How Circuit City Ruined My Weekend - A long short story by billg

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[quote name='billg']I have no updates right now, but just wanted to clarify a few things people are asking about (or have misconceptions about).

Also, the 2GB non-charity drive was listed as in-stock at Store 700 on the site, on Saturday, for $15. That's why I went there. However, I could not add it to my cart, it was simply listed as "available in store only". I guess due to it being a special sale item. Who knows with CC.


Regarding the DS...


The DS was listed as 139.99 on the site *on Saturday* when I first went into the store. Check FW if you don't believe me, that's where I first heard about the deal. If it hadn't been 139.99 on Saturday, *I wouldn't have tried to buy it for 139.99 on Saturday*. Nor would I have unreasonably asked them to match a Black Friday price if it wasn't the same price when I was physically in the store on Saturday. I'm not insane.


Regarding the coupon...


Tim, the head honcho of Store 700, understood which coupon I was trying to use (I showed it to him) and offered no reservations about me applying it to my bundle of items, including the DS.


Just wanted to clear that up. Thank you all for your opinions on this matter, even those who disagree with me. I ask only that you stick to the facts regarding my situation.[/quote]

Online prices and Store Prices arent the same and they don't match any sales prices even if the sale is online on their own website. I linked you the ad for the store which states in 8 inch letters at the top of the ad that the sale is for 6 hours only. You went in 6 hours after sale ended.

You didn't bother to read the ad and assumed you could get the item in store for the same price as you could online. You failed. Facts are you never even bothered LOOKING at the ad for the store. You just thought all the online prices would be the same as in store which is stupid as its been said here and on fatwallet that they differ.

P.S. Store manager doesnt know every restriction on the coupons, its not like he made them. System would tell him it wouldnt work when they attempt to use it.
 
Dang... i don't usually read this long thread but it was worth it.
cuz CC sucks so bad. i had kinda same problem about few month ago.

when they had mp3 player for around 5 bucks when they were 30 bucks. i grabbed last 3 of them and they didn't give me the mp3 player for 5 bucks each. eventhough in the weeklyad said 4.99 each. just because it saids on the mp3 player 19.99. i talk to superviser or manager about this. i think it was a manager .....i don't know i asked him for manager but who knows... may be another dumb employee. stating the same thing. .... i left the store and move on to another store and bought 3 for 4.99........i experienced this actually twice at the same store. it was one on Scenic Hwy, GA......
 
I guess I must have the only dependable Circuit City as I've never had a problem with missing inventory, speaking to a manager, or convincing an employee that a scanned item's price superceeds the outdated sticker price.

I don't shop there frequently by any stretch of the imagination, either; only when I find good clearance deals here or elsewhere.
 
[quote name='sendme']Sucks but thats how places are now. If you have yet to get that ds you could try the in store pick up on the site. I just looked and it is 145 now.

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Nintendo-DS-Lite-Game-System-with-The-Legend-of-Zelda-Phantom-Hourglass-USGSZDE/sem/rpsm/oid/196369/catOid/-16490/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

However I would just say screw it and try another CC[/quote]

Why would he try another CC? Do people even read posts?

he attempted to get a sale that ended at 11 A.M. He walked into the store at 5pm.

He made a mistake and thought that the price listed for the bundle online would be the same in store. It wasn't and he raised a fuss ignoring the AD which clearly stated the stores prices and the duration of sale. Next time he will hopefully take a look at the ad before going to a store.....
 
Wow.

I'm surprised that there are so many people who are getting on this guy's ass about his post.

Forget the prices and specials, coupons, etc.

The crux of his post is how bad Circuit City is in virtually every facet of operations.

Prices are never right. They never have adequate assistance on the floor or at registers. Employees couldn't be bothered to help, and are often just socializing amongst themselves.

Idealistic managers run around like chickens with their heads cut off because they are unwilling or unable to delegate to the staff that seemingly have no business being employed in the first place.

We have three Circuit City locations in my area. Two of them are always a complete mess, and one of those NEVER has anyone working there. You can stand in the video game section for 20 minutes, and no one will come to help you (even if you're ready to check out.)

It's not like there isn't plenty to do - hell, update the price stickers once a year - that would only take a couple of days.

