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Was this really the "Best Buy"?
By Rocketj1
@rocketj1 (6955)
United States
January 3, 2009 10:05pm CST
Well, I finally got my digital camera with my Christmas money. I want to thank all my fellow myLotters for the advice given to me about purchasing one! While I'm ecstatic about finally entering the 21st century with this new gadget, I want to share the frustrations I experienced in my purchase.
Shopping in our immediate area is very limited. Since the whole family had a little gift money and we wanted a good selection, we traveled about an hour away to another city to shop. We ended up at a "big box" electronics store in search of a digital camera for Mom (Me!). We had a great salesman. He formerly worked for 25 years at a camera shop and obviously knew his stuff. After lots of fantastic advice, I settled on one. It was not in stock, as it was on sale. So, I ordered the camera. We had to go through 3 different "stations" at the store in order to do this. We were using Cash (shock and horror!) and this somehow complicated the whole ordeal. I was pleased with my purchase however and left there anxious for the day my camera would be in.
We called the store on the 1st and the camera was not in yet (this was the scheduled delivery day). Called on the 2nd and was told it WAS in. Today (the 3rd) we traveled again (1 hour away mind you) to pick it up. Stood in a long mixed line of "returns" and "order pickups". Finally got to the register and they tell me it's not in! WHAT?! Why would they tell me it was in if it wasn't? Did they sell it to someone else? The manager wanted to reorder it for me! No! I am not driving an hour home and back to this place again! I was really Frustrated! So she took me to the cameras again. I couldn't think straight. She offered me another camera in exchange. Which one would I like? My helpful salesman, of course, is not there! My son and I relied on our memory about the other cameras that were also recommended by him. So I made a decision that I guess I am happy with but I actually felt very rushed and put on the spot! Originally, I had really done my homework and had felt quite settled on things. The worst thing was the attitude of everyone involved! They were obviously only interested in just getting us out of there!
I'm formulating a letter to the store. I have to wait till I calm down a bit first.
Have you ever been rushed into a purchase? Have you ever had poor service like this and were too frustrated to think straight? Did you do something about it later? What did you do?
5 people like this
16 responses
@relundad (2310)
• United States
4 Jan 09
I would have been pretty frustrated too. But I am one of those customers that demands good customer service and will spend my money elsewhere if I don't get it.
In your case, I would have been so pissed that they made me drive all the way there and the camera wasn't. If they didn't have that one, I probally would have asked for a refund and been done with them. At this point you had already absorbed whatever savings you had in time and effort. I would have probally taken my refund and ordered the exact same camera that you decided on, and had it delivered to my home if that was an option. Surely they are not the only store that carries that product.
2 people like this
@1corner (744)
• Canada
4 Jan 09
Well, this is something I've noticed for many years now. Good customer service has disappeared! I no longer expect it when I go shopping, so when I do get it on occasion, the clerk gets a heartfelt thanks. People seem to have forgotten it's their customers that make their employment possible. Now, I've been on the sales side of the equation once, but back then companies still trained their employees with "the customer is always right" motto. If I'd treated consumers like how we're being treated nowadays, I'd have gotten fired. I've never actually gone so far as to write a letter to home offices YET; I just tend to avoid that particular store in the future, if it can be helped.
1 person likes this
@eaforeman6 (8979)
• United States
5 Jan 09
I rushed in when I bought my fax, printeer combo, and its actualy a bit harder to use then I expected and also the cartridges for the ink are more exspensive so, I wish that I had spent more time checking into this first. Now I am trying to adjust with it and its not easy lol
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
5 Jan 09
This often happens to me - I am not savvy with computer technology -or I suppose, any technology, = and I just hate being thought stupid and being given, 'the rush' to purchase and then leave. They definitely wanted you to leave with a purchse but were not too concerned with what you purchased.
I just take my own sweet time now - after all, it is my money that I am spending. A few years ago I walked into a store to buy a television for cash. This was about 50 minuters before the store closed. I knew exactly which tv I wanted as I had been there previously to compare prices etc of a particular make.
Every assistant was 'busy' and when I was eventually asked what I wanted I was told to come back tomorrow as it was time to close the store. Flabbergasted, I just walked away. This particular store has a shop in every parish across the Island.
The next day, I called the head office and they were appalled with my account of what had happened and told me to go back to the store and that they would give me a discount. I replied that I had no need to go back to the store, as when I left that particular store, I just purchased and took home a TV from another store! Blessings
1 person likes this
@Paula1966 (1102)
• United States
4 Jan 09
I hope they let you pick out a camera of greater value than the one you originally ordered!!! I despise poor customer service in ANY industry, probably because a large part of my job is teaching new hires about customer service. Make sure you let them have it with both barrels when you write the letter to their corporate honchos.
1 person likes this
@fairydew (180)
• United States
4 Jan 09
I can understand your frustration. I am wondering why you did not shop online and avoid all that frustration. It seems like when I set my sights on just "one" purchase of something, all goes wrong, and is what happened in your case.
You can also contact the Better Business Bureau, you can find this online, just do a search for it and you will find all kinds of ways to report bad business habits.
You can also contact your states attorney general and file a complaint.
I one time had a complaint against Home Depot and that is all I did was contact the Indiana Attorney General's office. I won my case. Reporting is free. Just states the facts as they occurred.
