Best Buy or Big Lie ... You Decide

If you saw my video about Microsoft Windows, you know I was thinking about making a move to MAC ... I DID! That is through good news. Here is the bad ...

I had been researching Apple computers online when I decided to go to Best Buy to see them in person, u close and personal. As I approached the Apple display, a young salesman approached and asked if he could help. Almost immediately, another salesman approached with an Apple MacBook Pro 13 in his hands. That was the beginning of the end if my customer relationship with Best Buy.

I only started shopping at Best Buy again in 2008 after a 15-year hiatus for an "integrity" problem I had with a store in Colorado Springs, Colorado. After moving to Kansas City in 2008, I decided to give them another chance, spending several thousand dollars there over the last 5 years.

Back to the story. The salesman with this "new" computer told me it had a small blemish, but was a new computer and had been checked out internally, passing with flying colors.

Intrigued, I proceeded to ask specific questions about the computer. Remember, I only went to the store to look, not buy.  I ask hill specifically about the size of the hard-drive, telling him I needed a 500GB hard-drive for my business. He assured me that it was in-fact a "new" model with a 500GB hard-drive.

I have never purchased used or slightly used electronics before, except for deeply discounted floor models with a full warranty, which HE ASSURED ME WAS THE CASE with this particular computer. He added "it has a 1-year warranty, parts and labor. If you have a problem with it in the next 12 months, simply bring it back to the store".

I verified AT LEAST one more time with both salesmen present:

1. New computer? - "Yes!"

2. 500GB hard-drive? - "Absolutely, no doubt!"

3. Bring it BACK TO THE STORE if I have ANY PROBLEMS in the next year? - "Yes sir, bring it back and we'll take care of it!"

SOLD!  After all, these clean cut young men are not working on commission and have no reason to lie, so I left the store with my new Mac!

I noticed over the next several weeks that the battery did not seem to last as long as I had heard Apple batteries did, so I found the user manual online. The manual stated that this model's battery was supposed to last 10 hours, but mine was lasting only 2 hours or so.

As I was learning how to use this new operating system, I did some digging and found out that it only had a 250GB hard-drive (this as just a few weeks after I bought it), but because it seemed to be working well and still had plenty of space on the hard-drive, I decided to let the salesman's "little white lie" go ... BIG MISTAKE BECAUSE, AS I FOUND OUT TODAY, I WAS STILL WITHIN BEST BUY'S RETURN POLICY LIMITS AT THAT TIME.

A week or so ago, I unplugged the power charger, which was lit green at the time, meaning that the battery was fully charged, to use the computer while watching TV. When I unplugged the cord, the computer displayed a message saying something like "battery critically low - attach power". However, when I plugged the computer back in, the display indicated that the battery was "98%" charged!  I decided to check and see if the display was correct, so I unplugged the computer once more and IT WORKED ... 98% power, so I continued to use it remotely for an hour or so.

No problems until this morning, April 30th, 2013, only 50 days after my purchase AND WELL WITHIN THE ONE-YEAR "RETURN TO STORE" WARRANTY PERIOD. Again unplugged the (lit green ... battery fully charged) power cord, sat down, and tried to turn the computer on ... NOTHING, NADA, NIENTE!  I returned the computer to its power supply and after it finally came on, taking longer than usual, the battery indicator displayed only an "X", indicating that there was no charge in the battery. In-fact, when I checked the battery's status using one of the System Tools, the report indicated that the battery was 0% charged even though it had been plugged in overnight. The report also stated that there was "no battery detected" ... UH OH!

While I was digging through the system report, I saw the model number of the computer for the first time ... It read "MacBook Pro 13 - Model 2010 Mid-Year". WHAT? 2010? NOT 2012 OR 2013 AS I WAS TOLD?

That was the last straw! I backed-up my hard-drive, contacts, emails, and so on, gathered my receipts, and left for Best Buy to return my faulty, misrepresented computer that I had purchased less than 60 days prior. I should not have a problem, after all, I am well within the one-year Best Buy  warranty period ... right?  Wrong!

When I arrived at the store, I asked the man at the front door if I could please see a manager. After receiving the "third degree" as to why I needed to speak to a manager, Darnell Dixon, Customer Support Manager came strolling nonchalantly up, looking as if he was baffled as to why a customer would want to talk to a manager. It took all if the self-control I could muster, I calmly explained exactly what I just told you, every detail. I recorded the conversation as I do all conversations (telephone and otherwise) where there is a chance that the person on the other end could be confrontational or "less than totally honest". After all, Darnell's employees lied through their teeth to get me to buy this three year-old piece if junk, so why should I expect any less from him?  I was right, I should not have!

