CompUSA has been trying to turn itself around for a while now -- it closed a ton of stores earlier this year and has generally been pretty aggressive in trying to cut costs. No matter how bad things get, though, sometimes a company's gotta bite the bullet and do the right thing by its customers, and it looks like the $269 CompUSA is holding back from Texas consultant Terry Heaton might end up costing it a lot more than it anticipated. Seems as though Terry purchased what he thought was a Canon A630 from one of the stores CompUSA was closing back in March, but when his step-daughter opened the box a few weeks ago, it was empty. Assuming he'd get a refund, Terry drove to the nearest CompUSA, where he was told that all liquidation sales were handled by a third party and not CompUSA, and that he would have to contact CompUSA's attorneys to secure a refund. Undaunted, Terry then wrote a letter to CompUSA's CEO, whose "Executive Care" assistant replied and said that Terry should have been more careful to inspect the box when he purchased the camera, and that the prominent ALL SALES ARE FINAL signs around the store and on the receipt weren't just for show. That's pretty callous, if you ask us -- while we're always extra-careful when we buy clearance items, we can't imagine CompUSA (or its liquidators) knowingly marked an empty box with a $269 price tag, and we can't imagine seeing that price and thinking the box might be empty. So come on, CompUSA -- let's see some
customer friggin service, okay?
[Via
LostRemote, thanks, James]
Update: Heaton got his cash back! Well, in the form of a gift certificate, which kind of sucks, but still, we're glad for him.
posted June 5th 2007 4:10PM
What proof is there to suggest he didn't simply steal the camera? I'm not saying that's what happened, it's just that you can't KNOW he's telling the truth. When I was working in retail we'd get this guy who would come in every couple weeks with the same old routine: an empty package and he would claim it was empty when he bought it. We never gave him a refund and eventually we caught on and told him to never come back or we'd have security stop him from entering. Other people would bring in some items trying to get a return on a product and claimed over and over they had purchased it from "THIS very store", but actually had a reciept for a different retail chain all together (the guy was too dumb to figure out the difference between Office Depot and Office Max). Other examples: people would bring in crushed or damaged items, or items that looked as if they had been stolen, or dot-matrix printers from the 80's that they claimed to have bought at my store just last week. Also on more than one occasion I caught people trying to make counterfeit money using the color duplexing laser printers we had on display. Point is: there's a lot of theifing assholes out there.
/rant over
Who knows if the guy is honest or not, but thieves don't usually make this big of a stink about stuff. Bottom line is CompUSA is a horrible store and they treat thier customers like crap. I refuse to shop anywhere that has security doing cavity searches at the exit door. Long live NEWEGG.COM!
I think he took it home and took the camera out! What proof is there that the box was empty?? He bought the "box" months ago but just now noticed it was empty? What an easy scam! They should have canon track downt eh serial number on the camera. They are on the box after all right? See if it's been registered.
yes, if you are going to steal something, at least have the decency to register it.....
That is what i call a "dahhh" is this costumer so dumm that him can't feel the weight? Please, i know that here in USA we have the craziest refounds that i ever see, but don't go so far.
SeVeMaS said: That is what i call a "dahhh" is this costumer so dumm that him can't feel the weight?
I tell ya what super-brain. I'll hand you 30 pounds of crap and then put a box on top that'll weigh "around 2 pounds". You can then tell me whether the camera is or isn't in the box.
That said, I would have looked. I'm the jerk that sits in the drivethru double-checking my order before I drive off. I'm also the jerk who won't turn into traffic when the approaching car has their turn signal on. I'm not one for assumptions!
CompUSA has had bad customer service in regards to their refund policy for years. I remember a little over ten years ago, my parents had an HP computer that need more HDD space. The original had 2Gb and they were upgrading to 10Gb. My parents are not techies at all, so they consulted an in-store associate that supposedly looked up the PC model and compatible HDDs. They bought the suggested HDD and paid for installation. Several days later, CompUSA called them to inform that the new HDD installed was incompatible with the system and they would have to get a refund. My mom went to the store for the refund and the cashier refunded the HDD. However, the store would not refund the installation charges and then deducted from the HDD refund charges for uninstalling the same unit! So my parents were back to square one, minus like $200. The manager would not approve a refund for the service charges either and referred them to the Texas corporate office. After several letters and angry calls, my dad had to file a complaint with the state's Attorney General, Better Business Bureau and have his attorney send a demand for refund. The refund finally came nearly 9 months later courtesy of the Indiana Attorney General's investigation.
