Futureshop Pricematch HORROR STORY

[gnehs]

This is my story of a horrible customer service representative trying to dodge the PM and how I overcame it.

[START]

So....while I was mindlessly looking at deals for hard drives last night, I found a fairly good price match opportunity @ Futureshop.

Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (ST2000DL003) $199.99 @ Futureshop
Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (ST2000DL003) $119.99 @ TigerDirect
After PM --> $112.00 before tax
(side note: ignoring the factors regarding the flood, good deal?)

I discussed the deal with my gf and she was wary about Futureshop's tendency to not honor their PM policy.
While I did agree with her to a certain extent, being the stubborn mule I went to try my luck anyway.

We entered Futureshop's computer section and after finding the hard drive, I hunted down a customer service representative.

Me: "Excuse me, do you honor your price match policy with TigerDirect"
CSR: "No we dont, they are not 'authorized' dealers like Bestbuy, Staples etc..."
Me: "Why is that?"
CSR: "They are Liquidators"
Me: "Not entirely, a good percentage of their items are new and have warranty" :confused:
- I was going to tell him how Futureshop and Bestbuy 'liquidates' refurbished items as well but at this point the CSR didn't rebut.

CSR: "Well TigerDirect gets stuff from the states and sell it here"
Me: "That doesn't make sense.... so where do all your merchandise come from? All made in Canada?"
CSR: "No no, all of their merchandise ships out from USA" (Futureshop wont PM an item from a store that isn't located in Canada -- He was trying to convince me TigerDirect doesn't exist in Ontario?)
Me: "No they have merchandise in their stores. And what about Staples? They have Canadian and American stores, just like TigerDirect. Didn't you just say you PM with Staples?"
- The CSR had nothing to say at this moment and decided to change the topic.

CSR: "TigerDirect is not an 'authorized dealer' because they are a liquidator that sells things they bought from the states at a low price"
- At this point I was beginning to think this conversation was pointless without setting some clear definitions :rolleyes:

Me: "So what are your criteria for 'authorized dealers'? I've read the price matching policy and I have not seen anything you've mentioned. Is there a list or info somewhere on your website"

The CSR guided me to the store computer that had access to their site.
CSR: "Check out our site, its there"
Me: "Can you please show me where it is on the site? I've been to the site many times and never came across anything you've said"
CSR: "No, you can find it for yourself" :mad:
- This is when i lost my cool. Did he just say "No, you can find it for yourself?" -- HELLO, YOU ARE A ****ING CSR. YOUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE WHATEVER BUSINESS RELATED SERVICE CUSTOMERS REQUIRE.

Me: "Well the reason I'm asking for your assistance is because I cant ****ing find it. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME"
CSR: "No that's not my job, you are not asking about merchandise"
- I didn't want to talk to him at this moment. I've worked in customer service at retail stores too long to even try to comprehend what a CSR just said to a customer; so I just asked for his name and he directed to me to customer service

At customer service the manager/supervisor came out and explained the situation. I was surprised about how uninformed/ill-informed the CSR was but the manager just took the cake. When I asked her about PM'ing with TigerDirect she said she cant do it because "they are not an authorized dealer because their prices were too low" :facepalm:

Me: "Are you serious? Prices too low? Isn't that the whole point of "price matching"?..... Just tell me what constitutes an authorized dealer"

The manager/supervisor didn't say anything and slid me a copy of their PM policy. I've read through the policy before but I thought I'd make my case for the PM by reading out loud and justify to her POINT by POINT that she had no basis on turning me down.
So Point by Point I gave her solid reasons on why the PM was valid and when she heard enough she called the CSR I've spoken with before.

The CSR came over and in a different spirit said:
CSR: "TigerDirect *JUST* changed their pricing on the harddrive."
- REALLY? in front of your manager you aren't such a ***** are you?
And WHY THE **** is he checking TigerDirect website if he was so adamant on no price matching with TigerDirect....

I didn't say much to him and he did his business: checking TigerDirect's stock and PM'ing the item -- you know, his ****ing JOB. I checked out and that was it.

[END]

I dont know if that was post-worthy but I was dumbfounded and flabbergasted about the quality of service and knowledge this Futureshop had (Warden + Eglinton).
Anyone similar experiences PM'ing @Futureshop with TigerDirect or any similar store?

