After hearing of the demise of the American ideals last Wednesday, writing this article almost felt pointless and meaningless. And then I realized two things. First, that's what they (ie, those who are destroying the American ideals) want us to feel so we won't fight back. And second, my experience with Best Buy is a symptom of the problem and an indicator of just how deeply this problem runs. So sit back and let me tell you a little story....

In the week before October 2, 2004, my computer started acting up. At what appeared to be random points in time, my monitor would suddenly go black, then the screen would say "No signal" and "Power Save On". The computer would still be on but it would not do anything. Attempts to use reboot or Windows keys did nothing. Let me back up a bit and give you some background information.

I had purchased my computer on July 3, 2003 from my local Best Buy store. Now, anyone who shops at Best Buy knows that when you're checking out, standing in the check out line, that's when the cashier asks you if you want to buy an extended warranty for the product you're purchasing. If you agree, they point their little scanner at the appropriate bar code in their little book. As you leave, they staple your receipt to the booklet that describes the performance service plan or extended warranty you just purchased. Prior to that point, you don't get to see the conditions on the service plan you've agreed to buy. And even if they DID offer to allow you to read it before agreeing to buy it, how many people are going to stand in a checkout line and read the three sides of the brochure (with small print) that they eventually hand you. And for things like computers, they push what is called an in-home service plan: for three years after the date of purchase, your computer will be serviced in your home. How convenient, they tell you. And so it would seem. So I purchased the three-year in-home service plan for an extra $199.99.

After several episodes of the screen going blank, I remembered I had recently downloaded the XP Service Pack 2. I thought perhaps that was the problem and sent Microsoft a request for email assistance-- which they promptly replied to (although it did me no good as you'll see later on). But after the third or fourth time that my monitor screen went blank and I had to reboot, I called Best Buy. I figured they had tech support I had already paid for and they might be able to help me. I had someone talk me through uninstalling SP2, then I rebooted. When it happened again after uninstalling the service pack, I attempted to do a system restore to a point in time that was before I had installed the service pack, but such attempts failed. I do not recall if this was done on 10/2/04 or not, but it was within the week prior.

Now back to October 2, 2004. After the first time my monitor went blank, I scanned my computer for viruses. I used a free online scanner at Panda Software . (I have found this is the best free online scanner-- my only complaint is that I have to open IE to use it-- it won't work with other browsers.) I checked my computer with the anti-virus software I have on it. I went to Microsoft's site and used their online tools to see if it was the Sasser worm or any of the other viruses they have removal tools for. None showed up. After about the sixth time in about three hours that my monitor went blank, I contacted Best Buy once again. The first person I spoke to that day informed me that in order to rule out a software problem, I would have to do a recovery-- wipe my hard drive clean and reinstall all the software, drivers, hardward, etc. using the recovery disks that came with my computer. I balked at that suggestion-- my hard drive is 80G-- and about 15G was used with files and programs. But in the end, I really had no choice unless I wanted to spend money I didn't have to fix something I'd already paid to have fixed through the purchase of the performance service plan (PSP).

After hanging up, I saved as much data as I could, and then called back to have someone talk me through the recovery. I then spent about five hours restoring some of the files and settings to the computer, eventually reinstalling my ISP software. I then had to go online to download the updates to Windows, but every time the connection to my modem would open, the monitor screen would once again go blank and I would have to manually reboot the computer. This happened three times in a row before I called back the tech support at Best Buy, who informed me that my modem was bad and they'd send out a new one-- with an expected installation date of October 8! I informed them that was not acceptable to me-- I use the computer for my in-home business and at the time, I was the sole source of income for my family. The tech said there was nothing they could do and explained how the repair order had to go to their central office and the part had to be shipped from their central warehouse and then the technician would contact me when they had the time to get to my computer.

When I reminded them that I had "in-home" service, they said that if I read the pamphlet, I'd see that the first step in that service was always an attempt to repair the computer through diagnosis of the problem over the phone! Now, I'm not computer stupid, but I know a lot of people who are. How in God's name are you going to diagnose a hardware problem over the telephone?!?! I complained all the way up the tech support line and then to the customer service line, only to be told "We're sorry this is happening to you but there's nothing we can do about it. This is our policy." I was furious (and undoubtely quite rude) but there was nothing I could do. I figured that if nothing else, I could at least do the work I was supposed to be doing even if I couldn't email it to my customer until after the 8th.

