bradherman · November 1, 2012 02:18
diff --git a/gistfile1.txt b/gistfile1.txt
 As a kid, I couldn't remember anything better than getting to go to Best Buy.  All the gadgets and games made it seem almost magical.  I could play with the newest and greatest gaming consoles, watch the biggest and best tv's, and get a glimpse at the future of technological achievement.  It was awesome.  As I grew older, I continued to go to Best Buy for all of my electronic entertainment needs.  Through high school and college, I'd show up on Tuesdays to purchase the newest dvd's and video games I'd been anticipating for weeks or months with what little money I had earned working through summers and weekends.  I remember buying my first flat screen CRT TV at Best Buy and thinking it was amazing.  I remember buying my first HDTV there years later.  I waited outside of Best Buy for nearly a day in the rain for the new XBOX 360.  I waited outside of another Best Buy for over a day in below freezing weather through snow and sleet for the Playstation 3.  Just a few months ago, I purchased another XBOX 360 and a brand new iPad...  Best Buy was and has been a place I could always trust to find what I needed and be treated right.

 Recently, despite the stores across the country and top notch name recognition, Best Buy has been faltering, though.  Many are asking why.  Sure, people point to the ease of finding better prices online, salesperson often under-educated about the products they're selling, and frequent up-sell attempts (sorry, no cable is worth $100+).  However, I always suspected there had to be something more and tonight I was confronted with yet another nail in the coffin of the Best Buy empire...

 Let me give you a short backstory.  A few months ago I lost my phone and had to get a new one.  I went to Best Buy, as I have done so many times in the past, and was helped immediately without any issues with getting my old contract bought-out and a brand new phone upgrade.  It was great.  I mentioned to the salesperson that I really had wanted to wait for the iPhone 5, but I'd stick with a Droid until then.  He mentioned a buy-back program for a little extra money that would allow me to offset the cost of the iPhone when it came out.  Awesome.  I felt cared about as a customer and as a person.

 Well, as we all know now, the iPhone 5 is finally out and I decided it was time to upgrade.  Since the release, I've been checking Best Buy's website for store availability non-stop for the iPhone 5 to come in stock.  Today that happened and I was pumped to head to the store after work to get my new phone, as I had been experiencing a number of problems with my current phone.  I hopped on my bike and rode 20 minutes in the rain (unfortunately) to Best Buy and walked in soaking wet and ready to spend nearly $800 on a new phone (before the $350 buyback).  I asked the salesperson working if they were in stock and was told absolutely and that it would be no problem.  We got the process started and I was ready for a quick, easy transaction... Unfortunately, that didn't happen.  Once I mentioned that I was not eligible for an upgrade and did not want a new plan, things got interesting.  I was happy to spend the cash to purchase a phone from Best Buy at full price and apply the buy-back that I had paid extra for the last time I was there.  You may be thinking the buy-back program was the issue here.  You'd be wrong.

 You see, at this point I was informed that Best Buy store policy restricts them from selling a phone at full-price to a customer if they had under four in stock.  What?  Yes, that's right.  According to the sales representative, policy stated that if there were under four in stock, all remaining phones had to be held for customers looking to upgrade their plan or purchase a new plan.  I was a little confused, so I asked to speak to the manager.  

 I expected some sort of explanation about specifics of a deal with Apple that limited their rights in selling.  What I got was, frankly, appalling to me.  The managing sales representative told me outright, Best Buy makes more money when they renew or sell a plan, so their policy is to hold any high demand phones with less than four in stock for customers who would be worth more to them.  "You're not worth enough money to us."  This, as I sat, debit card in hand, ready to spend over $800 on a new phone plus extra chargers, screen protectors, and a case.  Never have I had a company make me feel worthless before and it sickened me.  Keep in mind what I've been worth to the company in the past; literally thousands and thousands of dollars in my 26 years on this planet, not to mention the purchases I've helped other with as the tech guru in my family and circle of friends.  I'm not worth enough to Best Buy, so they refused to sell me a product.

 I understand that the company is struggling and trying to get itself out of the red, but is this really the way?  I think not.  At what point will you refuse to sell a TV to someone not willing to buy overpriced Monster cables (which have insane markups) because you want to save it for a customer who might net you more money?  At what point will extended warranties be mandatory?  Where does it end when you're willing to withhold products and refuse to sell to people who aren't worth as much to you as someone else might be?

 Now the real kicker here is that, after spending thousands of dollars over the years at their stores, I     Well, had they treated me like a human and accepted my money, they would've also gotten from me tonight around $100 extra in accessories and $120 from the two games I planned on buying while I was there.  They also would've gotten the $300 I planned to spend on the AKG K550 headphones I've been wanting in a few weeks.  They'd have also gotten money on the LED I'd been planning on purchasing for my bedroom.  They'd have gotten the money from the stereo receiver I've been waiting on buying for my new apartment.  They'd have likely continued to see me in their stores for years to come, purchasing all of my tech needs.  Now they won't see any of that money because I'll be taking my business elsewhere from now on and encouraging others to do so as well.

 Best Buy, you're struggling.  Badly.  Looking at your stock price and reading about your struggles, you'd think any business would be welcome.  With all of the issues your company faces, you should be refocusing and realizing only one thing can make a company successful: making customers happy.  Today you lost yet another lifetime customer because you deemed my business wasn't worth enough to you.  I suggest you reconsider your policies before it's too late.


