Why I Won't Shop CompUSA

I have recently decided that I won’t be shopping at CompUSA any more. I may return to view some items prior to purchasing elsewhere, but it’s just too much hassle for me to actually give them any of my money and there are so many other places that are willing to take my money and give some semblance of service, I don’t think there’s any reason to go back to CompUSA. I’d be interested to hear if anyone else has any other experience with them, either here in Charlotte or elsewhere.

To this point, every time I go into one of their stores (admittedly, here in Charlotte, but they do have two), the process has been painful. Usually buying hasn’t been too bad, but sometimes even just getting something can be downright horrible. Why is that? I understand that we don’t live in the “customer is always right” world anymore, but why make it difficult for people to shop? I just don’t get it. Anyway, if you’d like to know why, read on.

The Service. My wife and I recently went into one of their stores on a Saturday night. Yes, you read that right. I guess I am that much of a geek. I understand it’s probably not the biggest shopping night for that sort of purchases. But I knew what I wanted, and we didn’t have anything else to do. That’s why I was puzzled that it took me twenty minutes to get someone to help me buy them. There wasn’t anyone there (shoppers or employees).

You see, I’ve worked retail. I understand that you don’t want to get bogged down in someone else’s department with someone who doesn’t know what they want. I get it. I really do. But I was able to hand the guy the numbers that I wanted. Of course, he didn’t know that, and it was fifteen minutes before I even saw someone to be able to do that in the first place. What’s up with that?

The Price. Let’s face it. They aren’t that good. When I found a better price n the Sunday ad a couple days later, I at least knew that they would honor it. But referring back to item number one, I knew I was in for a challenge trying to collect. If it was a dollar or two, I just wouldn’t have bothered. That’s probably why they do it.

In fact, the primary reason I don’t go to CompUSA is the rebates. They have a lot of them, and most are piddly, so it’s just not worth the effort. But this price difference was for $30, so I figured I’d give it a go. In the end, I spent over half an hour trying to get the money back. I eventually did, but I don’t know if it was worth it. If I’m ever in that situation again, I might just let it slide. More than likely, I will go there and check things out and buy elsewhere.

The Fees. This is the worst. I understand the nature of the restocking fee, as a lot of people tear things open and won’t come back with boxes, packing material, even software and manuals. But I’m generally quite careful. I even bring back twist ties, more often than not tied in the same way they came out of the box. About the only thing lost is shrink wrap around a smaller box or sliced tape on a larger one. Yet CompUSA will still levy a 15% restocking fee in every circumstance. That’s ridiculous.

So why was I there? One reason. The Selection. It’s one of the better choices in town. I’ll check them out because other places simply don’t have it.

Where do I shop? Generally one of the office places, and it’s typically Office Depot. While the selection isn’t usually as good, the service is typically great and the return policy rocks. They have no restocking fee that I’ve ever encountered and they have a rewards program where you get 5% back of everything you buy. That’s sweet. I do buy things online, but sometimes I need to see things in person first, and so real stores are needed. CompUSA isn’t going to be one of them.

Update: Lest you think I’m alone, here you can find a story of someone who bought a camera at one of their clearance events, and put it away, only to find out upon opening that the box contained not the camera, but the camera accessories. Taking it back to the store, the purchaser was greeted with a now-closed store, and the message that the only recourse was to enjoy that nearly $300 box of camera accessories.

It just so happens that I went through this very same sequence of events at an Office Depot, and they promptly figured out that they gave me the box used for their display item, and made good on the transaction. That’s why I don’t shop CompUSA.