[bman77]

from what I know pms from tiger direct have always cause problems, just go to another fs and/or talk to another csr. Alsp, don't ask if they will pm tigerdirect, that makes doubt, just take the item to the cashier(who will probably know less about it) and act as if there is no reason she wouldn't except it, a quiet confidence. Your sucess rate would be much higher:)

[gnehs]

from what I know pms from tiger direct have always cause problems, just go to another fs and/or talk to another csr. Alsp, don't ask if they will pm tigerdirect, that makes doubt, just take the item to the cashier(who will probably know less about it) and act as if there is no reason she wouldn't except it, a quiet confidence. Your sucess rate would be much higher:)

Yeah you're prob right about taking it to the cashier -- it would put her on the spot and all she would want to do is to ring you in since shes not on commission.
However, I've never seen a CSR lie and weasel his/her way out of a PM. Its not like it directly affects his/her commission. Its the difference of making a sale and not making a sale.... if anything I'm helping him/her

[Jorpho]

I dont know if that was post-worthyMaybe. But a HORROR STORY!!! ? No.

I don't try to price-match very often, but I do recall one incident where they refused on the grounds that chapters.ca page I had printed out was an "online" price and not something available locally at a brick-and-mortar store.

[Red_Army]

You would tninnk that with all the price matching threads that people would realize price matching is almost always ymmv, and the retailers always make up some excuse if they don't feel like price matching, especially when you act like a know it all pain in the ***** , just go buy it from tigerdirect and save the hassle and agrivation

[woody2]

Good job sticking to the staff to make them work it. I was @ TG late last year in Markham and tried to PM Tg to there own web site. Funny enough they would not match there own products online . Seems no one likes to PM these days.
I got fed up and left I should have argued it out but could not be bothered, and stopped buying from those stores from now on

[SkateBro]

**********.

lol he does. but bestbuys price match policy does suck ***** . Futureshop seems to be a bit better. (yes i know theyre the same company)

[Tabooger]

I've been denied about 5 or 6 times at the store for various reasons, and was only successful one or two times. But online, I almost always get the pm. Just that you have to call multiple times to get the right person. I find it much easier and less time consuming than going to the store to get denied.

[Coz4k]

Boycotted this shithole long time ago.

[Ojam]

lol he does. but bestbuys price match policy does suck ***** . Futureshop seems to be a bit better. (yes i know theyre the same company)

Oh yeah, 100% it does. I always say you should give the business your money that is willing to give you the best price without having to put on a circus act. He went through all of that for $7.00? That's less than an hour of min wage.

[chedo009]

Oh yeah, 100% it does. I always say you should give the business your money that is willing to give you the best price without having to put on a circus act. He went through all of that for $7.00? That's less than an hour of min wage.

On the flipside, OP did go to BB in the anticipation that he would offer his money to the business that is willing to give him the best price as per their PM policy.What he didn't anticipate is how far FS staff is willing to go NOT to honour the PM for a measly 7$.It seems that FS/BB got a general internal memo to be much more stingy on PM attemps.FS in particular is more stingy than BB as their reps are on commision and their managers have strict margin objectives.It took me almost 30 mins to get FS to honour a PM for a product in stock from BB of all places!!!The irony is that the said product is often at that same low price at FS.

[Ojam]

On the flipside, OP did go to BB in the anticipation that he would offer his money to the business that is willing to give him the best price as per their PM policy.What he didn't anticipate is how far FS staff is willing to go NOT to honour the PM for a measly 7$.It seems that FS/BB got a general internal memo to be much more stingy on PM attemps.FS in particular is more stingy than BB as their reps are on commision and their managers have strict margin objectives.It took me almost 30 mins to get FS to honour a PM for a product in stock from BB of all places!!!The irony is that the said product is often at that same low price at FS.

It was a $80 difference. $7, well actually $8.00 was was the difference between what the OP could have bought it from Tiger Direct without any problems or the extra savings by spending who knows how much time at Future Shop arguing. Price Match policies should not be rewarded by spending money at the store. What should be rewarded is spending money at the store who really wants your business, that is the store that is willing to give you the price you are willing to pay without having to do a song and dance. Unless of course you like doing a song and dance, which by the OP's title I would guess that he doesn't.

[zod]

You're probably dealing with a situation where tigerdirect's price is cheaper then future shop can get it for. They basically loose money if they honour it. You can't blame them for trying to get out of the PM.

You sort of sound like a ***** when you say this "HELLO, YOU ARE A ****ING CSR. YOUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE WHATEVER BUSINESS RELATED SERVICE CUSTOMERS REQUIRE." I don't think CSR's are there to do what every you want.

Now the next thing i'm wondering. When be buy hard drivers from places like tigerdirect. Aren't they OEM drives? Don't places like futureshop sell retail drives? Doesn't that usually kill the PM all by itself? It would have avoided all the hassle.

My final point. I don't get what FS or other companies even bother with PM policies anymore. They really don't want to price match. They'll come up with so many excuses not to do them. I think advertising that they PM doesn't gain them any extra business. The business they attract with people who actually do PM's aren't the kind of people they're going to make much money off of. Why bother?

