Tweeter vs. Best Buy vs. Circuit City

liv4fam

Hey,I just wanted to get your opinions on what some of your experiences have been with these three companies as far as Customer Satisfaction, Relations, Custom Install, and general Know-How. I currently work for one of them and I'm seriously considering moving to one of the others. Does anybody have any comments regarding BB's installation team? What about CC? Who do you think has the best customer service? Where do you guys like to shop most and where do you feel most comfortable? I appreciate any comments you have to offer.

nascarmann

hoosier21

Tweeter (HIFI Buys here in Atlanta) best equipment and Knowledge, then Circuit City then Best Buys. Never had an install from any of them. I have had great customer service from CC and HIFI Buys, only bought DVD's and CD's from BB.

liv4fam

Hoosier, which do you like better? Tweeter or Hi-Fi Buys? Did you notice any changes that were made in Hi-Fi Buys when Tweeter bought them that you don't like?

TroyD

Of the three, I actually prefer going to CC. The sales staff are generally pretty friendly and will try to help you out without being pushy. I don't normally find them to be terribly informative but as long as they can work the necessary equipment to let me listen to what I want, that's all I care about. I've also never had a problem returning anything at CC either.

Best Buy, CD's and DVD's only. I don't want to talk to anyone there and generally they don't want to talk to the customers so it works out pretty well. I bought my RPTV from Best Buy and it was the WORST experience of my life.

My experiences with Tweeter are fairly limited. I've been to a few different ones with hit or miss results. Generally, I find them to be an upscale CC. I've never been tremendously impressed with the sound rooms, although they are the best of the 3. The sales staff, while maybe more knowledgeable are definately more pushy and sometimes arrogant. It's almost like going to a car dealership. They are also OBSESSED with selling Monster stuff. Is Monster owned by Amway or what?

I've never dealt with any of the install folks, so I have no opinions there.

BDT

RuSsMaN

I'm not aware of CC or Best Buy offering any install work, other than car audio. Best Buy's audio selection is crap, imo, minus a couple receivers MAYBE. 2nd place to Circuit City offering Polk, but I think Tweeter hands-down has the best selection / atmosphere, at least to me.

Tweeter seems like a mix between a high end boutique and your common man brick and mortar store...

Cheers,
Russ

HBombToo

CC would only plug my new TV into an ac outlet but would not connect it to my ht system. Seems they have a no touch policy for there installers or delivery teams.

Just my experience...

hoosier21

I would not know when Tweeter bought them, it is still HiFi Buys, only reason I know Tweeter owned them was at the website "A Tweeter Company" or some such.

hotwheelman

motor store? I didn't know they sold engines............ Just pokin on ya russman.........:D

shack

I have a BB and a CC in my town and they are ok for TVs. DVD players and Camcorders but I would not usually buy any audio from them (except for Polks ). I have visited Tweeters in Chattanooga, Atlanta, Charlotte and Huntsville Ala. In every case I have found them to be very accomodating and knowledgeable In three of the stores in particular I was able to sit down and listen for extended periods of time with no interuptions and when the salesmen did come in we had a good conversation about the equipment with no hi pressure sales. They do however love to push the Monster stuff. It always gets a plug at Tweeter. For a chain they are probably the best in my opinion.

RuSsMaN

Originally posted by hotwheelman
motor store? I didn't know they sold engines............ Just pokin on ya russman.........:D

Huh? What?

heh heh

liv4fam

Wow it looks like none of you have a bad opinion of tweeter. IMO I think they suck. Unfortunately I have to witness how they screw customers and myself everyday. I truly think that one day CC and BB will carry better equipment and be a better store than tweeter is today.

goingganzo

i buy where i can get the best deal this is what i think best buy trys to much and the sales people are ok i dont muy much there exept games cc have bought and returned alot of stuff there everything i get al cc is crap it has stupid things wrong with it and they are overpriced and if you come in with a good price they wont match it never been to tweaters but have abc warehouse i get a good price there but i olny go to buy
i got my velo ct 120 for 320

liv4fam

One thing about CC that I didn't like was that I was going to buy a pair of RT2000's awhile ago and I had to travel to a lot of different CC just to find a pair and when I did half-time they were busted and I couldn't get a descent demo. The salesman always told me that all they had left was the Floormodels and they would not discount them (even though they needed repair) which I thought was really bad service. On top of that the salesman never asked me if I needed wire, interconnects, CD player, DVD, Receiver or anything. He would have missed on a huge sale because he was not thorugh enough. That was a bad experience for me because I haven't demo'd anything from them since.

Aaron

IMO I think they suck. Unfortunately I have to witness how they screw customers and myself everyday.

Can you elaborate on this?

Aaron

liv4fam

Aaron, it's a damn shame but tweeter overcharges customers doesn't deliver there equipment when it's suppose to be there charges people credit cards without them knowing. They don't tell the installers hardly anything about the jobs, we never know what jobs we are doing until that morning. We (tthe installers) get blamed for everything that happens with job so we are constantly taking crap from the salesman, scheduler, and customer. Nobody wants to take any responsibility for their screw-ups.

hoosier21

Don't put words in my mouth.

