"only desperate people go to CompUSA.
if shipping was faster and cheaper than driving my car to CompUSA I wouldnt even step inside of one"

"A couple of days ago, this company had a deal listed all over the internet, the RipGo for $19.99 after rebates. For a portable MP3 MiniCD burner, this was an exceptional deal. In fact, after just a few days, they sold out.

Now, the company listed the product as to be shipped within 3-6 days. After the 6th day of my order, the status page showed "Shipped, No tracking available" only quite sometime later, did tracking info come up, showing that it was really shipped many days after the company claimed it was shipped. At the time, I was just confused.

After talking with a few friends who had also purchased RipGos, living in different parts of country, we found that all of these shipments were delayed to arrive two days before the postmark deadline for the rebates. (ie, some friends living closer got notices that it will ship day x, such that it will arrive right before the rebate deadline)

Now, if a company makes an advertisement for something cheap, and everyone buys, they should not try to make money by trying to make people miss the rebate, I find this imho to be rather deceptive."

"Not being a great fan of the bricks-and-mortar store, I was a little sceptical when a colleague suggested purchasing some urgently needed cables from their website.

I was amazed at the selection compared to their store. The cables I needed (extra-long fast IDE) were not available in-store, but only on the web. The price was what got me though; even with expedited shipping, the cables were still less than I could buy locally, and I wouldn't have to go hunting for a store.

I ordered at 9:30PM on Monday, and the cables were waiting for me when I arrived for work on Wednesday."

"Okay, after reading all these negative reviews that honestly shouldn't be negative reviews, I had to say something. First things first, Recently bought a WD 200G 8M cache drive for my cousin this week. Rebate deal and all. Great buy. No issues. Only problem was trying to walk my cousin through installing it over AIM. Not fun as he's not so technically proficient. Took me 8 hrs. I won't go into the details.

Down to the nitty gritty. I buy often from Compusa. My friends buy from them. I've never had any problems. The reason I don't have problems is that I know what i'm getting into when i purchase from them. They state up front that they have a restocking fee and what their return policy is. How can customers be so PO'ed when they realize it is their own mistake for buying the wrong things and knowing the return policy?

Take for ex. Jbrown561, He states he is a computer consultant. So long as they did not deceive him about the restocking fee, I don't see how he can justify his complaints.

As for mecknyar, IF what he is saying is the truth, something is extremely screwed up there. I would probably never shop at Compusa again if I were him.
Makes me think that possibly some unscrupulous employee repackaged a returned opened item with crap hardware inside it. Scary.

As for the restocking fee, I have to agree that a 15% restocking fee really does suck. I do not recommend CompUSA for those ppl who don't know what they are buying and tend to return things alot.

As for the rebates, I don't like rebates but some of the best deals are with them. I believe the rebates are simply a data collection scheme.
One thing for those doing rebates, make sure you protect yourself. Make copies of your receipts, upc barcodes, and rebate forms in case they somehow get lost. They will honor any rebates so long as you have the proper paperwork. I scan mines in so I can email them for faster processing. I have only had to email scans once.
Also, CompUSA tends to be a bit slow on the rebates but they will come eventually.
They also never harass you to buy warranties.

As for the online shopping at compusa.com, I have never shopped online with them.
"

"I had purchased an ATI Radeon 9500 pro video card, on 02/01/2003 and when I got home it was a different card inside the box even though the box was sealed. I immediately went back to the store to exchange the item. When I got there, an employee from security examined the card and said that it was burnt and we were not able to return the card. But I told him that that was not the card that was supposed to come in the box and that I did not burn the card. I spent 1 hour there trying to stand my ground after coming back to the store only 15 minutes after I bought the card. Well he told me to come back on 02/05/2003 to look over some tapes about where the card had been. The only problem was I worked all day on that date, so then another associate told me that I could come on 02/03/2003 to speak with the store manager. Well I went back on the date just mentioned and the store manager was not working that day, instead I spoke with another manager and I explained to him the situation all over again. He told me that he could not return the card because it was not the right card from the box, and that the box was sealed and that it was impossible to return the card. I got into an argument with this manager and he told me to come back the next day (02/04/2003) to speak with the store manager, and that he would be there as well.

Well I went back to the store on the date previously mentioned, and the same manager was there and he told me that he spoke with the Store Manager about the situation and that the store manager said that he could not return the card. This is so ridiculous! I have spent three days going back to the store and they give me the runaround, and they do not return my item!