I never shopped there since. Bad, bad retailer.
I SMELL A LAWSUIT...
Make sure this one gets some coverage if it goes any further.
Thanks engadget
Cmon...why did it take them MONTHS to find out that the camera was missing. I've worked at two differnt camera shops over the last 3 years and NEITHER would have issued a refund in this situation because the guy waited for so long to check it/say something. There are a ton of scammers out there, this is why Canon, Nikon and all the other camera brands should seal their boxes like Sony does.
Here is the real deal; it wasn't even a CompUSA product. The liquidator purchased everything in that store they day they announced it was going to be closed. The liquidator, I believe Gordon Brothers, controlled the store, the pricing and determined which employees would stay and for how long based on their man power needs.
This from my friend who was working in one of the stores that were closed.
CompUSA does it again
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net/c.cgi?u=compusa_sucks
For those shocked that it would take "months" to open the box, consider that it was about 6 weeks, and it was a gift for someone he doesn't see all the time. From his blog:
"On March 22, 2007, I went to the Lewisville store to buy a new computer (I’m writing this letter on it now). I wasn’t aware that the store was closing and was surprised when I saw the signs. I took advantage of the sale to purchase many other items. My total bill was over $3,300.00.
One of those items was a Canon A630 camera. It was purchased as a gift for my step-daughter, whom I would see in May, so I put the box away in my home office. When the day came, I handed it to her, as she beamed with joy. That didn’t last long, because the box contained only the peripherals and not the camera."
Havent gotten into the details but I would say too bad. I went into CUSA during the sales in Dallas and the products were a mess - open boxes, ripped boxes, etc. So if you didnt take the common sense to LOOK INTO the box you were purchasing BEFORE leaving the store, too bad.
That said, i never liked CUSA anyway and only purchased items on really good sales cause otherwise they were always too high priced.
wow. sounds like he should go to the state attorney general and file a complaint.
On the one hand, pretty much a buyer-beware situation. Should've checked first, and it's very hard to prove that you were sold an empty box.
On the other hand, like others have said, one call to the credit card company should take care of it.
Okay, let's see, I am in the store shopping, I pick up this camera box, and there's nothing in it, so I'll play dumb and spend my money on it, and not bring it to the attention of the store manager who will kindly put a camera into it.
HELLO!! MCFLY!!!! What a pantload. Give me a break. You can't just purchase a camera and not know the box is empty. First off, if you're there and they're liquidating and you have 1/2 a brain, you're doing what everyone else is doing; opening boxes to make sure there's something in there.
If you're not...you need to take all of your money and give it to me. I promise I'll take good care of it..
Schmoe!
This guy was probably an idiot, but CompUSA is a horrible retailer. I haven't bought anything there in a good 5-10 years after having so many bad experiences.
The biggest problem was that they would never have anything in stock, wouldn't issue rainchecks and could never tell you when things would be available.
It's as if they were selling computers but doing the inventory manually.
Hey idiots, the store's inventory had already been sold to the liquidator. CompUSA had no part in this guy's transaction. If he wants to sue somebody, go right ahead and sue the liquidator that's running the operation at these stores now.
As to why CUSA is going under, they made some really bad/stupid management decisions, and their pricing and inventory was nothing great.
The same thing kinda happened to me. I bought one of those ipod radio/alarm clock made by Emerson. Anyways, i opened the box to inspect it. The box appeared factory sealed and all that, everything looked good and in order. Bought the thing for $40. Take it home. I'm all excited cuz it comes with a remote snooze button. I've been looking for an alarm clock with a remote snooze button for a long time and all thought i had found a great deal. Anyways, i plug it in. Nothing. I'm thinking it might be the just that outlet so i try a few more outlet. Again. Nothing. So i get a little pissed off. I call the store told them what happend. The A-holes so its a final sale. I go through the whole you guys can't sell bad products. That's not right. blah blah blah. He tells me i have to take it up with the manufacturer. I asked to talk the manager. 30 minutes of waiting. He gets on says he can't do anything. I ask for the corporate number. I call and call can't get through. When I do they just tell me the same crap. I'm really pissed and am trying to think of ways to screw compusa. So my girlfriedn tells me there's another store about 30 miles away that isn't closing down why not go there and "exchange" it for a working one. So checked the website to see if they had the same item. Sure enough they do. I go there purchase a new one. Take it out. Go to the car. Switch out the bad one for the good one. Go to dinner around the area. Then took it back to Compusa saying i found a similar item at half the price over at Target. The girl gives me a form to fill out. And goes through the process and I get my money back along with a worker ipod clock alarm radio now! Screw you Compusa and sorry for the next person who buys the clock but hey at least you don't have to deal with the FINAL SALES BS!