I gave just the facts on the rating of 1 2 3

I have problems with all of them, its just s shorter list with Tweeter.

F1nut

liv4fam,

Nice to see you post something civil...there may be hope for you.

My ratings,
(1) Tweeter
(2) BB
(3) CC
I purchased a TV from Tweeter, got a good price and also thought the salesman was too pushy, but he knew his stuff. BB is good for telephones and computer printers, monitors, etc. CC is a waste of time. I wouldn't buy audio equipment at any of them, just not my style.
As for the situation you describe.....it is the same at most retail stores, it's how corporate America functions...sad as that may be. Perhaps you could write down a detailed account of ideas you have to improve things, emphasizing better customer service = return customers, less wasted time/better organization = higher profits, etc. Ask your boss or his boss for a meeting to discuss the ideas, maybe some good will come out of it.

burdette

I'd never heard of Tweeter until this forum so I can' t comment on that store.

I recently made a (for me) major purchase at Circuit City - bought a receiver in June. Floor price was $180 and I told the manager that they'd had it on sale at Christmastime for less. I told him I'd like to write a check, tax and all, for less than $150. He was off the phone for about 3 minutes, came back and said "how about $144.74?" I bought it. Haven't ever had to return anything.

I bought a pair of speakers from one of the two *original* Best Buys in Minneapolis before they were Best Buy. A few years later, I worked for them while in college. Had a friend who worked at their corporate headquarters on software. They were greedy - customers had to really push for good treatment on things like lemons, price matching, etc. They used to announce over the intercom "Attention, associates.." then some number. It was the percentage of sales that included the extended warranties because that is where they *really* made money. It let the associates know if they needed to push even harder. Before I worked there, I had a BB manager - unknown to me - lie on my application for "90 days same as cash" because I'd told him I'd only buy if I got 90 days. Tried to get it again a couple of months later and was turned down (honest manager filled out the forms) and the bank said the first one was "a mistake." Overall, I don't have the warm fuzzies for BB.. I don't think I could bring myself to lay my money down with them for anything other than media. And I agree with what someone else said.. I think their equipment is, in general, a step or two below CC. To me, BB is like K-Mart and CC is like Target... even if they carried the EXACT same item, something just doesn't "feel" right about the BB/KM item.. like it is... I just don't trust'em for some reason.

Actually, the majority of my electronics purchases in my life have been mail-order. I did buy my Onkyo receiver from BB when I worked there... couldn't pass up the employee discount.

Dr. Spec

Circuit City seems to be able to bend over backwards to make a sale for a LOT less than even the already reduced asking price for "Open Box" items. I've gotten some really incredible deals at CC over the last two years. I don't interact much with the salespeople there, because I already know what I want when I show up and if I don't like it, I have 30 days to bring it back, no questions asked.

I agree with Burdette about BB. I bought an HP computer system there recently (only because I got same as cash financing until 2004 AND $300 in BB and HP rebates AND a $100 dollar BB gift card which turned into $200 due to a mistake by the salesman). Anyway, I couldn't believe the pressure from the salesman to buy and/or participate in a whole crapload of after-the-sale warranties and other "specials". I had to endure about 10 minutes of this crap before I told him he was about to lose the sale. BB has VERY high pressure after-the-sale tactics.

I have no experience with Tweeter, they are not in upstate NY.

Doc

Systems

I like the speaker exchage policy at City, and it's good that they carry some stuff you don't find at Buy, such as Onkyo, HK, Polk.
BBuy has some mass market stuff that I would at least consider if I was shopping & it was in my budget--the higher priced Pioneer & Yamaha receivers, the JBL S38 spkrs, maybe a few other things. They have a better selection of blank minidiscs than CC, so I get mine there, altho no place in town has much of a selection.

Our local economy is holding up pretty well, entry-level service & retail jobs are not hard to find, & the clerks at both places are frequently clueless--I could be wrong, but I hardly ever get the sense that I'm dealing with someone who is intent on moving up in the A/V retail field & wants to learn as much as possible about both the merchandise & working with customers. I don't necessarily blame the clerks for this--it could very well be that most of the people who are serious about it scream in agony & have a nervous breakdown after finding out what it's like to work there. It can be hard to corral a clerk, altho I rarely need one, but when I do they are usually nice & try their best.

Never been to a Tweeter. We have a regional chain called American, most locations in Wisconsin, a few in Illinois & Iowa, which has better stuff than either Buy or City. They carry the LSi's, a little Adcom--not an "audiophile boutique", but pretty good for a chain store that devotes more floor space to furniture than electronics. However, clerk cluelessness is still a problem.

burdette

I'd be surprised if most of the clerks at either CC or BB consider audio their career... sales maybe, but not specifically audio or HT. I think for most of them it is just a job. I've always known more than clerks I've delt with... but to average guy off the street.. I suppose they take the advice the clerks give.

