Best Buy — Attraction in Niles Township

Tried to buy a phone here but the guy I was buying from had no idea what he was doing and would not stop hitting on me. And I couldn't leave or tell him to buzz off because my phone was broken and I needed a new one.

When he first opened my account info, he told me that he was surprised by my last name because I'm "pure White" (what?? WEIRD thing to say about someone but ok). He got stuck on this subject until I told him "it won't come up again, move on."

I'm not the account holder, so I had to call her to get her to approve access to the account. The Best Buy rep obviously had no idea how this process works, and kept asking for a verification code which did not exist. After a few minutes he figured it out.

He then told me that they didn't have the phone i wanted in the color I wanted, but they did. He also tried to talk me into getting a "girly" color, which he later revealed they didn't have in stock.

He also kept trying to upsell me, including telling me the insurance was free when it WASN'T!!

It took way too long to get the phone I wanted from the back, and when he returned he told me he "doesn't usually keep the pretty girls waiting." I ignored this, to save us both some awkwardness. So he made me confirm that I heard him.

He tried to tell me that if they had coffee he would bring me some, which I just realized as I'm writing this was him trying to bait me into asking him out for coffee. Anyway I told him that I don't drink coffee, I drink energy drinks, and he said he'd call me to get my recommendations. Completely inappropriate. Recall that I was buying a phone from him, so he had my number.

He couldn't figure out how to print the contract documents, after several minutes had to call a manager. Turns out, I didn't need to sign the stuff anyway!! Unbelievable.

I'm trying to buy the phone and leave, he's trying to chat with me about how he doesn't meet a lot of intelligent women, and most of the women he meets are stupid. I'm trying to politely give him an out, so I say that they're probably smart but just don't know much about phones. He goes into a rant about how a woman tried to take his parking spot once (not an intelligence thing but ok), and how women often approach him when he's in his uniform and ask if he works there. Yeah, man!! You work at Best Buy!!!! People are gonna ask if you work at Best Buy!!!!!

Anyway. I almost have the phone, so I persist. He asks me, in Spanish, if I have a husband. Twice. My hearing is not very good, and I wasn't expecting Spanish, so I make a face like I didn't understand. He asks, again in Spanish, if I speak Spanish. I explain that I know some, but only what I use for work. He says that he was asking if I have a husband. I say no. He acts real surprised and asks why. I explain that I have a girlfriend.

He is literally holding the phone. I have already paid for the phone.

He tries to play the whole situation off, says he's learning Spanish to impress a very pretty Mexican girl he met. I say I bet she'll be very impressed. I think, though, that she would probably not be stoked about him hitting on lesbians for close to an hour in the Best Buy. I do not say this part.

He finally seems interested in giving me the phone. I get the phone, leave, and call my mother. We decide that if he calls me I should prob call the police.

I did not stick around to set up my new phone in the store like I wanted to, because I was avoiding that guy.

Next time I'm just gonna go to Verizon. At least if someone hits on me there, they'll also be competent.

Finally, I feel I should note: he kept referencing the movie Toy Story because my name is Jessica and the cowgirl in Toy Story is Jessie. However, he clearly had no idea of the actual plot of Toy Story. This is the least important part of the whole interaction, but it is really stuck in my mind.

Edit: I've now realized a day later, he was probably making ill-formed Toy Story jokes not bc he's a confused movie fan, but to continuously work "Woody" into the conversation. He seemed to think that was the name...

ZERO STARS: Hands down the worst experience I have ever had within any retail store. I'm going to try to make it short but with all that went wrong it's gonna be kind of difficult.

I walked into the Best Buy to return my Microsoft Surface Pen with my receipt in toe. I explained to Jessica (Best Buy rep) that when I made the purchase (about 3 weeks ago and well within my Elite Plus 45 day return period) I used a debit card that has since been lost and therefore closed. I told her that subsequently, I was issued a new one that was tied to the same checking account. She stated she couldn't process the return on the debit card and the only option is to receive the refund in the form of a Best Buy gift card. From the start of our interaction her lack of respect and courtesy was evident. She didn’t greet me, she never smiled, she spoke with a lack of respect and threw in an occasional smirk which made me feel un-welcomed and uncomfortable. It was at that time I asked for a manager and a lady named Brianna made her way to the counter. Instead of trying to help me with my issue she decided to roll her eyes at me several times and made it blatantly obvious that she wanted to give me a hard time. Brianna also stated that because the debit card I used for the original purchase was cancelled the only way for me to receive my money back would be in a form of a gift card. I proceeded to excuse myself from the counter and call the corporate number to no avail (since they were closed). Any and all retailers know that a newly issued debit card linked to the same account can be used for a return. With that in mind I called the Best Buy location in Northbrook, IL and asked them what their procedure is with someone in this predicament. The gentlemen stated they can refund the newly issued debit card with no problem. He agreed to call the Skokie Best Buy location to let them know the process for completing the refund. I told Brianna a Best Buy rep from another store will be calling to advise them on how to move forward. As I’m waiting, I hear Brianna whisper “don’t pick up any calls” into her microphone. It was at that time I left the establishment. I recorded the majority of our conversation because I knew early on that it wasn’t going to be a pleasant experience. This matter disgusts me. The attitude and the unwillingness to accommodate a customer who is simply asking to return a product is extremely disappointing. I met all the requirements for the return and for someone to tell me that a Best Buy gift card is my only option will not fly. When Brianna attempted and succeeded to prevent the representative from calling, I knew that it was a personal matter at that point and she had crossed the line! As a long time Best Buy customer for my personal and business needs I am extremely outraged at the lack of common courtesy displayed.

I will be attaching...

So much has changed since Best Buy first opened in Minnesota,1966. TV size, portability, quality, type. LCD LED to OLED ultra high def. Betamax to VHS to DVD to Blu-ray. CD to MP3. The web. Compuserve. AOL. World's Away virtual reality - gaming with people in other countries. Apple in 1976. Amazon in 1994. Online communities. Social media. Reddit. Steam. I-Phones. DRM's. Streaming. How we buy, how we get information. Why do I say all this? We changed. Best Buy was the mothership. So much time and money spent here. THE place for tech and consumer entertainment.That changed. The best selection of true world music on CD, deteriorated to largely only one foreign language. What now? Now they are in the process of no longer offering CD'S. They sell what everyone else does. They push anything by Samsung. I don't like things that explode, or that I can't see from the side. New LG OLED. Gorgeous. Sometimes they have a deal. Their computer sales are sometimes worth it, especially if it's open box, geek squad certified. They've washers, dryers, household appliances.But I've changed. I don't depend on them for information, because I research the h*ll out of something before I walk in. I expect less. Then when I do want something, look online, find out BB has it at another store in East Kishnev, won't ship it. Something else I want to see, not on display. You can recycle electronics for no charge. Friendly no hassle customer service. Pick up supplies. Printer paper. New mouse. CAT6 cable. The staff offer to help. I ask where something is. Done. They do try. Friendly. No attitude. Geek Squad support has improved, from someone who says "Dude. S'up" when calling a peer, to more complete responses, more knowledge. What they do well? That warranty is Fabulous. Comprehensive. Where I can trust Geek Squad again. Yes, expensive. That is the best thing about Best Buy. Good selection of the latest phones, plan availability. It's local, convenient, decent prices for some stuff, not all. Walk in knowing what you want, prices and specs, your best bet. It's not the mothership any more, it's a store...