Avoid Circuit City

  • Thread starter Thread starter MikeW
  • Start date Start date
M

MikeW

This is unbelievable. IMO, Avoid Circuit City at all costs after what they
just pulled on me.

I went in on Monday to buy an HP Notebook model ZX5160. They were offering
an additional $250 off and with a $100 rebate the price was $1199.

I saw their model ZX5040US for $199 after rebates. That has a dedicated
memory for the video and firewire. But it was out of stock and they didn't
know if any were coming in.

I specifically told the salesman that I'd be back Wednesday after
researching the 2nd computer.

I show up this afternoon and the $250 Circuit City Rebate is gone. I'm told
it ended Sunday night. This almost came to blows as the sales manager first
infers I didn't see it,then tells me the guy we found who helped me wasn't
from the computer section so he can't be expected to know a rebate ends. I
told him that wasn't my problem and that his refusal to honor the price was
a "stupid decision." Then he tells me he isn't stupid and get pissed off. I
as ked him how he was pissed off when I was getting screwed? He insisted he
wasn't screwing me and that he was trying to work with me. I asked him how,
by now tralking me into paying $1349 for the same computer I wanted to walk
out the door with on Monday?

I then had to tell him to listen carefully as I didn't say he was stupid. I
said he was making a stupid managerial decision as I walked in the door
with cash, his salesman [who suddenly wasn't a real salesman] spoke to me
about the two different notebooks, and I said I'be be back to buy one
Wednesday. I had to explain to him that if the sale ended Monday [now
another saleman intervenes and tells me it ended Monday not Sunday] then
the onus is on the salesman to try to sell me one Monday by telling me the
rebate ended.

He goes back into "I can't manufacture a store rebate." to which I told him
he could do whatever he wanted to do and write up an explanation. His
comment then was that at $1199 he was losing money. I asked how he was
losing money if he was selling it at that price all last week!

Avoid Circuit City. They remind me of a place called TOPS in NJ years ago.
They just wanted to sell you a service contract and be out the door with
you.

Mike
 
what a bunch of idiots they sound like.

screw em, take your biz elsewhere and enjoy whatever you buy....

jay cee
 
In cases like that, you ask for a written (not verbal) rain check indicating
the product and price. Then it is their problem.
 
In cases like that, you ask for a written (not verbal) rain check
indicating the product and price. Then it is their problem.
Click to expand...

Well, they had the one I walked in to buy in stock and I took no note of
anything that I saw in the store stating it ended. My telling the salesman
that I'd be back in 2 days should have alreted him to saying that the sale
was/might be over.

I don't believe anything stating its end was there as I was comparing two
machines that were not next to each other and even took the card on Monday
from one notebook to place it next to another and went down to see if there
was anything other than the 64 MB dedicated graphics card. In fact it
couldn't have been there. I've been researching notebooks at Best Buy, HP
online, and Circuit City for a month. I have always clicked the rebates to
see when they end. Some end in a week [to try to get you in the door] and
some end in Sept/Oct. The $250 one read as a Circuit City Rebate with no
date as the HP ones had dates. And I did not just click each computer once.
This has been a long process of researching which one to purchase.

I have written Circuit City online. I told them of the incident and that I
will gladly purchase it online [which I could have] if they make things
right. If they don't I'll just write a macro and post the message every few
weeks for a year. They will lose more in sales over this than any alledged
loss they take selling me it for $1199.

Thanks,
Mike
 
MikeW said:
Well, they had the one I walked in to buy in stock and I took no note of
anything that I saw in the store stating it ended. My telling the salesman
that I'd be back in 2 days should have alreted him to saying that the sale
was/might be over.
Click to expand...

Why? You hadn't even decided on what laptop you wanted. You were still
researching.

If you can't be bothered to read the signs, why should the salesman care?
 
<snip>
<
<I have written Circuit City online. I told them of the incident and that I
<will gladly purchase it online [which I could have] if they make things
<right. If they don't I'll just write a macro and post the message every few
<weeks for a year. They will lose more in sales over this than any alledged
<loss they take selling me it for $1199.
<
<Thanks,
<Mike
<

You don't know much about big retail outfits do you. They don't
give a shit what you do. There will always be more sheep to shear.

Bill
 
This is unbelievable. IMO, Avoid Circuit City at all costs after what they
just pulled on me.

I went in on Monday to buy an HP Notebook model ZX5160. They were offering
an additional $250 off and with a $100 rebate the price was $1199.
Click to expand...