I got a lesson on clerks very early in life... in high school I bought a new pair of running shoes at a specialty store like Footlocker. A month later I was shopping for a ring (not engagement, just a 'girlfriend' ring, a $100 opal) and walked into a jewelry store. What well-informed jeweler walked up to help me but the same damn guy who had sold me running shoes.

We used to have a good time talking to clerks who didn't know **** but were regurgitating the words off some internal memo that had been circulated on some technology... "Well, certainly the .. uh... discombobulator can have a pronounced effect on the sound quality... but of course you'll want to ensure you don't hang anything heavy on the.. uh.. dynamic extension.. it is fragile but very vital to the ... uh.. these Bose are nice."

fireshoes

Hey Meestercleef, watch the cracks on the American employees!
j/k

MxStYlEpOlKmAn

lol...people at circuit city...this one dude there made me laugh....i asked him whats the difference between this model of jvc and this one (back when i only wanted a shelf system, boy that didnt last long - the system was a model with two subs and one with no subs) the man told me, there was absolutely no difference what so ever...i about busted out laughing in the store...thats my experience with cc

been to best buy one time...never going again...lol thats all im going to say

never been in tweeter

to add one

Rex's Audio Video appliances - in south carolina theres one in myrtle or cherrygrove and the people theres probally know as much about audio as leaving the noodles out of spagetti...i was just going through all their audio equipment...and this idiot walks over there and turns the treble on 6+ and the bass on 6- other than that i found them helpful...not the smartest crayons in the box

nico

circuit city customer service sucks in my opinion. They have some incompetent manager that works for them. I had a bad experience with one of them not to long ago, regarding upgrading a subwoofer she told me that a subwoofer is not a speaker therefore it wasn't eligible for an upgrade. She was very rude and kept arguing with me instead of asking someone else. So I ask the number for their regional manager and he gave me a $100. gift card plus I was able to upgrade my sub and an apology letter from the manager.

F1nut

nico......working the system!

BTW, Welcome :cool:

Systems

I said it's a problem, but I didn't say ALL of 'em. How's that for a political answer? I'd say that the overall knowledge level is better than at Buy or City, but I've still had some really bad answers, such as "No, we don't carry any (graphic equalizers)", then I found at least two on the shelves, & some other really bad replies. Like I said, I think our job market has something to do w/it, because it seems to me the knowledge level is lower than a few yrs ago, or maybe it's because I know a little more than I did then. Or maybe it's because the surround frenzy has made it more complicated, & therefore it's more likely that you won't know the answer. Or a combination of all these things.

p.s. Rex--They have one of these in my Mom's town. It is a truly dismal place. I actually felt tremendous gratitude for the CC & BB in my town, since my Mom's town has neither. However, they did have some decent deals on some low-end models, with a slightly different selection than CC or BB. But that's the best thing I can think of to say about them.

JediCowboy

I bought my set of Polks through Circuit City and found the gentleman who helped me to be most very knowledgeable and excited about audio. I could certainly hear his muted salesy pushing, but that's his job and I can hardly fault him for that. He knew I was there and was ready to buy.

After I made the purchase I decided to exchange the RTi100s for RTi70s and the PSW450 for the 650. After palying with my original purchase for a few days I wasn't quite happy with what I had, but it is a process if trial and error. I had *no* problem returning the items, but ended up having to buy the new items from Crutchfield.com.

The gentleman I origianlly purchased the items from wasn't in and the people I did deal with informed me that CC didn't carry the 650 -- and this is the weird part -- nor did they carry the 70s in cherry veneer. I thought that had to be a mistake, but since I had to order the 650 regardless, I decided to take advantage of no sales tax and a slighly cheaper price at Crutchfield.

It actually made me feel bad that my original sales guy would lose out on some commission because of what CC doesn't stock. One would think that at the very least these items could be special ordered. I would have gladly waited a few more days and paid a little more for a special order to keep the business with a person who helped me and had fun helping me.

gidrah

I hate all of them. And yet I am somehow drawn to all of them. I've never bought a piece of equipment on salesmanship. In fact I shoo them away with a "Just looking". If they persist I start talking specs and nuances of any given piece compared to something they don't carry. They go away and I fiddle around.

nico

Off the subject, has anyone here had any experience with the new rti38 speakers? I recently upgraded my rt25i to the rti38's. I am using them as surround for my system. I have the cs400i for the center and rt55i's for the fronts. Again I went to CC because they are the only one that offers upgrades on speakers. But I went to a diiferent store location and the salesman that helped me was very knowlegeable and he gave me a good deal on the floor model. Can anyone of you out there let me know if all my speakers matched? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you Nico

nico

Does anyone know which of these 2 receivers is better? Sony str985 or Onkyo tx-sr600. sony has 100 watts for each 6 channels. onkyo has 80watts per channel. I need help deciding which receiver to get. I know a lot of you don't like sony so please be honest. Thank you. Nico