Best Buy — Local services in Virginia Beach

The absolute WORST Best Buy ever, as their customer service is HORRID. I got there shortly after the store opened and conveniently no one was around to help. I circled the store multiple times and finally found a geek squad guy who said he couldn’t help me but would get someone who could. I waited another ten minutes and no one came. Finally I approach another guy and ask for his help. He ignored me, chattering on in some irrelevant conversation, and finally gets to me five minutes later. I would have gone to someone else if there was someone! I was looking for a laptop bag that, according to their website, had 2 in stock. Well, they hadn’t bothered to restock them. I told the guy that in my long time of waiting I had already looked all over the floor for it, and he ignored that and looked again anyway. Taking his sweet time. Then he finally listens to my suggestion to look in the back room. And surprise surprise. It was back there. They hadn’t bothered to restock. I then tried to price match it, as Best Buy offers price match, and he gives me a hard time about it. Meanwhile, my two year old is running throughout the store. I keep running back and forth between the employee and my son, trying to contain him. He gets lost and the man sees me sprinting through the store, and just stands there watching. He doesn’t even bother to call the front desk to have them send an announcement for help. I do three sprints around the store and finally find my son, go back to the employee, and he makes lame excuses for why he didn’t do anything at all. “Oh, I mentioned it over the microphone, but no one must have been listening. Maybe they were talking over me.” Slack. He sees me distraught at this point but is still being ridiculous about the price match. It was $10 cheaper, I didn’t want to let that go. But I almost did, he was full of excuses. He calls the manager to do an override and surprise, surprise! She takes her sweet time coming, too! I waited another five minutes! Then she feels the need to confirm the price match, messing on her phone for another few minutes, even after the other guy confirmed it, making me wait even longer. The manager woman doesn’t even look at me or say a word to me. Then she finally does it and briskly walks away. The guy then said nothing else to me too, and I finally checked out. What a team! Horrible customer service. They deserve to be replaced. It’s a shame that there is a employee shortage in the country or maybe they would be fired. I’ll drive the distance to go to another Best...

Bad customer service, limited and basic selection, not enough people on the floor and your always in there longer than you want to be.

Had trouble finding a 3.0 USB cable I needed because mine broke. Looked around the store for about seven minutes, there are miscellaneous cables spread throughout by the way which makes it seem disjointed and disorganized. Couldn't find it, tried to ask someone and he was busy with another group who was trying to make up their mind if they wanted a GoPro or not. Which is fine. Stood there, didn't acknowledge me while I stood there for five minutes.

I mean I've worked in customer service when I was younger. You obviously know this person is standing politely in your sight line and has a question so you look over and say "Sir I'll be with you in just one moment" or if you aren't in the middle of a conversation with the group you say "Is there anything I can help you with sir?" And I knew this when I was 19 years old.

So I walked around the store for five minutes couldn't find anyone on the floor in any department and finally I walk by the cell phone department the girl behind the counter asks if I need help. Told her what I was looking for. She says, as if she was disappointing that I actually did need help and was intent on not doing anything about it... "Well you have to look in the cable isle"

And I think to myself sarcastic NO! REALLY?

I went back to wait on the last group, again no acknowledgement. So I gave up, took the things I already had in my hand went to the checkout counter. I stood in line for seven minutes waiting for a checker! There was one person in front of me who had something going on at the register, nobodies fault. And while I was waiting three more people came behind me. Not once did they call for more people to man the register.

And now that I think about it, every time you make a big purchase here they bombard you with the Geek Squad insurance thing... which is hit or miss to be honest. Not real solid. And unfortunately they have a monopoly around town on electronics.

So you really have to do your research before you come into these places because they'll never be anyone to answer your questions. You're most likely going to be paying full price, no discounts or sales. And the staff will be either absent or have limited knowledge of things. And it'll take longer than what you want it to. So all in all the basic, below...

I purchased a $1300 OLED TV at the Chesapeake store (VERY helpful staff!) with pickup at the Princess Anne location. After paying in Chesapeake, my son and I drove to Princess Anne to pick up our new TV. After handing my receipt to the woman at the store pickup counter (~7pm on Sat, 1/28/23), she initiated the pickup and asked me for my ID. I showed her my drivers license and she told me she couldn’t release the TV because I am not Leslie (my wife’s name). I explained that we use her Best Buy account for all purchases and that I had just made the purchase in Chesapeake. Could she verify based on the address on my license? No. She informed me, “Leslie will have to add you as an authorized person to pick up.” I asked if that could be done via logging into her account. She said it could. I stepped to the side, logged into my wife’s Best Buy account on my phone, pulled up the order, but was unable to figure out how to add my name. I found a button labeled “I’m standing in line” and pressed that, getting a barcode I was sure would work. I got back in line and, when the same woman scanned it, she frowned and informed me, “that won’t work.” I asked if she could verify via the credit card I paid with? No. Could she call the Chesapeake store and speak to the associate? No. She then informed me that, because she initiated the return, the system would “take some time” to update before “Leslie can add you.” (I felt like I was a suspected criminal trying to steal a TV).

I left the store with obvious displeasure.

My son and I drove to Sam’s Club. We found the exact same TV for the same price. Before going to checkout, I logged into my wife’s (our mutual) Best Buy account and canceled my TV order. I purchased the TV from Sam’s and was delighted to discover I got an extra 5 year warranty at no extra cost. The staff there was incredibly helpful too, even when there was an issue with my Sam’s Club card.

Great news from the evening was that I could show my 16 year-old son crystal clear examples of exceptionally good customer service (Chesapeake Best Buy and Va Beach Sam’s Club) and exceptionally bad customer service (Princess Anne Best Buy). The experience will serve him well...