Best Buy: A Horrible Customer Service Experience

The following is a letter I wrote to Best Buy on behalf of my local store here in Greenville, SC.


To Whom It May Concern, Wednesday, September 15, 2010

My name is Jessica Bayne and I have been a loyal customer of Best Buy for many years. I have spent thousands of dollars on computers, computer equipment, DVDs, and the like at Best Buy. Unfortunately after the recent experiences at my local Best Buy store, I will no longer make purchases at Best Buy. Their general lack of concern for customers is astonishing. Over the course of the last few weeks I have called Best Buy various times to receive information regarding the status of service on my computer.
There are two instances in general that I would like to make you aware. I called once to receive information regarding the repair of my computer, but unfortunately no one picked up the phone. I tried to call numerous times after this incident. The Loss Prevention Agent, Ron, transferred me to the Geek Squad time after time. On the fourth attempted transfer I asked to speak to the manager on duty. Ron attempted to transfer me to the manager on duty (MOD) but the MOD did not pick up. Ron picked up the phone again and tried to transfer me to the MOD once again. Fortunately for me the MOD did pick up this time, identified himself as Josh, and asked me what I needed assistance with. I informed him and he was able to resolve my problem, but did not seem to consider the inconvenience this organization had caused me.
Sadly, nearly the same incident occurred again today. I received a call from Geek Squad stating that I needed to confirm that I wanted the data on my computer backed up. I attempted to return the call around 2:30 pm. I called once and received no answer. I called a second time and received no answer. I called a third time and received no answer and Ron the Loss Prevention Agent (LPA) picked up the phone. He transferred me to the Geek Squad and they did not pick up the phone and Ron answered the phone once again and I stated “it’s me again Ron.” He replied “You mean no one has called you?” “I stated no, and this time I’d like to speak to the manager on duty.” He attempted to transfer me to the MOD. The MOD did not pick up the phone. Ron picked up again and I again advised him that I’d like to speak to the MOD. Ron then transferred me to the MOD, and yet again the MOD did not pick up. Ron picked up the phone again and at this time I requested the name of the MOD and Ron replied “Josh.” I then requested the name of the district manager and Ron replied “Jacqueline (sorry if I butchered this spelling)” but could not give me any more information (which I understand). I thanked Ron and hung up the phone, but I had not been given the opportunity to authorize the data backup on my computer. I called again and Mindy answered. I explained to Mindy my plight and she worked to resolve my issues. I explained to her that I was highly frustrated and quite disappointed with the level of service I had received. She quickly had Geek Squad agent Jeff work on my data backup and profusely apologized time and time again about the poor service I had received. She informed me that she would pass my contact information on to Jacqueline and I was satisfied.
I am utterly disappointed in this organization. I have read various case studies regarding Best Buy and its outstanding customer service, but I have yet to experience any of this so-called outstanding customer service. I, as a loyal customer, deserve better.

Sincerely,

Jessica Bayne

A Poet but didn't Know it

Andrew and I went to Boda's Pipe Shop on Saturday, which was a lot of fun. However, I will admit that I was initially unhappy about our seating arrangements as we had to sit at a miniature table my legs could barely fit under. Andrew and a German guy named Roman started up a conversation, so I decided I'd write a poem. Ok, don't laugh, but here it is:

In a room Filled with Smoke,
Surrounded by sounds of men chattering,
Old men, young men, bald men, tall men.
Prints of Scarface and Al Capone affixed to the walls,
Sports blasting on two different T.V's.
The smoke, the near nauseating smoke,
The ashes - both stacked and dropped,
Smoke stark white, most grey or black,
Both indications of cheap or well-made.
Colorful bands, moved in motions of mouth to hand,
Oily, glossy wrappers,
Often packed with foreign fillers,
Full or mild in flavor,
Some as sharp as razors.
An all day event for some,
A lifetime commitment for most.

It's a work in progress, but I'm considering submitting it for a few contests just for fun!

While writing this poem I sought divine inspiration from Hemingway with an Arturo Fuente Hemingway cigar. It was great as always- and there's not much else to say about it!

It's Been a While

Ok so it's been a while since I published a blog, but needless to say, life has been very, very busy. I started a new job with the State of South Carolina. I won't talk much about that here...which I think is a wise decision. I'm continuing to battle through 9 hours of grad school, and plan on registering for the PHR in July.

Tomorrow we do plan on heading to Boda's (one of our favorite cigar shops). They have the best coffee EVER!
I'm sure Andrew will select some great cigars to enjoy, and I do plan on writing a review then. Until that happens, I'll just post some new pictures of the furniture!

