CompUSA - Jacksonville, FL Complaint - Inadequate Customer Service - Product & Service

Product & Service - Complaint

Review by Anonymous on 2003-10-09

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA -- My Mom wanted to buy me a notebook computer for Christmas and Birthday this year. So, I jumped on the internet to research the computer I wanted. I decided to go shopping one day to purchase a system with the requirements I needed. My stops were SAMS, CompUSA, Gateway, Circuit City, and Office Max. I went back to CompUSA because I fell in love (if possible) with the Toshiba A25-S207 for $1349. Jeff a corporate sales rep was on the floor working that day. He told me the system had hyper-threading (doesn't) and that 2.6 vs. 2.8 was really no different (alittle different). My Mom went for the throat asking for several discounts which she will always do to get the best deal. I was glad she did what she did. If allowed me to see what discounts retail stores have at their disposal. It wasn't much $50.00 off retail and $50.00 mail in rebate. I wanted the extended warranty which was pretty pricey and not explained well to me. After we drove around pricing other systems we came back to see Jeff, he wasn't there so I saw Mark Chitty, Corporate Sales Representative. I guess the store did not have any inside reps that day. He also told me about the Toshiba and he would highly recommend the system. My Mom said I could get it, so I told Mark to get me a few accessories and the warranty information and do my invoice. I then proceded to the register at the front. I wanted to know what the prices where that were rung up, but they would not give me a copy. He read them off and I just wanted to see it in black and white. The rebates that printed out were confusing because we received a $150 and $50 rebate on the computer. One was expired but my Mom wanted it. So we had to discuss that with the manager on duty he explained it but why would it print on my notebook if my notebook was not the right model. Oh well, then Mark went to pull the notebook, it wasn't in stock. I had spent my whole morning for nothing. No one had checked stock on the item. They had to check the pricing and submit an invoice to the front why did they not check availability? I needed my computer TODAY. Then Mark said NO PROBLEM, I will get you one from another store in 2 Days. He called Atlanta they had 11, he said he would arrange the transfer immediately and apologized for the delay. The man at the register must have known about the poor track record of transfers because he told me it may not come when promised. I thought it alittle unprofessional to 2nd guess the coporate rep but I just thought he was unprofessional. I was very nice - if I had known what I know now I would not have been so accepting of his offer and sided with the corporate sales register person. I waited until the next day to confirm the transfer, everything is in the works I was told. I called the following day - Jeff wasn't there I called the floor manager to find out about the notebook transfer. He said he would have Jeff call me right back. I waited at home for 5 hours and 24 minutes. I called his direct number and he answered he told me he was about to call me at that point. Atlanta CompUSA would not do the transfer because they were selfish and wanted to sell the notebooks themselves. So he called his sister-store in Texas and they had some and would send me one of them. I was told that this unit would be shipped at CompUSA's cost and would arrive the next business day or maybe at the latest the day after that at my house. I waited at my house and had my neighbors watch my house for 1 day and a half for the fed ex people. NO SHOW. I called to speak to Jeff again - he was not in so I called to speak with a Manager. He said he would find Jeff for me. Jeff got on the phone and checked my order - NEVER BEEN SHIPPED - Why? The phone numbers did not match the credit card slip - he knew my MOM was buying the notebook for me and the shipping was to my address - he also knew we had different phone numbers. This should have been done 2 days ago. I was now MAD and it takes ALOT to make me mad. I cancelled my order a gave Jeff a small piece of my thought process concerning inadequate customer service and professionalism. Today makes 9 Days without my notebook. I ordered a notebook last night and should get it Monday - 13 days without my notebook. When I drove to get a computer so that I would not have to wait. I wanted to pick it up the same day and I would have been happy.
What I bring from this experience is amazement that CompUSA has a corporate sales force and that they have not been trained to check for availablility before hyping the customer on their favorite product. Then only to disappoint the customer because they can not get the product as promised from their selfish sister stores. I worked in executive outside sales for 11+ years and would not have worked that long if I had treated clients with this low level of professionalism.
I also wander if this was a sign about what would come of my customer service when I needed my notebook worked on. I am probably better off with the in-home customer service and no fault warranty for 3 years from the other company I chose to deal with. It was much cheaper than that of CompUSA's warranty extension only. I can't tell you how my experience is with the new company but I will let you know.
My advise make sure they check the stock on items before you make a decision on the computer you want. If they don't have it call the other store yourself and have them ship it to your home or better yet get it online. Then you don't have to deal with them directly if you are going to buy one at CompUSA.