Testimonial #14: The son of the mayor, Matt.

Fellow Brethren,

I am lucky enough to have not been bent over by the Best Buy machine, and was even more lucky to have witnessed both site owners getting bucked down by the Best Buy profit system. But, after reading some of the rediculous emails being sent to this site attempting to insult its purpose, I've decided its time to speak.

Yes, I was there on that sunny day in the beautiful city of Tukwila, WA. The site owner and I were wasting a perfectly good Saturday buying random goods and supporting our local economic tax base. I actually recommended that Bill give Best Buy a look for his phone purchase, as one of their sales clerks sold me my current phone that was not the highest price phone (actually clearance), told me it was practically indestructable, and also relayed the message to NOT buy the service protection. Oddly enough, I haven't seen that employee since my purchase. He must have been temporary help that got cut when they found out that he was speaking the truth.

Anyways, we approached the phone center, and things were moving smoothly. The phone was 25 bucks cheaper than the Sprint PCS store across the street, and seemed like a solid buy. I wandered the store while Bill listened to the jive about how solid the phone was, and returned during the purchasing period. It was then that the Best Buy salesman attempted to sell the Service plan. Being a finance guy, I was well aware of the profit centers that these service plans create, so I tried to talk Bill out of the purchase. It was then that the employee dropped the line of "everything is covered," and Bill was sold. He even offerred the example of "so if I walk out the door, drop the phone on the ground shattering it into millions of pieces, you'll replace it?" and the response was a quick "yes, without question."

Now, everything was cool for the 6 months or so that Bill owned the phone. My personal phone was working well, and the relationship with the Best Buy tanker was solid. Then it all went to hell. A crack in the phone created a need to draw on this "covers everything warranty" and you can read Bill's testimonial from there.

What it really comes down to is short term profits versus long term viability. Best Buy has some great appeal when it first moves into an area. Quality products, cheaper prices, and the so called "no pressure sales". Unfortunately they provide service such as listed on this site, and are losing customers by the day. And since I fall into their target audience based on income stream, location, and age, I think that their current business strategy is far from logical. One could even say it is moronic. Which is probably why they purchase Magnolia HiFi, so that they can simply rename all their stores once enough customers come around to realizing how crappy their word truly is.

I find this site to actually be a little kind to the Best Buy Machine. They define what a short-term company exemplifies, and essentially represent bait and switch mentality. Lure the customers in with one aspect, and then screw them with another. I think if Warren Buffet were to actual shop at these Best Buy stores he invested in he would immediately begin liquidating his holdings.I can't understand how Best Buy will be around in 10 years, and would recommend a long term "sale" of this stock. I would also recommend shopping at local CD stores for CD (support the little guy), buying major electronics at Circuit City, and walking past the big blue store knowing that you will not get screwed in the long run. Then again, maybe you like taking it in the rear.

Good luck shopping, and visit Tukwila....the greatest city on Earth.

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