Some of my worst retail memories are of moments spent at CompUSA. Bad prices. Bad selection. Customer anti-service. Don’t even think about returns. Walking into a CompUSA store is just about the polar opposite of walking into, say, an Apple store.
Well, it’s in the deadpool now. They’re closing all of their remaining 103 stores.
The upside of all of this is that the stores will likely be selling all their stuff at big discounts.
Have a particularly egregious story to share about CompUSA? Tell me all about it. You’ll feel better after the purge.
Good riddance. They are the worst stores I’ve ever had the displeasure of frequent. Their return policy SUCKED (15% restocking fee even it the merchandise was never opened).
I one time went to a CompUSA to purchase an Apple Cinema display, had the guy not only tell me I could return the monitor if there were any dead pixels but also, since it was an apple item, there would be zero restocking fee.
I go to get them to honor that, within 4 hours of the purchase, no dice, they wanted me to pay ( at the time ), $200+ for that 4 hours.
The ass in question even denied he’s said it, to my face. I ended up having to goto 3 stores before I ended up sealing the package back up and having to *lie* to get them to take it back and I think I just got lucky by getting a different kind of idiot to help that one time.
I remember one of the stores, they re-opened the monitor first before telling me they wouldn’t take it back without restocking fee, the greasey little kid managed to slop slime ALL over the monitor, then his manager walks up and tells me “this is clearly used and it’s got all these marks on the screen, we can’t take that” … yes, I wanted to destroy this person at this point
I cannot tell you how pleased I am that these guys have finally gone down.
Countless other stores, I’m a San Rafael, CA store survivor.
Frys continue to profit every quarter with an excellent return policy, excellent !!!
Have a particularly egregious story to share about CompUSA?
techwag.com???
We don’t have these in Canada.
Weird. They used to be good way back in the mid 90’s, before Frys, Best Buy and Apple stores came along. Creative destruction.
oh yeah…BEST BUY is so much better….
(head shake)
compusa closed the doors here in edina mn about 6-8 months ago. clearance sales were terrible. watch for the homeless people holding the 50% discount signs for a 5 block radius – but when you get there – the “up to 50% discounts” apply only to the crap you would never need/buy.
I wouldnt count on any good deals. They closed their stores here a few months ago as well and sold their inventory to a liquidator. Prices were generally higher than retail for many things and mail in rebates were not honored. It was a continuation of crappy service and not being upfront with customers.
Also most if not all sales will be final. Keep that in mind when buying anything.
Tower records had a closing down sale and they actually increase the sales price on many items, liquidation is huge business and people are suckers if they think they are getting a deal.
These chopping shops know this when they come in.
CompUSA was the worst of the big chains.
Funny thing is that I read that someone pumped $400MM into CompUSA earlier this year as part of a turnaround plan.
Talk about good money after bad…
CompUSA was the worse. They closed their doors here in Torrance early in the year. Their service was horrible. The people there had no idea what they were talking about, there was nobody to ask a question about specialized hardware. When they closed, the sale was not really a sale. Prices were pretty much the same as before. On a few items they had a $2 discount on a $38 item ($36).
Oh well. No real loss there. Why couldn’t everybody offer service like USAA?
Did I heard right when my friend told me the other day that the parent company of CompUSA was Mexican?
Yep, the parent company is The Carso Group, owned by TelMex’s Carlos Slim (a very, very rich “amigo).
A telco managing a retail store in a very competitve enviroment. Sounds like success to me…….NOT!
I used to teach a customer service seminar, and I always encouraged my attendees to visit a CompUSA, and then do the opposite of what they experienced.
Who shall I send them now?
I apologize in advance if this is culturally insensitive, but we call it CompUSSR around here.
There goes my multi-year warranty on my laptop I bought last year… the first and only time I was ever in CompUSA was to purchase a brand new laptop that was on sale, it was cheaper then even HP sold it and a year later, it works flawlessly without any problems. Customer service was actually great, they answered all my questions and even gave me a further discount when I asked them if there was any specials for corporate accounts. They said absolutely!
