Best Buy — Local services in Annapolis

I didn't know that at Best Buy, buying an iPhone was totally different than buying literally any other electronic device. I was in town for only a few hours to help my elderly father take care of a few things, including upgrading his old iPhone that was on the fritz. I assumed that I could walk into Best Buy, grab one, pay, and go, just as I do with every other electronic device. As I walked in the door, I asked the greeter where the iPhones were. She pointed me to the Apple display area. But this was just a display. It didn’t have any iPhones available to purchase, and there was no one available to help. So, I returned to the greeter and again asked for help. She then pointed me to a Verizon desk. I went there, but there was only one person working the desk and he was helping another customer decide which plan was best and what her monthly payments would be. I didn’t need any help with plans, I just wanted to buy an iPhone. So, I returned to the greeter yet again, this time clearly frustrated because I was so short on time (but I was not rude in any way), and explained that I didn’t want to talk about plans, I just wanted to buy an iPhone. She sent me back to the Verizon desk, and then called her manager. The manager then told the same greeter, who hadn’t helped me understand that I CAN’T just buy an iPhone at Best Buy the first 3 times I interacted with her, to help me at the Verizon desk. She seemed to intentionally take her time looking for a phone, and then had ‘trouble’ accessing my father’s account. When I didn’t know my father’s zip code off the top of my head, she sent me to the back of the line so that the ‘Verizon guy’ could help. She then whispered something to the ‘Verizon guy’. I waited patiently for over 30 minutes while the ‘Verizon guy’ helped a customer pick out a service plan, and then another customer who was trying to decide just what phone she might be able to afford on her payment plan. She chose an iPhone, but the only one left in the store was the one the greeter had retrieved for me 30 minutes earlier. When he went to sell it to the other customer, I spoke up that I was already in the process of purchasing that particular phone. He went to the computer. What a surprise that the computer wouldn’t let him retrieve my father’s account details. “Must be a problem with the account. Sorry.” He sold the last phone to the other customer. It was now 15 minutes before closing, and there were no other stores I could get to in time. I later called Verizon. They said there was no issue with the account and that I shouldn’t have had any issues at Best Buy. I left my father disappointed because he had to continue using an old faulty iPhone. It will be weeks before I can return to...

In February My wife and I went into a reputable store to look at replacing her iPhone. You may have heard of them, Best Buy. We spoke to the store employee and we were told that eligible for a buy one iPhone get one free. So it would be a savings of $699. I had an iPhone 7 and was happy with it, but if they are going to give me an iPhone 8 for free I don’t see the down side with it. The next day we go back to the same Best Buy and talk to a different employee named Paola and we were told we were eligible for buy one get one free. We were there almost two hours and walked out happy that we got a free phone. Little did we know that on the paperwork had nothing on it said we received a buy one get one free. Neither did the original receipt say anything about buy one get one free.

After a month of having both phones at&t charged us $30 for the free phone that we received. My wife made a call to at&t and was told I may take a few months for it to be reflected on our bill. Several more months go by and we are still receiving a bill for the free phone. My wife calls at&t once again and is told that we were not eligible for the buy one get one free. AT&T also said that we would have to take it up with the Best Buy that sold us the phones.

My wife tried to get resolution by calling on the phone and email with the Best Buy that sold us the buy one get one free. After getting pretty much ignored we decided to go into the store. The first time the mobile supervisor Henry heard our case, called his At&t rep and said it was resolved. Fast forward 1 month and still no bill credit. Again back to the store to speak to Henry. After over an hour Henry claims there is nothing more he can do and we were passed to a manager on duty and was told we would have to call the corporate office. My wife has called the corporate office several times and was just passed around to different representatives and never got resolution. We would have been happy with receiving a $699 gift card. They then passed My wife back to the Best Buy store we bought the buy one get one free, saying this can only be resolved in store. The manager Nick told us that there is nothing they could do and we would need to call corporate.

My frustration comes from being told by two different employees at Best Buy that we were eligible for buy one get one free and they processed it that way. I believe the Best Buy’s employee Paola made a mistake and her mistake should not be passed on to the consumer. Our bad for not looking at the paper work and receipt very closely. But, we believed we were in a store that we could trust and...

A few years ago, I contracted an illness (pulmonary hypertension) that took away my ability to ride a bicycle the way I used to (mountain biking, single track, cross country, etc). I’m writing this so that others who may have some handicap that prevents them from riding can take heart.

I researched eBikes to the point that I almost drove my family and friends nuts, and I even looked at Amazon. But after an Amazon driver backed into our mailbox and snapped off the 4-inch wood post and then drove away (and denied the claim), I decided to shop locally. I have partial video, plus I saw the incident, but Amazon said that since I didn't get the vehicle's registration number, we're out of luck. We'll have to fix the damage they did ourselves. So, no more Amazon. Obviously, if they won't offer a $100 gift card to cover the cost of the post and some concrete, they won't honor a damage claim on an eBike.

That led me to Best Buy in Annapolis, who had four or five display models in their excellent showroom. Not all Best Buys are created equal, but the store in Annapolis is a cut above. The bike I bought - the Lectric Xpress 750 - allows me to ride anywhere. I can even ride long distances with the motor turned off because the bike itself is great quality. If you buy a $400 eBike, you will get a $99 garbage department store bike with some weak electronics on it. If you run out of battery or something breaks, you get to pedal that cheap bike home. The Xpress 750 is the complete opposite. It's a well-built machine that glides along, even without the motor/pedal assist. It retails for $1299, but I got it at BB on sale. The young sales woman there was super helpful and polite, making the entire buying experience simple and fun.

The bike is nimble and super easy to ride. Here's what reviewers say about it.

"The Lectric XPress 750 eBike is a well-regarded urban commuter, praised for its powerful motor, responsive torque sensor, and comfortable ride. Reviewers highlight its ability to tackle hills with ease, thanks to the 750W motor, and its smooth, natural-feeling power assistance provided by the torque sensor."

I can attest to that! It's a seamless riding experience. I don't have stock in either Best Buy or Lectric, BTW. People swap the commuter tires for trail tires like Continental Shields which turns it into a good trail and single track bike. Seriously, I can't stop grinning! Here are a few pictures of my new toy - I mean, my new...