[chedo009]

lol he does. but bestbuys price match policy does suck ***** . Futureshop seems to be a bit better. (yes i know theyre the same company)

YI totally disagree. You should know that,being one & same co., FS & BB have one & same PM policy. But FS in particular is more stingy than BB on PM approvals as their reps are on commision and their managers have stricter margin objectives.

[chedo009]

You're probably dealing with a situation where tigerdirect's price is cheaper then future shop can get it for. They basically loose money if they honour it. You can't blame them for trying to get out of the PM.

You sort of sound like a ***** when you say this "HELLO, YOU ARE A ****ING CSR. YOUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE WHATEVER BUSINESS RELATED SERVICE CUSTOMERS REQUIRE." I don't think CSR's are there to do what every you want.

Now the next thing i'm wondering. When be buy hard drivers from places like tigerdirect. Aren't they OEM drives? Don't places like futureshop sell retail drives? Doesn't that usually kill the PM all by itself? It would have avoided all the hassle.

My final point. I don't get what FS or other companies even bother with PM policies anymore. They really don't want to price match. They'll come up with so many excuses not to do them. I think advertising that they PM doesn't gain them any extra business. The business they attract with people who actually do PM's aren't the kind of people they're going to make much money off of. Why bother?

Since, FS/BB owns about 80% of electronics retail market,they have the leverage to set up any marketing gimmicks thay want.The real fun for RFD's is catch them at their own game, that is claiming PM between FS & BB.

[gnehs]

You're probably dealing with a situation where tigerdirect's price is cheaper then future shop can get it for. They basically loose money if they honour it. You can't blame them for trying to get out of the PM.

You sort of sound like a ***** when you say this "HELLO, YOU ARE A ****ING CSR. YOUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE WHATEVER BUSINESS RELATED SERVICE CUSTOMERS REQUIRE." I don't think CSR's are there to do what every you want.

Now the next thing i'm wondering. When be buy hard drivers from places like tigerdirect. Aren't they OEM drives? Don't places like futureshop sell retail drives? Doesn't that usually kill the PM all by itself? It would have avoided all the hassle.

My final point. I don't get what FS or other companies even bother with PM policies anymore. They really don't want to price match. They'll come up with so many excuses not to do them. I think advertising that they PM doesn't gain them any extra business. The business they attract with people who actually do PM's aren't the kind of people they're going to make much money off of. Why bother?

I had a sheet of paper stating the product was full retail and not OEM...

Umm.. that's their job to help customers with any kind of store related questions or whatnot.. so that's the equivalent of going to a pharmacy and the pharmacist is like -- 'go find the drugs yourself'
A ***** I may sound, yah, but you have to put the situation into context.. I'm not asking him to carry my purchase to the car and drive me home after, I'm asking him to help me the documents he was arguing on a computer. If it actually existed it would of took him ~ 1 min.
I bet he wouldn't be so apprehensive if I asked him to find that new IPad.

[hagbard]

horrifying.

[Nook]

Why do you guys even buy stuff from that place? By doing business with them, you're allowing them to continue gouging customers with their absurd prices and silly/fake policies.

Just price match with NCIX or buy it straight from Tiger Direct so that you support the businesses who actually offer somewhat competitive prices.

[Coz4k]

Why do you guys even buy stuff from that place? By doing business with them, you're allowing them to continue gouging customers with their absurd prices and silly/fake policies.

Just price match with NCIX or buy it straight from Tiger Direct so that you support the businesses who actually offer somewhat competitive prices.

+1

[iamnotamerican.com]

Oh, the humanity...

[JBlue]

On the flipside, OP did go to BB in the anticipation that he would offer his money to the business that is willing to give him the best price as per their PM policy.What he didn't anticipate is how far FS staff is willing to go NOT to honour the PM for a measly 7$.

$7? Re-read his post.

___

I don't get why people even price match? Just buy it from the store that is offering the low price? What's the deal? If FS or BB have always consistent horror stories, why do people like the OP make an extra effort to PM when really you should SUPPORT the store that is offering the low price in the first place. Seems like self-created, extra effort to get the end result, then come on to a forum and whine about it.

I don't feel sorry for the OP. What FS did is not exactly out of the ordinary. Support businesses that are offering the LOW price in the first place.

[Jorpho]

To be fair, in this case price-matching at FS would allow one to get the product faster and without shipping fees vs buying it from TigerDirect. Or is this one of TigerDirect's retail locations that is being referred to?