The next morning, when I attempted to turn on the computer, it would not even boot up. I recontacted the tech support people at Best Buy and after explaining the problem and giving them my case number, I was told that if the modem was bad, it could freeze up the whole system. (Despite the fact that it had not done so the day before...) Now, I was unable even to do the work that I was supposed to do (CAD). They promised to make my case top priority.

So I waited. On October 7, the technician came out to my home at about 4:30 that afternoon. He installed the new modem, but (surprise, surprise!) it didnt' fix the problem. He spent 15 minutes unhooking all the hardware and never got any kind of signal from the computer. He then spent about the next 30-45 minutes on the phone-- waiting and waiting for someone to take his call. When he finally got a live person on the other end, he explained what was going on, took some voltage readings and before he hung up, put me on the phone. The man at the other end explained that my computer needed a new mother board and power supply and that it would be another 3-5 business days before they'd get the parts to me! I again ranted and went up the line to the head of customer service, only to be told the same thing: "We're sorry this is happening to you but there's nothing we can do about it. This is our policy."

I got a call from the technician on Monday morning-- he was going to come out that night at about 8:00 to install the parts. (And I must say here that I hold nothing against the technician and never got rude towards him. He went out of his way to get me the parts as fast as possible and for that I thank him.) He came back out to the house, put in the new power supply and then informed me that they had sent the wrong mother board! The connections on this board for all the sound devices was horizontally aligned and the back of my computer was vertically aligned. He spend an HOUR on hold, waiting for someone to assist him and to place an order for the new part, but shortly after nine, he hung up and went home when his cell phone battery went dead.

I called Best Buys Customer Service people: I was furious and I was rude as hell. They proceeded to tell me that they couldn't even give me an expected date of service because they hadn't heard from the technician and he hadn't ordered any new parts. The tech had told me he would have to do that on Tuesday morning. I was furious and all they would say was the same old thing: "We're sorry this is happening to you but there's nothing we can do about it. This is our policy." But it got worse. When I'd say, for example, "It's your fault for shipping the wrong part!", everyone I spoke to would say, "Ma'am, I didn't personally ship the wrong part!" That, more than the fact that I had to wait even longer, angered me. No one on their end would admit that Best Buy had screwed up in any way. On Wednesday night, the technician called and said he would be out on Thursday. They hadn't sent a new mother board-- they simply sent a new back for the computer! A part the technician could have picked up at the local store the next day and they could have sent a replacement part to the store rather than make me wait! The technician came out and installed the mother board and the computer turned on and I eventually was able to get online.

But once I logged on to the internet, because I had done a recovery and didn't have any of the updated security patches, my computer came down with half a dozen viruses within the first few hours. The first symptom I had was that I kept getting a message that some file had unexpectedly closed and that the system would be shutting down-- sorry for the inconvenience. A call to Best Buy's tech support informed me I'd have to once again do a recovery-- the tech said that it was mandatory after installing a new motherboard. I refused, as I'd just spent almost 8 hours getting files back and reloading programs and downloading browsers and updates from the web. I was asked why the tech had not informed me that I would have to do a recovery and when he had no answer, I asked to speak to his supervisor. But while I was on hold waiting for said supervisor, the tech came back on the line and informed me that the symptom I was experiencing was due to the Sasser virus. He informed me that they could help me resolve the issue-- but it wasn't free because the PSP didn't cover virus removal. I went off on another rant since I had the viruses because they'd made me do a recovery, which wiped out all the updates. I asked them why no one had told me that I wouldn't be able to download the first service pack updates for XP, and they said they didn't know, but they'd make sure they alerted people to that in the future. A lot of good that did me then. I refused to use their hired services. I managed to get onto Microsoft's website and get the fix to prevent my computer from rebooting. Once it wasn't constantly shutting down, I was able to download the second service pack as well as scan my computer online for viruses and eliminate those that had infected my computer.

I have since contacted the Better Business Bureau and I have filed a complaint with them. At the end of the online submission form at the BBB's site, it asks what you want as a resolution. What I want is for the company to act responsibly.

I want a permanent change in policy. I feel that the way Best Buy sells their performance serivce plans-- particularly the one I purchased-- a 3 year, in-home PSP-- is deceptive and underhanded.

I want it to be a requirement that the sales personel-- NOT the cashier-- offer the customer the pamphlet that explains the terms and conditions of the performance service plan. This would give the customer the opportunity to read the entire pamphlet without feeling as if they're holding up a whole bunch of other people waiting to check out.

