I stood in the car audio department for ten minutes while a "blue shirt" helped a guy with a radio purchase. Blue (as I will refer to him as) takes him and his three buddies up front to ring it up. So I wait, and wait. As I wait I see a Bluetooth adapter kit, I've been wanting to add hands free phone to my Jeep, I'm now looking at this, waiting for Blue to come back as I want a CB radio, need it for the off road club I joined two months ago to participate in trail runs.

Blue now has been gone probably fifteen minutes, no CB's on the floor, I assumed that I would have to order one but I
did want to see a Cobra 75 WX ST in person if possible. Down the aisle is one of the computer Blues, he makes no motion to come down to ask if I needed assistance nor call anyone as he just stood there in the aisle, maybe a third of the way across the store even though he looked at me at least a couple of times.

So I thought "screw this" and left. So, let's see, $130 Bluetooth kit in store, no sale. $120 CB and $68 Mopar Approved antenna kit that would have been ordered online at the store, no sale. Quadratec has the radio on sale for the same price with free shipping. They do not carry the antenna kit, Ebay has several sellers, I'll get one there.

I refuse to chase down someone to take my money.

quote:

I refuse to chase down someone to take my money.

I actually told a Home Depot drone that. Not that nicely...

I went there last summer intending to get a new radio. The radio in my Jeep lost the AM and FM bands but the CD, the Sirius and the aux jack still worked.

Their "audio specialist" was unimpressive. In some cases in our discussion he knew less than I did. In his price quote I noticed that there was no Sirius module listed. He told me "It's built into the radio". Not so, the tag beneath the radio in the display stated Sirius required an additional module at additional cost, I knew this from reading the tag (imagine that!) and my earlier discussion with Crutchfield. I hesitated to do my own installation as I get "chicken" at times, this being one of them.

As a result of that visit and a subsequent one to a large chain car audio outlet in the area I almost went with a exchange factory radio like was in the Jeep. That is until I started getting on various Jeep forums, there I found out it was possible to upgrade to a factory touch screen radio. I found a used one with Navigation maps loaded AND the factory lock code for the security system. And at one third of what I was going to spend on a Pioneer unit.

Nice!

Some of the Mopar radios are able to have better features than what a non-manufacturer-specific radio can offer.

Since most any Jeep has a multiplexer in it now, your Nav radio should be able to see the Sirius and U-Connect you already have. If you don't already have radio buttons on the steering wheel, it takes a few hours to wire them and you should be all set.

quote:

Originally posted by .38supersig:
Nice!

Some of the Mopar radios are able to have better features than what a non-manufacturer-specific radio can offer.

Since most any Jeep has a multiplexer in it now, your Nav radio should be able to see the Sirius and U-Connect you already have. If you don't already have radio buttons on the steering wheel, it takes a few hours to wire them and you should be all set.

My Jeep has the steering wheel controls already in it so that was one thing that I wanted to make sure that if I had gone to an aftermarket radio they would have worked. Nothing would have irritated me more than if they were just there and not doing anything.

I was afraid of the aftermarket radios and the hack jobs I saw over the years in car dealerships. Jeep dealers were no help, they all said that I could not replace my 130 series radio with anything but a 130. Through the forums I found that the 430 and 730 touch screen could be installed, the biggest thing was that I needed the lock code. The seller of my radio had the code and included it with the radio. Otherwise I would have needed the VIN and a trip to the local Jeep dealer to get the code.

I'm watching the forums for someone selling a Uconnect setup then I'll add it to mine.I looked at the aftermarket one and I might have bought it if the guy had actually helped me. Kind of glad they ignored me.

Since my wife has now seen and used the touch screen she wants one for her Liberty, so off shopping I go again.

Just ordered the CB from Quadratec. The antenna kit, well there was one on Ebay that was priced decently but also says "Make Offer" so I did. Either way I'll have an antenna on order by tomorrow and a week from Saturday is install night.

And Best Buy gets nothing.

I am unable to connect my wireless printer to my MacBook in our winter condo. After messing around for an hour, I decided to just pick up a printer cable. Best Buy was $25 for a 10 footer. Amazon was $5 with next day delivery. Guess who won. Me

I love Best Buy but I normally expect from their employees about what I expect from fast food restaurant employees.

Or, maybe its that I am just getting old and more tolerant of stuff.