What I agree with the OP is that the original tendency is to say, "No." Regardless of the situation, "no" is the answer. I've had countless situations at the three stores where I've had to explain myself multiple times (to multiple people) in order to receive satisfaction. None of these times dealt with pricing situations like the OP, but they were simple requests that the individuals simply didn't feel like accommodating me on.

Again - semantics about specials and pricing aside - the OP is dead on.

If it wasn't for the fact that Circuit City has good specials from time to time, I'd never walk in the store.

Ramble on...
 
Whine, whine, whine. If you wanted to make your point, you have to speak in the one language businesses know: money. You could have simply told any of the managers or supervisors that you will no longer be shopping at this or any other CC because of this situation and that you will tell your friends and family not to as well. And then went and bought the same things elsewhere at a better price no doubt. That way you make your point and you don't seem like an asshole. This should not be on the main page
 
[quote name='mva5580']Let me sum it all up real easy for all of you:

STOP SHOPPING AT B&M STORES. "Customer Service" does not exist anymore.

You can find deals online for just as good, and you don't have to deal with all the garbage that's been listed here.[/quote]

Agreed!

Also... who really wants to pay sales taxes anyways?
 
[quote name='Jedi1979']put me down as another person who does not believe this fiasco needs to be on the front page....[/QUOTE]


omg I just saw this on the front page too. Seriously did it need to go on the front page?!?!?

Everyone at some point has had some horror stories with a certain store, but does it need to be on the front page of CAG?!?!?

As other posters said, there is a more of the OP fault then CC's. At this point, don't worry about it. Like I said before it's not worth the frustration and stress over video games. I say the OP chances of victory just dropped to 5%.

Just wait.... there will be another deal like this somewhere down the road and maybe even cheaper or better. It always happens, as past BF years have shown something better has appeared either before or after bf.
 
[quote name='vrs1650']But sometimes there dumb ass ways pay off. With the COD4 sale, they ran out of COD3 in like ten minutes. I got the assosiate to give me call of duty 3 for the PS3 instead.[/QUOTE]

That was nice of them. When I went in they had tons of COD4 but no COD3. I walked out and emailed Circuit City. Completely useless. There's a reason they closed a number of stores in the last 2 years. The company is very disorganized.
 
I'm surprised at all the hate directed at the OP. I don't think he's entirely in the right, but I don't think Circuit City is either, and they have a lot more explaining to do than he does.

The OP did due diligence, by checking circuitcity.com for prices and availability before leaving his house. This isn't the action of a devil customer. It isn't the action of a whiner or a cry-baby. It's the action of someone who wants to confirm the deal that the company is apparently offering.

The problem with this is that Circuit City's website is unreliable. Personally, I think it's shady. There are plenty of past accounts of sales not working the same on the website as in store, and the totally inconsistent ways that CC employees/managers deal with it. Some items are available online, some aren't, some are available for pickup, some aren't. It constantly changes, too.

Is it the OP's responsibility to know the history of this? To automatically assume that prices that are clearly listed on the website are, well, maybe good but maybe not? To find a print ad and compare it to the website?

Recall that the OP called the store before leaving. We might have gotten a very different story had someone simply answered the phone and confirmed or denied the availability of the items at those prices. Sure, maybe it was crazy on that day. But not being able to reach anyone? And his subsequent dealings with them on the phone -- deliberate hangups and long waits -- make it look like this store has a really big customer service problem.

Yeah, the print ad said that Zelda was a special timed sale. The website said otherwise. Is it the OP's job to figure out which one takes precedence? No, that would be Circuit City's. He did the work before going to the store. Once he got there, it should be the store's problem.

I went to Fry's a month ago. I needed a Memory Stick Pro Duo. I hadn't seen their ad. I went to their memory case, and it showed one available for 19.99. I pointed it out to the CSR. As it turns out, it was from a just expired sale. But no one had taken down the tag. They gave it to me at 19.99, without me having to even ask. That's customer service. They made a mistake; they fixed it. Their mistake should not be my problem.

It looks like Circuit City just wants you to come to their store. whether or not they have the items, whether or not the prices are right. Then, you might get it at the price. Or maybe not. It's your problem, not theirs. And when all is said and done, they can just deny it all and blame the customer. Or a misprint. Or the website.

