TO: BEST BUY CONSUMER RELATION CORPORATE
FROM: x (loyal Best Buy customer)
DATE: May 25, 1999
RE: Management and Training issue at Rockford, IL operation

My name is x. Please reference my best buy credit card account to see how much I have spent in more than a dozen best buy stores over the last four years before you continue reading this letter.

Looking over my house, almost anything electronic (phones, printer, tvs, vcrs, playstation, playstation cds, answering machine, microwaves, even a grill, speakers, receiver, cd player, tape deck, subwoofers, DSS) that I own was purchased at a best buy store. Most of the time I do not put small purchases (cds) on the best buy card which will amount to 200-300 dollars more per year.

I went to best buy (rockford, IL) on 5/23 with the "preferred customer" coupon sent to me to save 10% on "most anything" in the store. I picked up Street Fighter 3 Alpha (Playstation CD) and went to the checkout.

The checkout "cashier" said the coupon wasn't valid on this item. I said why not, particularly because I bought a PSX cd with the coupon the last time it was sent. The coupon specifically said it was not valid on digital cameras or certain appliances or tvs under a certain price but nothing that could be construed as not being valid on Playstation CDs. I said "how is this cd considered to not be valid?" She obviously hadn’t been provided sufficient training to answer this question. I told her to call her boss.

It took more than five minutes and four pa system pages for the boss (JASON) to get there. The store was not busy for a Sunday afternoon. I pulled out my best buy card and said "before I tell you my problem, I want you to look up my account and check out how much I've spent in best buy stores." He said that’s not a concern right now. Right now I have been told that customer loyalty means nothing at best buy rockford. He made the same statement that it's not covered because it’s not listed specifically on the coupon.

One of the categories on the coupon was "computer software." I told him that if he were to pull a playstation off the shelf and open it I will demonstrate the similarities between a psx and a computer hence the psx cd is considered computer software. He even admitted that most computer software is published on cd. I told him the PSX has a CPU, video drivers, ram, etc. He said psx cds are not computer software. Right now I have been called a liar.

I've spent nearly four thousand dollars in best buy stores over the last couple of years and he won't give me 10% off of a $38 computer software cd because of a loophole/technicality on the coupon? Is this your idea of customer appreciation?!? Again, if you are intending to make these coupons so restrictive, why even bother to issue them?!?

So he broke down and said he'd make an exception but only after more than five minutes of belaboring the point. He also took the time to take a phone call and help another customer in the midst of our discussion. He'd rather lose a loyal customer over a $3 discount than make a quick exception and settle everything. To add further insult to injury, he said that I could get back in line and the cashier would ring me up! HA! Needless to say, I didn’t waste another 10 minutes waiting in line. I tore my best buy card in half after leaving the store, went to Wal*Mart and bought the cd for less than I would have paid with the Best Buy discount. That is not competitive pricing. You are liars.

I cannot believe that I have spent so much money in a store, only to be given the runaround for fifteen minutes of my day over not wanting to give a $3 discount due to a "customer appreciation" certificate’s technicality/loophole! Your managers need training regarding ways to interface with consumers!

What are you, as customer service/management, willing to do on my behalf? Why do you even bother with the customer appreciation certificates? I have talked to 5 co-workers about this so far and one of them said that a similar thing happened to him at best buy in Wichita, KS with respect to the customer appreciation certificate.

Right now I consider best buy to be a place that I will not shop. Further, I plan on telling this story to my friends and co-workers as well as posting this summary on my internet web site. My history dictates that I am a loyal customer and should not be treated with such blatant disrespect. What will you do to keep my business? I am not a sales or marketing manager, but I think your association would benefit by benchmarking quality retailers such as Wal*Mart, who would rather side with the customer over trivial discount and return issues than earn the ire of the same.

I hope that the sales and marketing people in your organization understand that a happy customer will usually tell other people about a pleasant purchase if asked but an unhappy customer will volunteer information to others just to encourage people not to give non-quality retailers any business.

Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing the response. Again, I do not consider discipline to Jason or the cashier as resolution. I consider them to be soldiers following their marching orders. Soldiers without training and experience will fail in field conditions. I find heavy fault in the capabilities of the management, sales, marketing, training and board of directors, in particular.