Complaint Review: Best Buy - Garland Texas

February 28, 2020

Mr. Dilts,

My name is Markus Horner and I just endured a very unpleasant experience at the hands of Eva in the Garland location. 

Back on the 18th I came in and bought a dishwasher. It was the Kitchen Aid Model# KDTE334GPS. At that time the sale price on the unit was $899.99. I informed him that Home Depot right across the street had the same model number on sale for $747.90. He said that he would do a price match for me. I said Ok and he wrote the order up. I paid for it with my Best Buy store credit card. I also had a store credit for $184.05 that I used to bring the price down to $624.00.

The young man who wrote up the order took all of the information and arranged for the delivery and installation to be on Friday the 21st. It was originally supposed to be delivered and installed after 12 noon. They showed up between 9:30 and 10. I am just glad that I had not left to do some errands that I had planned to do. When the delivery and installation was done on the 21st I immediately noticed a problem. There is a drawer that is at a 90-degree angle to the face of the dishwasher. The drawer on the right side will not open because of the protruding handle on the dishwasher. 

So I contacted Martha the next day. At that point, she told me that the young man who had taken the order was inexperienced and wrote the order up for the wrong dishwasher. She stated that she would reorder a new washer to replace it with a recessed pull. She then told me that I would get it at the same price. I said, “Ok, write it up.” This morning I got an email confirming the new order. I immediately noticed a problem.

The model number that was on the confirmation was the same exact model that I already had in my kitchen. So, I looked up the correct model number and skew #. At 10 a.m. this morning I called the store to ask for Martha. I was told that she would be in at 2 p.m. So I waited until after 2 to go to the store. When I got there I was told that she would not be in today.

I then started explaining the whole situation all over again to someone else. I told her that the unit specified on the email that I got this morning was the same exact unit that was now on sale for $749.99. I told her that I wanted the store to match that price minus the $184.05 store credit. The store manager, Eva Idols, or so she said, was standing there listening to the whole conversation. She refused to give me credit for the $184.05. That is when things went downhill in a hurry.

While another employee was doing the paperwork for the exchange I started telling Eva about another situation where I had tried to help the people in the computer dept. to know how to sell higher dollar computers to customers who were buying one to run a business with. At one point Eva cut me off and said to me “If you worked here selling computers we would lose customers because you are rude and condescending.” She then said “I am about this close ( Indicated a small space with her fingers) to canceling this order and telling you to take your business elsewhere.

At that point, I told her that if she could not handle a rude condescending customer she was in the wrong business. I finally became disgusted with her and told her to cancel it altogether, and I would go to a different Best Buy location. She did so, but not before giving me some more lip about my attitude. 

I then went to the Plano store where I dealt with ED Caufeld. I had absolutely no problem and got everything taken care of quickly. But I had to pay $799.99 instead of the $750.00 that Eva had promised. It appears that Eva has trouble with basic math. She could not seem to understand why I would ask for the price that she promised of $750.00 plus the $184.05 store credit that I had. All I expected was to be treated fairly, and I do not feel that I was. I got a distinct impression that Eva feels like the world owes her something. I do not know that to be a fact. But that is the impression that I got. 

The purpose of this email is not to cause trouble. But I believe that you have a problem in that store and I know from experience that you cannot deal with a problem if you do not know about it. I am well aware of what it takes to run a business. I have been self-employed for more than 30 years. Now that you are aware of the situation I feel like it is up to you to handle it the best way you see fit. 

I am also a member of the total Tech support. But I have definite concerns about whether I should ever call that store for help about anything from now on. 

Regards,

Markus L Horner

Dear Mr. Dilts,

Re: Best Buy member #4707192754

This email is a follow-up to another email that I tried to send to you yesterday. I have included a copy of that letter so that you will have a basis for what I am about to tell you that has happened today the 29th. Since the original order that was placed in the Garland Store has been canceled and has not yet been picked up I am unable to use my Best Buy CC. T

he unit that I currently have in my possession is scheduled to be picked up on March 11th. The original email was addressed to John.Dilts is because this is what Eva told me when I asked about how to get in touch with her supervisor. She even wrote it down for me. I still have the piece of paper in her handwriting showing what she wrote. I can only deduce that it was an intentional act meant to deceive me. It appears that her intention was to keep me from getting in touch with you. I learned of your real identity from Mr. Ed Caufield in the Plano store.   

To make sure that I had a replacement dishwasher I went to the Plano store to order another unit. I found out today that because my Best Buy Visa CC has not yet been credited with the refund total of $809.60 I would have to pay for the replacement unit out of my own pocket without the benefit of my CC or my store credit of $184.05. The total that I was forced to take out of my savings account is $862.86. It was either that or surrender the dishwasher that I currently have possession of and go without a dishwasher for the next ten days. Either way was not a desirable choice. Again, Ms. Idels failed to inform me that this might happen. If I had been aware of this it would have had a significant effect on my decision on whether to cancel the order and go elsewhere.

I got a distinct impression that Ms. Idels feels like the world owes her something. I feel like that after she picked a fight with me by calling me rude and condescending she realized very quickly that she had made a mistake because I did not back down from her. At that point, she was probably feeling intimidated and did not know how to gracefully get out of it. So she fought back. This turned out to be an even bigger mistake when I continued to stand up to her. She is used to having her way in that store and does not know how to appropriately handle anyone that she cannot intimidate. She finally stormed off in frustration after realizing that she could not bully me. 

Is this really the type of person that you want to be in charge as the General Manager. My inclination is to cancel my Best Buy Visa card. But I will not be doing this because I know from personal experience that would be more harmful to my credit record in the long run. So I will probably just pay off the balance and destroy the card and never go to Best Buy again for anything. But this presents me with another issue about how to get the benefit of the $200.00 that I paid to become a member of the Total Tech program. So either way, I LOSE!! 

Mr. Dilts, I will be making a copy of both of these emails and send them to upper management in Minnesota to make sure that they are aware of the situation. 

This whole situation came about because of Ms. Idels refusal to grant me credit for the $184.05 store credit that I already had in my possession before I bought the first dishwasher. This and her unwillingness to listen to good advice about how her employees could improve their sales numbers. Having recently written a book titled “How to Sell Anything to Anyone using 3 simple principles” does give me a certain amount of expertise and credibility. I.E. I set five Natl sales records for RCA. I broke my own national sales record 9 times. 

Regards,

Markus L. Horner