[grappos13]

To be fair, in this case price-matching at FS would allow one to get the product faster and without shipping fees vs buying it from TigerDirect. Or is this one of TigerDirect's retail locations that is being referred to?

the time he spent complaining regarding the PM, he could have taken warden north 15-20 min and went to the actually tigerdirect retail location....

when i go for PM's at FS and BB, if they dont want to give me the PM within the first 3-5 min, i just say ok and leave.. not worth the time and hassle to sit there, going thru different CSR's / managers, etc to finally get the PM after 45 min, or get denied after 45 min...

[googoo]

A simple search on Google would have solved this......enter seagate authorized retailer and the first link will show you that Tiger Direct IS authorized!

You're welcome:)

Brent

[bylo]

I don't get why people even price match?... Support businesses that are offering the LOW price in the first place.
Sometimes people may prefer to try to PM at another store because that store:
• is closer, perhaps a lot closer (travel costs money too—and twice as much if you have to do a return)
• has a better return policy (either in theory, e.g. no restocking fee and/or also in practice, e.g. no hassles)
• offers xx% of the difference off
• offers other premiums like AP or AM points
• the customer has a gift card or rebate, etc. for that store


If FS or BB have always consistent horror stories
I've PM'd at FS and BB on several occasions without any hassles.

That said, I agree with other posters that when a store becomes unreasonable at some point it's better to cut your losses and move on. Moving on may mean any of the following:
• try another store in the chain
• escalate to corporate HQ
• go to the store that originally had the best price

[Messerschmitt]

This is definitely a HORRIFYING story!

[SleepyMcGee]

I was dumbfounded and flabbergasted about the quality of service and knowledge this Futureshop had (Warden + Eglinton).

Loooool! They certainly do have a fun group working at that store (my local FS)

One time I walked in to check out if they had a Nikon D7000 on display (had just come out, was just curious what it looked/felt like). Guy sees me checking it out, tells me it's brand new, asks if I'm interested in it, etc, etc. I told him I wasn't but figured I'd chat with him a bit since he seemed bored. Told him I shoot Nikon and already have a good couple Nikon lenses. He asked if I had any Canon lenses. I said no, never shot Canon. He says "Oh, you know Canon lenses work with Nikon cameras right?" I told him that it works the other way around but not without an adapter and losing all sorts of functionality.

He didn't believe me. I found it funny that I had, a few months earlier, applied for a job in that same department. Only the best for FS I guess! (Yes I'm well aware he might have just been covering for somebody on break or whatever)

The employees in the video game section are always really cool though. I've never had a problem price-matching there either, though never with Tigerdirect.

p.s. If this is your idea of a HORROR STORY...you lead a very sheltered, fragile life.

[sandikosh]

Why do people waste their time and effort for a few $$$? You guys know price matching with FS is ymmv, why put yourself through all that trouble. I have never neither will I ever price match at FS or BB.

[hamant]

I had a sheet of paper stating the product was full retail and not OEM...

Umm.. that's their job to help customers with any kind of store related questions or whatnot.. so that's the equivalent of going to a pharmacy and the pharmacist is like -- 'go find the drugs yourself'
A ***** I may sound, yah, but you have to put the situation into context.. I'm not asking him to carry my purchase to the car and drive me home after, I'm asking him to help me the documents he was arguing on a computer. If it actually existed it would of took him ~ 1 min.
I bet he wouldn't be so apprehensive if I asked him to find that new IPad.

you probably should have just gone to tiger direct....

[jordanr19871]

That said, I agree with other posters that when a store becomes unreasonable at some point it's better to cut your losses and move on. Moving on may mean any of the following:
• try another store in the chain
• escalate to corporate HQ
• go to the store that originally had the best price


another tactic is to get a shopping cart, fill it with just a random amount of multiple things from various departments
walk up to the cashier cart full, hard drive in hand and ask to price match
once the cashier says 'we cant price match this for x reason' just say 'ok ill go there' and just walk out leaving the cart there :D

it also works better if you have more items from the one department that first refused (eg computers - have multiple keyboards, mice, usb cables etc and laugh when they tell him to restock it all)

[Deep_Stich]

Oh yeah, 100% it does. I always say you should give the business your money that is willing to give you the best price without having to put on a circus act. He went through all of that for $7.00? That's less than an hour of min wage.


It was a $80 difference. $7, well actually $8.00 was was the difference between what the OP could have bought it from Tiger Direct without any problems or the extra savings by spending who knows how much time at Future Shop arguing. Price Match policies should not be rewarded by spending money at the store. What should be rewarded is spending money at the store who really wants your business, that is the store that is willing to give you the price you are willing to pay without having to do a song and dance. Unless of course you like doing a song and dance, which by the OP's title I would guess that he doesn't.



Why do people waste their time and effort for a few $$$? You guys know price matching with FS is ymmv, why put yourself through all that trouble. I have never neither will I ever price match at FS or BB.