I'm really surprised by CAGs waving the text of the coupon in his face. It's well known that the CC coupons tend to work anyway, no matter what they say in the fine print. Circuit City would have been justified to deny the coupon, but it never got to that point. Likely, it would have gone through. It's really not an issue here.

I haven't bought a thing from Circuit City since the speedy mess, but even before that point, I would not even bother making a special trip to their store for a sale. I've had too much experience with their often-wrong website, misprints, and mysterious shortages of product during sales followed by plenty of stock after the sale is over. Their customer service games are not worth my time or money.
 
[quote name='Brian9824']Why would he try another CC? Do people even read posts?

he attempted to get a sale that ended at 11 A.M. He walked into the store at 5pm.

He made a mistake and thought that the price listed for the bundle online would be the same in store. It wasn't and he raised a fuss ignoring the AD which clearly stated the stores prices and the duration of sale. Next time he will hopefully take a look at the ad before going to a store.....[/QUOTE]


I will clarify once again. On circuitcity.com, they had the DS listed for 139.99 on Saturday. The Saturday after Black Friday. At 5PM. This was an item I actually could add to my cart, unlike the thumb drive, for in-store pickup. The reason I did not was because I wanted to use the 40 off 200 coupon which they sent me, and it could only be used in-store, not online.
 
This is a good CC story. I don't think the store is entirely in the wrong in many places, but I also think that they could handle things better. Lets face it, getting good service around Black Friday is NOT going to happen, especially at these big chain stores.

THAT being said, when there are specials I want at Circuit City, I grab the ad, and take it over to Best buy. Best Buy price matches, AND does so with a smile. The only time I have had any real trouble... well, extra time doing this, was one time I didn't bring the ad with me, and Best Buy had to call Circuit City... at which point, they were placed in hold time hell. :)
 
Excellent read, thank you for brightening up my day. I needed something to laugh at while being at work. I hope you get justice, or that CC burns to the ground.
 
So I take it we are all in agreement that regardless of op being right or wrong, it was fucking awesome when their online system glitched yesterday!!!!!:bouncy:
 
When Super Mario Galaxy came out, the TRU ad showed that it would be in stores by 5 on Tuesday, and at 5 Tuesday, they told everybody to come back the next day. I asked if there was any sort of customer compensation for their mis-advertised product. The manager on duty said no. He also said that none of their 700 stores in the country had gotten it. I told him that he was incorrect about that last statement and left. I called the customer service line and the lady took my info.

I was called the next day by someone about the situation and told that they were sorry. I asked if they were doing anything for customers who were pretty much "bait-and-switch"ed by the ad, essentially being tricked into coming into the retail establishment an extra time. She said that TRU was sorry, but no, that was it. I said I won't shop there anymore.

Should I create thread for this, so I can get front-paged now too? Or will I need to add 18 paragraphs about how I continue to pester the store's employees? Or is it only Circuit City rants that go Front-Page?

Everybody has a bad customer service story. At some point, you just gotta let stuff go and shop somewhere else. At some point, your time should be worth more than what you'd be saving.

Especially, if you're fool enough to go ranting through a store twice on Black Friday weekend.
 
This is what is known as a nightmare customer in the retail business, youve all seen them before, making a huge fuss over little things. Is the money you wouldve saved worth all the effort, obviously not. If you dont like the way they do business the best way to deal with it is to give your business elsewhere, plain and simple.

Sorry if that sounds rude but those people annoy the _____ outta me.
 
I, as a (unfortunatly) Circuit City supervisor must apologize. I hate the company I work for and the way they treat customers (and employees). It truly is a shitty corporation, quickly swirling its way down the toilet. Our district has tried to fix the problem by hiring high school kids without giving them drug tests and by raising the prices of firedog services. They never throught it would be a good idea to, oh, I dunno, make the store better or hire better people or HELP CUSTOMERS. Oh, and they refuse to give their hardworking, caring, customer loving supervisor (me) a raise. But they will give the guy who sells tvs and does nothing else a raise. I tell you, it's a messed up company and I know that from the inside.