To be honest, I was better treated at CompUSA then any Apple store etc that I have ever visited.
Jon
I remember going to a CompUSA store back in the late 90s
the store didn’t seem to run very professionally;
the service desk was a bitch,
the tech nerds seemed like slackoffs,
rebates was also a bitch
the whole store felt like a disorganized big mom and pop shop.
lol – even when closing stores have these so-called store closing liquidation sales, everything must go etc…you can still easily find a much better deal on ebay
For those of us not in the valley with hundreds of options (never even seen a Fry outside of canceled cartoons), CompUSA will be missed. If you needed a power supply or wanted a selection of more than 5 video cards the only place is CompUSA. We have a Best Buy, Circuit City, etc, but selection is crappy. Price is just as high. Yes, it’s cheaper to go online to find an item, but not that much cheaper and if you really wanted to get that system built tonight it’s might be worth a few extra bucks.
And how can one complain about price and service and then mention Apple? Over priced, only work with other over priced apple services, and when it wears out apple just says “buy a new one”.
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…wait!
I believe the rumor is they are going 100% online. No more instant gratification. Stupid prices, binary selection, kill-me prices, wrist-cutting customer service….
Before I visit CompUSA evevr again, I will first go to Fry’s and electrocute myself in that big electric “thing” that goes off every hour. Then, after I build up some estatic electricity, I will shake the hand of the first CompUSA employee that I see and shake his/her hand……je,je,je,je,
I didn’t have a extremely horrible experience with them. They were just as horrible as Best Buy and Circuit City.
I once bought a processor from them and they told me that it can’t be returned even if it turns out to be defective unless I let them install it on my motherboard for which there was an installation price.
I bought it anyway and, fortunately, the processor worked. I probably shouldn’t have bought it but I was in a hurry. Horrible policy.
I have a special discount there! D;
And I’ve gotten most of my gadgets from there, too.
Anyone ever “experienced” Frys Electronics?
‘Nuff Said!
Edgeio and now CompUSA into the deadpool. Whew!
I understand why they’re closing, CompUSA always builds in the worst areas of town, but they always have had the most reliable mail in rebates, best customer service, most knowledgeable employees, and the most respect for their customers out of any of the stores I’ve ever seen. They were understanding and canceled restocking fees when other stores didn’t care if the product never worked. They gave big discounts all of the time, and they actually did price match like they advertised. They had a very large variety of parts for building computers, when other competitors like Best Buy just dropped carrying computer cases altogether, and they never had long lines.
You sure did get one thing right, its the polar opposite of Apple. CompUSA never cared about looks, they cared about service. If something had a problem, you could bring it back their and exchange it. Everytime I’ve dealt with the Apple store, its always been a huge problem. The “Genius” would never recognize their was a problem with their product and always blamed the user. Returns are impossible at an Apple store. Yeah, Apple stores always looks great, very clean and very stylized and such, but customer service is horrible, returns are impossible, and variety and selection is, of course, not existent. I’m not trying to make a fashion statement about where I shop, I’m trying to get some good products that has good customer service. CompUSA’s problem was they ALWAYS built in bad areas, so people didn’t like going there, and their prices weren’t cheaper then Best Buy or Circuit City, which build in nicer areas.
The CompUSAs near me had terrible deals… and when they finally did, the wolves had already taken their share.
Ok, first of all: their stores are terrible.
I ended up there to when I went to buy my first projector. Mostly because it was cheap, but also because the sales guy told me that the lamp was covered by their extended warranty plan. I knew this was ridiculous, but the guy said it was covered, and I watched him go check with his manager about it when I asked him to.
Of course the lamp died after less than 1,000 hours, not because the lamp was bad, but from lack of maintenance and the fact that my roommate didn’t know what to do when it said ‘check the air filter for dirt’.
Anyway, I took it back there and of course got no refund even with my extended warranty plan, and my story about the situation with the salesman and his manger when I bought the projector, even though it sounded like the guy still worked there, and spoke with the current manager when I made my claim.