 Sincerely, 

 Bradley Herman
	As a kid, I couldn't remember anything better than getting to go to Best Buy. All the gadgets and games made it seem almost magical. I could play with the newest and greatest gaming consoles, watch the biggest and best tv's, and get a glimpse at the future of technological achievement. It was awesome. As I grew older, I continued to go to Best Buy for all of my electronic entertainment needs. Through high school and college, I'd show up on Tuesdays to purchase the newest dvd's and video games I'd been anticipating for weeks or months with what little money I had earned working through summers and weekends. I remember buying my first flat screen CRT TV at Best Buy and thinking it was amazing. I remember buying my first HDTV there years later. I waited outside of Best Buy for nearly a day in the rain for the new XBOX 360. I waited outside of another Best Buy for over a day in below freezing weather through snow and sleet for the Playstation 3. Just a few months ago, I purchased another XBOX 360 and a brand new iPad... Best Buy was and has been a place I could always trust to find what I needed and be treated right.

	Recently, despite the stores across the country and top notch name recognition, Best Buy has been faltering, though. Many are asking why. Sure, people point to the ease of finding better prices online, salesperson often under-educated about the products they're selling, and frequent up-sell attempts (sorry, no cable is worth $100+). However, I always suspected there had to be something more and tonight I was confronted with yet another nail in the coffin of the Best Buy empire...

	Let me give you a short backstory. A few months ago I lost my phone and had to get a new one. I went to Best Buy, as I have done so many times in the past, and was helped immediately without any issues with getting my old contract bought-out and a brand new phone upgrade. It was great. I mentioned to the salesperson that I really had wanted to wait for the iPhone 5, but I'd stick with a Droid until then. He mentioned a buy-back program for a little extra money that would allow me to offset the cost of the iPhone when it came out. Awesome. I felt cared about as a customer and as a person.

	Well, as we all know now, the iPhone 5 is finally out and I decided it was time to upgrade. Since the release, I've been checking Best Buy's website for store availability non-stop for the iPhone 5 to come in stock. Today that happened and I was pumped to head to the store after work to get my new phone, as I had been experiencing a number of problems with my current phone. I hopped on my bike and rode 20 minutes in the rain (unfortunately) to Best Buy and walked in soaking wet and ready to spend nearly $800 on a new phone (before the $350 buyback). I asked the salesperson working if they were in stock and was told absolutely and that it would be no problem. We got the process started and I was ready for a quick, easy transaction... Unfortunately, that didn't happen. Once I mentioned that I was not eligible for an upgrade and did not want a new plan, things got interesting. I was happy to spend the cash to purchase a phone from Best Buy at full price and apply the buy-back that I had paid extra for the last time I was there. You may be thinking the buy-back program was the issue here. You'd be wrong.

	You see, at this point I was informed that Best Buy store policy restricts them from selling a phone at full-price to a customer if they had under four in stock. What? Yes, that's right. According to the sales representative, policy stated that if there were under four in stock, all remaining phones had to be held for customers looking to upgrade their plan or purchase a new plan. I was a little confused, so I asked to speak to the manager.

	I expected some sort of explanation about specifics of a deal with Apple that limited their rights in selling. What I got was, frankly, appalling to me. The managing sales representative told me outright, Best Buy makes more money when they renew or sell a plan, so their policy is to hold any high demand phones with less than four in stock for customers who would be worth more to them. "You're not worth enough money to us." This, as I sat, debit card in hand, ready to spend over $800 on a new phone plus extra chargers, screen protectors, and a case. Never have I had a company make me feel worthless before and it sickened me. Keep in mind what I've been worth to the company in the past; literally thousands and thousands of dollars in my 26 years on this planet, not to mention the purchases I've helped other with as the tech guru in my family and circle of friends. I'm not worth enough to Best Buy, so they refused to sell me a product.

	I understand that the company is struggling and trying to get itself out of the red, but is this really the way? I think not. At what point will you refuse to sell a TV to someone not willing to buy overpriced Monster cables (which have insane markups) because you want to save it for a customer who might net you more money? At what point will extended warranties be mandatory? Where does it end when you're willing to withhold products and refuse to sell to people who aren't worth as much to you as someone else might be?

	Now the real kicker here is that, after spending thousands of dollars over the years at their stores, I Well, had they treated me like a human and accepted my money, they would've also gotten from me tonight around $100 extra in accessories and $120 from the two games I planned on buying while I was there. They also would've gotten the $300 I planned to spend on the AKG K550 headphones I've been wanting in a few weeks. They'd have also gotten money on the LED I'd been planning on purchasing for my bedroom. They'd have gotten the money from the stereo receiver I've been waiting on buying for my new apartment. They'd have likely continued to see me in their stores for years to come, purchasing all of my tech needs. Now they won't see any of that money because I'll be taking my business elsewhere from now on and encouraging others to do so as well.

	Best Buy, you're struggling. Badly. Looking at your stock price and reading about your struggles, you'd think any business would be welcome. With all of the issues your company faces, you should be refocusing and realizing only one thing can make a company successful: making customers happy. Today you lost yet another lifetime customer because you deemed my business wasn't worth enough to you. I suggest you reconsider your policies before it's too late.


	Sincerely,

	Bradley Herman