CE Pro Editor Hosed On Amazon TV Deal

Senior CE Pro Editor Julie Jacobson bought a TV through Amazon.com, and blogs about what a hassle it's been.

CE Pro: Amazon Dupes Consumers with Misleading Offers of Free White Glove Delivery

So How Does White Glove Delivery Work?
The ad on Amazon.com says, "After your purchase, an agent will call you within five days to arrange delivery."I wasn't exactly sure how that would work, so I called TigerDirect — the reseller that sold me the goods through Amazon.As detailed in my original story, TigerDirect — which charged me $62 for the so-called free delivery — said the onus was on Amazon, not Tiger, to cover the white glove service.In turn, Amazon claimed it was up to TigerDirect.

Ironically, the biggest and costliest consumer horror shows happen when shoppers try to cut corners and "save a buck."

In the past, when potential clients have tried to shake me down for a rock bottom discount, I've told them that there are two types of installation companies: ones that will cut their own throat to make a deal, and ones that will finish the job properly; the choice is theirs.

As an expert at what I do, I believe in hiring experts to do things that I can't or won't do. When I had tile and laminate laid down in my house last year, I hired a reputable flooring company, selected the nicest materials I could afford, and paid for the labour for expert flooring guys to install it. They were done in a week, and it was money well spent. Given my basic philosophy, it would have been hypocritical of me to cut corners in the name of "saving a buck."

By contrast, I know some cheapskates who tried to cut corners on their home renovation by having their uncle's sister's cousin who's a contractor do the work on his days off with materials that may or may not have fallen off of a truck. Two years later, their house is still in ruins, and their contractor relative only returns their calls intermittantly. Way to save a few bucks guys.

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How is Best Buy doing so well?

When their front line retail staff are the bottom quartile of the employment market?

I recognize that it's difficult for retailers to pay enough to retain really top-notch employees, but come on. Witness the interaction I went through at a Best Buy yesterday. Against my better judgement, I braved the crowds on the last Sunday before Christmas, looking for a couple of titles for the Wii. So I went in to Best Buy, sought out the video game department, and asked one of the blue-shirted clerks for assistance.

Me: Excuse me, are you with anyone?

Clerk 1: No, can I help you?

Me: Yes, please. I'm looking for Super Mario Galaxy, and Dancing with the Stars for the Wii.

Clerk 1: (panicked deer-in-the-headlights-moment) Dancing with the Stars on DVD?

Me: No, for the Nintendo Wii.

Clerk 1: (blank stare, calls over Clerk 2) Bob, do we have, (turns to me) what was it again?

Me: Super Mario Galaxy, and Dancing with the Stars for the Wii.

Clerk 2: Um, I don't know. I'm not really an expert on the Wii yet.

Me: Are you an expert on looking up stuff on your computer and checking stock?

Clerk 2: Oh! Yeah! Okay. (taps away) Um, no, we're sold out.

Me: That's okay. Thank you.

I ended up getting them both online from Amazon.ca, since having them under the tree was not a necessity.

Taking this experience and putting it in perspective with past customer service observations at the big blue, I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that at least subliminally, Best Buy's business model is actually self-serve. You go there, you find something shiny with blinky lights on it that you like, and you buy it. The blue shirted children wandering around are there primarily to check stock on the computer and to get things down off of high shelves for you.

On the bright side, I remained pleasant and courteous, partly because I don't believe in adding negative energy to the already stressful lives of retail workers, and also, because you never know when such behavior might lead to terrible consequences:

CF13News.com: Woman TASED at Best Buy

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Microsoft increases XBOX360 warranty, says "Oops!"

Good business decision making in action:

TWICE: Microsoft Expands Xbox 360 Warranty

Redmond, Wash. — Microsoft is expanding its global Xbox 360 warranty coverage.
Prompted by what the company called an “unacceptable number of repairs to Xbox 360 consoles,” Microsoft is now offering a three-year warranty from date of purchase to any Xbox 360 customer who experiences a general hardware failure.
Under the new warranty, the company said it will repair or replace any Xbox 360 that experiences the “three flashing red lights” error message within three years from the time of purchase free of charge, including shipping costs. It also said that it will retroactively reimburse any customer who has previously paid for repair expenses related to this error message.
Microsoft said it has identified a number of factors which can cause general hardware failures and has made improvements to the Xbox 360 console.
The company also announced that it is taking a $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion pre-tax charge to its earnings for the quarter ended June 30 to cover the anticipated costs of carrying out this enhanced warranty policy.

It's great to see a company actually take responsibility for its problems, instead of trying to blame them on outside circumstances. A billion dollars may be more than pocket change, even for Microsoft, but in the long run, this move will pay off for them.

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