I hate Fry's AND I feel stupid

For those of you outside of their catchment area, Fry's is a chain of consumer electronics & etc. stores that specialize in low prices, ignorant but low-paid staff,  and really crappy service.

I needed a small, cheap video camera, and on a whim, went into Fry's.  I purchased a SD camcorder there earlier this month, on sale at a deep discount. 

Here's how it works at Fry's : you select a make and model you want; the sales minion (who is often completely unknowlegeable about the product) writes up the sale and prints out a document like a purchase order; you take the document (or documents, should you purchase more than one item) to the cashier; you pay for the items and the cashier minion hands over the hard goods. 

The SD Camcorder I bought and paid for was Mac OS compatible.  The box I got had been previously opened, and resealed, but matched the documents -- that is, indicated the camera was Mac OS compatible.  I've used the camera for two weeks. 

It wasn't until today,  when I tried to download the recorded videos, that I realized that the camera in the box was a different, non-Mac-OS compatible model of the same make.

I've had the camera more than 15 days, so it isn't returnable.  The box has been opened, anyway, so there would be a 15% restocking fee.  And the documentation doesn't match the actual camera in the box.

Fook. 

So here's what I am going to do: 

1. Somehow, get the data from the camera (about 30 minutes of images & some stills) off the camera and into a Mac-compatible format.
2. Find a teacher who needs a Microsoft video camera & give it to him or her
3. Buy another similar camera that is Mac-compatible from a reputable retailer
4. Never ever patronize Fry's again

Oh, and why do I feel stupid?  I knew about Fry's lousy track record.  I saw that the camera box had been sold, returned, and resealed.  I just didn't bother to check that the camera in the box matched the sales receipt and the description on the box.

Comments

[Matt Carey]

Count me in. I hate Fry's too. I once called the local Fry's and asked to talk to someone managing the floor. I asked, "do you have people to help customers?" He answered, "yes". I responded, "then could you send someone over to computers, I've been here for 20 minutes and there aren't any service people to be found".

I can't get too angry with the employees: they are treated as bad or worse than the customers.

Never, never, never buy a resealed box from Fry's. I opened a resealed box only to find that the wrong item was inside. When I went to return it, I was accused of trying to pull a rip-off. For a $25 power supply. Right.

[Mamacita]

Two words: Planet Feedback. Usually, anything posted there is sent directly to the CEO; I've had good luck there. (It's also fun to read the letters from the crazies.)

Also? Tweet this with a #FryElectronics and sit by the phone. Reputable businesses respond within the hour. When they don't call, tweet about that.

Fry's has one of the worst reputations in the nation, but at least others will be warned.

I'm sorry this happened to you.

[Ramon]

Caveat emptor. ALWYAS look inside the box to see if the product matches the sales blurb printed on the box. If you did NOT do this, then you are to blame. Shoddy customer service, lack of experience by those representatives, resealed box... none of these is an excuse for failing to ensure you protected yourself.

[David N. Andrews M. Ed., C. P. S. E.]

Nice blame-the-victim trip there, Ramon. Dare say, on that basis, that a girl who does not carry a baseball bat or a Saturday Night Special on a night out would be blamed by you if she were to get raped.

The fact remains that the shop is responsible for ensuring that the right product is in the right box with the right documentation, and that should they mess that up they could be open to getting a reputation (if not in the courts then certainly by word of mouth) for deliberately making fraudulent sales to the public.

I see your caveat emptor, and I'll raise you a caveat venditor!

[petergarcia]

Thanks for the beware fry's story , sorry to hear what happen. I'll try not to stop in a fry's store and if I do I will be more alert. I like the lady that calls fry's to get help in the computer department where she is standing and waiting to be attended in the same store that she placed the call to. LOL