Overall, a very disappointing experience with Best Buy Mobile…read more
Thirteen months ago, Best Buy installed a front and rear facing dash cam in my vehicle for $99. The installation took about 40 minutes. I remember because I was originally told it would take an hour, so I left the store and was called sooner than expected to come back.
Fast forward 13 months. My dealership offered me a good deal to turn in my leased vehicle early, so I needed to have the cameras removed before returning the car. Since I planned to have Best Buy install the same cameras in my next vehicle, naturally I went back to them.
The website didn't provide an option to schedule a dash cam uninstall, so I called Best Buy customer service. The representative was very nice and helpful. I explained exactly what I needed and that I intended to have Best Buy reinstall the cameras in my next vehicle.
He initially told me the uninstall would cost $149, which already surprised me considering the original installation had only cost $99. After reviewing my history, he noted that I had previously had dash cams installed in two vehicles and said they would like to keep my business. He ultimately told me he would document the appointment as a warranty uninstall at $0.
Based on that information, I scheduled an appointment for 4:00 p.m. that same day. At 2:45 p.m., the store called to confirm my appointment and even told me I could come in early.
When I arrived, however, I was told the uninstall would cost $149.
This led to a frustrating back and forth because I had made the decision to come to Best Buy that day specifically based on what their representative had told me. More importantly, I was turning the vehicle in to the dealership the following morning, so simply leaving and figuring it out later wasn't a practical option.
What became apparent during the conversation was that there didn't seem to be a clearly established, published price for this service. We eventually agreed to charge based on labor: $49 for up to 30 minutes or $80 for up to 45 minutes.
The technician explained that much of the time involved in removing dash cams can be spent removing the adhesive. I told her not to worry about removing the adhesive, just uninstall the cameras.
Less than 20 minutes later, I received a call saying the job was finished.
The technician was apologetic about what had happened and suggested that I call customer service again, spend more of my time explaining the situation, and hopefully reach the same representative. I explained that the representative I had spoken with was in a call center in Guatemala, so the chances of reaching that same person again seemed pretty unlikely.
And here's the ironic part: when I got home, I put a little hand sanitizer on the remaining adhesive and scraped it off myself in less than 2 minutes.
One additional observation: in just 13 months, the quoted price to install a front and rear dash cam has apparently increased by roughly 50%.
My biggest issue isn't simply the price. Businesses raise prices. My issue is the lack of consistency and communication. A Best Buy representative quoted me one price, documented an agreement for $0, scheduled the appointment based on that agreement, and then the store presented an entirely different price when I arrived.
When your customer service operation and your stores don't appear to be working from the same information, the customer ends up paying for that disconnect, in money, frustration, or wasted time.
Between the significant price increases and outsourcing customer service to a BPO in Guatemala while apparently not giving those representatives the ability to provide pricing that stores will honor, Best Buy no longer feels like it is delivering the "Best Buy" or the best customer experience.
After being a repeat customer and planning to bring my next dash cam installation back to Best Buy, this experience has definitely made me reconsider that decision.