Well anyways, the store manager was nowhere to be found also, so I got the phone number of the regional manager. I have called them and I am taking care of the matter right now. I still do not know yet if they will return the card, but this whole incident was an inconvenience to me, the CUSTOMER!

Follow up:

the Regional Manager did not call me back and I called them 3 times to have them take care of the situation and they never did. I filed a complaint with the BBB."

"My in-laws bought as a christmas present two 256MB Ram chips.

I only had one spare slot in my PC so I took them back unopened complete with UPC's and in perfect condition.

I asked if I could swap the two 256 chips for one 512MB chip. As this was a present I did not have the receipt so was offered the lowest sale price in the last six months MINUS 15% restocking fee!

This was $34.95 MINUS the 15% each.

I took a look on the shelves and the 256MB chips were on sale for $79.95 EACH. The 512MB chip was on sale for $119.95!

So, I was asking to give them $160 in merchandise and asking for just $120 in return. I was not interested in the price difference of $40, I just wanted the 512MB chip.

The salesman flatly refused and when I asked the manager he also said it was against company policy.

The two items to be returned would go straight back on the shelves and be sold for $160, I was offered less than $60 and if I wanted the 512MB chip then I would have to pay an EXTRA $60!!

As a last gasp attempt at trying to solve this, I also had a $20 gift card that I offered on top of the two 256 chips for the exchange. So, they would now get $180 back in return for $120!! A gain for the store of $60! No, they wanted some more of my cash as well!

This is the last time I ever step foot inside a CompUSA store. They have seen the last of my cash.

"

"Nothing has changed since my last complaint with this most incompetent store.

A few days ago, I purchased printable dvd's, and I paid cash. I was in and out in no time. They were quick to take the cash.

When I got into my car, I realized that these dvd's were not "hub printable", so I quickly made a U turn back to the store for a refund...

The cashier told me I had to take it to "returns", when at that moment, I had realized what had happened to me about a year and a half ago, or so....

Sure enough, when I got to the "return" dept, the cash register immediately "broke down", and was then asked to fill out my name rank and serial number.

Listen......a "return" should be as quick, and efficient as possible. And, the only reason I buy at Compusa is because I'm an "idiot".......

I really should have know better than to shop at that store, after the previous "return dilemma" I had had with them previously...

So, "idiots Unite".....Beware of your "returns", lest you are prepared to accept the worst scenario of Compusa's incompetant return policy......"

"I work for CompUSA and would like to take the time to respond to the claims that have risen here. The return/exchange policy is clearly printed on ALL receipts and is posted at ALL the cash registers. As a part of my sales presentation, I also make sure that the customer understands the return policy. I also want to note that the return policy (i.e., the length of time allowed and the 15% restocking fee) is an industry-wide standard and was carefully researched by the corporate offices in Dallas.

Mr. Brown (the post below mine) concedes that he was told about the restocking fee in advance, prior to his purchase. Yet he willfully purchased the item anyway. Somehow, I don't think Mr. Brown listened when he was told about the policy. I often get customers that don't want to listen to what I have to offer to them, but they often come back for "technical support" or try to return the product because they assume it is broken. Once again, our return/exchange policy is clearly printed on all receipts and is posted at each cash register. It is also a part of every salesperson's sales presentation.

Networking products get returned a lot and it's mostly because the customers who purchase them don't know how to install them. Just so that you know, CompUSA offers a great installation service that will help you get the products that you need installed! No hassles, no fuss.

Please understand that the crew at CompUSA is there to help you. PLEASE ask us for help! We don't have anything else to do and we take pride in doing whatever it takes to make the customer happy. I feel for Mr. Brown, but I am sure that had he talked to a salesman prior to his purchase, that the described problem would never have risen.

** Edit ** After reading the above complaints, I also wanted to take the time to CLARIFY the return policy. All products purchased from CompUSA (with the exception of our Sacramento and Hawaii area stores) are eligible for an exchange/return within 14-days of the original purchase. Opened products may be exchanged for the EXACT SAME ITEM and NO restocking fee will be assessed. If the product is opened and one wishes to return the product, there will be a 15% restocking fee. To the customer who wrote about being charged 15% for wanting to exchange, I say that you are deluded. The product was opened. In our Hawaii-area and Scaramento-area stores, the return policy is slightly different. Please READ your receipts. IF you don't like to read your receipts, then read the signs posted at the cash register. The return policy is very clear and very reasonable. We don't pick and choose when and if we enforce the policy."