Most sales end on a Sunday. You should have grabbed it when you saw it.
 
You don't know much about big retail outfits do you.
Click to expand...

Well, I did work my way through college in one. And I know that back then,
if the customer was wronged you could do anything to complete the sale.
They chose not to.

I also was raised that a man's word is his bond. This is just another
indication of the mess we are in.

MikeW
 
Why? You hadn't even decided on what laptop you wanted. You were still
researching.

If you can't be bothered to read the signs, why should the salesman care?
Click to expand...

This is such fun.

I walked in to buy one model. Then I saw one with a dedicated 64 MB of RAM.
He didn't have it in stock and thought they might be in by the time I came
back Wednesday.

Nice try. You have a nice day,
MikeW
 
screw em, take your biz elsewhere and enjoy whatever you buy....
Click to expand...

Thank you for being the voice of reason out in a wilderness full of people
who must screw people whenever they can from reading the inane responses on
this issue.

I don't need the money. I have plenty as this $250 does not make or break
me. It is principle. I look at them doing this as not only being outrageous
and foolish, but it takes away buying two seats to a great concert. IOW,
they are taking my money and pissing it away when they wrote down the price
of both units that I was looking at.

MikeW
 
bill said:
<snip>
<
<I have written Circuit City online. I told them of the incident and that
I
<will gladly purchase it online [which I could have] if they make things
<right. If they don't I'll just write a macro and post the message every
few
<weeks for a year. They will lose more in sales over this than any
alledged
<loss they take selling me it for $1199.
<
<Thanks,
<Mike
<

You don't know much about _________ outfits do you. They don't
give a shit what you do. There will always be more sheep to shear.

Bill
Click to expand...


(bill's post edited to make a point)


Take the above statement and fill in the blank. This thread would be
shorter if we listed businesses who DID and DO give a crap and offer
outstanding customer service before and after the sale.

I do agree, however, with the OPs original point. Circuit City could've
made this right so very easily, yet apparently doesn't care enough to do so.
Perhaps a blessing; if they treated you this way upfront, then imagine how
they would treat you once they had your money after the sale.

Stew
 
I kind of hard time following your story since you seem to be using
interchangeable the concept of a sale price and of a rebate.

However, basically, you went to CC to buy a computer. Once there,
you became uncertain of which model to get. So, you simply walked
out without buying anything.

You finally went back to CC after several days only to find out
that you waited too long. The sale/rebate ended as scheduled.

Well, sales end and rebates end all the time. That is just the
way the world works. The phrase "you snooze, you loose" comes
to mind.

Of course, you want to bully the CC manager into giving you
an exception. Basically, sales and rebates end as scheduled
for everyone except you, right? You walked out that first time
without buying anything, and you want to make that CC's fault.
I guess you feel that since you told CC "I'd be back Wednesday"
that you had "dibs" on the sale/rebates until then. However, just
how many people say "I'll be back" and never actually come back?
Matter of fact, I would think that a phrase like "I'll be back"
is like "I'll call you" or "Let's have lunch sometime". Just
a way to depart and leave someone. I would not fault the
salesperson for taking it to be a meaningless phrase that it is.

Sure, it would be nice if the CC manager made an exception for
you, and give you the sale price/rebate after they ended. However,
that doesn't make the manager, or CC, "bad" for not doing so.
 
They pulled the same stunt to me when looking for a toshiba satellite. Even
worse, at the end nobody wanted to help me because "everyone is busy right
now", but when they were attending me they interrupted every time to attend
other customers.

I got really pissed of and told out loud that I was going to compusa instead
(right across the street). Someone from a register came out to calm me down
and that she would talk to the people in the computer section.

It's really annoying when they tell you "no, that rebate is no longer
available" and not only you previously talked to someone who told you there
was that rebate, but also the sticker is still on display.

--
Pole Dome Guitar Religion

"If you choose not to decide
you still have made a choice..."
Rush

Jay Cee said:
what a bunch of idiots they sound like.

screw em, take your biz elsewhere and enjoy whatever you buy....

jay cee


MikeW said:
This is unbelievable. IMO, Avoid Circuit City at all costs after what they
just pulled on me.

I went in on Monday to buy an HP Notebook model ZX5160. They were offering
an additional $250 off and with a $100 rebate the price was $1199.

