Well you can add Buy.com to my boycott list. I’ve had it with them. Like the saying goes, three strikes and you’re out.
The first strike came a year ago when a few days after I had made a purchase, they sent me a coupon for money off my next purchase. They never ever sent me a coupon before, but they conveniently wait until I already ordered something to do so. When I contacted them, they refused to let me use the coupon toward the purchase and it hadn’t even shipped at that point!
Then a few months ago I ordered an audio stand from them that came to us in pieces, and not just in pieces that needed to be put together. The pieces were in pieces and water damaged. So I had to do that whole return thing and ship it back.
A couple of days ago I ordered a memory card for the new camera I am going to be getting for $64.95. The item shipped out, I still don’t have it, and the price went down $10! I contacted them to see if they would issue me a credit, much like I did with Wal-Mart recently. Well they said no, offered no explanation, and left it at that. Well screw that. There are plenty of other places I can shop online. Here’s the e-mail chain in case you’re interested in the specifics. It’s from oldest to newest in this case.
I wrote:
Hello, I just ordered the Kingston SD card, haven’t even received it, and I noticed the price on your site went down almost $10 from $64.95 to $55.99. Can you please issue me a credit for the price difference? I would think this is fair as many brick and mortar stores do this when something goes on sale within 30 days of purchase. I look forward to your response. Thank you!
They wrote back:
Thank you for contacting Buy.com.
This is in reference to your email regarding the order #BlahBlah.
We apologize for the inconvenience you may have experienced. We are writing to inform you that we are unable to match the prices at this time.
We apologize again for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.
Thank you again for writing to Buy.com.
Sincerely,
Buy.com Customer Care Team
So I wrote back:
I find your response unacceptable, especially considering you offer no explanation. Saying you’re “sorry for the inconvenience” twice does not suffice. It’s not an inconvenience, it’s a disgrace, because you’re not sorry at all. If I were to go to your site right now and order this item it would be $10 cheaper, but you won’t extend the same courtesy to someone who is already a repeat customer? I’ll definitely keep that in mind for all my future shopping. I’ve already boycotted Best Buy due to their horrible customer service; consider yourself added to that list.
I’ll be sure to pass along the message of how inflexible you are to everyone I know via my website and in-person conversations and I won’t be recommending your site to my friends anymore. I hope angering and losing a repeat customer over $10 makes financial sense to you. Considering all the options available to me for online purchases, who do you think this will ultimately hurt more? Yes, I am one person, but I’m not the only person out there who will think your poor attitude toward customer service is acceptable. And over a $10 savings you’re already offering to other visitors to your site no less? Did they teach you that in Customer Service 101? I’m surprised you’re still in business.
So I’m keeping my promise by sharing this experience with you, dear readers. The problem these days is that everyone allows these companies to treat them poorly and they continue shopping there. If we were to refuse to accept this treatment, places like Best Buy and Buy.com would be forced to improve their customer service or else go out of business. Just something to keep in mind next time you’re mistreated. And trust me, I know it isn’t always easy, as I’ve shopped Best Buy a couple of times since boycotting them years ago, but I’m back to boycotting them 100% because I’m tired of giving my hard-earned money to these heartless corporations.