I find it amusing that you're bashing OP for wasting time arguing for some money at less than min. wage rates, while you waste your time bitching at him and implying he's an idiot for NO MONEY or gain whatsoever!
P.S. While I'm aware of the stories, I priced matched successfully at FS and BB every time, mostly out of convenience.



the time he spent complaining regarding the PM, he could have taken warden north 15-20 min and went to the actually tigerdirect retail location.... True, but you have to also factor in gas. Oh, and also, there are people out there that aren't bitches. :cheesygri

[bylo]

another tactic is to get a shopping cart, fill it with just a random amount of multiple things from various departments
walk up to the cashier cart full, hard drive in hand and ask to price match
once the cashier says 'we cant price match this for x reason' just say 'ok ill go there' and just walk out leaving the cart there :D
And what if they do accept the PM? Are you going to buy all that stuff or just reinforce their stereotype that some customers are total arseholes?

BTW just because a store treats you badly is no justification to treat them badly. If you want to express your displeasure and/or for the store to change their policy, politely escalate to HQ. And often you'll even get an even better price or a gift card for your trouble.

[jordanr19871]

BTW just because a store treats you badly is no justification to treat them badly. If you want to express your displeasure and/or for the store to change their policy, politely escalate to HQ. And often you'll even get an even better price or a gift card for your trouble.

the first csr was a dbag and the manager made no sense at all - yet its the managers responsibility to resolve these types of issues no?

i know the customer isn't always right but when its in black and white and they refuse?
they all have a job because of customer sales and once in a while its okay to remind them and treat them just as they treated you :)

[SleepyMcGee]

another tactic is to get a shopping cart, fill it with just a random amount of multiple things from various departments
walk up to the cashier cart full, hard drive in hand and ask to price match
once the cashier says 'we cant price match this for x reason' just say 'ok ill go there' and just walk out leaving the cart there :D

it also works better if you have more items from the one department that first refused (eg computers - have multiple keyboards, mice, usb cables etc and laugh when they tell him to restock it all)

Or the alternative...getting a life.

[ArnRimmer]

Why do you guys even buy stuff from that place? By doing business with them, you're allowing them to continue gouging customers with their absurd prices and silly/fake policies.

Just price match with NCIX or buy it straight from Tiger Direct so that you support the businesses who actually offer somewhat competitive prices.

Agreed.
I stopped supporting FS after having numerous PMing attempts denied. The last CSR actually told me that they can refuse a price match if they feel that the competitor's price is too low. It is complete BS for them to advertise the whole "lowest price guaranteed". Just wait for them to bring up the "next day DELIVERY" crap when you try to pricematch with anything online at a retail store. I think everyone should outright boycott this joke of a store. Same goes for Best Buy. I support Memory Express as they have yet to deny me a valid PM. Just IMHO.
~Arn~

[supeg93]

This is my story of a horrible customer service representative trying to dodge the PM and how I overcame it.

[START]

So....while I was mindlessly looking at deals for hard drives last night, I found a fairly good price match opportunity @ Futureshop.

Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (ST2000DL003) $199.99 @ Futureshop
Seagate Barracuda Green 2TB 3.5" Internal Hard Drive (ST2000DL003) $119.99 @ TigerDirect
After PM --> $112.00 before tax
(side note: ignoring the factors regarding the flood, good deal?)

I discussed the deal with my gf and she was wary about Futureshop's tendency to not honor their PM policy.
While I did agree with her to a certain extent, being the stubborn mule I went to try my luck anyway.

We entered Futureshop's computer section and after finding the hard drive, I hunted down a customer service representative.

Me: "Excuse me, do you honor your price match policy with TigerDirect"
CSR: "No we dont, they are not 'authorized' dealers like Bestbuy, Staples etc..."
Me: "Why is that?"
CSR: "They are Liquidators"
Me: "Not entirely, a good percentage of their items are new and have warranty" :confused:
- I was going to tell him how Futureshop and Bestbuy 'liquidates' refurbished items as well but at this point the CSR didn't rebut.

CSR: "Well TigerDirect gets stuff from the states and sell it here"
Me: "That doesn't make sense.... so where do all your merchandise come from? All made in Canada?"
CSR: "No no, all of their merchandise ships out from USA" (Futureshop wont PM an item from a store that isn't located in Canada -- He was trying to convince me TigerDirect doesn't exist in Ontario?)
Me: "No they have merchandise in their stores. And what about Staples? They have Canadian and American stores, just like TigerDirect. Didn't you just say you PM with Staples?"
- The CSR had nothing to say at this moment and decided to change the topic.

