Best buy? Not hardly. Best rip-off is more like it.

So here's what happened.

 I own a Samsung point & shoot digital camera. It was about around this time two years ago, from Best Buy (River City) I knew we purchased a warranty Geek Squad from them, but I didn't know when/if it was expired, I was sure my warranty was a three year warranty, but I could've been wrong. So I don't know if you have noticed, but lately the pictures for these blog posts have been kinda crappy. That is because my camera is messed up. I have been using my crappy g2 T-Mobile phone camera. I have to upload them to Facebook and them save them to my computer..its a huge pain in the ass.

What's wrong with the Samsung?

Samsung - 10.2-Megapixel Digital Camera -Blue - SL202 - The lens will not retract and it just grinds gears and turns itself off. It's too bad, because for the 150 we paid for the camera and the warranty, it has been (up until this point anyway) a very good camera. Yes, you may be thinking, we got our money's worth. But that's not the point.

Here's why Best buy sucks.

I go in, and I wait forever to talk to Geek Squad. Several Geek Squad managers are coming in and out, but pointedly neglecting the waiting customers. (Me plus 2 other couples) When I finally get to a guy. I'm like- OK, and he's showing me how I am expired on my Warranty for about 2 months. He's saying he doesn't have the power to make that kind of OK, but he would love to help me. SO I say, well who can help me? He said, My Manager. I say go get her. SO here she walks up. A big pretty black women, she seemed so friendly and I got great vibes off her. But alas, she was not willing to help me. She obviously doesn't give a crap about her company's customers. Shame- shame! To have my camera break 2 months outside of my warranty... That's a little more than ironic no? I mean, the camera just so happens to break, ironically, right around the warranty's ending date. Anyway- we plan on buying a DSLR camera a Nikon D3100 very soon. And keep in mind, every purchase we make for electronics comes from Best Buy. When Noah got his re-enlistment bonus not too long ago.. we (being loyal Best Buy customers) bought 3 flat screen LCD televisions from them. With three warranties. All three. Yes, sure did. But does that make Best Buy be loyal to us? Apparently not.

Here's why I am pissed. 

I know for a fact that Best Buy could and should've fixed that camera. I wasn't some Jane Doe off the street who has only shopped there once and likely never will again. Sometimes Best buy, you just have to take it up the rear for your customers. Or they might blog about how bad you suck.


Anyway a good friend of mines husband used to work in the Geek Squad department at a Best Buy in Birmingham  When I talked to him (prior to going in the store), I said "What if my warranty is expired?" He said, "Well, depending on the manager - they have the authority to fix it. if they want to. When I was manager I'd look at the customers warranty, how long the warranty had been up, how nice the customer was being, how many purchases they had made over the years, etc," SO I headed in town with that in mind. But did it work? Hell no.

Best Buy could've fixed it , especially to preserve/secure future business with me, and especially since I was (past tense) WAS planning on buying 1000$ worth of camera equipment there. But that's ok. I know better now.

Before I left, I made sure to give a few of them my blog's business card, and make sure to tell them to read about what I am going to write about them.
But then, I went to a friend's house last night and I didn't write it. But its here today! And if I have to stand out in their parking lot and hand out business cards to be sure they read it, if I have to email the District Manager to this area the link to this post. By god- so be it. I will.

Because why Casey?

I am the kind of valuable customer a store needs, and if they don't want my business I am quite sure Newegg does. In fact, the camera we were eyeing? Well I found it 300$ cheaper than Best Buy is selling it for anyway. SO really, I guess they did me a favor.

So when you see the crappy blurry phone pictures, try not to laugh, I am doing the best I can. I did all but throw blows to get them to fix that camera, and I was as nice as honey- as I could be.

Even as I was telling people at the customer service desk not to buy the Geek Squad protection. Unless they wanted to be in my shoes a few weeks 'outside of their warranty." The thing is, they offered to send it off. For almost 100$. LOL! Wouldn't I just buy another camera? Sadly, the hubby is deploying soon, and I do need that camera to take pictures to send to the sub , and before he leaves. Guess I'll have to go buy a disposable one from Wally World. Thanks for nothing Best Buy.

So like I was saying, check out the prices on the camera we like.

If you are liking the camera we picked out, you can get it for 60$ less than what Best Crap sells it for from Newegg! http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830113296 $539!

I would make this recommendation--
Don't buy a camera from Best Buy. First of all- they aren't camera specialists, and the kids that they have working there are usually half of the time flubbing it, pretending to know stuff about stuff when they aren't even out of High School yet. Go to an expert.  Best Buy is no camera expert. Definitely do not drop a grand on a camera with them. You might just find that your warranty will expire and too-soon-to-be-true thereafter your camera will expire too. All we lost was the 150 invested in the camera, which really, in all fairness SHOULD NOT be broken in two years, considering I take very good care of it. What's up with that anyway? As much technology as we currently have, and our phones and cameras that we paid exuberant amount of money for just break after a year or two and we just go buy more? We're so used to it, has anyone else even noticed it's not ok? How can they charge us 500$ for a cell phone that breaks after  a year? Why do we let them, is more the question! Can we say conspiracy much? It's quite silly, because back in the day, pre-technology- cell phones would last for years. I have some laying around I bet if I charged would start up just fine. Point is- do you really want to spend a grand or more on a camera at a company who wont help a loyal customer?


 Don't let this be you.

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE YOUR Best Buy STORIES IN THE COMMENTS BELOW. I'D LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN TO HEAR THEM.

My hope from this blog post is that someone with some authority at that store/company, will read this and rectify the situation. Unfortunately- this is a long shot. If they do, I will remove this post. If not, it can remain up forever for all I care.