Best Buy — Local services in Norman

It feels silly writing a review for a big box store, but I had to share this. I'm fairly new to the area and have never really been amazed at the service provided to me at Best Buy's before, it's not usually bad, just nothing quite special. Yesterday I went in to make a purchase for something I had been saving up for and if it wasn't for the technical difficulties that we were having paying for my item with a digital gift card, I would not have had the pleasure of seeing the Norman staff team's hospitality and generosity in action. From the moment I began my transaction with the first person (I wish I remembered his name) I was cared for (it was genuine, I could feel it). When he asked for help from his teammate (can't remember his name either) they brainstormed solutions to the problem we were having. When the assistant manager, Daniel, came to take over I felt the issue was not only escalated properly but he went above and beyond the call of duty researching different ways to resolve my problem. Michael, another employee kindly chatted with me while Daniel worked, seeing how I was doing and taking my mind off of the time that had passed. When I looked to my right, another employee was kindly listening to an elderly man tell a story that he had started shortly after I got there- his transaction had clearly been completed for some time. Despite how long winded the man was about feeding cats at his property, the young man (wore 80's style earrings) graciously gave him his undivided attention. By the time the elderly man was done, he had laughed, smiled, and was ready to go about the rest of his day... seeing the old man smile made me smile too... My biggest shout out goes to Daniel, who was still working on my issue. He was proactive, patient, knowledgeable, and kind; deeply concerned for any inconvenience I may have been facing and possible appointments I may have had to go to- of which there were none. If it turned out that I couldn't buy my items yesterday, Daniel had already grabbed his business card with a note so I could return and complete the process the next day. Thankfully though, nothing stopped him until he found a resolution; but if he hadn't found one, I don't think I would have minded. In reality, I had only been there for no more than 20-25 minutes thanks to his diligence working on my issue that was fairly unique. Some times these "issues" are opportunities for people to surprise you. I was gladly surprised. Blessed in fact. I'd gladly go back to this location because it did NOT feel like a big box store and the experience turned out to be quite...

Alright, this might be a long one, so:

TL:DR upfront: Team lead of Geek Squad needs an attitude adjustment; he made me feel like an idiot for asking for help. Wife, with no computer experience, replaced my laptop battery - currently charging with no issues. Try Norman Computer Repair instead.

My cat and I recently fried my laptop battery’s capacity by placing/knocking water onto my desk. The bootup screen told me this, and I knew I could replace the battery myself, but needed to get the backing off of the laptop, with which I struggled.

I took my laptop to Norman Computer Repair, and to check in, it is $100 down for labor and maintenance, plus whatever more they end up needing, if any. The main guy wasn’t there on the weekend, so I opted to look elsewhere.

He said, and I quote, “take it to the Geek Squad, and they’ll tell you there’s nothing you can do, the computer’s busted, and you can 'try' to take it to Norman Computer Repair.”

Not that I didn’t trust him, I just wanted a same day solution, I went to Best Buy’s Geek Squad. Mark Burgess (balding guy, glasses, acts like this –) greeted me and I told him what had happened to the battery (pro tip: don’t do this if it involves "liquid"). He scoffed, and with a holier-than-thou attitude said “yeah, that computer’s busted, you’re not fixing that. We won’t do anything with it, because it’s fried, and the liquid will just corrode everything else. We can do a data transfer, but that computer’s done.”

NO JOKE - VERBATIM: “We can’t do anything, but you can 'try' taking it to Norman Computer Repair I guess,” with an exaggerated eye roll.

I explicitly said that I just need the back removed because, when I tried, the screw heads were stripping, and he again scoffed and nodded his head with a look of “yeah, you idiot, there’s water on it, I've seen this before.” I paused and looked for an explanation to this, but he kept the same look. I asked if he could help, which looped his same dialogue option.

My wife said, “let me try,” pried the back off, found the model, ordered the new battery, and replaced it, with no tech experience.

I am making a note and will come back and update this review if the liquid corrosion ends up taking down my computer or the new battery.

Until then: Don’t go to Geek Squad here, maybe at all, for hardware issues. Probably go to Norman Computer Repair. Pricey, but personable and upfront. Or get your Godsend of a wife to pry the...

My girlfriend and I stopped by Best Buy Mobile to get a rough idea about cost for Sprint service. We were assisted by a employee named Michael, who wore glasses, had fairly pale skin, and black hair. I say this description to avoid any confusion with any other potential employee, with the same name.

He stipulated to us that (through his experience with customers) Sprint was poor in data service, and they were going to potentially charge us fees that would otherwise remain "hidden" to us the consumer, because they were in the fine print that most people don't read. He stated that customers complained of poor data coverage that came to him, dropped calls as well, and that they would end up paying fees for going over the out-of-coverage area limits that Sprint restricts its customers too. He mentioned a fellow co-worker who compared her data speeds to his, and her's were downright "awful", as he put it. In short, he made Sprint sound like a horrible idea.

Well we decided to give Sprint a chance, to tell us their side of things, as well as see for ourselves what their data service and call quality was like on their phones. We're with Sprint now, and we're perfectly happy with our decision. I know Best Buy Mobile sells phones from all the major carriers in the nation, so I'd be a little concerned if I was partnered up with Best Buy Mobile, only to find out one of their employees who is suppose to represent my company, is out dogging it to potential customers. There's a difference between honesty and downright arrogance, and I believe this Michael employee was the latter. Perhaps someone will coach this individual on the importance of fairness, and less opinionated comments (including unsupported facts for that matter), so that customers won't feel their being pressured to not go with a particular carrier.

Needless to say, we mentioned this experience to the Sprint sales team, and they were quite simply disappointed to hear about a Best Buy Mobile employee saying information that made their company sound like a poor choice. However, we're here to state our experience, and that's the experience we ultimately had over at Best Buy's Mobile department. This is in the main store, not the stand alone in the mall, to avoid any confusion between the...