I understand that projector lamps shouldn’t be covered by any standard extended warranty, but seriously, to go to that amount of effort to sell a projector that cost less than a $1K and and provide that much of a false sense of warranty.
This situation forced my decision to buy a pocket dictating machine that I’ve used ever since to record conversations with salesmen about higher cost purchases.
Good riddance to CompUSA, their terrible selection, and lying salesmen.
BTW, CompUSA’s policy has been no restocking fee on any product if unopened if returned within 14 days. I just bought 2 new monitors from there and they clearly print their return policy on a big red sticker on the front of the box, whereas Circuit City and Best Buy and ESPECIALLY Apple, its always a total secret what products have restocking fees, how long you can return them for, etc. CompUSA was always the MOST upfront about their policy.
I’ve never experienced Frys… we don’t have them around here, we just have Best Buy, Circuit City, and I guess now formally CompUSA.
The only reason I ever went into my local CompUSA (or should it be CompMEX) was to talk (and buy from) the excellent Apple rep.
The CompUSA was scummy. The salesreps were ignorant dweebs.
Two months ago, the Apple rep was transferred across the parking lot (literally) to the BestBuy.
I hate BestBuy, but at least you don’t feel as if you will catch an infectious disease.
The BB salesreps are ignorant dweebs, but the Apple rep is still great.
CompUSA died because people who want to buy bright shiny things go to BestBuy.
CompUSA died because people who want to buy a power supply go online to NewEgg.
CompUSA died because of self-inflicted wounds.
Do NOT talk like that about Fry’s, my place of technological ZEN….
The peace of being surrounded by dozens of video cards….the tranquility you get while admiring a wall full of HDD’s……
Nowhere else can you see a ZIP drive and a floppy disk side by side on the same shelf, AMD and Intel living together in harmony, every conceivable iPod accessory has it’s assign selling space (although most of the time the hooks are empty…
And the electronic components section? A bless from above. It can only be described as a “Silicon Orgy”
They do need some assistance re-designing their price labels. It’s also hard to see Cash Register # 723 being available and waiting for you. But I can buy the complete 7th season of Star Trek for $29.
‘nuf said.
I would love the hear about the deals they will offer.
“Good”…That says it all
Apple stores are the same crap just more bling with the cretin “Geniuses”.
The store in San Antonio sort of sucks. I remember when CompuUSA got its start— about 24 years ago in Dallas (actually in the suburb of Addison) under the name, Software Warehouse. It was an innovative company that sold, warehouse style, warehouse prices of CP/M computers, Lotus 123, Ashton Tate, DBase and all the other leading products at the time.
Then came the famed “BusinessLand” chain, and of course, the Genra Group stores which was owned by Xerox.
Things and times change…dont they?
These days, I live at the Apple store, Best Buy, Wolf Camera. When I am in NYC, I love to go to B&H which in itself is a real trip.
I saw the writing on the wall when they started selling consumer electronics devices like LCD TVs and cheap stereos after the tech bust. They decided to stop being a destination for computer hobbyists and started competing with Best Buy and Circuit City. Meanwhile, the store experience, as with most big box stores, remained depressing and frustrating. Put me in the “good riddance” column.
I would rather buy my computer from CompUSA than Best Buy. Best Buy gave us terrible service while CompUSA gave us great service. With Apple stores around though I can understand why CompUSA would disappear. RIP CompUSA.
Indianapolis. CompUSA has been slowly dying here for years. Weak in every aspect. Box-pusher clueless salesmen more fit for pushing used cars. Lousy specials & sales, more hype than substance. Rebates not worth the trouble. About 2 years ago a Frys opened here (we already have CC, BB, HH Gregg, Staples, you name it) and Frys was the final nail in the coffin. All the CompUSA boxpushers scuttled like a bunch of cockroaches over to take jobs at Frys. Frys does have better sales (actual savings; not just rebate hell), more selection, a fair return policy, and a cafe to boot. Like many shoppers these days, I usually shop at Frys and buy from NewEgg. NewEgg is tops in my opinion. I’m sad to see CompUSA die but like nearly everybody else’s sentiments here, I think they were poorly managed and they will not be missed at all here.
