Best Buy in Roanoke, Virginia: Customer Service Review

I shopped around for about a week to find the perfect compact refrigerator. After speaking with sales associates at different stores, I decided to purchase a compact refrigerator that didn't have a freezer. The only one that I could find locally was sold at Best Buy. It turned out, however, that the Best Buy in Lynchburg didn't have one in stock after all. I feel that they lied only to get me into the store with the hopes of selling me something similar.

Still angry about having driven to the Lynchburg store for nothing, I called the Best Buy in Roanoke to see if they had it in stock. It turned out they did. After I hung up, I thought about how unfair the situation was and decided to call the Roanoke store back and ask for a manager. My plan was to ask for a discount for being lied to by the Lynchburg location. It only seemed fair since the Lynchburg store had cost me both time and money for nothing.

The lady who answered the phone for the Best Buy in Roanoke wanted to know why, in detail, that I wanted to speak with a manager. I reluctantly answered her since I knew only a manager could help me. As she insisted that she could help me, I informed her that she was unable to help me since she wasn't a manager. She became condescending, saying that she understood I was upset, etc.

Again, I told her that she didn't have the authority to handle the call and that she needed to transfer me. She flatly refused to transfer my call to a manager. Apparently, guard dog for the managers was in her job description. She told me that if I didn't like it, that I could call Best Buy corporate. She, however, refused to give me the telephone number.

I hung up, called Best Buy in Lynchburg to obtain the number for Best Buy corporate, and then called them. I complained about the lady's attitude who answers the phone for Best Buy in Roanoke. Even if she was following store policy, she still didn't give me the number to Best Buy corporate as she should have. I doubt my complaint was taken very seriously though since it's the type of number where they log the complaints. It wasn't as if I spoke with an actual person who was over the people at that store.

In speaking with Best Buy corporate, I had them transfer me to a manager at the Best Buy in Roanoke. I don't know who had a worse attitude, the lady who answers the phones there or the manager I spoke with. He told me that his store had nothing to do with the one in Lynchburg and that he couldn't give me a discount.

I'm fully aware that they are separate stores and that their location wasn't responsible for what happened at the other store. However, there is a difference in can't and won't. It wasn't that he couldn't give me a discount as he stated, but that he wouldn't. But with his smug, superior sounding attitude, he probably didn't believe that I knew the difference. He did offer to transfer the compact fridge to the Lynchburg store, but I wasn't interested. I needed it that same day, not a week from then. Besides, I was only asking for $10 off a $210 item since the store in Lynchburg lied. It wasn't as if I was being unreasonable.

I called a third Best Buy location, explained the situation, and was given a discount without any hassle whatsoever. When I called, I faced the same question about why I wanted to speak to a manager, but I was transferred without any argument. When I arrived, the sales guy was so nice to me it was unbelievable that I was actually at a Best Buy. It is amazing how three stores with the same name can be so different.