Best Buy — Local services in Watertown

This is an edited review from months ago to improve my tone and wording — Verizon customers: I don't recommend getting your line transferred at this store. Went with my father to buy a new phone and get an existing number transferred from an old phone to the new one. English is not his first language, so the way he phrases things may sometimes be unconventional. Firstly, the male associate that attended us did not take my father seriously because the phone he originally wanted and saw in stock online was no longer in stock when we arrived at the store. From there, the dismissive attitude from staff began. We stepped away briefly to decide on another phone. The male associate intentionally ignored us when we returned to the counter, going as far as to absentmindedly touch empty shelves while we stood there, glancing sheepishly at us and then walking away. It was intentional dismissal. It took me raising my hand for him to actually come over to us. At this point, we were a bit uncomfortable with this treatment. We tried to ask about a phone out on display that we were interested in instead. We were told it was out of stock, as though we should have known, yet the screen beneath the phone listing the price/specs/availability/other details did not indicate this. There was no way we could've known, yet we were treated as though we should have. Lastly, when we decided on a phone that was in stock and my father explained that he wanted to transfer the line to the new phone, a female associate inserted herself into the interaction in place of the male associate for an unknown reason. For some reason it seemed that the associates did not understand what our intentions were. When having to re-explain that he just wanted to transfer the existing number to the new phone, the cultural difference in communication from my dad was treated as threatening by the female associate, such that he was asked to calm down, just because my father said "That's all I need" when explaining. He's nearly 60 years old and trying to be understood in this scenario. He was not a threat. He was not raising his voice or acting in any unpredictable manner. He was just adding emphasis because he wasn't being understood and because we were being treated so strangely. We were told that the line could not be transferred without the associated pin. I'm not sure this is true, because five years ago at this same location, my father went through the same process for his phone and all they needed to do was call Verizon to transfer the line. Maybe that changed, but it wasn't explained at all. It felt as though our presence and business were not wanted, or that it was just easier for them to tell us to deal with it. I did not comment on any of this during the interaction, but I need to reiterate here that it was a very frustrating and uncomfortable experience. In short, save yourself the time and frustration and just go to the corporate-owned Verizon store in Cambridge to activate or transfer your line. That's what we ended up having to do and the experience was night and day. As a retail worker myself, I have this to say: You can be helpful if you want to be. Some customers need things explained or shown to them. If you don't want to help them understand or verify something about a product for them, you are not fulfilling your role as an associate in that position. If you are going to treat someone differently because of the way they sound, you are discriminating. I apologize if my father's confusion was frustrating for you or caused misunderstanding between us, but he was not rude or hostile in any way. I would have called him out on it or intervened if that was the case. It wasn't fair to be treated as if we were trouble for you. Only reason I'm not giving one star is because the store itself is nice, well-kept, and I was treated kindly when I went in to get my laptop keyboard repaired two years ago with Geek Squad. Really sad that my father got different treatment. I hope that future associates are better trained with regard to their demeanor...

I am not sure if this is even worth the time to write given my current situation with best buy as a whole and that I am generally not the type to complain, however I have tried everything to solve my current problem. I have just had an unfortunate experience with a customer service representative from the Watertown NY store in the Salmon Run mall. I had called to see if I could talk to someone about my computer purchase. I had bought a HP laptop for school around the beginning of the summer, I used it maybe three or four times and one day it wouldn't turn on. I brought it in and they said the motherboard has malfunction so Geek Squad sent it out fro repairs. It took almost 2 and a half weeks fro me to se my computer again. When I got it back it ran slow and would not download my Microsoft word. I brought it back and they took it for another week to run diagnostics. Said nothing was wrong. I brought it back later that week explaining how there was a problem and i was treated very condescendingly. I may not know much about computers but i can recognize when one isn't working like it used to prior. They again took it for diagnosis after I complained and about a week and a half later they said it was ready. I went out to Watertown to pick it up to not have it actually ready and to have to wait another 2 hours for them to download. Now i mind you I live an hour and half away one direction. Every trip I had to take was 3 hours of driving. Now that i have my computer back it will not go from sleep mode to wake mode without a forced shut down. I refuse to drive another 3 hours for Geek squad to not know what is actually wrong with a computer I have had in my possession maybe 2 months tops and use only about a week. I am now in my final 2 weeks of my first semester of graduate school with no computer. Do you realize how debilitating that has been? This is been nothing but a hassle and all I wanted tonight on information about either why my computer has come back not once but twice with more problems than it originally had, and I would like to know why when I inquired about possible options to maintain good relations with the store I was disrespected with condescending tones about "why I am trying to return a computer months later" and why my explanation was not actively listened to? I'm not asking for a handout. I'm asking for a computer worth the money I have paid for. Several of my classmates have seen my frustration and have personally said they aren't going to bother going back to this store. Two other students have complained about the customer service at the Watertown store. I want to understand why I was treated so disrespectfully and why I had to waste my money to drive and pay so much for service that is not only under par but plain disrespectful? I am not stuck with a computer that is I haven't been able to use but is now working worse than when they "fixed"...

UPDATE 2025: The guy who screwed up the order system and the entire inventory system is a SUPERVISOR! LOL! It's a title like manager lolololol.

If your order would be handled by a bald grandpa, good luck, you may get your admission to Hogwarts. LUCKY YOOOOOOOO!

My experience of purchasing a phone and got charged twice, then everybody ghosted me.

Seems like how helpful(smart maybe?) some crew here is depends on the weather(or maybe the season change?).

I placed an iphone order online with the trade-in option. When I was picking it up at the store, the customer service specialist urged me to erase the phone just like I dont know how to use a phone. My phone was already on the Settings → General page with the big 'General' + gear icon displayed. He stared at my phone and keep saying go to settings then general. I'm pretty sure that BestBuys normally don't do Harry Potter things, correct? So why does this dude keep spelling to a phone? After this fiasco, the specialest said I need to do it at genius bar(WTF? Geek Squad at bestbuy you mean?). I asked what should I do with the new phone, and he said "listen, this phone is yours now, if you want you trade-in money back, erase your phone". Ok, so I take the new phone and my old phone home.

In the afternoon, since I had a such an bad customer experience at Watertown store, I went to the Burlington Bestbuy store with my erased phone to finish the trade in. Guess what, I learned that per bestbuy policy, specialist cannot give the phone to customer if the tradein is not completed. So at that moment, the order status was still Awaiting Pickup LOL. So watertown bestbuy actually lost track one iphone due to a specialist's mistake.

The crew at burlington store Cancelled my order that I placed online. Restocked the phone that watertown bestbuy gave me. Replaced an in-store order and trade in my phone.

Seems like they have everything fixed at the moment.

BUT, you know what, the watertown store marked the phone, which they gave me by mistake and it had been returned and restocked to bestbuy at burlington store, as LOST. n They charged my card again. They just want the customer to pay for their mistake.

I called them for help, but everyone's ghosting.

Dear reader, I hope you never fall into the same...