CSR: "TigerDirect is not an 'authorized dealer' because they are a liquidator that sells things they bought from the states at a low price"
- At this point I was beginning to think this conversation was pointless without setting some clear definitions :rolleyes:

Me: "So what are your criteria for 'authorized dealers'? I've read the price matching policy and I have not seen anything you've mentioned. Is there a list or info somewhere on your website"

The CSR guided me to the store computer that had access to their site.
CSR: "Check out our site, its there"
Me: "Can you please show me where it is on the site? I've been to the site many times and never came across anything you've said"
CSR: "No, you can find it for yourself" :mad:
- This is when i lost my cool. Did he just say "No, you can find it for yourself?" -- HELLO, YOU ARE A ****ING CSR. YOUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE WHATEVER BUSINESS RELATED SERVICE CUSTOMERS REQUIRE.

Me: "Well the reason I'm asking for your assistance is because I cant ****ing find it. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME"
CSR: "No that's not my job, you are not asking about merchandise"
- I didn't want to talk to him at this moment. I've worked in customer service at retail stores too long to even try to comprehend what a CSR just said to a customer; so I just asked for his name and he directed to me to customer service

At customer service the manager/supervisor came out and explained the situation. I was surprised about how uninformed/ill-informed the CSR was but the manager just took the cake. When I asked her about PM'ing with TigerDirect she said she cant do it because "they are not an authorized dealer because their prices were too low" :facepalm:

Me: "Are you serious? Prices too low? Isn't that the whole point of "price matching"?..... Just tell me what constitutes an authorized dealer"

The manager/supervisor didn't say anything and slid me a copy of their PM policy. I've read through the policy before but I thought I'd make my case for the PM by reading out loud and justify to her POINT by POINT that she had no basis on turning me down.
So Point by Point I gave her solid reasons on why the PM was valid and when she heard enough she called the CSR I've spoken with before.

The CSR came over and in a different spirit said:
CSR: "TigerDirect *JUST* changed their pricing on the harddrive."
- REALLY? in front of your manager you aren't such a ***** are you?
And WHY THE **** is he checking TigerDirect website if he was so adamant on no price matching with TigerDirect....

I didn't say much to him and he did his business: checking TigerDirect's stock and PM'ing the item -- you know, his ****ing JOB. I checked out and that was it.

[END]

I dont know if that was post-worthy but I was dumbfounded and flabbergasted about the quality of service and knowledge this Futureshop had (Warden + Eglinton).
Anyone similar experiences PM'ing @Futureshop with TigerDirect or any similar store?

All this to save 8 bucks.... Wow.

[deal_with_singh]

You want a horror story? I had to actually to call the York Regional Police on one of the Markham stores as they refused to return my money on a geek squad service request that I wanted to cancel which was scheduled for about a month away.

After calling the cops, the guy STFU and gave me back my money. Since then, never visited that store again, never will.

[YippoHippo]

All this to save 8 bucks.... Wow.

Wow.....

$199.99 @ Futureshop
$119.99 @ TigerDirect

[bylo]

All this to save 8 bucks.... Wow.
Wow.....

$199.99 @ Futureshop
$119.99 @ TigerDirect

Not quite: 10% of ($200 - $120) = $8

But as has been discussed upthread, there are many reasons why someone may prefer to buy something at FS over TD, even without the 10% of the difference.

[pupazzo]

Lol they should have kicked you out on your ***** . Why should they waste time with a brokeass chazzer with no manners to lose money.

[brunes]

Your first mistake was talking to random guy on the floor. That is a total waste of time.

ALWAYS take your PM straight to the customer service desk, that is where they are trained to deal with them and they will get you in and out in a hurry. Also since they are not making commission they are less likely to be all anal about policies.

[diggler649]

Do you guys go into FS wearing a Nazi uniform when asking for a price match? I have never encountered a situation where they did not honour a price match. Even when I would come in with a lower price printed from some random little store I found online. The worst I had it was them tacking on the competitor's shipping price.

Having said that, price matches are way easier at BB than FS.

[Tig]

If I was the store manager I would have booted you out. He showed a lot of restraint imo. You sound like a kid...at least that's how you read. And "Horror story"? Really? Clearly you haven't lived long.

[bylo]

Do you guys go into FS wearing a Nazi uniform when asking for a price match?Probably not but some do seem to carry a huge chip on their shoulder.


You sound like a kid...at least that's how you read. And "Horror story"? Really? Clearly you haven't lived long.
He really lost me when he "lost it" about half way down the OP, "CSR: "No, you can find it for yourself"
- This is when i lost my cool. Did he just say "No, you can find it for yourself?" -- HELLO, YOU ARE A ****ING CSR. YOUR JOB IS TO PROVIDE WHATEVER BUSINESS RELATED SERVICE CUSTOMERS REQUIRE."

