" is beyond anything I have ever experienced with a store before.
The lesson learned? I know now that my Fridge was most definitely not my "Best Buy" and to shop elsewhere. I suggest you do the same.
anonymous
anytown, California
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Best Buy
My fridge (after only 6 years had died). I had the company that I purchased it from out three times to try and fix it every Saturday (only time I could get appointments).to no avail. Of course, it was past the warranty and that's when the real hassles began.
I decided to not buy another fridge from this large company because the fridge only lasted 6 years and decided to go to Best Buy and try them out. The salesperson was extremely helpful and friendly. I purchased a stainless steel fridge and scheduled them to come out and deliver it the following Saturday (I had already been without a fridge for three weeks..due to the service appointments.and in the middle of July, no less).
The following Saturday the fridge showed up in an unmarked truck. The two delivery gentlemen were helpful enough and appeared to know what they were doing. They took away the broken fridge and carefully brought in the new fridge and placed it on my wood floor (Swedish finish) in the kitchen. They hooked up the ice maker and pushed the fridge back against the wall. I signed their paperwork confirming that the fridge was delivered and that no "Property/Appliance" appeared to be damaged. I tipped them $20 for a job well done.
Note: The "Property/Appliance" clause is being interpreted by Best Buy as "Personal Property and Appliance". It may look like Best Buy means "Property (as in the fridge being the property)/Appliance" since the slash make it appear as if the words are interchangeable. They are not, as far as Best Buy is concerned. It certainly is open to interpretation. I wonder if it would stand up in court?
At any rate, the next morning I noticed large scratches in the floor in front of the fridge (the light was different in the morning). Because you have to look at the floor at just the right angle, you don't notice the scratches at first glance. They are more like dents from a large object being placed directly on a floor and then pushed. I called Best Buy to inform them that the delivery guys had done damage when they removed the old fridge and delivered the new one, as they weren't there before I was told to file a claim.
In addition, the icemaker was either defective or had not been hooked up properly by the delivery guys. The icemaker was leaking water all inside the freezer and pooling at the bottom of the freezer and freezing.
I called Best Buy "Customer Care" (an oxymoron, if there ever was one) to inform them about the leaking icemaker and the need to file a claim for the damage to my floors.
They wanted to schedule a repair for the freezer during the coming week. I don't know about you, but I can't afford to take a day off of work to have someone call me between 8-9 am the day of the appointment and let me know that there will be a 4 hour window throughout the day that someone will come to repair the brand new fridge/freezer.
I told them that since they didn't have weekend repair appointments, but they do have weekend delivery appointments.they can bring me a new (non-defective) fridge. They weren't happy about it, but they agreed. An appointment was scheduled. I recommend that everyone do this until best Buy gets the point. I'm sure Best Buy will try to figure out a way out of this one, so make sure you read any/all paperwork before signing!
When talking to the claims people, I was told to wait until the following Saturday to get delivery of the new fridge (now up to 6 weeks without a fridge) as they want to see the floor, prior to removal of the defective fridge and delivery of the replacement.
The claims people came out and looked at my floor. They seemed nice enough. Now, I was thinking that these people were Best Buy's claims and that they would handle it appropriately. How wrong I was. Their job was to determine whether "Best Buy" was at fault or whether it was the "Delivery Guys" fault.
Apparently, the delivery guys are "subcontractors" (they are not employees of Best Buy) and once Best Buy decides that Best Buy is not at fault..but that the delivery guys are.you are on your own to fight it out with the delivery people. This is how Best Buy protects itself from claims. I would think something in "Agency" law would protect consumers on something like this, as the delivery guys are acting as "agents" for their principal "Best Buy". I'm not a lawyer, but it seems like a perfect way to protect a company from any/all liability that any of their delivery guys cause delivery best buy products on their behalf.
It's unfortunate that consumers don't know this is going on until it's too late. They also informed me that the drivers should have used a "floor guard" to protect the wood floor. All trucks carry them. The drivers were later to state that they definitely used it in their response. Believe me. If I had seen one and they had used it, I would be a lot happier. As stated earlier, I signed the paperwork confirming receipt of the fridge and that there had not been any "property/appliance" damage, definitely interpreting that there was no damage to my property/appliance (i.e., the fridge).
I received a letter from the "ESIS" stating that after looking at my floor, that "..the delivery was made by FSA network". That's nice. All they are confirming is that their delivery guys delivered it. Who is ESIS and FSA network? I asked for Best Buy to deliver my Fridge, I didn't have any agreements with ESIS or FSA for delivery of my fridge. It doesn't say anything whether they agree that the damage was done by the company acting on their behalf. Now, I have to follow up with FSA network (not Best Buy) to file a claim. Their (ESIS) letter was sent to someone who no longer works there and the person I'm dealing with now can't seem to find the paperwork. Best Buy basically stays out of it. Bye-Bye. You're on your own. Best of luck.
In the meantime, I was supposed to get the new fridge last week. The appointment was scheduled. I confirmed the time (7-9 am, Saturday morning) with the warehouse and that the fridge would have the icemaker installed. They said "Yes, no problem".
