I went out today to buy a copy of Vista Home Premium (full version, not upgrade; this is going on my barebones system that I had previously tried to use as a SharePoint learning system, and used the eval version of WinServer 2k3) and Office Small Business (upgrade). The buying experience itself was a joke.
I went to the ever-more-inappropriately-named Best Buy ('cause it was close to Jamba Juice), and after finding where they had hidden the software section, saw that they had boxes saying, "Ask a sales associate for assistance." So I tried to find one that wasn't already in intense conversation with another sales associate or that wasn't already confusing... I mean helping another customer. I finally found some pert young lady with more eye makeup than brains (i.e. a "senior sales associate"), and asked her where I could get the software. She referred me to the computer service desk (not the GeekSquad desk, mind you, the one in the middle of the display area), where someone would be with me in a minute. After several of the afore-mentioned "minutes," I realized it was going to be a while. Several troubled people were already getting "help" from the one person on duty there. Other "associates" were busily trying to avoid eye contact with customers.
Fortunately, the iMac display was next to the desk, so I played around a little, chuckling at some of the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads. Finally, the associate at the desk got through telling the two different people that the particular item each was looking for might be available at Fry's or Circuit City, and turned to me. The exchange was something like this:
Me: "I'd like to get Vista Home Premium, and the upgrade for Office 2007 Small Business."
She: "Okay, I'll get the Vista Captain to help you." (They've got a "Vista Captain?" Where's the Captain in charge of getting things done?)
Me: "I just need the software."
She: "Well, he's really the most knowledgeable about the products, and can assist you better." (Cause the comparison chart about which version of Vista to get is obviously not going to be any help whatsoever. At least, not in overselling to poor, unsuspecting Windows users.)
Me: "I don't need assistance. I just need the software."
She: "Oh, you already know what you want?" (At this point, I have already decided that I'm going to brain the first person who suggests that I talk to one of the GeekSquids for help with installation.)
Me: "Yes, just Vista Home Premium, full version, and the upgrade for Office 2007 Small Business."
She: "Okay, I'll take care of it."
It is only then that it occurs to me that they don't seem to have any cabinets of the software right there. She's going to have to go into the dreaded "back room" to get it, leaving the mass of poor, troubled, assistance-seeking customers around me to mope ever longer. But I don't care about them, I'm having a talk with my blood pressure about coming back down to earth.
So she gets on the phone, talks to someone, asks me AGAIN what versions of Vista and Office I want, and then tells me, "Okay, sir, they'll be up at the front; go to any cashier and ask for them."
Couldn't I have done that from the beginning? Why didn't they just use good old-fashioned pull tags?
So I go up to the line at the front, and eventually walk up to a cashier to tell him what I want. He says, "Okay, I'll get that for you." He then walks over to the senior customer service associate (the irritating person who says hello to you when you walk in and frisks you when you walk out), and tells him what it is that I want -- after, of course, double-checking with me that he's actually asking for the right things. Mr. Greeter asks the cashier to cover the door for him, and then goes into one of the closets up by the front door, and disappears for a minute or two, long enough for me to wonder... how big IS that closet, anyway? He then returns with the two boxes of software, gives it to the cashier, who brings it over to ring me up.
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Of course, they got the wrong versions, didn't they?" But I hate to bring a perfectly good rant to an end when I tell you that they did, indeed get the correct items for me.
On the way out, the booth bunny at the Comcast display out front (a black hummer with the "It's Comcastic" slogan plastered on it) tries to strike up a conversation: "So, I see you picked up Vista!" (Unsaid undertext: "Don't you want some Comcastic, high-speed goodness to go with that?")
'
"Yes," I answer, "I did. I needed something to complain about for the next several weeks, since my Mac and my DSL line are working so well for me."
Me? Cranky? Oh, a tad.
I should have just gone to Office Depot. It's not as close to Jamba Juice, but it is next to Starbucks.
I went to the ever-more-inappropriately-named Best Buy ('cause it was close to Jamba Juice), and after finding where they had hidden the software section, saw that they had boxes saying, "Ask a sales associate for assistance." So I tried to find one that wasn't already in intense conversation with another sales associate or that wasn't already confusing... I mean helping another customer. I finally found some pert young lady with more eye makeup than brains (i.e. a "senior sales associate"), and asked her where I could get the software. She referred me to the computer service desk (not the GeekSquad desk, mind you, the one in the middle of the display area), where someone would be with me in a minute. After several of the afore-mentioned "minutes," I realized it was going to be a while. Several troubled people were already getting "help" from the one person on duty there. Other "associates" were busily trying to avoid eye contact with customers.
Fortunately, the iMac display was next to the desk, so I played around a little, chuckling at some of the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads. Finally, the associate at the desk got through telling the two different people that the particular item each was looking for might be available at Fry's or Circuit City, and turned to me. The exchange was something like this:
Me: "I'd like to get Vista Home Premium, and the upgrade for Office 2007 Small Business."
She: "Okay, I'll get the Vista Captain to help you." (They've got a "Vista Captain?" Where's the Captain in charge of getting things done?)
Me: "I just need the software."
She: "Well, he's really the most knowledgeable about the products, and can assist you better." (Cause the comparison chart about which version of Vista to get is obviously not going to be any help whatsoever. At least, not in overselling to poor, unsuspecting Windows users.)
Me: "I don't need assistance. I just need the software."
She: "Oh, you already know what you want?" (At this point, I have already decided that I'm going to brain the first person who suggests that I talk to one of the GeekSquids for help with installation.)
Me: "Yes, just Vista Home Premium, full version, and the upgrade for Office 2007 Small Business."
She: "Okay, I'll take care of it."
It is only then that it occurs to me that they don't seem to have any cabinets of the software right there. She's going to have to go into the dreaded "back room" to get it, leaving the mass of poor, troubled, assistance-seeking customers around me to mope ever longer. But I don't care about them, I'm having a talk with my blood pressure about coming back down to earth.
So she gets on the phone, talks to someone, asks me AGAIN what versions of Vista and Office I want, and then tells me, "Okay, sir, they'll be up at the front; go to any cashier and ask for them."
Couldn't I have done that from the beginning? Why didn't they just use good old-fashioned pull tags?
So I go up to the line at the front, and eventually walk up to a cashier to tell him what I want. He says, "Okay, I'll get that for you." He then walks over to the senior customer service associate (the irritating person who says hello to you when you walk in and frisks you when you walk out), and tells him what it is that I want -- after, of course, double-checking with me that he's actually asking for the right things. Mr. Greeter asks the cashier to cover the door for him, and then goes into one of the closets up by the front door, and disappears for a minute or two, long enough for me to wonder... how big IS that closet, anyway? He then returns with the two boxes of software, gives it to the cashier, who brings it over to ring me up.
Now, I know what you're thinking. "Of course, they got the wrong versions, didn't they?" But I hate to bring a perfectly good rant to an end when I tell you that they did, indeed get the correct items for me.
On the way out, the booth bunny at the Comcast display out front (a black hummer with the "It's Comcastic" slogan plastered on it) tries to strike up a conversation: "So, I see you picked up Vista!" (Unsaid undertext: "Don't you want some Comcastic, high-speed goodness to go with that?")
'
"Yes," I answer, "I did. I needed something to complain about for the next several weeks, since my Mac and my DSL line are working so well for me."
Me? Cranky? Oh, a tad.
I should have just gone to Office Depot. It's not as close to Jamba Juice, but it is next to Starbucks.