I could write a book about the things I've seen after only working their 3 months. And, unfortunatly, I chuckled while reading your story because it sounded like you had come to store 3780 rather than 700 - I'm afraid CC's across the country are like 700, I know mine is.

This is even funnier. They "live by" this "North Star selling behavior" program that managers drill into us employees. It's how the company should treat customers.

I can't remember them all because, well, how could you when the company doesn't follow them?

But #1 is a doozy:

1. Treat me like I matter.

It seems like most stores can't even do that right. Sorry for your bad experience. Everday I go to work I try to make sure things like that don't happen as much as I can.
 
I found everything I wanted from them on BF and was set to be out of the store in 20-30 minutes, no problem. But, even at noon-ish, it was still pretty packed, so I had a longer wait. Oh well, I still got Bully, Matrix Path Of Neo and a couple other things and I only spent about $1.16 outta pocket.

I almost always buy the loss leaders during big sales and rarely go 'oooooo I need one of those' and end up buying some other shit, which is how stores get you to buy other shit when you come in.

You know why? They figure that if they get you into the store, you'll trade your games and/or buy other shit since you wasted the time coming in in the first place. Albeit, I don't know why CC would've had their phone system saying they're closed, since that might deter people from coming down at all. But, who can really understand some of these retailers and their thinking.
 
[quote name='blandstalker']

I went to Fry's a month ago. I needed a Memory Stick Pro Duo. I hadn't seen their ad. I went to their memory case, and it showed one available for 19.99. I pointed it out to the CSR. As it turns out, it was from a just expired sale. But no one had taken down the tag. They gave it to me at 19.99, without me having to even ask. That's customer service. They made a mistake; they fixed it. Their mistake should not be my problem.

[/QUOTE]

Im too lazy to dig up my post but CC had a flash drive on sale for 14.99 in the ad. I went at opening to get a few. I needed one and I knew a few others that could use them at that price.

I asked one of the computer section workers to help me find it. THey did and I took 4 and went to the checkout. Turns out it was a ad mistake and according to the manager there was a notice showing that they had placed a warning it was a price mistake and would not be honored. Even though it was complete bs, I dropped my total purchase I was going to make and havent been back since. CC just sucks ass in that department.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']omg I just saw this on the front page too. Seriously did it need to go on the front page?!?!?

Everyone at some point has had some horror stories with a certain store, but does it need to be on the front page of CAG?!?!?

As other posters said, there is a more of the OP fault then CC's. At this point, don't worry about it. Like I said before it's not worth the frustration and stress over video games. I say the OP chances of victory just dropped to 5%.

Just wait.... there will be another deal like this somewhere down the road and maybe even cheaper or better. It always happens, as past BF years have shown something better has appeared either before or after bf.[/QUOTE]

not that I am defending CheapyD (it is his fucking site) but everyone who complains about it being on the front page should go make their own site. I am entertained by it myself and all I see are a bunch of babies who need to control everything.
 
[quote name='billg']I will clarify once again. On circuitcity.com, they had the DS listed for 139.99 on Saturday. The Saturday after Black Friday. At 5PM. This was an item I actually could add to my cart, unlike the thumb drive, for in-store pickup. The reason I did not was because I wanted to use the 40 off 200 coupon which they sent me, and it could only be used in-store, not online.[/quote]

Once again I will clarify since you keep missing this point.

Online prices and in store prices are DIFFERENT

Just because it was available to order online and pickup instore doesnt change the fact that the sale in the physical store was only valid until 11am which was stated in the ad. After 11am you are not able to buy it in the store for the advertised price because it ended. There is no debate here, the price and length of sale was listed in the ad. You didn't read.
 
I totally supoprt you and found your story to be well written and interesting. CC owes you. I had the same problem with their phone service. I can't believe all CC's have this problem.
And to all you a-holes out there, support this guy! Unlike all of you guys who didn't do anything about your horror stories, this guy is trying to get something done.
 
For those that bitch about the OP raising a stink...its not so much that as much as standing up against CC dicking over the customer. If you lay down everytime something like this happens, it only gets worse.
 
[quote name='stojko23']Unlike all of you guys who didn't do anything about your horror stories, this guy is trying to get something done.[/quote]

No, he's trying to get something for nothing. He is in the wrong. Circuit City is, maybe for the first time in their corporate history, in the right. The only legitimate complaints that I can see are the inventory mismatch and the downed phone system, both of which can easily be chalked up to annoying, but shit happens.
 