Isn’t circuity city or best buy considering to buy it off just for the real estate value it has ?
No horror stories here. I bought a Toshiba laptop at CompUSA, got a good deal, no problems.
My experience at the Apple store was something else entirely. A real nightmare that dragged on for months and never got resolved. I’ll spare you the gruesome details, but I most certainly will not be going back.
Haha, the polar opposite of an Apple store? In your dreams maybe. Every time I’ve walked into an Apple store, I was met with some smug fool whose main purpose was to hound me about buying a MacBook Pro. Not to mention the incredibly unhelpful exchange process. Ugh. The Apple store is worse than Best Buy.
I agree, what is all this hype about apple store employees? They are just stupid undergrads.
The dudes at CompUSA could build me a custom PC for really cheap from a catalog of parts you could order. It was actually pretty sweet, but you idiots would rather pay $2k for a macbook (not that I don’t want the brushed metal one
.)
I worked at a CompUSA. As far as the shopping experience, I would have to say that most all big box stores are the same. To say the Apple Store, Fry’s, Circuit City, or Best Buy are any better is pure ignorance. Same with return policies. Everyone in the industry has restocking fees for some items.
But, you reap what you sow. The quest for bottom dollar prices leads to mom and pops which actually give a shit going out of business. Big box stores which only care about squeezing that measly 5% margin out of you are the norm now.
And the only people who think the apple store is any good are those cultists who drink the apple koolaide. It’s typical apple. All style and no substance. oh and expensive.
@ 15 – Right on.
Hey Mike for those of us not on the west coast where Fry’s doesn’t exist (yes we live in this little city called New York which has a bunch of tech people if you didn’t notice) there was no better place to get exactly what you needed the same day for you or your clients IT needs then a compusa. I too disliked the store, the people weren’t helpful at all, but being IT savvy, I didn’t need their help, but they had an inventory that around here is still unmatched. It will be a detriment to the IT community.
Do a little more research sometime, the world doesn’t revolve around SF.
I think this opens up the market even farther for a big box computer only type store. Don’t try to sell all the electronics that Best Buy sells. Focus only on computing hardware, parts, software, training, etc. But have a larger selection than CompUSA had, salespeople who aren’t 18 years old and have some knowledge. I actually think that they would have had better customer service had the salepeople gotten some commissions on their sales. This would have given them some incentive to actually wait on the customers instead of huddling over in the corner talking about trying to find a date for the prom.
Here in Ann Arbor, Michigan, CompUSA will be missed. Sure their services and prices were shit, but it was still the only brick and mortar store where one could buy something like a power supply.
I don’t know what happens at every CompUSA store to cause so many negative comments. I can only go by my experiences in the South Jersey and Philadelphia area, as a customer since the Softwharehouse days and as an employee in two of them years later.
In none of the stores that I worked were idiot “sales” employees. You must consider the wide range of merchandise presented. All of our sales employees were trained on an ongoing basis and expected to know most of the store. As an older dude, I was not the guy to ask what the hottest game was or if the Sony Playstation was cooler than the Nintendo flavour of the day – not my area of interest or expertise, but I could explain the difference between each computer we stocked, the types of processor, video, memory, etc. and talk intelligently about the software that it ran.
There was always an expert in every area of the store, but if you were too rude to wait and speak with that person, then so be it. Perhaps you were recognized by the employees as the creep that asks a million questions, and then grabs the item and runs to the cashier so the sales person couldn’t get credit for the sale or to make his required attempt to sell the service contract.
Most of the complaints I see here about return policy are fictional. In my tenure, the policy was 14 days and later 21 days after purchase – even if opened (except software) – with some rare exceptions, like projectors and Laptops that some of you guys thought you could “rent” for a few days for free. Those items, if opened, were returnable for store credit. Circuit City and BestBuys???? Come on!!! They are, at best, washing machine salespeople. They think AMD stands for “Another Moron Daydreaming”!
