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More confessions of a Big Electronics Store Employee...
13. When looking at computers, make sure that the tag you're looking
at matches the floor model you're testing. We often would only put
the faster computers on display that looked the same, so the
customer would think that they're getting this fast computer when in
reality, it's for the tag 3 feet away, and it's twice the price.
14. All protection plans are replacement plans. Which means it's a
one time use. If you break your computer within the first year on a 4
year plan, you just wasted 3 years of the warranty, and might as well
have gotten the 2 year plan, and if needed add the additional 2 years
after the plan's up.
15. All accidental protection plans cover an additional month past
what's advertised. (2 year plan covers 2 years and one month, 4 year
covers 4 years and one month.)
16. Don't buy the protection plans just for the unlimited batteries, you
can find laptop and camera batteries online for much cheaper.
17. Sales from ads primarily work off the bait-and-switch tactic. It's
most likely that the item you're looking for is out of stock or no longer
carried. It is hoped that since you came in to buy one and can't, that
you will find a better and more expensive alternative.
18. I've seen in the past of people hiding the less expensive speaker
wires for car or home theater, or other such cables in the back
warehouse. This makes customers buy the more expensive cables,
assuming it's all there is.
19. If you're buying an item with multiple gift cards, check to make
sure that you're given back the gift card with the remaining balance.
Several times I've seen associates give back the empty card, and
keep the card with the remaining balance.
20. If you don't get the accidental coverage on the item you just
purchased that's coming from the warehouse, it may be "accidentally"
dropped a few times. It's believed that when the customer comes
back in with the messed up computer, that they will then opt for the
coverage.
21. Our price guarantee says that we'll beat any competitor's price by
110%. In reality, we just beat 110% of the difference in price. Say you
were buying an item that's 110 bucks at Circuit, 100 at Best Buy. The
difference is $10, and we will beat that by 10%, which means you only
save a dollar by buying it at Circuit City.
22. Real names are not commonly used when answering the phone,
just to avoid the chance of getting in trouble for bad customer
service. Often used are other associates' names.
23 . When returning items, with every return possible, we will label
the item as defective. For that 3k plasma TV you just "changed your
mind on", it's most likely that instead of selling it as an "open box",
that it will be shipped back to the manufacturer with some bogus
explanation of why it's no good. Something like "fuzzy picture every
now and then". Marking it down and reselling loses money.
24. Circuit City has violated "minor labor laws" to the extreme. I know
of 16 year olds who worked 50 hour weeks, when it was only legal for
20.
25. Circuit City has laid off over 4 thousand employees recently to
hire cheaper workers. They fired associates who were highly ranked
in sales and service, and paid well for that reason.
26. Stores will keep great coupons such as "$10 off when you spend
$100" up at customer service next to our ads that we give out.
Sometimes they're only for the next week, encouraging that you come
back Also almost everyday we were given a 10% off coupon to keep in
our pocket in case we needed to give a discount to close a sale,
making it look like we're making some special deal for them when
really, it's just a plain old coupon that they could have brought.
27. Another shady fact that may not mean much to others is that they
would send out 16 year olds to deliver tvs and computers. That's
strictly against company policy, you're supposed to be 18 to assist or
21 to drive to a customer's house.
Click HERE to return to pt 1
Click HERE and read the 43 McRules to know when you are at the
drive-thru. The employee was fired after these were posted.
13. When looking at computers, make sure that the tag you're looking
at matches the floor model you're testing. We often would only put
the faster computers on display that looked the same, so the
customer would think that they're getting this fast computer when in
reality, it's for the tag 3 feet away, and it's twice the price.
14. All protection plans are replacement plans. Which means it's a
one time use. If you break your computer within the first year on a 4
year plan, you just wasted 3 years of the warranty, and might as well
have gotten the 2 year plan, and if needed add the additional 2 years
after the plan's up.
15. All accidental protection plans cover an additional month past
what's advertised. (2 year plan covers 2 years and one month, 4 year
covers 4 years and one month.)
16. Don't buy the protection plans just for the unlimited batteries, you
can find laptop and camera batteries online for much cheaper.
17. Sales from ads primarily work off the bait-and-switch tactic. It's
most likely that the item you're looking for is out of stock or no longer
carried. It is hoped that since you came in to buy one and can't, that
you will find a better and more expensive alternative.
18. I've seen in the past of people hiding the less expensive speaker
wires for car or home theater, or other such cables in the back
warehouse. This makes customers buy the more expensive cables,
assuming it's all there is.
19. If you're buying an item with multiple gift cards, check to make
sure that you're given back the gift card with the remaining balance.
Several times I've seen associates give back the empty card, and
keep the card with the remaining balance.
20. If you don't get the accidental coverage on the item you just
purchased that's coming from the warehouse, it may be "accidentally"
dropped a few times. It's believed that when the customer comes
back in with the messed up computer, that they will then opt for the
coverage.
21. Our price guarantee says that we'll beat any competitor's price by
110%. In reality, we just beat 110% of the difference in price. Say you
were buying an item that's 110 bucks at Circuit, 100 at Best Buy. The
difference is $10, and we will beat that by 10%, which means you only
save a dollar by buying it at Circuit City.
22. Real names are not commonly used when answering the phone,
just to avoid the chance of getting in trouble for bad customer
service. Often used are other associates' names.
23 . When returning items, with every return possible, we will label
the item as defective. For that 3k plasma TV you just "changed your
mind on", it's most likely that instead of selling it as an "open box",
that it will be shipped back to the manufacturer with some bogus
explanation of why it's no good. Something like "fuzzy picture every
now and then". Marking it down and reselling loses money.
24. Circuit City has violated "minor labor laws" to the extreme. I know
of 16 year olds who worked 50 hour weeks, when it was only legal for
20.
25. Circuit City has laid off over 4 thousand employees recently to
hire cheaper workers. They fired associates who were highly ranked
in sales and service, and paid well for that reason.
26. Stores will keep great coupons such as "$10 off when you spend
$100" up at customer service next to our ads that we give out.
Sometimes they're only for the next week, encouraging that you come
back Also almost everyday we were given a 10% off coupon to keep in
our pocket in case we needed to give a discount to close a sale,
making it look like we're making some special deal for them when
really, it's just a plain old coupon that they could have brought.
27. Another shady fact that may not mean much to others is that they
would send out 16 year olds to deliver tvs and computers. That's
strictly against company policy, you're supposed to be 18 to assist or
21 to drive to a customer's house.
Click HERE to return to pt 1
Click HERE and read the 43 McRules to know when you are at the
drive-thru. The employee was fired after these were posted.