If you spent more of your time pursuing a career in copywriting, you wouldn't have to kill your sanity trying to save a few bucks at Circuit City.

In all seriousness (well part of the above was serious) that whole debacle sucks. But there's one important thing either you didn't know or didn't want to accept before getting in your car and attempting that suicide mission.

99.9% of the people who work retail really don't want to be there. Now take that mentality and you'll quickly understand that they probably won't go out of their way to make you happy. If there's something that's not clearly stated in the rules, they're not gonna risk anything to do it. Nobody in that place wrote that they wanted to work in retail when they grow up in their 4th grade writing assignment. It's a miserable job, and if you add the fact that it was the craziest day in the craziest time of year - it's hard to feel sorry for you. Most of us weren't crazy enough to step foot in a bestbuy/circuit city/target. That's the most amount of crazy I've ever used in a paragraph.

And I'm not sure what the point is of writing such a long winded post - hope this makes it's way to the CC corporate offices? Trying to get a few hundred people to stop shopping at circuit city? Maybe the whole thing snowballed into hell because of the bad karma in trying to reduce the price of the purple jump drive aimed at raising money for alzheimers?
 
I must say I haven't been entirely impressed with Best Buy lately, but it is my store of choice, however when I was out of town the nearest electronic store was Circuit City. I figured that would be fine because I saw the sales Circuit City were having and they were ok (the only thing I was very interested in at BB was SSX for the Wii, the ad said minimum 15 in store and the manager told me there they only received 4 in their shipment, but this BB and my local BB's inventory problems are another story altogether.)

I was at the store when they opened at 5 and was able to find most of the things I wanted at Circuit City except a few Wii accessories (the 2.99 wheel and the 9.99 sports pack because it makes the Wiimote easier for my fiancé to understand, or so she says.) These accessories were bought as soon as the doors opened at 5 a.m., the people in checkout lines in front of me were carrying 7-10 of these items alone. I know there wasn't a maximum purchase limit, but the 10 year old girl and her mother in front of me were unable to get these items for her, which seems extremely unacceptable. The employees were made aware of this problem, but said they could do nothing about it, which I assume is correct.

The worst part was the wheel and sports pack were not in the computer's inventory.(?) So the line was held for about 25 minutes while the managers and cashiers attempted to fix a problem that, in my mind, shouldn't have been a problem. Why were items in your BLACK FRIDAY ad NOT in the computer???

After this I got closer to the checkout and the girl and mother mentioned earlier were checking out. The girl had 2 of the Wiimote/Nunchuk Jackets listed in the ad for 2.99(they were pink appropriately as she was a young girl.) After scanning them they were also not in the computer, but instead of all the waiting we did for the last inventory problem, the MANAGER explained to the mother that the items in the ad were not Nintendo brand and the ones brought to the register were, and so they were not on sale. Now correct me if I am wrong, but Nintendo only makes one type of Wiimote Jacket, and that is the one that is free from their website (I told the mother and daughter about this and they seemed happy afterwards. If anyone from Nintendo’s marketing division is reading, I’ll have by business degree in one year, and would love to start work.;)) I had to step in and tell them that Nintendo didn't make any of the Jackets they had in store; they are made by Mad Catz, BD & A, and Verge. After a meaningless discussion he mumbled to the cashier and left, and the cashier would not let them purchase the item.

While these aren't big deals, it seems to be a big problem when customer satisfaction is left out of the retail equation, as is the case with the OP's account of events. They did do one thing “right” though, because I too had one of the 14.99 2gb Scandisk flash drives, but at first glace I thought it was 7.99. The cashier told me it was 7.99 after rebate. (DEAR LORD) But after all the arguing with the manager on behalf of the girl and waiting in line for avoidable confusion, I simply said ok and purchased it at 14.99 (not a bad price, I know, but REBATES?:cry:) They were successful at numbing and annoying me into compliance, which seems to be their company’s mission statement.