Nording in November

We've been really, really busy with school, work, life, and you know, the usual. This blog is going to practically me playing "catch-up," so it will contain a plethora of information about cigars, food, holidays, events, and of course, our dogs. So, I'll get started.
Below are pictures of cigars that we have enjoyed, but are not going to fully blog about.
They are:

We also had an awesome time at one of our favorite places...Boda's!! We absolutely LOVE Boda's. The owner is and everyone there is simply fantastic. We recently attended their 25th Anniversary sale and had a wonderful time. They had a beautiful cake (pictured with Owners), and all sorts of food like pizza's, chicken wings, fruits, cheese and more. It was a fantastic event and we can't wait until the next one comes around! At the event we were honored to meet David Ludwig of Newman Cigars and Cynthia Fuente of the legendary cigar family of Fuente. Cynthia and David brought along some of their rarest, yet finest, cigars, and were able to offer a free cigar with every Fuente cigar purchase. The event was on Friday, October 16, 2009 and Cynthia's birthday was actually on Sunday, October, 18 2009. Cynthia had planned to hold a large birthday party in Tampa, FL, but decided to attend the Boda event- a true business woman. All in all, we had a fantastic time, met great people, and are anxiously awaiting the next Boda's event!

Next up: Halloween fun! In the spirit of Halloween we decorated the kids (our dogs :) ) and took amazing pictures of them with our Halloween decorations (which we have yet to take down..oops)! (Below) Andrew and I also carved a Jack-o-Lantern and handed out candy to our numerous trick-or-treaters! Because we had so many little pumpkins, which I initially used as decorations (centerpieces and etc), I actually roasted them, pureed the pumpkin and made homemade pumpkin pie! (Pictured below)


















At last, a Nording in November. Thanks to Cigar Dave, who sent us two awesome Rocky Patel 1961's, and a newly redesigned Rocky Patel "Nording" (Erik Nording is a Danish Pipe Maker), we are able to enjoy a Nording on a very cold (at least to me, not to Andrew, as he is from Illinois), November night. Pre-light draw was easy, but not too easy- just right. The initial flavors I tasted on this cigar were cedar-like, with a mild sweetness. As the cigar progressed I definitely began to taste cedar, which was really noticeable in the front of my tongue, while other, more milder tastes, such as a bittersweet, high percent cocao chocolate flavor was reflected more towards the back of my tongue. The cigar is true Rocky Patel style in that it is full, beautifully and elegantly bound by a Costa Rican wrapper with Rocky's typical, and oh so successfull, Honduran and Nicaraguan fillers. This cigar is definitely a hit in our house and we would highy recommend it to anyone seeking a full bodied cigar.

Busy, Busy, Busy and an Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story

Hi all,

As you may know from my recent "posts," or mini-updates from my phone, I have been extremely busy. It all began last Thursday when I officially decided to paint the living room. On Friday we got the new dishwasher delivered, two hours late, thanks Best Buy, but weren't able to install it because it didn't come will all necessary parts needed to make the damn thing run! Instead of installing the dishwasher, Andrew and I painted our living room until about 2am. Sadly, we had to get up at 4:30 am to be at a pottery show for my dad. Unfortunately the show didn't go that well. We did our bests to try to encourage buyers, but they just weren't biting. However, although we didn't do that well, we did better than most people.

Last night's smoke:

Arturo Fuente, Hemingway Short Story
Perfecto
Cost: $6.30
Place of Purchase: Boda's
Wrapper: West African Cameroon
Filler: Dominican

Before indulging in this delectable cigar, I need to let you in on some background regarding its purchase. At the Rocky Patel event at Boda's, Andrew and I had been speaking about getting one of these little cigars because I have a B.A. in English. He thought it very appropriate, seeing as Hemingway was a great American writer of the early 20th century, that I sample one of these cigars.

I cut the cigar with my brand spanking new Revolution Cigar Cutter (pictured), which Andrew recently purchased for me, and found that the margin to cut the cap was EXTREMELY small, and considering that I am an amateur smoker/cutter, it was freakin' hard! The pre-light draw was rather difficult, but that's no surprise as the foot is somewhat conical. While some may cut the foot off, I chose to burn it (so morbid I know). Overall, I found the cigar to be a gentle, medium bodied cigar that packed a punch. For example, some of the flavors I sensed from this smoke were: cinnamon, honey (significantly), and finally a spicy yet subdued ending to what turned out to be a savory smoke.

In my opinion, if one interested in a 30-45 minute short stack that packs a lot of punch, the Arturo Fuente Hemingway Short Story is the way to go.

3) We went out of town to GA for the day to sell pottery for my dad. His website is: www.michelbayne.com . Check it out! 4)We ran out of paint and got more!

Hey everyone. I just wanted to let you in on some updates and apologize for my lack of entries as of late. 1) I got a new job! 2) We have been painting