All Darnell could say is "you are outside of our return policy limits and need to deal with Apple". But Darnell, your employee lied to me, misrepresenting a product and your warranty limits, and you that is all you can do ... REALLY?  But all Darnell could say is "you are outside of our return policy limits and need to deal with Apple".  Come on Darnell, surely you have some authority to do the right thing and stand by your employees claims when he coerced me into buying this computer UNDER FALSE PRETENSES?  But all Darnell could say is "you are outside of our return policy limits and need to deal with Apple".

I asked Darnell Dixon, Customer Support Manager, fir his card and told him exactly what I thought of his integrity, or lack thereof, and that I would contact his corporate headquarters and, most likely, NEVER SPEND ANOTHER PENNY AT BEST BUY!  I probably threw a few other expletives in there as I walked out the door, BUT I WAS PISSED ... HOW DARE THEY LIE TO ME ... HOW DARE THEY!

When I returned home, I immediately called 888-BEST-BUY just as Darnell told me and was connected to Brittany in the Complaints Department. I explained the while story, very calmly, to Brittany, which seemed to be sympathetic and compassionate. After 15 minutes or so, Brittany said "let me call the store and see what I can do".  I told her "thank you Brittany" and waited ten minutes while she called Darnell Dixon, Customer Support Manager.

When Brittany came back in the line, she said "you are outside of our return policy limits and need to deal with Apple".

Should I have been surprised?  Probably not. After all, customer service has become a thing of the past even though businesses are closing daily because in an economy in turmoil. I have been harassed, abused, and discriminated and retaliated against more times than I can recall over the past 5, 10, 15 years, So much so that I started a website called InstitutionalTerrorism.com, documenting story after horror story of large organizations treading on the rights, the emotions, the lives of innocent American citizens ... Verizon ... Century Link ... J.E. Dunn Construction ... Holiday Cruises ... Kmart ... Ryan Lawn and Tree ... Ace Tree Service ... Clean Green Lawn ... Kohl's ... Go Green ... University of Missouri - Kansas City ... Missouri Governor Jay Nixon ... Missouri Senators Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt ... Missouri State Senator Rob Schaff ... Missouri Attorney General Koster ... the Missouri Department of Higher Education ... an "unnamed" school district that discriminated against a woman for being Italian ... the U.S. Department of Education ... the Greater Kansas City YMCA ... St. Therese Catholic Parish (Kansas City, MO) ... Kansas City's Catholic Bishop Finn (convicted protector of a child molester priest) ... TO NAME JUST A FEW!

Remember the movie NETWORK and the aging newscaster who wailed "I'm sick and tired and am not going to take it anymore! ... I'm sick and tired and am not going to take it anymore! ... I'm sick and tired and am not going to take it anymore!"?  Well, let me just say that I CAN RELATE ... I'm sick and tired and AM NITE GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!

If you are sick and tired, please let me know your story.  If nothing else, you can cathart a little, releasing some of that pent-up tension before you explode and do further damage to your body as stress does. Maybe we can even do something as a group that we as individuals cannot. These businesses, companies, organizations, bureaucracies, institutions DO NOT CARE ... THEY DO NOT HAVE TO!

V3 is a Trademark of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - Copyright 2013 - All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2013 - 3rd Wave Publishing, A Subsidiary of 3rd Wave Media Group, LLC - All Rights Reserved

Letter to the President of Kmart: Kmart Pharmacy Discriminated Against Disabled Customer and Witheld Vital Medication

Louis J. (Lou) D'Ambrosio, President and CEO

Kmart Corporate Office | Headquarters
3333 Beverly Rd. Hoffman Estates, IL 60179

Dear Mr. D’Ambrosio,

1.      On May 18^th, 2012, I visited my doctor and received a prescription for lorazapam (1mg, twice a day for anxiety – 90 day supply – and one refill). I was nearly out of my previous prescription at that time and was planning a six week vacation abroad in June, so I needed the prescription filled immediately.  Being retired military and using ExpressScripts for many years, I expected my prescription to arrive in a few days.  When it did not, I checked the ExpressScripts website which stated that my order was being “processed”.  I called ExpressScripts on/about May 23^rd and was told that they needed to coordinate with the doctor because of an error on the prescription and that they would “expedite” processing after I told them I was about to run out.  Needless to say, another week went by with no prescription in the mail, so I called ExpressScripts again on May 31^st and they told me there had been a mistake with my prescription for Androgel and they had held up the entire order, including the lorazapam.  By this time, I had been completely out for a few days, so I asked them if they could transfer my prescription to KMART PHARMACY #3239 - 7100 NW PRAIRIE VIEW RD KANSAS CITY MO 64151 which they did.  I had the prescription filled at Kmart on 6/1/2012, nearly two weeks after it should have been filled originally.