In my experience you can get most issues like this resolved satisfactorily simply by being polite, persistent and professional—especially when the guy on the other side of the counter isn't. Once you lose your cool, start swearing, use sarcasm, defame the store, etc. your case is over and (surprise!) you lost.

Even if the manager hadn't been able to resolve the issue in-store, a followup e-mail to an FS VP would have gotten the OP satisfaction or at least a clear explanation of why TD isn't eligible for PM. (The e-mail address has been posted before on RFD.)

Whether it's worth your time, etc. to argue and escalate is another issue altogether. Just because some posters here wouldn't bother doesn't mean that those who want to, and who do it in a civil manner, shouldn't do it.

[Dav326235]

generally BB and FS will not PM a place that is not local, or a RETAILER vs etailer. IE BB in winnipeg would never pm ncix.

[diggler649]

generally BB and FS will not PM a place that is not local, or a RETAILER vs etailer. IE BB in winnipeg would never pm ncix.

That's not true. I get my local BB to price match with Memory Express (Western Canada) and Dumoulin/Audiotronic (Montreal) all the time.

Again, I ask the question, why are people having such a difficult time PM'ing? I simply go the cashier, present them with the print out or I pull it up on my iphone and I ask them politely if they can price match it. I have never had them say no.

[Coz4k]

generally BB and FS will not PM.

Fixed

I dont get why you are losing your time to pm at FS/BB... Worst shops ever... I hate them almost as i hate paypal.

[frosted]

FS employees always seem to find a new excuse (not written in the policy) to refuse a valid pricematch. They're a pain in the ... and they are insulting your intelligence for sure.
The trick to ask for the PM to either their CS dept or the cashier directly sounds good, but I even had a store manager invented a new excuse to refuse a PM.

For everyone answering "all of that for x$?" Money isn't the problem, it's the store's false advertising which isn't acceptable. They're so proud to be offering PM to customers, that's a way for them to get MORE customers in because customers think they have the best prices. If you can't handle your own PM policy, then don't offer it.

[stuntman]

Certainly post worthy OP. It sounds like you used your head and got what was promised.

I dislike liars and hate stupid liars. I wouldn't have held it against you if you bought it went back and called them #@$%#!!! liars in front of others. They deserve it and if they are being pressured by management they still deserve it and the company should compensate them for the stress.

Have any of the newspaper consumer sections ever gotten on their case about it?

[Jorpho]

They're so proud to be offering PM to customers, that's a way for them to get MORE customers in because customers think they have the best prices.They are? I thought they were kind of subtle about it, actually.

[Corleone187]

looks like the CSR was right on point here

I bought a kodak 825 photoframe from TIgerdirect at Christmas and it came right from the States, not authorized to be sold in Canada, warranty not valid in Canada.
This is grey market

So I say out of the 3 people the CSR was the most correct in the argument. But the manager probably didn't want to waste anymore time that was already being wasted on the situation so just told the csr what to say in the end

[stuntman]

looks like the CSR was right on point here

I bought a kodak 825 photoframe from TIgerdirect at Christmas and it came right from the States, not authorized to be sold in Canada, warranty not valid in Canada.
This is grey market

So I say out of the 3 people the CSR was the most correct in the argument. But the manager probably didn't want to waste anymore time that was already being wasted on the situation so just told the csr what to say in the end

???
The OP was not buying that camera. He was buying a HDD that by his word comes with a Canadian warranty and is not a refurb.

[Corleone187]

???
The OP was not buying that camera. He was buying a HDD that by his word comes with a Canadian warranty and is not a refurb.

yeah i know but it could just be FS policy to not pricematch people that sell grey market, not just the specific product

The HDD seems to be legit but what they are saying is Tigerdirect sells others things (possibly that dont get sold in the states so they sell that stock to canada when they might not supposed to) so they are saying they dont pricematch stores that do that as a business model

[bylo]

yeah i know but it could just be FS policy to not pricematch people that sell grey market, not just the specific product
It could, but it's not explicitly mentioned in FS's published PM terms and conditions (http://www.futureshop.ca/en-ca/help/our-retail-store-policies/hc8077.aspx):
The advertised item must be for the same brand and model and the product must be new and factory sealed, and subject to a manufacturer’s warranty applicable in Canada...

The advertised item must be sold through an authorized dealer located in Canada...

If you are not completely satisfied, please talk to our store General Manager. If you need more help call 1-800-663-2275 for further assistance.
That said, how is the CSR supposed to know if the specific item, in this case a HDD, carries a Canadian warranty? The OP didn't provide any supporting evidence of that or that TD Canada is an authorized dealer. Therefore the CSR was correct in refusing the PM and what he said at the beginning of the dialog in the OP is dead on.