I saw their model ZX5040US for $199 after rebates. That has a dedicated
memory for the video and firewire. But it was out of stock and they didn't
know if any were coming in.

I specifically told the salesman that I'd be back Wednesday after
researching the 2nd computer.

I show up this afternoon and the $250 Circuit City Rebate is gone. I'm told
it ended Sunday night. This almost came to blows as the sales manager first
infers I didn't see it,then tells me the guy we found who helped me wasn't
from the computer section so he can't be expected to know a rebate ends. I
told him that wasn't my problem and that his refusal to honor the price was
a "stupid decision." Then he tells me he isn't stupid and get pissed
Click to expand...
off.
I
as ked him how he was pissed off when I was getting screwed? He insisted he
wasn't screwing me and that he was trying to work with me. I asked him how,
by now tralking me into paying $1349 for the same computer I wanted to walk
out the door with on Monday?

I then had to tell him to listen carefully as I didn't say he was
Click to expand...
stupid.
I
said he was making a stupid managerial decision as I walked in the door
with cash, his salesman [who suddenly wasn't a real salesman] spoke to me
about the two different notebooks, and I said I'be be back to buy one
Wednesday. I had to explain to him that if the sale ended Monday [now
another saleman intervenes and tells me it ended Monday not Sunday] then
the onus is on the salesman to try to sell me one Monday by telling me the
rebate ended.

He goes back into "I can't manufacture a store rebate." to which I told him
he could do whatever he wanted to do and write up an explanation. His
comment then was that at $1199 he was losing money. I asked how he was
losing money if he was selling it at that price all last week!

Avoid Circuit City. They remind me of a place called TOPS in NJ years ago.
They just wanted to sell you a service contract and be out the door with
you.

Mike
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
what a bunch of idiots they sound like.

screw em, take your biz elsewhere and enjoy whatever you buy....

jay cee
Click to expand...

They are the same as Radio Shack, only go there if you can completely
ignore the sales people. They are know nothings and will do every dumb
thing they can to steer you wrong.
 
I don't need the money. I have plenty as this $250 does not make or break
me. It is principle.
Click to expand...

The principle is that you tried to buy a product after the offer
ended.

*You* are in the wrong and Circuit City is better off without you.


Cheers,

Guy

** I may not be perfect, but I'm
** English, and that's the next best thing!
 
| |
| > You don't know much about big retail outfits do you.
|
| Well, I did work my way through college in one. And I know that back
then,
| if the customer was wronged you could do anything to complete the
sale.
| They chose not to.
|
| I also was raised that a man's word is his bond. This is just
another
| indication of the mess we are in.
|


You presume a lowly retail sales attendant has the legal authority as
an agent to bind his master, and unfortunately, you are incorrect in
this assumption. The retail establishment chose _not_ to "make it
right" and such is life. You've not been wronged, just not treated in
the fashion that would engender your continued patronage. So your
recourse is to shop elsewhere, chalk it up to experience, get it in
writing next time, stop whining!
 
Despite the details you provided, my response remains unchanged. ACYA or
ACYOA. Verbal promises mean nothing in today's world, sad to say, in the
marketplace.
MikeW said:
In cases like that, you ask for a written (not verbal) rain check
indicating the product and price. Then it is their problem.
Click to expand...

Well, they had the one I walked in to buy in stock and I took no note of
anything that I saw in the store stating it ended. My telling the salesman
that I'd be back in 2 days should have alreted him to saying that the sale
was/might be over.

I don't believe anything stating its end was there as I was comparing two
machines that were not next to each other and even took the card on Monday
from one notebook to place it next to another and went down to see if there
was anything other than the 64 MB dedicated graphics card. In fact it
couldn't have been there. I've been researching notebooks at Best Buy, HP
online, and Circuit City for a month. I have always clicked the rebates to
see when they end. Some end in a week [to try to get you in the door] and
some end in Sept/Oct. The $250 one read as a Circuit City Rebate with no
date as the HP ones had dates. And I did not just click each computer once.
This has been a long process of researching which one to purchase.

I have written Circuit City online. I told them of the incident and that I
will gladly purchase it online [which I could have] if they make things
right. If they don't I'll just write a macro and post the message every few
weeks for a year. They will lose more in sales over this than any alledged
loss they take selling me it for $1199.

Thanks,
Mike
Click to expand...
 
In today's marketplace, ACYA or ACYOA. Verbal promises mean nothing, sad to
say, in today's marketplace. Be careful about anything written as well.
 
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