I want it to be required that the sales personel explain to the customer-- especially computer buyers-- that a.) the initial "in-home" service repair will be an attempt to diagnose the problem over the phone and for computer buyers that b.) before any hardware problems can be diagnosed, they will be required to do a system recovery and wipe their computer's hard drive clean. Depending on their operating system, I also want it required that the customer be told this will eliminate all updates to their OS and what risks they might face by doing so.

I want it to be required that the sale personel explain that if they need to have a part replaced, it may take 3-5 business days to arrive and then there may be additional time before your unit is serviced, depending on the schedule of the technician who is given your case.

I want parts to be shipped from either the central warehouse or picked up at the local store, whichever is faster. If picked up from the local store, the central warehouse will replace the part that was removed from the store's inventory.

I want it to be an option to take the unit to the local store for repairs and have those repairs covered under the PSP, since had I been able to do so, I'd have had my computer back in about four days.

Although it didn't apply to me, I want the clause removed that says if they end up having to replace your item, they have the option of giving you a voucher for the amount you paid-- even if it was on sale and you can't replace it for what they give you. If they guarantee a product and it fails, you should be entitled to a replacement of what you chose, regardless of whether or not you bought it on sale or without a box.

And finally, I want Best Buy to be forced to provide monetary compensation (NOT gift cards to their own stores) to their customers if they misdiagnose a problem over the phone and additional monetary compensation for each time they send the wrong part. I figure about $50 for a misdiagnosis, $50 for the first wrong part and $100 for every wrong part after that. Of course, they could opt to simply replace the unit with a new one (NOT a reconditioned or serviced one) free of charge if it is less expensive for them.

Now, I'm only one person, but I'm absolutely certain I'm not the first person who has had this problem with Best Buy. Nor is Best Buy the only company who has this corporate attitude of "it's not our fault". Enron is a perfect example. Martha Stewart is in jail for selling something like $60,000 worth of stock while the president of Enron is still on George Bush's A list. The attitudes in the business world and in many personal lives merely reflects the attitude of this current administration, which refuses to accept responsibility for any of its policies. George W. Bush will go down in history as the Teflon president: none of the responsibility sticks to him: it all slides off to those underneath him.

I refuse to have anything more to do with Best Buy, although I will hold them to the terms of their PSP since I already paid for it. But I will not buy anything there ever again. As long as people continue to patronize companies like this simply to pay a couple dollars less, they're going to keep doing what they're doing: cutting corners on customer service and support that isn't visible to the masses of consumers. And yes, I was just as guilty of doing the same thing-- trying to save some money (thanks to the horrible state of the economy that's not the fault of Bush policies either don't you know?). But I've learned my lesson. These big "cheap" companies like Best Buy and Wal-Mart really end up costing the consumer more in the end. A recent report out of Los Angeles revealed that the city ends up paying out $87 million additional welfare dollars each year because Wal-Mart doesn't pay a livable wage and because they work most of their employees part time so as not to have to provide any benefits. I've since stopped shopping at Wal-Mart as well.

Do I think that my actions will change these policies? After all, I'm just a drop in the bucket. But my actions, this article, may open someone else's eyes and they might talk to someone else about it. Put a penny on one square of a chessboard and the next day, double how much you put on the square. If you could continue, by the time you filled the chessboard, you'd be a multimillionaire. If you, dear reader, tell two people, and those two people each tell two people, by the end of the month, the entire country will have heard-- twice! And if only 1% of the people who hear about this stop shopping at these kinds of stores, that's 2.5 million less cutomers every year. I don't know about you, but in the six months prior to my boycott of Wal-Mart (and its "sister store" Sam's Club), I spent well over $2000-- most of it on groceries and Christmas shopping. That's $5,000,000,000 (five billion) dollars less income for Wal-Mart/Sam's Club. I think that will be a noticable decline in profits, don't you? So individually, my actions may not do anything. But collectively, we have a lot of clout.

The same goes for our political process-- maybe even more so since we're the ones who elect our representatives. (Well, theoretically, of course.) What can you do? Get involved! Make noise! Let your representatives know you don't like what's going on. Hold them as accountable as you would hold a store like Best Buy. And when they refuse to be held accountable, make even more noise and make others aware of what's going on. To that end, I am creating a new section on my website called "Exposed!: Unmasking the Agenda of the Radical Religious Right". (If you visit, please bear in mind I just started working on this yesterday (11/4/04) afternoon.)

Thank you for taking time from your busy day to read my rant and please, Please, PLEASE get involved in the political process. It's time take back the government of the people and give it TO the people once again.

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