In all honesty, I always felt that I was working for “THE PLACE TO GO” for computer hardware. I could have worked anywhere, but I chose Comp. Even today, I drive past my local Walmart, Circuit City, and BestBuys to shop at compusa in the next state. The prices at all of the stores are exactly the same except for the week it’s on sale. I can find salespeople who are up on things, and I can ask tech questions at the tech shop if need be. I have never not been able to get the answer (or the merchandise) I need at CompUSA. I’m going to miss it!
I never did much business at CompUSA but browsed a lot and can’t say I ever had more trouble there than other venues.
I do agree with eric (a few msgs above) about Apple, what’s the big deal there? Lot’s of white, glass stairwell (at least at the NY store) and everything overpriced.
Here in Albuquerque, CompUSA was it when you needed computer parts. I knew that I could walk into a CompUSA and I had a 75% chance that they would have the part.
As for customer service, I would not know. I am a Systems Administrator and know what I need and/or want. I have a business sales rep who is great and will go the extra mile for me.
Sure we got the normal’s, BestBuy and Circuit City, but they are 100% crap and never have what I need (or anything really). Heck, what I really am hoping is that our store here gets sold to Frys, cus their is a store that knows technology.
Now one of the problems with CompUSA was they were living in the dark ages. Their computer system was older then crap and if you had an account with them, you could not buy online unless the business sales desk was open (had different hours) cus the website was not able to charge things to the account, someone in the store had to do that.
O well, I guess what is done is done now and all I hope is that the people working for CompUSA are not out of work long and they are able to find something else.
Given the generally miserable experience, I really don’t understand why anybody would set foot in a brick ‘n mortar for any tech gear. I get most of my stuff at Amazon: good prices, free shipping, no CA tax, no questions asked 30 day return. And you don’t waste two hours of your life driving/parking/waiting in line.
You folks with the big box war stories should try this Internet shopping thing – it’s really cool.
VanG you A**hole sorry you had one bad experience at CompUSA. Unfortunately most employees are college students just working their way through college. So someone made one mistake boo freaking hoo. Bottom line if you would have read your reciept you would see that the 15% restocking fee is only on open hardware Items. Just like at Best Buy. This is to prevent “rentals” which cause a big loss for retailers. If you would have fought hard enough it would have gotten waved. You think compUSA is so bad well I shot multiple places and that is the only store where I have ever had a completely competent associate. Best buy hires for personality as does Circuit. CompUSA hires based on both personality and competence with product. So shove it and think about the people who are getting laid off.
When will you demagouges realize that people who work for a living are losing there jobs, compalin all you want, but if you shopped there for any reason, then you have no room to complain. It is amazing to me how quickly people will bad mouth something just because they disagree, but the real truth is they just do not understand.
Go make eye contact with one of the compusa employees on the floor and watch them scurry away in terror. Where I live its hard to even get the cashier to say something beyond the cost of the purchase. I’m glad their dead, circut city is next, everyone needs to be like frys.
You are correct. It is sad always when people lose their jobs.
As for the story I told, that’s just one of many. However, to address your points;
1) The sales associate shouldn’t have lied regarding the terms of the sale, I clearly had the person verify several times the terms because I knew what the receipt said and I told him, if I can’t bring it back, I’m not buying.
2) Why the hell should I have to fight anyone when they told me clearly the terms ?
The problems arise when they lie to customers, I’ve had them sell warranties on products and tell folks that even if you drop the hardware on the floor and smash it, they’ll fully replace it, the warranty is *that* good.
Which of course was bullshit……Really sorry people lost their jobs, but the world overall will be a better place without CompUSA.
I am indifferent to CompUSA closing. But I do have a question for all the people whining about a restockng fee. Why should a store “rent” you a prouct for even an hour for free? If you make the mistake and buy the WRONG thing…then compensate the store for the amount of time and energy that they will need to expend in getting it back on the shelf. nothing is free in this world folks. I call this whole thought process the “Wal Mart Phenomena” – named after the store that used to be known for one of the most relaxed return policies in the world. When the store screws up and makes the mistake, hold them accountable – but on the other hand, when you screw up, take a deep breath, quit whining, and hold yourself responsible.