It looks like they issued him a $300 gift card today.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,278258,00.html
Last year I was at a Comp USA store in VA and they were having a clearance sale between 11:00 PM to Midnight. First of all, the good sale items were already distributed by the sales staff to their friends and family by issuing them "rain checks" in advance. I was interested in a PC and after insisting that the clerk check the inventory, he told me that only piece left was the floor model but someone within the staff may be interested already. I asked to see the manager to urge him to sell me that PC and he after a few mins he came back and told me that they can only sell the PC between 11:00 and midnight and I was free to wait until 11:45 PM (30 mins) to see if the person (probably a staffer himself) who had been issued an advance "rain-check" would show up and claim the PC. At 11:45 when no one showed up I asked the clerk to ring me up the PC and he said OK, but took the keyboard and CPU box in the back to supposedly search for accessories and only returned at 12:03. At that point him and his manager refused to sell me that PC as they stated "the sale was now over" Since then, I have not set foot in that store and told all my friends (trust me I have many) what kind of store it was...store was shut within 7 months of this incident.
Sounds like CompUSA learned a thing or two from Best Buys
Dispute the Charge!
Ah, the perils of buying electronics at retail. Ouch. Perhaps he could have been more careful, but presuming that he and his daughter were honest about the situation, it is still very unfortunate for them.
I once bought what was supposed to be an HP LaserJet 1012 at Fry's Electronics in Sunnyvale only to discover that the box had been repackaged (not labeled as such, just re-taped with a second store policy sticker placed directly over a torn one where the box had been opened), but that was not the worst of it; the printer inside was actually a *FILTHY* old Epson inkjet. The people at the store were very unpleasant and unaccommodating about the whole thing and it took many calls and visits to get them to make it right.
Another time, I bought some computer memory from the same store and they gave me the wrong kind (different from what was listed on the receipt), but I didn't notice until I tried to exchange it for faster memory (per their rather liberal return policy) and they accused me of trying to scam them somehow, refused the return, claimed they did not even carry one of the modules I had bought from them, and were very unpleasant indeed until the person in charge went off to talk to someone at the storage cage then returned and without explanation said he would allow the exchange. Of course, no explanation was necessary: he had been wrong, he had been a dick about it, and he had just found out that he had been wrong.
Now, to avoid this kind of nonsense, I try to remember to check the tape or shrink-wrap on every box before I take it to the registers and to check the serial number of every memory module I buy against its receipt before I step away from a register.
This happened to me once at BestBuy once. It scared the hell out of me. I took it home and didn't even think to look in the box. It's one of those things that you're so excited about playing with that you just want to get home. You don't even think about looking in the box. However, since moving to Hong Kong it's customary here that the sales person opens your new toy and makes sure it works before they send you home. It's a good policy, but and can save you time in the long run, but most of the time folks just want to get in and get out of the store.
What a yokel. How did he walk out of the store with an empty box. That's like me walking out of 7-11 with an empty soda can and not knowing it. Maybe he was stoned or lying.
Stick to the bigger chains such as Costco, they care about their customers and would be quick to provide a refund. I guarantee gamestop will lose more than $269 with this post alone... GO iENGADGET!!!
I don't know of a retail outlet that has done more to remove every particle of pleasure from the purchase experience than CompUSA.
Any customer that buys a final sale item without inspecting it is a lazy moron. To open the box weeks later to discover nothing and then blame it on the store is sad and funny and funny. I'm going to try this with Pizza Hut tomorrow night! CompUSA should not have given in to this "the customer is always right" style of extortion.
If someone buys a boxed item from me and then claims the item wasn't in the box, why the hell should I trust him?
t-bone, that's not really the question. It's more whether a large retailer really thinks it is worth the piddling change (to them) to risk being taken to court and/or to get bad press. It would have been cheaper to just give the guy the benefit of the doubt in the first place, and any retailer that doesn't realise that it not doing themselves any favours.
