A shopper calls electronics retailer Best Buy customer service a “disgrace” after her laptop box arrived empty.
In a video with over 259,000 views, Maddie Claire (@maddieclairev) holds up an empty laptop shipping box. She points at several labels on the outside of the box.
“There’s three spots on the box for my new laptop that say exactly what it is,” she says. “So when you shipped it through FedEx, they could read it was a MacBook Air. And you know what they did? They stole it.”
She inserts several photos showing the empty $800 Apple Macbook box and the outside of the shipping box that had been haphazardly taped back together. She says she submitted a claim with FedEx, but it told her to contact Best Buy.
“I call Best Buy customer service; I get disconnected,” she says.
She continues, “I get hung up on. I wait 30 minutes. But they tell me in 24 hours they’ll let me know if I’m approved for a refund.”
She claims a Best Buy customer service worker said they couldn’t send her a new laptop either since they were sold out of the model she purchased.
What happens when she goes to Best Buy in person?
Having little success with customer service over the phone, she says she decided to go to a local Best Buy store to speak with a manager. However, she says she was told to call customer service again.
This time, she says the customer service worker on the phone claimed that Best Buy will attempt to “retrieve” the stolen laptop.
“What are you? The FBI? And what makes you think I want a stolen laptop for top dollar?” Maddie Claire laments. “They’re holding my money hostage.”
The next day, she says she called back, but the worker told her she may have to wait two to three days to see if she’s approved for a refund.
According to Best Buy’s website, the company only takes responsibility for lost or stolen products in transit. As soon as a package is delivered, Best Buy claims it’s not responsible for theft or damage.
What do shoppers think she should do?
In the comments, other shoppers give Maddie Claire ideas of how to escalate the situation.
“Go to your bank and tell them your situation. Have the Best Buy payment denied,” one wrote.
“Apple can remotely lock it if you report it to them as soon as it’s connected to the internet. They will also likely be able to see its exact location,” another said.
“File a police report, dispute with your bank with police report #, provide police report # to FedEx/Best Buy,” a third suggested.
Others said they’ve dealt with high-ticket items being stolen during shipment.
“I unfortunately went through this with an iPhone and UPS.. I no longer have anyone mail me expensive items to my house. Deliver it to your store, and I will pick it up,” a viewer said.
“This happened to us when a phone was shipped to us using FedEx. Best thing to do is open the package in front of the FedEx driver to check the actual product is actually in there. If it’s not, refuse,” another wrote.
“One thing I learned from experience is never ship more expensive items. Always do store pickup (ship to store),” a third added.
Did she file a police report?
In a follow-up video, Maddie Claire says she took several steps to try to expedite her refund—which Best Buy still hasn’t approved as of March 14.
“I haven’t heard anything from Best Buy. Hi, Best Buy. I know you see these videos,” she says.
She says that since her initial video, she has filed a dispute with her bank and a police report.
“I have tons of documentation. Ring doorbell footage, screenshots, all this stuff,” she claims. “The only thing I need to do, the cop told me, is to call Best Buy customer service back and give them the police report so they can put it on file.”
But when she called customer service, she claims the worker wouldn’t take her claim number or police report.
“Then he hung up on me,” she says. “Honestly, at this point, I just want my money back. I feel like a company that large can give me my $800 back.”
@maddieclairev @Best Buy do better #customerservice #bestbuy #rant ♬ original sound – Maddie Claire
The Daily Dot contacted Maddie Claire, FedEx, and Best Buy for further comment.
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