I'll add Best Buy to the "Axis of Evil"

Just a short note to let you all know that I purchased a Pioneer XM ready unit from Best Buy in January.

I can't tell you how good it sounds because I STILL don't have it hooked up.

Several trips to Best Buy, and the stupid techs can't figure out how to either hook the thing up properly and don't care in the first place. Three visits yeilded no results because the tech either was "sick" that day or didn't show up to work. On my last visit, I arrived on time at 10:30 and didn't get out of that hell hole unitl 6:30!! Yup, EIGHT hours later!! With nothing more accomplished than having the unit sent out for repair!! (God forbid they can install a loaner unit with a hundred of them on the shelf!!)

The unit has one defective part and was sent to be fixed. A month later it came back, was installed, and found to be STILL defective. No apologies from Best Buy.

The unit is now sitting on a table in my room. I don't want the idiots at Best Buy working on it anymore, but have already paid for the lousy installation.

I called Pioneer, and will probably send it out to them to be fixed under warrenty. Then I'll take it back to the idiots at Best Buy and yell at them for an hour to do the DAMN job right!!!

Sorry, had to vent.


PS Cleeve and the guys at La Jolla Audio have been GREAT. Only wish I were listening to tunes..... blame Best Buy entirely.

I"ll post again when this saga is over. January, February, March, April..... do I hear May or June????

[csnow]

Did you pay using a credit card?
If so, you can simply drop the unit on their doorstop, and dispute the charge through the CC company.
They clearly have no grounds, since the service you purchased was not delivered, and the usefulness of the product is directly tied to the service.

No way of getting that day of your life back, however.
I'm very patient, but I would not have lasted that long...

Then, go someplace else...
Or DIY! (If you want it done right...)

Thanks for the advice guys.

Problem is, the unit was installed later than 30 days after I bought it. I already asked to return it and they held firm on their return policy. God forbid they would have to take one of the hundred or so units off the wall, swap it out with my non-functioning unit, and send the damn thing to Pioneer themselves!!

I can't drop the thing on their doorstep because half of it is still in the car. Only the bigger black box portion of it is not working and the aftermarked hardwire that I bought from La Jolla Audio (who have been very helpful) has already been put in. On that note, I plan to have them physically SHOW me that wire to assure that they simply didn't throw it in the trash. They already tried to convince me that the wire was junk, that I had been ripped off, and that listening to great FM reception was all I needed! Can you believe that??

I think all I can do is send it myself out to Pioneer to have it fixed and then have them finish the installation. Acutally, all the installation has been done, the only thing wrong at this point is the broken part of the unit. I just have NO confidence that their sending the thing out again to be "fixed" will yeild any postivie results.

[csnow]

The Best Buy return policy is miserable.
Many horror stories.
Something to consider.
Caveat Emptor!

I generally get better customer service from online retailers.
Something ironic about this...

[Cleeve]

Hi Sflori,

I know what you have been through with these guys at Best Buy since they called me twice to ask how to hook it up for you. It was sad when I had to ask them if they connected the power to the tuner pack and they said,"no, does it need it?" Scarry!!! Anyway, just send it to me direct along with your receipt and I will handle getting it serviced under warranty for you and will test it when I get it back to make sure it works.

Cleeve Morrison
La Jolla Audio Repair

www.lajollaaudiorepair.com

Cleeve,

Thanks for all your help. I'll send the unit out to you later this week.

PS I couple months ago I flew into CA and was driving up to Camp Pendleton to direct part of a video for the Marine Corps. I nearly freaked out when I looked to the right of the highway and saw your shop!!

It's a small world after all.

csnow,

One nice thing I accomplished after doing some research about Best Buy on the internet was to convince a friend of mine not to buy his big-screen TV there. You can be sure that I'll continue to let people know how Best Buy does business...

It's actually the store located in Reston.

To make another long story short, I bought a XM unit there and then decided to go with Serius. Rather than drive all the way out to Reston, I returned the unit to the Rockville store with no problem.

Later, when I decided to go with XM after all, I went the extra miles out to Reston and bought it there precisely because the sales manager told me they'd be able to fit the control unit into my ash tray so I'd still have a stock appearence.

Fast forward to the installation: the techs refuse to install the control unit in the ash tray (as promised by the sales manager) because it involves cutting, which they say will get them fired.

Sounds like either the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing, or they plain don't care.

My guess is both.

I'm pretty sure he was out for a commission of some sort. They say they don't work on commission, but there are incentives/bonuses just the same.

He really did the "hard sell" for XM over Serius. That doesn't bother me that much, as I think XM will be around for the long haul and am not so sure about Serius. But if they're as "commission free" or are trying to advertize that they're not biased, that just isn't the case.