Best Buy — Local services in Muncie

My experience with Geek Squad was awful, unprofessional, and I now likely need a new laptop. This could've been prevented.

I had a broken hinge on my gaming laptop. It got shipped out to the repair center in Kentucky, shipped back, and the agents found significant damage (dents, scratches, missing screws/feet) to the outside of my laptop that had been done during shipping or repairs. Additionally, the repair barcode sticker was left inside the lid of my laptop so it was showing through the clear part of the symbol on the lid and could not be removed as it was inside. They sent it back to Kentucky and said they notified both me and my father multiple times but I only have one voicemail and my father had none. I was initially quoted 1-3 weeks, but now my laptop was back in Kentucky. I was told 1 day to 1 week was the new estimate, after already waiting all this time. It ended up being multiple weeks in addition to the first repair time.

Someone from a call center told me my laptop was ready when it actually was back in Kentucky, so I went to pick it up to find out it wasn't even in Indiana. I was told multiple times that there is poor communication between the repair centers and Geek Squad. This should be fixed. I'm not sure why the communication is bad, but it is affecting customer service. I was also told that the agent who checked in my laptop did not do it correctly.

I waited almost two months for the repair and re-repair when I was initially quoted 1-3 weeks. I understand they had a part on backorder (due to the damage that was done during shipping/repair) and that is understandable, but I had to keep calling for updates. I needed my laptop during this time. It was highly inconvenient for it to be gone as long as it was. I can excuse higher wait times for valid reasons, but I would've liked better communication.

When my laptop finally did return a second time, the sticker issue that they sent it back for was STILL there! They didn't even fix one of the two issues that they had sent it back out for. I waited all this time and for what?

Pick-up was a nightmare. The agent disappeared in the back room for a while without a word and I had no idea what was going on. It took 3 people and a long wait to ring me up for the total price and they told me that they accidentally did not charge me the full deposit fee, so I still had to pay that. It's not my fault they didn't charge me the full deposit fee by accident. The system also kept trying to charge me for higher than I was supposed to pay. To their credit, the agents spent time fixing it.

They also initially sent my laptop to the WRONG repair center before going to Kentucky. My laptop was bounced around multiple times.

It turns out that my laptop now needs to be plugged in 24/7 or it will fully shut down. This was NOT a problem when I brought it in and has only become a problem since I picked it up from Geek Squad. If I even bump the charging cable, it will fully shut down and I have to spend about 5 minutes getting everything to work properly again. It won't even turn on without being plugged in. This is a new issue and I suspect something happened during the repair or shipping process.

Nobody had any answers for me for anything. It seems like there is a disconnect between these repair centers they ship to and Geek Squad. I'm so angry that I had to pay for bad service, for one of the issues to not even be resolved, and for my laptop now having a significant and NEW ISSUE. So many problems along the way.

Lastly, I had to buy a cable and dock for my other computer a few weeks after this debacle. I spent forever trying to get help from associates in the store. When I finally got my cable, I waited in line to pay for quite a long time with no acknowledgment from the staff. Lines at the checkout are a normal part of life, but I would've liked them to open a second cash or at least acknowledge that someone is waiting. I ended up leaving the cable/dock on the counter and going to Staples.

I am so frustrated. I hate leaving angry reviews but this...

5 Stars for Michael, James, and the local employees of the store.

1 Star for Best Buy and their outsourced support system

This is long but it's worth explaining for the employees. A TLDR would be Best Buy sets up its own employees for failure with likely no accountability for their own policies.

I bought a Google Pixle 6 in 2022. I had Verizon then. Between then and now, I switched carriers. My phone broke. It was under warranty with geek squad total tool replacement, and for $80, I could get a replacement overnight.

When I received this, it was carrier locked. I went to Best Buy first. The girl there said Geek Squad couldn't do anything (a lie, but she likely didn't know).

I called my carrier, and it required Verizon to unlock the phone for them to do anything. I went to a Verizon store. Their policy stated that when a phone is purchased by a third party (Best Buy), they are responsible for it regarding its locked state.

I went back to Best Buy a second time and met with James and Michael. They helped with the replacement process again.

This time, it came unlocked, but the battery would charge about 1% per hour (not an exaggeration). I left it on charge overnight to get a sweet 15% on the battery.

I spent another two hours watching Michael fight Total Replacement support about this. Two phones that don't work and it's been about a week without a working phone.

Under Total Replacements written word, they wanted to send a third phone. If that phone didn't work, they would junk out the phone and give store credit. There is a case number to this.

The third phone is carrier locked.

I spent about 3 hours watching Michael fight support. They claim they couldn't junk out the phone without the store's manager permission, who is actively talking to them (this is also after the first guy hung up on the Best Buy employee. Best Buy support hanging up on a Best Buy store supervisor).

Michael needed a code from them. They would claim to not be able to process this without the store manager's permission AND wait until the 3 phones I've sent back are returned.

The original contract of those phones of not being returned is me being charged $700, but they're adding an extra contingey to this outside of the contract and holding me hostage.

Michael followed the policy, had a written statement from Total Replacement of what they would do, and they would not do what they said they would. I waited two weeks for Best Buy's warranty to kick in.

At this point, Best Buy deserves to eat the loss. They've set up an outsourced, cheap support system to work against not just customers (standard corporate practice) but against their own employees.

To the boss. I never saw you when you made decisions against me. I know you're just middle management and your boss is also middle management in some wacky MLM of middle management that most business's have and are designed to shield higher management from hardship while given little power to perform the job you want. It sucks, but you have to make a living.

Punch up instead of down if this actually matters. You have good employees. If Best Buy gave a crap about their policy and systems, they would review the situation and turn to the problem that is the replacment support. Have your boss's boss sit on the phone for hours with them to see if they can accomplish what is designed to not be accomplished. If nothing changes, then your employer is the problem, which isn't a surprise.

The employees of the store know what is ethically correct and good...

I had come into the store with the intentions of walking out with a new MacBook today. I walked in, went back to the Apple area to look at the MacBooks. A younger salesman walked by and asked if I need any help and that he is the only salesman on the floor, ok I understand staffing is short and I also understand hiring good help is a challenge these days. I was a little put off by the comment though. After a few questions and if he had any of the model I was looking at online still in stock, I proceeded to ask about the trade in. I had already done my research and knew that Best Buy was offering the most for my trade versus Apple. I told him I had it with me, he told me it had to be backed up and back to factory reset. I understand that, I was asking if there was an option to mail the trade in and was told no, if I wanted to walk out today with the new MacBook with a trade it had to be done today. Ok, I understand that too, so I told him I was going to think about it. I went to my car, pulled my older MacBook out, got on my hotspot and was pretty sure everything was backed up. So I came back in with my older MacBook, waited about 15 minutes while he was helping another couple. Once it was my turn again, I had asked a simple question of "Where do I go to make sure I have everything backed up to icloud, I am pretty sure it was all backed up as I could access it on my phone?" The response I received back was "I am the only salemans on the floor, you'd have to check with the Geek Squad on that, my manager would be mad if I helped you since I am the only person on the floor." Ok.....I said, however there is a 3 hour wait to see Geek Squad, so that is not going to work as it was already almost 6:30 pm. He said, "well I'm not to sure on a Mac anyways." So earlier when I came in, I asked if he was knowledgable on Macs and he stated that he knew all kinds of things about a Mac and now you are not sure. So I left, went to my car, jumped online through my hotspot again, and ordered the same MacBook to be mailed to me and I would mail my old MacBook in, once it is received I will then get my trade in credit. I would have rather supported a local store and not bought on line, but my business was not wanted in our local Best Buy. I will...