Some of you people say the OP is wrong for pursuing this, but if people like him don't, who will?? You people saying he is a "Nightmare Customer"? Sometimes people do feel the need to go beyond what helps and benefits them and attempt to keep the same misforture from happening to people down the road. If even one of the managers he mentioned gets reprimanded and helps only 5 customers provided their kids with a Merry Christmas, I think it was time well spent.
 
well...
that was indeed a crappy weekend
personally id have dropped it and not went back
maybe went to a different store or just chalked this up to a missed deal......

but i wouldnt have been able to 'take the high road' either id have dropped a few f bombs stirred some shit up then left and only come back when i could thoroughly rape CC (with $5 new games and such)

Good luck my friend and thanks for posting :)
 
[quote name='lowgear26']not that I am defending CheapyD (it is his fucking site) but everyone who complains about it being on the front page should go make their own site. I am entertained by it myself and all I see are a bunch of babies who need to control everything.[/QUOTE]

This thread is getting a lot of attention, all of which the OP wants. Seriously is this a major deal? Is CC going after the OP for posting ads? At this point there will be no resolution. Yes it's sad that CC tossed him around like a football, but that's is to be expected when you have employee's who don't know jack about customer service.

It's really time to give it up. At this point I don't think even a lawyer would take this case.
 
well i was with you until you complained about the nintendo ds bundle deal
now i think your just being a ass

although circuit city is a big ripp off i never shop there
 
I glad to hear someone is fighting back.

I guess if your money isn't good enough for them neither is mine.

gg circuit city
 
Wow -- after reading that, I don't think I ever want to shop at CC again (unless they have a system glitch like yesterday :p) -- good luck, billg. You gotta keep us updated on this one...

PS - especially liked this part: "I have no doubt that many CAGs will call me crazy, certainly long-winded, and probably a few other choice turns of phrase. But let it never be said that I gave up. Let it never be said that the customer isn't always right. And let it never be said that billg is not a Cheap Ass Gamer."
 
I love the eloquence of your writing style, and now share the hatred for CC that you have. I have also had tons of problems actually calling CC and talking to someone as well, and its not just one CC, but many stores in my area. I, however, value my time when I get it, and I suppose I am more tolerant of being wronged by big companies, so I just take my money elsewhere. That is not to say I do not appreciate what you are doing as you, my fellow CAG, are fighting for us all, and I hope that you not only get the compensation you deserve (and a bottle of asprin) but also evoke actual change in CC.
 
I think we have all been there, CC being ass about deals, pricematch and stuff, but in reality there doesn't seem much worth it for the OP (besides the personal hustle with the CC employees).

As it has been said before, there are better gains by using their clearances and mistakes, than their actual advertised deals, i know i have gotten insane deals that even their own employees don't believe.

Who knows maybe with the attention the OP is getting he might be mailed a *gasp* 20 dlls gift card.
 
[quote name='Brian9824']Once again I will clarify since you keep missing this point.

Online prices and in store prices are DIFFERENT

Just because it was available to order online and pickup instore doesnt change the fact that the sale in the physical store was only valid until 11am which was stated in the ad. After 11am you are not able to buy it in the store for the advertised price because it ended. There is no debate here, the price and length of sale was listed in the ad. You didn't read. [/quote]

Look, we get it. You think he was wrong. Fine.

Here's the thing... WHY IN THE HELL WOULD ANYONE ASSUME THAT ONLINE AND IN-STORE PRICES VARY?

MOST stores have things CLEARLY marked on the website as ONLINE ONLY. This, apparently, did not. When I'm searching for the best price on something, I don't check print ads, I look at the price online and assume it's the same in-store, and I'm willing to bet that most others do, as well.

So, fine, I get that the OP was late ACCORDING to the ad. However, I'll admit that if, at 5pm the following day, I saw that price on the website, I would assume it was the same price in-store. If someone explained it calmly and non-condescendingly to me, I'd be fine.

Point is... average Joe consumer will ALWAYS assume that online prices match in-store pricing, UNLESS it's SPECIFICALLY stated on the site.

Just because you're on a deal website and you 'know' how all stores work, don't assume EVERYONE does. Mark it clearly, or they should be the same. Period.
 
[quote name='Brian9824']Once again I will clarify since you keep missing this point.