As a former employee at a CompUSA during the liquidation I am not suprised there isn't MORE of these claims. I saw bricked routers, cracked LCD's, dead monitors all leave the store with the words all sales final. CompUSA I would speculate is all going under about this time next year, they shut down a bunch last year, this year, naturally there's not much more left. And CompUSA really doesn't care what the liquidator(Gordon Brothers) does.
CompUSA is a HORRIBLE company. I worked for them for about 6 months & its just so wrong on so many levels. Seriously disgusting.
This is just one of the MANY reasons why they are folding now. Makes me sick that they sell Macs.
Reading comprehension FTW, dumbasses. The only douches are the ones posting here. The guy buys a pile of stuff, one of the boxes lacks the item in question but is only discovered later when given as a gift. The retailer owns him some cash and apparantly made good. Those of you saying you always open every box at every purchase are either a)full of shit or b) one those douches that backs up the line at the cash register as you read the fine print on your recipt while adjusting your tinfoil hat then interrogates the minimum wage register jocky about the legaleese on the back.
Hey, if I wanna interrogate the minimum wage register jocky about the legaleese on the back on the reciept, that is my right as a paying customer.
no camera in the box eh? so how did he take that photo!
Why just CompUSA of all the focus.. not that I'm a fan of them either but what about Worst Buy and Circuit Shitty. I've been mistreated by both companies as well.. No retailer these days are any good anymore.. maybe just Target because they actually leave you alone when you shop..
war eagle
Look, I know I'm going to get ripped on for this, but I worked for CompUSA and I closed down two stores. There's a few problems with this story:
A. Look at it from our point of view, who the hell is to say this guy didn't get home and take the camera out and try and refund it?
B. CLOSING STORE: ALL SALES ARE FINAL, read it, learn it, live it (when shopping there). If you buy an empty box (which you somehow can't tell is empty) it's your own damn fault for not checking a box in a CLOSING store. My store had $66,000 in theft it's last 2 months of being open. $66,000! Do you actually think WE have the time to check everything?
C. It's the liquidators who own all the stock and all the managers are given SPECIFIC instruction. NO REFUNDS. NONE. ZIP. ZILCH. They can actually lose their severance pay for that shit.
/rant
WELL!! that's funny. Look at the EXIF data on that "digital photograph" of the man, and it says Canon A630
hehe just kidding. glad he got his money back.
Pray that half the people commenting here never have to serve jury duty.
hmm. ironically enough, the story picture has the same exif info of the camera missing in the box the guy is holding......just kidding....but that would be completely hilarious
hmm... what did he take that picture with?
Yeah, same old story... Company gets a complaint and trys to blow it off...customer's story some how gets picked up by the media...suddenly said Company is faced with a public relations nightmare, and quickly issues a refund / credit to make the story go away.
It sucks to hear, but at least it lets me figure out which companies I no longer wish to do business with. Not a big problem since there are many online retailers which can provide the same services.
If the box was so empty, then what did they take that picture with?
War Damn Eagle
It's too bad it took that long for them to deal with it, though I can see that the whole liquidation sale angle really didn't help anything. I actually just had the same experience at Costco -- I picked up a 7" Digital Photo Frame, didn't have time to even crack open the box for about a month, went on a business trip, etc. Finally got a chance to sit down with it at home, and opened the box to find it empty (I had just bought one with a co-worker while on my trip too, as it turned out). They looked at my receipt, laughed, and turned around and processed my refund in about 2 minutes. I then went and picked up another (non-empty) box and finished my shopping.
-/\/
About a month ago I was in a CompUSA and I was probably in there a good 15 minutes and not a single employee offered me help. Hell, I didn't see any employees!
As I was walking out, I stoppped by the managers' office and told him that I was in there for 15 minutes and not a single person offered to help.
Then I told him I now see why they are going out of business. He got mad and said they weren't. I laughed and walked out.
just like everyone is saying, it is buyer beware...
this almost happened to me at a walmart. I was back in sporting goods buying a GPS for geocaching. the sales rep went back and got me the package from the lockup cabinet. as he was ringing up my order, i opened the box to inspect what i was actually getting(i wanted to see the features etc...), the box was empty. never would have known either as the manual and packing material made the box feel full. turns out that some idiot put the GPS that belonged inside that box out as the display model in the case, and never marked the box as empty. he promptly corrected this problem and i came home with a shiney new GPS.