posted
Anyone have any horror stories from companies they have worked for, retail or other? I have worked for a few, Gamestop, Kohls and Best Buy included, and I am fully convinced that Best Buy is the most horrible company ever. They did the most ridiculous things...in the interview for example, they showed us how to sell PRPs (product replacement plans). They showed us what percentage of profit they make when they sell certain items...and replacement plans equal 92% profit for the company. They made sure to note this, so that we would get a lot of them. Here's the kicker, we had a Hit/Miss sheet that we would write down which replacement plans we got, and which ones we failed to get. The most important were for Gamecubes/PS2/and Xboxes. If we didnt get them (30 bucks for a 2 year PRP) our hours were pretty much cut. We had SCOUTS watching the lines, to see if anyone had a PS2/Xbox/GBA/GC/Radar Detector or MP3 player. These were the biggest PRPs to get. The supervisor would make sure and watch us if we got it or not, if the customer said "no" he would send another employee to further "bully" the customer into getting it. If THAT didnt work, the supervisor would come over and explain to the customer again why he should get this plan. It was terrible. The funniest part about this was things we should say to make sure the customer didnt feel robbed...we didnt get commission. So how does the shitty ole management kill two birds with one stone? By not paying us for selling them, and making sure to tell the customer that we DIDNT work on commission. That way they didnt feel we were trying to get their money...
There was also the 8 month subscription to Entertainment Weekly/Sports Illustrated that we were forced to sell to anyone with a credit card. There was the Best Buy credit card we were forced to offer, to make sure and see if anyone wanted a gift card, to make sure to see if they had a Reward Zone card. It was by far, the worst job I've ever had...
P.S. Oh yeah, 8 hours of work got you a 30 min lunch. Anything less than that, and you get a 15 min break. Anyone else got any stories? Im interested to hear em.
Posts: 779 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
Whenever they try to sell me one of those I tell them no, if they start hounding me about it I get kind of bilegerent(spelling?).
When I bought my computer at Best Buy a few years ago the kid wouldn't stop pressuring me about it. I told him if he mentioned it again i would stick the computer up his ass. He didn't say a word after that.
Those PRP's are bullshit. I bet if you did buy one, they probably hassle the fuck out of you to get the new replacement, or try to give you some kind of refurbished crap.
I do know people that buy them, I always ask " How often does shit break down anyways" If you get a defect, it always breaks down on you during the warranty period.
They are jag offs, I feel sorry for the kids that work there for having to take the rejection, it's not there fault. Thanks to your post, now I know why they insist so much.
Posts: 292 | Registered: Jan 2005
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posted
i work at office depot and our plans are great but if the customer says no, we dont hassel them about, we just drop it. and were next to best buy and everyone that comes over from there says they hate it. but i love office depot, dont get paid much but its a job. Cheers
posted
I bought a crappy stereo from Best Buy once and got that plan. I was actually very happy I bought the plan in that one case too. Within a week the stereo they installed concked out dead!!! They gave me another one and installed it. It went dead in two weeks. One more of the same friggen brand... IT FUCKEN DIED WITHIN A WEEK!!!!! After that and a lot of ANGER I got a different brand installed and have not had any problems with it in over 3 years.
I asked the question of "Why the hell do you carry a piece of SHIT stereo like that which does not work at all." There was no good answer. Matter of fact to me it would seem to be a big waste of money for them to carry it. Inventory restocking costs, labor costs for free installation 4 times in a row, etc....
posted
lol...yeah they are pretty bad. Each department has its own "quotas" to meet. Computer department sells service plans and computer accessories, cashiers have to sell product replacement plans, car audio has to sell Sirius/XM subscriptions, home theatre again with 4 year service plans and TV equipment. "You DEFINITELY need to this surge protector! You dont want 2000 dollars going down the drain do you?" They'd always tell us to say the following too: "I also work customer service, and just to let you know, we get back (enter product name here)'s ALL THE TIME. It's one of our biggest defectives." I never even touched the customer service desk, and they made me say that. I went in there to buy an iPod after I was done working there, and it was a 40 dollar PRP. I knew the guy checking me out too. Begged me to get it. I wouldn't. Wouldn't stop pressuring me, saying about battery this battery that, I said no, I need to go, let me check out. Are you SURE you dont want it? And by this time, your so God damned fed up with it that you just yell and tell him to shut the fuck up and just let me buy my damn product. One guy complained because a person on the floor told him about the PRP, then the line attendand told him about it, thent he cashier told him, then the supervisor told him. He stormed out of the store and complained...it's sad.
Posts: 779 | Registered: Dec 2003
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posted
If you wanna go by the jobs one has had..i can say mine when i was 18 was pretty rough.I worked for a 2 man moving/furniture delivery company out of downtown San Fransisco.We used to take 450 lb Armoires and sometimes baby grand pianos up twisty staircases and nasty hallways.Days were from 6am, til 7pm Monday thru Friday.Then i worked as a roofer and construction grunt for awhile..that is a rough job there.I'd be glad to work a sissy retail job anyday
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Join thousands of our fans on Twitter @Norcalfeetdotco Posts: 18332 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
Several years ago the "extended warranty" plans offered by companies like Circuit City and Good Guys were outstanding (this has changed).
They used to have two characteristics that, if used by the purchaser, could outstrip the cost by fifty miles.
1. Loaner policy. When the product was in the shop for repairs, you were given a loaner for the entire period. This was a fantastic policy, but one which is no longer a component of these plans.
2. Routine maintenance. The extended warranty entitled the purchaser to free yearly maintenance. For example, if you bought a VCR you could bring it in once a year to have the heads cleaned, realigned and recalibrated. Lube & tune up, refurb the thing to factory fresh condition. Normal shop costs for something like this would be somewhere between $60 - $120.00. Do this just once and you've already outstripped the value / cost of the policy. Do it every year and you've added a ton of value to your electronic product (and after four years, it is still like new). And, enjoy the uninterruped pleasure of your component while this is being performed - with your loaner product.
Of course, they knew that most customers would not avail themselves of these full benefits. But I did a few times and really milked a ton of extra value out of them. These warranties are a lot "thinner" now and I haven't bought one in years.
While some companies still offer some kind of maintenance characteristic to their policies on certain products - without the guarantee of a loaner while it's in the shop, that means a lot less to me and has a lot less value.
Respectfully,
Ben
[ June 16, 2005, 02:43 AM: Message edited by: Ben Del Amitri ]
-------------------- Respectfully,
Ben
Malory in Signature Posts: 5772 | Registered: Oct 2004
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