"I had a bad experience with CompUSA to share. I purchased a Linksys hub just before Christmas. After installing it and a bunch of other hardware it became obvious that I needed a broadband router instead of a hub (sharing cable internet connection).

I carefuly repackaged the hub in the original box. Other than the shrinkwrap on the outside it was identical to how I received it (I even put the twist tie back on the power cord).

I returned this to CompUSA and tried to exchange it for a router. Unfortunately, they didn't have the router I needed in stock. So, I asked for a refund. I got slapped with a 15% restocking fee (about $4.50 in my case).

I will grant that they told me about it in advance (when I made my purchase) and they are clearly within their rights to set their own company policies. However, I'm within my rights to NEVER SHOP THERE AGAIN. I clearly explained to the manager what I intended to do and she, of course, couldn't care less. The conversation went something like this:

CU: We have to charge you a 15% restocking fee.

ME: That's fine as long as you don't ever want any business from me or anyone I speak to.

CU: Well it is corporate policy.

ME: I'm not upset, I just want you to realize that it is costing you customers and money. I will never shop here again and I'll tell everyone I come in contact with not to shop here.

CU: Sorry, it's company policy.

So, CompUSA stole $4.50 from me. What they missed in return was the $250 that I spent on network hardware + the $389 I spent on a computer upgrade (new motherboard + 40G HD). And that's just what they missed since Christmas.

I'm a computer consultant and I spend hundreds of dollars a year on computer hardware plus what I recommend to my clients. You can bet that CompUSA is NOT on my list of "recommended vendors" any longer.

To CompUSA: I hope that $4.50 was worth it to you ..."

"I saw an ad for some memory at a good price. Provided my rebate check returns, service was great."

"CompUSA would not pricematch if the competitor has no stock. Why in the world do you have to go to COMPUSA with the worst customer service if their competitor have stock.

Might as well forget about pricematch. They are the store that started all these rebates with no intention of paying the customers.

Let me know which agency should I complain about this"

"Ordered multiple sale items. Not only was this easy to find the items on their site, their on-line order status features are great. I ordered my items on Friday and have them now. Their order status section on their website details where your products are in the shipping status, includes links to fedex.com and even includes the fedex shipping details within the compusa site so you don't even have to leave their site. I've shopped many of the "big stores" online and they by far have the best, easiest and friendliest site in terms of placing an order and tracking it's whereabouts."

" Well, I was stupid. I purchased a Western Digital 80GB SE hard drive with a $40.00 mail in rebate. Going into the store I wandered around for several minutes before I found a sales person who begrudgingly went in back to get the hard drive. He was basically non-communicative.....just grunted a lot. I followed the rebate procedures and mailed in the paperwork. After waiting 3 weeks I checked status on where's my rebate.com to find it denied. "UPC label not enclosed" was the reason. My scanner was broken so I didn't make a copy of the UPC I DID mail. Calling customer "satisfaction" reps did no good. I am out $40 and am quite unhappy. Just another reason I'll avoid them in the future."

"Great price (along with a rebate) and fast shipping. The product arrived a day earlier than expected and in excellent shape."

"I'm surprised that the rating is so low for CompUSA. My store in Orlando is great. I guess all stores are not created equal.

CompUSA is a store for people that either know what they want and don't want to mail order or people that don't know anything and need local service and support.

For example, if you want a high end video card and don't need it in a hurry, CompUSA probably isn't for you, you'd be better off with Newegg.

But if your video card goes bad in the middle of a project, CompUSA is for you. Or if you need somebody to install it for you, they'll install anything you buy from them for free.

Anyway, realize that a store like CompUSA has to cut costs in a lot of areas in order to compete with places like Newegg, and they do not fill the same niche. They may have to run on a skeleton crew at times, but that's the price the customer pays in order to have a computer superstore available locally with prices that are anywhere near reasonable. If you don't know what you want, research it online before you go in, you can't expect everybody there to know everything about thousands of different products that change daily. Do your own research.

I love CompUSA, but if I want a motherboard or a high end video card I'll order it online and get a better deal.

One last plus is their replacement plan. I bought my Geforce 4 for $400 dollars and got a replacement plan. If my card dies I just take it back with the receipt and they give me another one, for a year."