Circuit City announced the closings of its stores nationwide. This is a company that was featured in Jim Collins' book, Good to great. They went from good to great to terrible. In honor of their closing, I will reprint my blog post from April of 2006 when, after numerous problems with CC, I finally decided to stop shopping there all together. By the way... I received lots of support for this from the blogging community. Here's the original post, its titled, "If i had a rocket launcher."
Several years ago, Bruce Cockburn had a song called "If I had a rocket launcher." Today I got a little bit of a feel for what he may have been talking about.
After a couple of morning meetings. I headed to Pensacola to buy a couple of long needed computers for the church. I had done the research and found a great deal on a couple of Gateway computers from Circuit City. So I am excited about getting these long awaited computers for the church.
When I get in, I am waited on by a young guy... looked about 15, but I know he was older. I showed him what I wanted. He punched the numbers in and gave me a total... He didn't mention things that I would need for the computers that weren't included, like USB cables for the printers, etc... but that is another story.
The two computers both came with printers as part of the package. So He rings me up and then quickly takes me to "Customer Service." A term which I no longer believe applies to Circuit City. At the customer service area I was to give them my tax exempt information and complete the transaction, ie. hand over the check. Well, I had accidentally left the tax exempt form at home, so I called my administrator so that she could fax them the form. As she tried to fax it, she gets a message saying that the machines had connected but there was a failure on the Circuit City side. I mentioned this to the guy, who assured me there was no problem.
In the mean time, I continue to wait for the form to print. While I'm waiting, another guy has the same situation... he has to have his office fax the tax exempt form. His doesn't come through either. I inform the guy that i think he has a problem with his machine... at which he lets me know, there is no problem. Finally, he concedes and asks can we have our offices send the forms again. Mine comes through, the other guys does not.
I say to the guy at the customer service counter, with a smile on my face... "Oh well, some days are like that." To which he replies, "Well, if you would have brought in your form, there would not be a problem." Grrrrrrrr. I feel an immediate sizzle under my collar... but I remain in control.
As I look at the paperwork, I notice there is only one printer listed... I find my 15 year old salesperson, and he replies, "Oh, I didn't know you wanted the free printer." (The sizzle starts to become louder) Truth is, If I had a store room of 50 unused printers, I would still take the free one. I ask, "Who wouldn't want a free printer?"
He informs me that he can't give me the free printer because their system wouldn't allow the paperwork. (Huh? The sizzle now includes steam rising from my forehead. I am still doggedly determined to smile and carry on. After all, we are getting our long waited for computers.)
"May I speak to a manager?" I ask. And about that time, what should appear but a guy with a tag that has his name and says manager on it. "Are you the manager?" I ask. (I am known for being highly perceptive.) He answers, "Um.... well.... um...... um...." "I promise, its not a trick question," I offer, still managing to hold on to some resemblance of a smile... Finally he says something along the lines of... I can be.
Good enough, I think... I explain the problem and he tells me that even though his mail out says that both computers I am buying come with printers... he cannot do it. (My smile remains... but it now appears like a guy who might be smiling while standing in a police line up. The sizzle is a now a full burn.)
"May I speak to someone who knows if he is a manager or not?" I ask... somehow sensing that I might be stepping over the line a little bit. He then goes to a manager... they talk in hush-hush secret tones... and then the new manager, who was completely sure he was a manager asked me, "What's the problem?" I show him the advertisement... told him I merely wanted to buy what they advertised, explained that the young salesperson never expressed any problem... and could he help me? He explained that No he could not. I mentioned to him that he was risking losing about 2000.00 of a sale over a 50 dollar printer. His response... I understand.
So with that I get my check back. I drive back to Gulf Breeze, and I get a new check, and drive back to Pensacola and buy the computers at Best buy... who went out of the way to make up for their colleagues lack of interest in my business by giving me a good deal and never once bad mouthing their competitor.
And as I drove back over the Pensacola Beach Bridge, I was whistling an old tune, "If I had a rocket launcher..."
And now Best Buy is moving in the direction of Circuit City. I recently bought an iPod there and have had to take it back a couple of times and it was shipped off for repair and only because I bought the warranty. I brought it back for the 3rd time and they informed me that they couldn't do anything because I had returned my warranty. Huh? You mean you can return your warranty a year and half into a 3 year warranty? Why would I do that when I have already returned the iPod 2 other times? What's more, they told me I returned the warranty 1 month after I bought the iPod. To which I asked, how then did I return it the other two times to be fixed. To which they said they have no record of that either.
I have friends who have told me that when they returned their iPods to Best Buy, they got new ones.
They then asked if I would like my broken one back and I replied, "Only if you would like me to throw it through your window when I leave."
Posted by: eric Partin | January 17, 2009 at 11:40 AM
Robert,
I was so furious about a year ago, I just decided to not even post my Circuit City stories - but I vowed to the local store manager that they'd never see me again, and that i'd use all the influence I had to see that nobody else did either. I am aware of at least $20,000 in sales that I probably prevented them from having.
It was a horrible, pathetic company. I'm glad they are going under.
If only the CEO's would've asked, I"d say (with a nanny-nanny-boo-boo voice) .. "you shoulda brought Citi Protection".
Oh my, I forget I'm supposed to be Christlike when the words "Circuit City" come up. Morons.
Posted by: Fred F. McKinnon | January 17, 2009 at 06:54 PM