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New Member
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎01-09-2014

How do I file a formal complaint?

I had one of the worst experience in a store both yesterday and today and I would like to know who to contact regarding this matter.

Thank you
New Member
Posts: 9
Registered: ‎01-09-2014

Re: How do I file a formal complaint?

On 12/20, I saw on that you were running a promotion to receive a $100 gift card with the lease of an Iphone X on the Sprint network.  I didn't think I could make it in that day so I got on the chat.  I spoke with a representative and simply asked how long the promotion was running.  The representative told me it would be going through to 12/23.  


The following day, I went to the store and asked about the promotion.  The Best Buy Mobile representative didn't know so he asked another employee.  He came back and told me it was a one day promotion and they couldn't honor it.  I explained to him what I had been told about it running through 12/23 so he grabbed the store manager who happened to walk by.  I explained the situation again and the store manager, I believe his name is Tim, apologized and said there was nothing he could do.  He said he wasn't responsible for what a representative at told me and he was only responsible for the staff in his store.  I thought it was kind of rude, and I was a little upset about the situation so I left the store.


On the way home I figured I would call the 1-800 number to see if I could get them to honor it.  I was informed that if I could speak to a chat representative and get them to pull the chat log from the day before, have them add that to the notes on my account that I was told 12/23, then they could honor it.


I tried doing it that night but I ran out of time so I tried again the following day.  The chat representative was able to quickly find the log and emailed it to me.  She also copied and pasted the conversation into our current chat and updated my account notes.  She instructed me to present a reference number at the store when I went to get the phone and they could help me.  I didn't think they would help me at the store so she told me to just call the 1800 number after I got the phone and they would honor it.


After work, I decided to go to the store but I wanted to ensure that my account had been updated with the notes from the online chat.  The Primary Care support person I spoke with said the notes were correct and he was going to call the Peoria, IL store to talk to someone so I wouldn't have an issue when I went in.  He got back on the phone and said he had called and spoke to someone in the mobile department and everthing was taken care of.


I get to the store and talk to one of the mobile reps.  I explain I want to upgrade to the Iphone X and I had spoke to someone at the corporate number who said they had called the store.  The rep said he didn't know anything about it so he got the manager of the Best Buy Mobile Department.  I don't remember his name but he is over the mobile department.  As soon as I explained to him the situation, that I was told to come into the store and that someone from the corporate number was supposed to have called here, he became hostile.


He told me that what I was saying didn't make any sense.  That they don't keep notes in the store so he didn't know what I was talking about.  At this point, I was a little irritated because I had just gotten off the phone with someone less than 10 minutes prior who said everything was taken care of.  The manager continued and said they would not honor an expired promotion.  He didn't offer to try to help figure it out.  He didn't offer to try to call their contact at the 1800 number to see if what I was saying was legitimate.  It did make me angry because I had spent 3-4 hours at this point between the online chat and the phone to try to get this resolved.  


He informed me that if I was going to have an attitude that I could leave the store.  I don't feel like I said anything all that inappropriate, but I did ask if there was anyone else in the store that could have taken that call.  He didn't bother to ask.  He said that he had been there all day and that nobody had called. 


It is a large store and they are pretty busy this time of year.  I fail to understand how he could possibly know that nobody had called especially since it had just happened less than 10 minutes ago.  He insisted I was wrong.


He then went to talk to the store manager about it and at this time I started calling the 1800 number because I thought if I could just get the two connected it would be resolved.  I don't feel it was my responsibility to do this as a customer.  He should have tried this route to begin with.


He came back after talking to the store manager about the time I got someone on the line from the 1800 number.  I asked him to wait just a moment so I could speak to the rep and he told me "Well, you can either hear what I have to say or you can talk to them."  He said it in a way that made me think that if I continued talking to the rep on the phone that he would not help me.  He (the mobile manager) then informed me of the following:


1)  He said that the store manager made it painfully clear the day before that they would not honor it 


2)  He said that I didn't get my way the day before so I tried to go around the store manager's authority. 

  • This really isnt true.  I called to try to get it resolved with the department who provided me the false information -  I assumed I would go to the store, buy the phone, and then call the number to have the giftcard issued. It was the representative on the phone that day who told me the store would issue the giftcard.


3)  He said that it didn't matter what anyone told me on the 1800 number, that the store manager ultimately had the say over what happens in his store.

  • Again, I was trying to get it resolved with


4)  He said they were going to honor it but he wanted to make it painfully clear (he kept saying this phrase) that they moving forward I would not be able to get an expired promotion (like this is something I do often or like I was trying to pull a fast one on them.)  That the store manager ultimately has control over his store and it didn't matter who I called. He also told me the only reason they were doing it is because I used to work there and it was a courtesy.  He made it sound like they were doing me a favor. 

  • This just made matters worse because as a customer, I shouldn't have to get "special treatment" because I used to work there.  Furthermore, I had never worked with that store manager and I had quit about the time this Best Buy mobile manager started.  I don't even really know him.  Why does someone have to be an employee there to receive good customer service?  It made no sense.


I talked to him a few more minutes and tried to explain to him that it shouldn't matter who told me the false information, that as a customer, Best Buy is Best Buy and I was only doing what I was instructed to by multiple representatives that I had spoken with on the phone and on the chat.  That they would honor it if I could get the chat where they told me the promotion ran through 12/23.  I told him the way I was being talked to was aggressive and I couldn't understand why he was speaking to me that way.  It is like he wanted to berate me for 5 minutes before ultimately telling me they were going to honor it.


I really did not want to give them my business that day or ever again, but I had already been through enough to try to get this promotion.  The Best Buy mobile rep who helped me after that was really great and provided excellent service. He also apologized for his manager's behavior.  This was really eye opening because it sounded like this was't the first time he has had to apologize for his supervisor.  I just don't understand how anyone in retail can treat a customer like he treated me that day.  I don't think I was being unreasonable because I was doing exactly what I was instructed to do by Primary Support and the chat agents on


I've just never been treated like that before in that store, but that will be the last time I step foot in there.  Customers shouldn't have to take abuse like that and there was no reason for his hostility.  It could have been easily resolved if he would have just taken the time to talk to the representative on the phone or call whoever he needed to call to verify the information.  Instead, I was treated like dirt by him and the store manager and further insulted because they made me feel like they were doing me a favor.  My suspision is they did receive the call and were mad because the store manager had previously told me no  That's the only explanation I can think of given how quickly he became aggressive.


Posts: 6,487
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Registered: ‎12-23-2016

Re: How do I file a formal complaint?

Hello morsebs138,


Welcome to the Best Buy Community forums. I’m sorry it has taken us so long to get back to you on this. With the busy holiday season we are a bit behind and it’s taking longer than we’d like to reply back to everyone that came to us for help over the past few weeks.


Luckily, you’ve found the best place to let us know about your recent bad experience. I’m very sorry that your purchase was such a bad experience. While we generally are unable to honor promotions that have expired, it sounds like the manager that you spoke with didn’t treat you with the respect that you deserved in your unique situation.


I’ll be happy to document these concerns in our corporate systems for you, but in order to so that I’ll just need a little more information from you. If you could please send me a private message by using the link in my signature below this post with the customer service PIN from the bottom of your purchase receipt. That’ll allow me to write this up with all the relevant details for you.


I look forward to hearing back from you so we can get this all set.



Kyle R|Social Media Specialist | Best Buy® Corporate