2.      As stated, I took the prescription to Kmart and it was filled on 6/1/2012 without incident.  However, when I attempted to refill the prescription, I ran into roadblock after roadblock and pharmacy staff unwilling to assist a patient in distress, and bitchy attitudes on top of it all.  The first time I went in for the refill (end of July I think – I didn’t remember exactly when the prescription had been filled, was at Kmart, and thought I would kill two birds so to speak).  A young, heavyset woman told me that she would have to call my doctor because “it was too soon” to refill it and that she would call me back.  I have always refilled the prescription well in advance of the 90-days, anywhere from a week to two weeks, depending on the pharmacy and depending on my schedule. I told the woman I was running low because I had been traveling under some very stressful conditions (our house sitter abandoned our home and animals while we were staying with family and working in Europe) and I had used more of the medication than normal. The young woman said “I’ll call your doctor and call you on your cell phone once I get word”. 

3.      The promised call never came, so I rationed my medication, knowing I could get the prescription filled 7 days before it would expire.  On or about August 25^th, 2012, I again went to the pharmacy window and explained to the same young, heavyset technician what had happened and what I wanted.  She appeared to remember me and went to the computer, quickly coming back and stating “the prescription was filled on June 1^st and cannot be refilled until August 30^th.”  It appeared as though I was being singled out, hassled, discriminated against, and they were not going to give me the medication (I was again rationing and needed for sleep) simply because “they could”.  I did the math at home and realized, even if they wanted to wait until the last minute, the 90-day supply would be exhausted on August 29^th, not the 30^th, so the young woman was wrong. 

4.      By this time, I was so infuriated by the attitudes and incompetence of the Kmart Pharmacy staff, I went to my old pharmacy at Price Chopper and asked for my prescription to be transferred.  The pharmacist there, after a long conversation with the Kmart Pharmacy, told me that my prescription “could not be transferred again” and that I would have to get it from Kmart, incompetent and customer unfriendly as they are.

5.      The “coup de grace” came on Monday, August 27^th, when I returned to the KMart Pharmacy and asked the young, heavyset girl if I could speak with the pharmacist. Instead, the manager, Juliet Barker, came over.  I started to explain the situation when she blurted out “you tried to have your prescription transferred yesterday, didn’t you?”  I told her that I had in-fact done so because of her staff’s rudeness and terrible customer service. She added “you can’t get the prescription until the 30^th” (with a smirk on her face and “I’ll show you” attitude).  I stated “if you could count, the 90-days is up on the 29^th, not the 30^th, so why are you withholding a medication I need past the date when I run out?”  Already stressed and anxious (THAT’S WHY I HAVE A PRESCRIPTION FOR LORAZAPAM!) due to the situation I returned from Europe because of (abandoned home and animals, thousands of dollars in theft and damages, having to file two separate complaints (criminal charges) against the house sitter, etc, etc), I could not deal with Ms. Barker’s snide and aggressive attitude any longer, so I asked when my prescription would be ready and she stated “Wednesday, August 29^th, after 11:00 AM”.  I asked her to make sure that it would be ready at that time and left the store.

6.      I have never experienced such a hostile and aggressive staff as you have working in this pharmacy.  They cannot discriminate among patients, treating one differently than another as has been the case with me.  Do they not like men, old men, disabled men, veterans?  Why was I treated this way and denied the medication I need willy nilly by a bunch of rude, angry women? 

7.      I stopped shopping at Kmart and Sears years ago when Kmart went into bankruptcy and I lost thousands of dollars in stocks while the board of directors simply filed bankruptcy, reissued new stock, and went on with their business as if nothing happened.  I never received an apology or anything else for the thousands I lost because of their incompetence, so I stopped shopping at Kmart and did not return until they opened this store near my home.  I saw the store was struggling, hardly ever a car in the parking lot, so I returned to shop occasionally, mostly to support our neighbors who work there more than anything else.  In this economy, I would hate for anybody to lose their jobs, particularly in my community, so I supported this store despite my better judgment. What a mistake!

8.      I will never again step foot in this Kmart, once I receive my prescription, because of the way I was treated, like a criminal and definitely not like a valued customer.  It is only a matter of time before this store closes and all employees lose their jobs.  You should be going out of your way to build relationships and loyalty, not destroy them!  You should also be ashamed of yourselves for the way I was treated, discriminated and retaliated against for a reason I have yet to figure out.  Maybe you should do your own investigation…no, wait, that would mean holding “your own” accountable…what am I crazy, what big company would have the integrity to do that?  Not, Kmart, I can count on that!