Circuit City is a Joke II

[maseman]

I posted this on Thursday (Thanksgiving Morning) about my attempt to buy a TV on sale a Circuit City via the web.

>>Has this ever happened to my fellow DUers?

They put an item on Black Friday sale. (In this case a 50" Samsung TV.) You go online to buy it and the store in your area doesn't have any in stock therefore you cannot buy it.

I checked about 25 other stores and gee fucking whizz they are all out of stock also. I smell a big scam here. HERE's our great sale but we don't have any TVs left. How much do you want to bet that the nano-second they come off sale there will be plenty of the same TV ready for purchase. Anyone else run into this?<<

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=2329591&mesg_id=2329591


I wanted to post this as an update. It is now Black Friday at 7:53AM. I tried at Midnight (technically Friday) and no such luck. I was up at 5AM and went online and no such luck. Says the store still does not have the model I want in stock. I hopped into the old fashioned automobile and went to Circuit City at 6AM. SOlD OUT! Whatta you know.

CLASSIC BAIT and SWITCH! FOr the people who responded in the other thread about not being able to buy online the day before a sale or that the store is closed on Thanksgiving...it is a computer. Who cares if the store is closed. Second, it was advertised online as a sale. When you click "Add to cart" it shows the sale price, the amount saved, etc. If it isn't on sale yet then it shouldn't say sale price.

Circuit City BLOWS. Maybe other stores do the same thing but I wasted my F-ing time dicking around with this and am pissed. Fuck the TV. I'll stick with my 32 inch and screw the economy.

[taterguy]

1. They also insist that you show a receipt for merchandise

Fascist bastards

[dsc]

2. In fairness

if it had been locked out on Thursday that would have been fair. The whole point would be to be sure there were tv's on Friday when there should be. But at Midnight on Friday is a different story.

[maseman]

6. I agree

I could live with it being locked out on a day off. But they should have it today as advertised. This problem is simply corporate America just not caring one bit about a consumer.

[mtnester]

3. Please turn this in to your state attorney general

screw the feds who will do nothing..lsometimes you get quicker and more satisfying action at the state level...then let them alert the Feds.

If any of your other 25 store searches were across state lines, let your attorney general know that too.

If you have an idiot company protector in your attorney general's office, get thee to your local TV station....they LOVE stuff like this.

[MADem]

10. That's the best advice I have seen re: this matter NT

[Uben]

4. Yeah, they do blow!

I bought a new computer system there this summer. I asked the guy helping me if he could recommend a good first-person shooter game, and he suggested Hit Man-Blood Money. So, I bought it, as well. Got home, and the damned thing does not work on Windows Vista, the OS on the new computer. Asshole!

[John1956PA]

5. self delete

[maseman]

9. Thanks for the story

I had forgotten this but two weeks ago I went into Circuit City to look at some TVs and there was no one there to help me. I walked up to the service counter and asked "What does it take for someone to take my thousand dollars around here?" It took them 10 minutes to get a warehouse worker (not a sales guy) to help me. Nuts.

[kstewart33]

7. Another story.

For years, my family has shopped at Circuit City for anything electronic, in part because on one Sunday, a CC salesperson drove out to my Mom's house to help her install a VCR (my Mom was ill with cancer) and was very kind and helpful. Also, I liked the staff and store layout (much more manageable than BBuy's huge warehouse-like store).

A few months ago, CCity nationwide fired all of its more experienced employees who were paid more, in a move to cut costs. I have been to my CCity store three times since. The difference is stunning. Salespeople don't know what they're doing. They wear anything they want to, are unkempt (dirty clothes, dirty hair), unknowledgable, and very unhelpful. I was shopping for a large plasma TV (which I didn't intend to buy there), and the guy knew less than I did. I don't know where CCity got these folks but they are not salespeople and have no future in retail.

CCity is on its way to bankruptcy. Don't buy there, because if you purchase an extended warranty for a big TV, would you want these guys working on your set?

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

8. Circuit City opened at 5AM here and before that, people were waiting since 2AM. I know.

because my son left here at 4AM (it's 5 minutes from here) to get a laptop. There was a line around the whole store and the people on the front of the line were given vouchers for the item they wanted to buy. The big items were sold out before the doors opened.

They did have a scam though. It seems that some vouchers were saved for Verizon. If you signed up with them, you could get the door buster of your choice.

[Snarkoleptic]

11. The Circuit City near my home smells like a curious melange of B.O., chili dogs, and swimming pool.

I went to the Best Buy across the street and experienced frustration, confusion and poor customer service, so I decided to brave Circuit City.
They were helpful, attentive and had what I wanted in stock as well.
I still can't figure out how a one-year-old store smells so funky though.

[Stinky The Clown]

12. Go in on a slower day and name your price - take it or leave it.

That's what we did at Best Buy. They advertised a teevee we wanted. We called the store who said they had three. We drove to the store. The clerk checked the computer.

Yes, he said, three in stock.

We'll take one, we said.

I'll get it, he said.

::::tap tap tap:::::

Sorry. I can't find them, he said.

What about this one, we asked, pointing.

He checked the computer. I have two in stock, he said.

::::tap tap tap:::::

Sorry. I can't find them, he said.

What about this one, we asked, pointing yet again.

He checked the computer. I have four in stock, he said.

::::tap tap tap:::::

Same story.

I point to a big ass teevee with all the hot features. $600 more than the one we wanted. Plus it was actually, pretty similar (same brand) as the one we came in for. I point this all out to him and say we'll take this one if you will sell it to us for $500 off.

He checks the computer. He has five in stock. He then says he has to check with his manager.

::::tap tap tap:::::

Okay, he says. We can have it at that price.

We leave .... the proud owners of a new teevee, of a more current model than we planned, for a hundfred bucks more. All in all, not a bad deal. I call it an advance, secret markdown ..... cuz you know sure as shit they'll be dropping the price on this guy in no more than two months.

[JeanGrey]

13. I would never believe I could buy a Black Friday item online

anyway. People here camped out ALL NIGHT in the front of the store to get what they had before sell out. One lady stayed 24 hours.

[earth mom]

14. Amazon has a scam going too.

First, you have to vote on a choice of 3 items. ONLY if you vote can you get a shot at buying what ever item wins because they choose who the buyers will be from those who vote.

Not only that you are sh*t out of luck-no chance at all-if you didn't vote.

Meanwhile, there is not a DAMN word on Amazon's home page about this hidden promotion! So how in the hell can you vote if you didn't know about it in the first place?! :argh: :grr:

[lame54]

15. I'll say it again - you shouldn't be shopping there anyway

a while back they fired a bunch of employees and then, after a ten-week waiting period, offered them their jobs back as new employees at much lower wages
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17837882/