Online prices and in store prices are DIFFERENT

Just because it was available to order online and pickup instore doesnt change the fact that the sale in the physical store was only valid until 11am which was stated in the ad. After 11am you are not able to buy it in the store for the advertised price because it ended. There is no debate here, the price and length of sale was listed in the ad. You didn't read. [/QUOTE]


Which is the #1 wrong thing about retailers and their websites. As a customer, you should be able to assume that an item you can order for in-store pickup at a certain price should be that same price when you go to the store. Don't give me the two things are different companies corporate bullshit, if you can't get it at that price in-store, don't make it available for in-store pickup.

It's yet another example of how retailers skirt the laws to try and get you in the store.

That said, you are investing WAY too much time on this subject, as if it was personal.
 
Wow, I didn't realize how many belligerent people hung out at CAG... you'd think there might be a somewhat more supportive group of like-minded asses of the cheap variety here, and not so many just plain asses.

Anyway, I enjoyed reading your post, OP, and actually laughed out loud (LOL'd, if you will) several times. Lord knows I've had my share of abysmal experiences at CC... for every decent deal I manage to score there, I have a good 2-3 horror stories to make up for it.

Most recently, I tried to partake of the COD4 deal, in which COD3 was given away for free with the purchase of COD4. Not a great deal, but not bad. At any rate, I arrived at the store around noon, picked up one of the 7-8 copies of COD3 sitting on the shelf, but couldn't locate COD4.

After finally locating an employee who had some knowledge of the video games department, I learned that yes, they had many copies of COD4 in the back, but no, they were not allowed to sell them until 2 PM. The employee pointed out a bit in the ad in small print that read "Available by 2 PM." I pointed out to him the meaning of the word "by," but it didn't help at all.

The employee referred me to the (smarter?) employees at the Customer Service desk, who in turn referred me to the manager. Unfortunately, they were all sticking together on the 2 PM thing, and they insisted that I return at 2 PM to make the purchase. Fine, no big deal.

So I walk back into the store at exactly 2 PM to find a large number of angry customers milling about (all of whom look like COD4 fans, if you know what I mean), and I immediately get a bad feeling about things. Sure enough, they've already sold out of COD3, and people aren't happy... least of all me, who was standing in the store with a copy of COD3 two hours earlier. I should have hidden the damned thing behind Barbie's Horse Adventures, or Lair.

Anyway, I didn't mean to ramble on for so long, but the end of the story is that the manager completely refused to help in any way. I would have been happy with a courtesy discount on COD4, to be honest... even $10 off, as opposed to the full $20 to match the COD3 price, would have helped. But no biggie, the BB across the street surprisingly matched the ad with no questions asked, so happy was me.

I still sent a very polite email to corporate, though, and received a scripted response back 10 days later recommending that I resolve the issue at store level. I emailed back recommending that they bite me at ass level, and that's pretty much been the end of that.
 
You shouldn't shop at CC to begin with. The company let go of over half their associates because they were "paid too much." Then, CC wanted those same associates to reapply for their old jobs at a lower pay rate.

Retail is a nasty business. Those "managers" billg dealt with are underpaid and yet, fiercely loyal to their company. Gamestop employees are no different. Underpaid and yet, unwilling to side with the gamer/customer who makes their job possible.

I've been in both corporate and small-business retail, and the only difference is in small-business, you get to make more decisions. Ultimately, the people who start corporate game stores or stores that sell games don't care about gaming. Ever wonder who started Gamestop? An accountant and a failed PR guy.

Sedibus paribus, I go to Wal-Mart. At least you know they hate you before you walk through the door.
 
Why the need to bash circuit city based on one store that wouldn't adjust a flash drive price?

Your story should have been just a few lines long:

Go to store, out of stock of thumb drive. Either find a replacement and use the coupon, or don't. End of story. The rest of the drama was brought on by yourself.
 
I guess deep down you enjoyed the run around though, otherwise why would you persevere with something that was obviously a lost cause?

Anyway I hope you get some sort of nice apology gift from CC, at least to make up for the time you spent on the phone and writing this up. It was an entertaining read.

Personally I would've just given up and gone somewhere else after the hassle on Saturday at the store. Although like others have said, Black Friday is usually the time to get the best deals.
 