1 person likes this
@KrauseHome (36447)
• United States
6 Jan 09
Personally I would have been Frustrated and a little upset. When you have to drive an hr. away, and then they do not have the Camera they originally told you that was in, I think personally I would have asked for a Refund, and told them I would not be buying a Camera from them. Since they were not really wanting to help you, and trying to rush you out of the store, this is not Good Customer Service either. I do hope the Camera you ended up with will be something that you like, or you will continue to be disappointed for sure.
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
4 Jan 09
i will ask the store to give me a full refund if it happened to me... there is no way that i will drive back for an hour to get the camera again and i won't pick another camera... i will fight with the store manager if i have to and put the store in the newspaper if they don't want to give me my money back... they even have to give me a compensation for all the troubles that i have to go through... take care and have a nice day...
1 person likes this
@Sissygrl (10912)
• Canada
4 Jan 09
That would really fry my beans! lol. I think i would have said, listen i want my money back, and found another store that had teh same camera that i had first ordered. . There must be more then one store that sold that type of camera. I got a nikon coolpix for xmas. i picked it out as well. It's pink ;) i wanted the purple one, but none in stock. . I guess pink was better then nothing!
1 person likes this
@LittleMel (8742)
• Canada
4 Jan 09
that's really odd. how come they told you it was in and then it wasn't? I don't know how paying in cash complicated that? I mean what's the difference? are they related to some credit card company or something, that if people buy with cash they won't get the item as fast as other people that pay with credit? do you have something like BBB in your area? I mean you may not be able to exchange the one you wanted with the new one, but at least they have a record about it. If you want to write to the store make sure it gets to the right person.
@Grandmaof2 (7579)
• Canada
4 Jan 09
Good grief after all that traveling how disappointing. 
I'm thinking that if they told you the camera was there it probably was. I would have told them that I had to travel here to get the camera and it was their job to find out who told me it was in and where the camera is. I would have asked them to check the stock room. When I bought my camera I wanted to wait till I could afford to buy a good one. That was a great idea but I have a camera that has all the bells and whistles and there's no way I need all these features. I'll never learn it all. I bought a Canon. It really is a good camera.
I'm thinking that if they told you the camera was there it probably was. I would have told them that I had to travel here to get the camera and it was their job to find out who told me it was in and where the camera is. I would have asked them to check the stock room. When I bought my camera I wanted to wait till I could afford to buy a good one. That was a great idea but I have a camera that has all the bells and whistles and there's no way I need all these features. I'll never learn it all. I bought a Canon. It really is a good camera.1 person likes this
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
4 Jan 09
rocketj1,
I am one individual that will not place an out of stock model, no matter what reasons or reliability convincing. I just would not, if what I want is not available then, I will just keep the money in my pocket and be done with till it arrives.
I have just heard just too many of these accounts to place my trust and/or my money in any one of them. I mean just look at the after sales service calls, did they ever turn up on time once? Tell me what was the sales pitch like before you paid for it? Huh, I bet you my last dollar that it was all the heavens and earths. VIP treatment all the way, only to have a rude awakening when the thing breaks down. I just marvel at the sales pitches most of the time, and when at any moment there is a sign of unavailability you can be assured that I would not even want to bother about filling in any forms or paying a dime for deposit. I will leave, look for it at another shop or use the money for something else.
I think I can live longer and happier with such hair pulling experiences. Perhaps you are the patient and forgiving type to tolerate till now. I just cannot do the same here.
Take care and have a nice day.
@skysuccess (8858)
• Singapore
4 Jan 09
P.S.
It should read:
"I think I can live longer and happier without such hair pulling experiences."
Sorry, I was just being too fast here.
Sorry, I was just being too fast here. @actualfactual (57)
• United States
8 Jan 09
Too bad you had that trouble. I went to a small locally owned camera shop. Paid more but hopefully got and will get in the future better service. I do try to stick with what is in stock though. It is hard to know how much to trust sales people also, but since mine did not push the higher priced model, I felt pretty good. He told me that I could do just as well for my purposes with one a little less pricey than the first that I wanted.
@DonnaLawson (4032)
• United States
4 Jan 09
Sounds like a horrible experience and I don't think that I would be in that store ever again, I would also let them know that.. Service is not at all like it used to be.. I worked in the public for many years and if I said your product was there, you better believe, you product was there.. But it seems as if people now don't take these jobs seriously, after all it is just a sales position, so why care.. I remember working and making notes all day when I had to remember doing something, when I got a phone call from a customer, I made a note to make sure that I did what was asked of me, so I didn't forget, I just simply done what was supposed to be done..
As for making a decision in haste about something like that, I don't really think that I have but over time, I am sure we all have been hustled in and out of a store with different merchandise than we originally came in for, so that they could make the next dollar on the next customer.. I would return the camera and ask to be compensated for the gas money and the time that I spent in coming back to the store on the employees word that the product was in..
I do understand the frustration of it all and I would be very angry, fire off a good letter to them, it may not do any good but it may make you feel a bit better and I would also tell them to refund my money, I would be going somewhere else to get the camera that I had originally planned on getting but from some other store..
@mimico (3617)
• Philippines
4 Jan 09
Aww that's too bad. I don't think it was wise to travel that far in the first place. I also bought a digicam this Christmas using my online earnings and what I did was, I searched the net for a model that I liked. I didn't talk to any professionals or sales people about it, but relied on reviews that websites posted. Then I called different stores and asked for a price quote. After a month of doing research, I traveled to a place (it was quite far) where the camera I wanted was available and got a great deal. It's less than what other stores are selling and comparable to the best deals online. So I think if you don't live near any stores you might want to consider calling beforehand OR just order online and have it shipped. :)
