Good Service? Shitty Service?

So last month I bought an iPod, an 80gb video.  Works nice, I’m happy with it.  Last week they dropped the price by $100.  So I decided to check with Best Buy on their price match policy.  Turns out, if the price drops within 30 days of picking up the product – I get a 100% refund of the difference.  Cool beans.  To process the match, I need to call them.  Cool beans.

I call Best Buy and get a representative who I will call… Bennifer.

Long story short – she tells me that since I called outside of the 30 day period from the day of purchase – I don’t qualify.

“Online Price Guarantee
We will refund 100% of the difference if a price on our Web site is reduced within 30 days* of the shipping, pickup or delivery date…”

“You may receive the lower price only by calling 1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289). We will honor the lower price only if it is displayed on our Web site when you notify us. Our retail stores are not able to process the price adjustment.”

I quoted the relevant parts of their Online Price Guarantee.

Bennifer decided to combine the two, effectively screwing me out of my refund.  I sent the following to Best Buy – I doubt I’ll get a favorable response, but who knows…

Today I noticed that the price had dropped on your website for this same exact model then called 1-888-237-8289 to see whether I qualified for a price match.  Your representative, Jennifer, told me that she did not know when the promotion began and that my purchase did not qualify because I did not CALL within 30 days of my purchase.

Your policy clearly states that if the price on the website is reduced within 30 days of shipping, pickup, or delivery of the exact same product – I qualify for a 100% refund of the difference.  Further down the page it says I can only obtain the price match by calling.  So you first define the parameters for qualifying, and then provide a single method for obtaining the refund, which makes perfect sense. 

After Jennifer conferred with her ‘co-workers’ and ‘everyone around her’ about the discrepancy, she pressed that since I did not call within the 30 days, I do not qualify.  Now considering she denied any knowledge of when the price change went into effect, I find it ludicrous that she would also rely on an obviously incorrect interpretation of your price match policy which only serves to benefit Best Buy.

I find your method of denying liability by demonstrating an unacceptable ignorance of your own policies and promotions completely asinine.  How you stay in business by treating your customers in such a derisive manner is a mystery.  Whether or not I qualify for this refund, your representative made me feel like an idiot by blatantly lying about your policy.  Next time I’ll just go to an Apple store.

Now had I bought the iPod in the store, I would have had to bring the lower price into the store within 30 days.  If I came in on day 31, even if the price change was on day 29 – I’d be SOL.  The online policy has no such distinction.  If the price reduction is within 30 days of the purchase, I qualify.  Whether I call on day 31 or later – there’s no distinction.  I just have to call them.

Also, in regard to my VW.  I’m waiting on a part to arrive so they can fix the wiring harness on the fuel pump – then HOPEFULLY I’ll have the car back tomorrow.  So far my rental fees are up to $120 ($50 a day for rental + insurance, as well as the $20 of fuel I put into it).  I’m definitely enjoying the full sized Silverado – but I miss my VW.

The added costs may have been tolerable if the experience of dropping off the car didn’t have me shitting kittens.  The website says that service opens at 8am.  The door says 7:30.  So at 7:30 a guy named… Sue opens the door.  He then proceeds to close both in my face.  Real good start to the day.  Last day of vacation, I wake up hours early, and get to deal with a case of the Monday’s.

So he asks if I’m dropping off.  I tell him I have an appointment.  He asks ‘when?’  I say ‘right now.’  “Well we don’t open until 8am.”  The door says 7:30 bub, if the lights are on, the door is unlocked, and it just so happens to say you open at 7:30am, you are open at 7:30am.  Besides, why the hell would I be there at 7:30am if I had an appointment for later in the day?

I tell him I have 2 more things to take care of on the car beyond the gauge issue, and that I would need a loaner. “We don’t do that here.” He said that twice, adding that I could pay for one from Enterprise.  I’d been there before and gotten a loaner without a problem.  Real accommodating thus far.

Then he asks the gem of the conversation… “So if we need to install a bolt or something, you want us to fix it?

No, I want you to send my car over to the Dodge dealership in Warwick were they’ll make a factory VW repair and get it done with less WHINING than you.  So I tell him yes, I’d like them to fix it.

Lastly I get the ticket.  All the items are marked ‘customer pay.’  They’re warranty repairs (at that point).  He scribbles over the errors and writes in ‘warranty.’  He finally asks when I’d like the car by – at this point I’m simmering – I just tell him ‘call me when its done.’

That’s an abridged version, the one I sent the owner of the dealership was a bit more detailed.

The new owner of Middletown VW (now called Middletown Motors) called me back after reading my complaint about how I had been treated – which was a nice touch.  Still, I’m out rental fees and out repair fees because of a Godforsaken mouse.  I think it’s time for the bait and shoot otherwise known as a little peanut butter, a little cheese, and me with a 22.

I miss Vermont.