That store is flat amazing, the amazing part is that it's still open. They were a poor excuse for a store over ten years ago and haven't changed a bit since.

quote:

Originally posted by mcrimm:

I am unable to connect my wireless printer to my MacBook in our winter condo. After messing around for an hour, I decided to just pick up a printer cable. Best Buy was $25 for a 10 footer. Amazon was $5 with next day delivery. Guess who won. Me

Best Buy claims that they will price match. They did match Amazon for me once, when I bought a SSD drive.

BestBuy, just like Staples or Office Depot, is only useful to me if I find myself in need of something immediately. If I do need something from BestBuy, I usually just order it online a couple hours in advance and grab it on my way to/from work.

Of course, that's less and less often, since Amazon can get a hell of a lot to me the next day (or same day) for free these days. Advantage of living in the DC/Baltimore corridor, I guess.

I never go there for advice or good CS, although I can't say I've had any negative experiences there and the cashiers have always been friendly.

-Rob

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
[QUOTE]I refuse to chase down someone to take my money.

I feel the same way especially when it’s not something I HAVE to have. I’m an impulse buyer sometimes, but if I have to hunt someone down it’s hard to be impulsive so I appreciate people sucking at their jobs because it saves me money.

Would not be surprising in the not so distant future to just have distribution centers instead of retail store fronts, everything the Amazon model. Anymore there's enough information online to make an educated purchase, delivery is getting close to 24/7 and from home USPS returns are cheaper than the gas and time you would spend going to a store for the initial buy.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kraquin,

 
This small town has only one big box store, Tractor Supply. It is almost impossible to track down a red shirt for assistance. My habit now is to stop right inside the door, at the register, and have them page an "associate" for assistance. Beats traipsing all over the store.

I'm done with Best Buy after this last fiasco. I went online a couple of weeks before Christmas, we were buying unlocked iPhone 11's for our two tax write offs. Best buy showed to have a black one in stock at the local BB as well as two sim card kits for the phones.The email said we had about five days to pick it up. I purchased them and had to look elsewhere because the daughter wanted red. I bought hers direct form Apple online.

A couple days later we were near the BB in the evening and decided to pick up the phone and cards, we walked in and the pick up line was about 50 people deep, not moving and one person manning that counter. We decided to leave and I would come back during the day.

Mean while the one from Apple was at the house waiting for us.

That night I got an email saying that the phone was NOT in stock and that they were sorry. I cancelled the order including the cards and purchased it from Apple, receiving it in two days. I picked up the sim kits from the local WalMart.

I will not set foot in another BB. I would have seriously thought about burning the place down if I had waited in that line to be told sorry, no phone for you.

quote:

Would not be surprising in the not so distant future to just have distribution centers instead of retail store fronts, everything the Amazon model. Anymore there's enough information online to make an educated purchase, delivery is getting close to 24/7 and from home USPS returns are cheaper than the gas and time you would spend going to a store for the initial buy.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kraquin, January 08, 2020 10:28 AM

^^^^^^^^^^^^
I doubt that. There are many products you cannot or would not buy online. High end jewelry and tailored clothing are two that come to mind. I think that the Amazon model has run its course to some degree with all of the counterfeit items, delivery issues etc. Granted certain Big Box outlets are driving customers to the internet by poor Customer service and poor selection.

quote:

This small town has only one big box store, Tractor Supply. It is almost impossible to track down a red shirt for assistance. My habit now is to stop right inside the door, at the register, and have them page an "associate" for assistance. Beats traipsing all over the store.

^^^^^^^^
This works at Office Depot and Best Buy as well. It seems they prefer because their knowledge at times is limited to two or three aisles.

I totally plan to stay far away from best Buy in the future. A couple months ago, my laptop battery was totally kaput so I went there (I bought my laptop there originally) thinking to get another battery. Well...after finally getting waited on by a clerk and telling my problem, he tells me they don't sell the batteries. When I asked about who might have them in this area he responds I can buy it online. That was it... I asked him just how the hell I was supposed to do that when I could not power on my laptop and the little idiot just shrugs with a stupid smirk on his face. No business from me ever again!

About the same experience tleo205 had but mine was a new pc monitor that died after a week. Tech guy said it couldn't be fixed there and would be sent back to Dell. They would send me an email as to whether or not they could fix it or if I would be sent a new one. I asked him how I was going to read an email with no monitor. Deer in the headlights look and then said, "I never thought of that."

Did you, at any point, actually talk to anyone and ask for help?

Can't just stand there waiting for someone to come back to you if you didn't actually interact with him.