There are many highs and lows to being an employee at Best Buy, and Dallas Ponzo (@dallas_ponzo), a worker at the retail chain, is committed to documenting them all. The TikToker, who is also an engineering student, frequently shares stories from his shifts to his following of 300,200. He recently went viral for sharing how one product, the Hatch Restore 2 Alarm Clock, had recently surged in popularity at Best Buy despite not getting a single inquiry on it for the three years he’s worked at the store.
This time, Ponzo has gone viral for sharing a story about Lively phones and the confusing customer service a Best Buy shopper received when trying to activate one they bought.
What happened?
In the clip, which has amassed 13,300 views, Ponzo explained how two elderly ladies approached him and asked him to activate a Lively phone they bought at another store.
“They’re the easiest phones we can activate in the store,” he said. “They take less than 10 minutes, and all of the mobile associates who work at BB are expected to, like, know how to activate these phones.”
However, despite this, Ponzo claims the women told him that a worker from the other Best Buy said they were unable to activate the phone and suggested that they go to Ponzo’s location instead. According to Ponzo, the activation process took “seven minutes” and consisted of one phone call.
“It’s in the job description to activate those phones. Really makes me wonder the kind of, like, the kind of service that goes on in places that I don’t work,” he said.
Ponzo was in disbelief
“I just, I can’t imagine, like, going into a store to buy something, and the person says they don’t know how to sell it to you. Like, that’s kind of crazy to me. Thank goodness you can activate these things online,” he added.
Ponzo didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment and Instagram direct message.
Best Buy workers weighed in
In the comments section, current and former Best Buy workers shared their thoughts on the women’s predicament.
“Worked at BB for years between many locations and some care about service to their customers but lots of them couldn’t care less about a transaction if it doesn’t have a membership or a BP attached,” one commenter wrote.
“My boss lets me skip those activations and I’m so glad for it we’re too busy,” another admitted.
A third worker revealed they had a remarkably different experience with Lively phones. As they wrote, “The Best Buy I work at, it takes like 30 minutes to an hour to activate Lively phones.”
@dallas_ponzo The drive took longer than I did
♬ original sound – Dallas
What are Lively phones?
Lively is a cellphone brand specifically designed for older adults. While customers have a choice of smartphones or flip phones, they share qualities such as a larger screen and a more simplified menu. Both of these phones can also make emergency calls.
According to Clark, there’s a $35 activation fee as part of setting up your phone with the 4G network. The outlet also reports that there are a number of additional services targeted at older adults, including access to Urgent Response agents in case of an emergency, an on-call nurse and prescriber, a Care Advocate and expert care team, a Fall Detection feature that directly connects you with an agent if you fall, and the Lively Link feature, which helps users share health updates with family and friends.
Best Buy didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via email.
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