The delivery crew arrived the next day (wearing Best Buy shirts, but they are still not employees) in another white truck (no Best Buy markings). They were nice enough. This time, they showed up with a big rug and a "Floor Guard" (Yeah!). Supposedly, all the "Best Buy" trucks have them and the delivery guys were required to use them (like mentioned, I had never seen one before and they were definitely not used in the first delivery). In addition, the delivery guy informed me that I would have to schedule a service appointment to get the icemaker hooked up! (he wasn't qualified to do the hook up) The whole reason I was doing this was to avoid a weekday appointment! And the warehouse person had confirmed that they would have the icemaker all hooked up (I didn't think to ask if the delivery personnel were qualified to do the work, if it wasn't hooked up at the warehouse like they said it was. Now I know to ask!..even though it probably wouldn't have made a difference).
I decided at that point to not take the new fridge. If it's this bad now, what happens when I need to actually schedule service? I think the drivers were disappointed, because now they had two fridges to cart around (instead of just the one they were planning on). We were causing an inconvenience for them and the warehouse, I'm sure.
They carefully removed the defective fridge (using a large floor /packing rug and the floor guard) and left.
I went out to the Best Buy (the same day) to make sure that my account was credited for the fridge. The salesperson there informed me that Best Buy had changed contractors and that they are seeing a lot of complaints on how deliveries are conducted and she wasn't surprised. I get the sense that even employees won't shop there (I don't blame them, they see this stuff everyday. The salesperson used to work in the appliance department but that she left because she said they had to deal with too many customer complaints). I had to wait 24 hours for the "new" fridge to be checked back into the warehouse before I could get my credit. The credit showed up the next day on my credit card.
Now I have the distinct pleasure of having to navigate through the claims process with Best Buy's delivery company. I'm sure that this will not be resolved to my satisfaction. Why would it? Best Buy doesn't care, they screwed up and I am no longer a customer of theirs. Note: I got a bid for $1,700 to repair the damage to the floor.
In the end, I went back to the same company that my old fridge was from and bought from them. My attempt to prevent a recurrence on the "6yr old dying fridge syndrome" only made it worse. Still no fridge (going on week 7) and nice marks on my floor to remind me of my experience with Best Buy. I'm contemplating keeping them so I can show everyone who comes to my home what happened.
Needless to say, I will never shop at Best Buy again. I wish I had found this site earlier, before I went to Best Buy. It would have saved me a lot of time and aggravation.
You read the stories on line here and you think they're isolated incidents and that they won't happen to you. I hate to tell you...I never thought it would happen to me, but I have the marks on my floor to prove it.
I 've never dealt with a company that pays so much lip service to "Customer Care" and then basically takes time out of your day by scheduling an appointment to view the damage and to tell the customer. "you're on your own with our delivery company".
I'm sure many people shop there without any problems. However, may whatever deity you pray to help you if anything goes wrong. The incompetence and lack of "customer care" is beyond anything I have ever experienced with a store before.
The lesson learned? I know now that my Fridge was most definitely not my "Best Buy" and to shop elsewhere. I suggest you do the same.
anonymous
anytown, California
U.S.A.
Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Best Buy
1 Updates & Rebuttals
Kristy
Beverly Hills,California,
U.S.A.
how to resolve your issue
#2UPDATE EX-employee responds
Tue, August 29, 2006
As an Ex-employee I have seen this type of thing happen literally dozens of times.. in your case you should consider yourself lucky & count your blessings... one customer that had a fridge delivery done from our store..came home from work the next day to a flooded kitchen.. 4 feet of water on the floor because someone hooked up the water line incorrectly.. I'm not a lawyer but I would think that you paid Best Buy for a service so for them to try and push you off to filing a claim with some subcontractor is bogus.. (although I have heard of cases of subcontractors placing a lean on a homeowners property for non payment even though you paid the Contractor for the materials. which I think is unfair but that's the law) - perhaps an attorney could comment.. personally I'd be filing a small claims case against both best buy & the subcontractor.. What's going to get ugly here is that you signed a legal document which states there was no damage when they left.. they will say you moved item yourself and did damage and now want best buy to pay.. I have seen cases where a customer buys a camera in the store factory sealed.. comes back an hour later with the item broken stating it was that way when he opened the box.. the store saying customer broke it.. I also agree that having only weekday service and calling you at 8-9am to tell you a 4 hr window for delivery.. so in effect you have to take an entire day off work is unacceptable.. the big secret here is that the "4 hour window" is a joke.. it's not uncommon for a customer to be told a delivery time of 10am.. by 3pm they had not shown up he called them.. the item was finally delivered at 6pm.. if he had of known that he could have gone to work.. The reason WHY best buy does this is to conserve fuel costs.. (for them) which I can understand.. but no customer consideration.. a good compromise would be the Comcast Cable model.. if they miss the 4 hour window.. they pay you $50 Best buy might be a good place to buy a DVD movie, a camera (provided you open it before leaving the store verify it's not damaged) but I would STAY CLEAR of delivery or having them perform a service in your home.. as far as the company not caring about customers.. my personal opinion I would agree.. many stores are still at 105%+ on budget and everyone reading this still shops there so nothing is going to change..