Circuit City is so terrible! The new releases DVDs and CDs are always completely hidden. Why would you put the new releases in the back of the section, facing the far wall away from the aisle? And you're right about checkout problems. They have anywhere from 5 to 6 little stations that they can ring you out on, but none of them are ever open consistently. It makes no sense!

The only time I've had positive experiences at CC are when dealing with fellow 'gamer/nerd' (aka normal) people. For whatever reason, a few of them work there and they know what they are doing. But they are few and far between.
 
The guy had a good story, and he told it well. I know I had a helluva laugh at his expense. Does it hurt any, single person on this site that the story is on the front page? Does it ruin your day in some way? I think not. Perhaps, it is a little jealousy on your part. Maybe, one day, you will have your 15 minutes of CAG fame. Until then, get off the guy's case.

In the end, the moral anyone should derive out of this nonsense is that CC's service stinks. For anyone that pays attention to the business world, you'll know why. Over the past year, due to substantial losses for the company, CC let go of thousands of experienced employees nationwide, due to their high salaries, and replacesd them with the hourly-employees from the floor. This contributed to the OP's inability to get anything close to quality customer service. I expect stupidity from a cashier, but I also expect some level of professionalism from "authority" types.
 
Should this be on the front page, no. It's not that newsworthy.

However, you join this with the current set of feelings many on this site have towards CC (See the numerous Speedy/Circuit City threads), and that's probably why it's on the front page.

Regardless - don't read it if you don't want to. If it's too long winded, don't read it. If you don't like what he's saying - don't read it.

It never fails that on a communal site like this where someone is trying to explain just how bad a retailer is about a host of things - there is always a bunch of short-sited people who try to knock them down.

The first 75% of his original post had nothing to do with the DS bundle, so stop focusing on it.

We've all had terrible customer service experiences at these retailers, but the OP actually took the time to share his story.

Honestly, he has a great writing style, and for one, I found it entertaining.

You don't have to agree with everything in there to associate with some/most of what he's saying.

Only other thing I have to say is to those who continue to point out that most in retail are miserable, and that's why they don't provide good customer service...

DUH - that's the frigging point. If I was the manager, I would have fired anyone who's attitude sucks, or can't be bothered. The job isn't rocket science - if you don't want to be there, get lost. The problem is, the managers mostly have the same attitude, which leads me to believe that they hate their jobs as well.

Nightmare customer? Typical attitude for someone who's life is stuck in jobs with name tags and hair nets.

Make a customer happy, and they'll be back, and bring friends. Upset a customer, and you'll lose more than you'll ever know. Business Management 101.
 
lol... circuitcity does have terrible customer service... but its because they have a pretty high turnover rate.

my friend, 19, went from a cashier to manager within 6 months because he said three-fourths of the had employees quit
 
[quote name='Orrimarrko']Should this be on the front page, no. It's not that newsworthy.

However, you join this with the current set of feelings many on this site have towards CC (See the numerous Speedy/Circuit City threads), and that's probably why it's on the front page.

Regardless - don't read it if you don't want to. If it's too long winded, don't read it. If you don't like what he's saying - don't read it.

It never fails that on a communal site like this where someone is trying to explain just how bad a retailer is about a host of things - there is always a bunch of short-sited people who try to knock them down.

The first 75% of his original post had nothing to do with the DS bundle, so stop focusing on it.

We've all had terrible customer service experiences at these retailers, but the OP actually took the time to share his story.

Honestly, he has a great writing style, and for one, I found it entertaining.

You don't have to agree with everything in there to associate with some/most of what he's saying.

Only other thing I have to say is to those who continue to point out that most in retail are miserable, and that's why they don't provide good customer service...

DUH - that's the frigging point. If I was the manager, I would have fired anyone who's attitude sucks, or can't be bothered. The job isn't rocket science - if you don't want to be there, get lost. The problem is, the managers mostly have the same attitude, which leads me to believe that they hate their jobs as well.

Nightmare customer? Typical attitude for someone who's life is stuck in jobs with name tags and hair nets.

Make a customer happy, and they'll be back, and bring friends. Upset a customer, and you'll lose more than you'll ever know. Business Management 101.[/QUOTE]

Well said.
 
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