P.S. It's not hard to prove to FS that TD Canada is indeed a Seagate authorized dealer (https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=seagate+authorized+dealer+canada+).

Added: The OP can get a Western Digital Caviar Green 2 TB Desktop Hard Drive WD20EARX (http://accessories.dell.com/sna/products/Hard_Drives_Storage/productdetail.aspx?c=ca&l=en&s=dhs&cs=cadhs1&sku=A5070067) today from Dell for $120+HST delivered to his door. No PM and no driving necessary. And even a 3 year warranty vs. Seagate's 1 year!

[frosted]

They are? I thought they were kind of subtle about it, actually.

Well, it's at the center of their home web page, there's also a big page-wide banner on their flyer where it's written in big bold "Get it for less, guaranteed."

http://i43.tinypic.com/2z8yvt5.jpg

Don't know how that's subtle. :)

[Ginu09]

I don't know if it's been mentioned, but they generally price match Tiger Direct if you include the shipping charges, especially because they do have local stores. They complain if it's an online only establishment, which Tiger Direct isn't. Tell them that that's the price at the store, and you'll even include shipping (generally free over a certain $ value). They can't contest it. If so, call head office.

[babouche]

OP needs to understand one thing

Futureshop wants people to buy lots of stuff, but especially at full price
salesman at FS wants people to buy extended warranty(for bonuses...AND to keep their job)

now you want them to sell maybe below cost
and you want the salesman to entertain you with your PM knowing that you will never buy at full price and especially an extended warranty

if they approve the PM, you will come back for other nasty PM
they will never make money out of you
they will never sell extended warranty with guys like you cause extended warranty are for dumb people or people who dont mind paying more
cheap people will never get extended warranty

so you get the picture?

[niroopg]

Do CSRs get commission for denying price match? Why are they so crazy about PMs?

[babouche]

Do CSRs get commission for denying price match? Why are they so crazy about PMs?

they prefer spending their time entertaining rich dude who are willing to buy extended warranty instead
frugal dudes who harrass them to get the deal of the century is not an option for them
cause time = money

[LondonOntGuy]

I'm guessing you'd get the same response if you asked them to price match a small independent store like Cutting Edge Computers. :lol: Must be nice to be able to claim a 'lowest price guarantee' when you don't have to honor it at all. Especially since there really is no competition here when it comes to electronic stores.

[rabbit]

Extreme price matching (where there's a big difference in price between retailers) is like lining up before opening for a hot deal; you have to invest the time in order to get the deal.

[Spacemanspiff88]

Has anyone done pricematching with memory express or Tiger direct? wondering what your experience would be with these guys.


Extreme price matching (where there's a big difference in price between retailers) is like lining up before opening for a hot deal; you have to invest the time in order to get the deal.

[Purgatory]

I understand the OP's frustration, and I understand where some people are coming fromwho have replied..

However I think they need to specificially state in their policy what stores they will and will not price match. If you put "WILL PRICEMATCH!" in your flyer, then honor it.

[Dwight10]

I was totally unknown about the service, advantages and disadvantages of TigerDirect before. So, your information's are very helpful to me to not fall with in the problems of PM of TigerDirect. Thank you very much.

[Pauly Boy]

I honestly don’t know why people bother...I realize it’s the principle of it all, but the simple act of me never setting foot in another FS/BB (unless I absolutely have to) speaks louder than any useless shouting match & my time to save $5 would.

Seriously though, I can count the number of purchases on one hand (most due to gift cards) in the last couple years due to denied PM’s, pressure sales & crappy service/knowledge.

[starboy869]

There's people here that will price match to save a penny.

[bigphil26]

There's people here that will price match to save a penny.

Soon they will have to settle for a nickle only as we will no longer have the penny!!!!

[chriskov]

Whenever you go to a business, if the cost is to low they will not do it, but that is ridiculous that there csr was so ill mannered towards you. Future Shop's customer service has always been lacking.
Last time I bought from them was maybe 5 years ago, and I have not gone back since. I bought this mp3 player, payed extra for the over the counter exchange for 1 year. Returned maybe 7 or 8 months later because the battery was having problems, and told me that they could not exchange the item for me as they had no more stock of it. I said ok, can I get store credit then to buy another mp3 player. They said sure. Put the mp3 player with cords and what not on the table, and get told that I need the original box. I thought they were joking. Why on earth would I keep a box from almost a year ago. Bottom line they refused to honor their agreement with me. So be warned. Shopping in Future Shop is going to come back to bite you. Better off going to Best Buy or some other store.

[Preza]

To me it doesn't seem like that much of a horror story. Or at least it didn't have to be.

[Preza]

I really don't understand this. I know a couple dollars is still savings but is it really worth the time and the aggravation?