How many times have you had a problem with your computer system?? Regardless if you are a student, professional, or a home body, if you are like me, you’ve probably experienced quite a few headaches figuring out your laptop or PC.? I have had my laptop since August of 2004.? Back then, I was anything but computer literate.? I couldn’t tell you what the difference was between RAM and a hard drive.? I know, pretty pathetic.? So where does someone go when?they don’t know much about computers?? Well, I went to Fry’s Electornics.? I figured I constantly see great advertising from them and there are many stores in California that I can always?go to one if I ever had a problem with my system.
For those of you that are unfamiliar with Fry’s Electronics, it is a specialty retailer of software and?consumer electronics.? Starting with only one store in Sunnyvale, CA, the chain now boasts sales of 2.4 Billion with over 30 stores located in the western states of the US.
When I first purchased my computer I figured, “well, I’ll?be in graduate school for about 3 years,” so when they offered me an extended warranty that would cover my laptop for 3 years I thought it was a great investment.??I do have to admit, that for 2.5 years, I can’t really complain about the system.? The laptop I purchased was a hp pavillion and it’s been pretty reliable until now.? Recently, it had been over heating and shutting down on me (must have been all the blogging time I’ve been putting in) 
.? Last week, I woke up one morning to check the site’s stats and approve comments.? To my surprise, as I tried to boot up the system and?a system error message popped up.? I shut it down and turned it on again.? This time, as it attempted to boot up the only thing that happened was that the screen had turned black.? I tried several times throughout the day and the same results.? I immediately thought, oh sh*#!!? The worst has just happened…I lost my files.
That?same morning I had our IT department take a look at it, run a few diagnostic tests, and back up all my data.? Basically, the technician?said the hard drive was corrupt and would need a new one.? If I had a warranty, that should cover it.? That’s when I remembered my extended warranty with Fry’s.? After a year, the manufacturer warranty expires, I would have much rather worked with them!? Since purchasing my computer I had heard of the horror stories fry’s customers would go through to get things fixed.? I wasn’t looking forward to their customer service, which doesn’t seem to be the best!!? You know its bad when Wikipedia claims:
A number of customers have reported frustrating customer service expereinces at Fry’s stores.? Some of these customers have established websites to discuss their experiences.?
After having our IT people look at it, I took it to Fry’s in Manhattan Beach, CA to see what they could do for me.?
When first walking in, I see signs hanging from the ceiling over their service desk.??One stated, “Computer help when you need it.”? If that wasn’t the biggest crock of you know what!? I waited in line for an hour and fifteen minutes just to see a technician.? There were only 3 people ahead of me, but the lack of staff made things go real slow.? When I get to the service counter, I manage to have?someone in?training work with me (just my luck).? She tells me that there will be a $100 charge (what a new hard drive costs) just to diagnose the problem.? I asked her if the warranty covers the fee, and she said no, unless it’s a hardware problem.? Since I know it’s a hard drive problem I’m comfortable giving it to them.? She takes about 45 minutes to clear a place for my computer and write up the paper work.? She didn’t bother to ask for the power cord or battery that she took off when checking my laptop in.? I asked her if she needed it, so she proceeded to redo all the paper work to include the battery and power strip with the computer (another 15 mintues).?
On my warranty, it states “a computer will be provided upon request.”? So I request a computer and she tells me I can’t borrow one because they haven’t diagnosed the problem yet.? I asked her how long it would take to diagnose it, she told me 3-5 days!? At this point, I just wanted to get out of there, so I asked to speak to a manager before leaving.? I waited another 45 minutes for a manager to come and never saw the guy.? I had other things to do that day so I left, 3 hours later!!
That was a lie!
This is a snap shot of the line at the service desk.? As you can tell, I wasn’t the only one getting frustrated.
Since taking in my computer, I have called twice and nothing has been done about diagnosing it.? They did say I can go pick up a loaner computer because I have been forced to wait for so long.? It’s been a week as of today and who know’s when I’ll hear from them, let alone get my computer back!? For the time being, I’m using a computer that looks like it is still running on DOS.? If there is anyone out there that would like to make a computer donation, please keep me in mind 
To all of you that are not familiar with computers, or use Fry’s for computer purchases, I would be very careful as to what you buy from them.? I’ve learned my lesson, unless it’s a manufacturer warranty, I will be staying away from those extended store warranty traps and especially Fry’s itself!
Yes! You are 100% right with your article! I also sympathize with your difficulty. I just do hope their management realize the kind of customer service they are providing.
I would be very careful as to what I buy from them. I will be staying away from those extended store warrantee traps and especailly Fry’s itself!
Thanks for feeling my pain! That would be great if management was aware and did something about their service, but with all the websites and blogs I’ve seen…this has been their practice for over a decade, don’t think they’d change now.
Great call in staying away from the warrantee trap!
Wow, I had no idea FYI’s had so many customer service problems! I have only had to return two items to FYI’s:
The first died and they replaced it – no questions asked.
The second (different) item was apparently opened before I got it and was missing parts. They replaced that too!
That really bums me out. I have so much respect for FRI’s – it’s my favorite store, I really had no clue…
Thanks for the story. I’ve shopped at Fry’s before and didn’t have problems…then again I didn’t go to customer service.
I’m glad I won’t have to learn the hard way not to shop at Fry’s again.
Bryan,
I didn’t have a problem with them for the longest time. It wasn’t until I needed to get something repaired that the headache’s began.
Thanks for the comment!
I’m in canada, and we don’t have that Franchise, so I’m in the clear!
Why does Canada get all the benefits! Gosh!!! Lucky!!!!
Yea but we do have Futureshop and that’s just as bad! No wonder why they pulled out of the US.
Londondrugs isn’t bad, and BestBuy well.. yea I won’t touch that one either.
Though then again I used to work in the Computer Department of Londondrugs. Who has ever heard of a Pharmacy with a Computer section, Audio/Video section ? Yup Londondrugs has them and Camera stuff too!
Sorry to hear about your frustrations. Luckily there aren’t any Fry’s around here (Mississippi) but from what I’ve heard and seen, Best Buy has equally bad (if not worse) customer service.
Hey, thanks Shawn! I’ve heard Best Buy can be a nightmare also. I think the part that got me was the extended warranty trap. If it wasn’t for that, I would have been just fine. I just would have purchased a $100 hard drive instead of spending $100 on the diagnostic fee that comes with the warranty.
If you are a CA resident, then you can file a written complaint with the CA Office of the Attorney General. It’s been awhile, but I believe the AG’s office has an Internet site for their consumer protection division. Make sure you send a copy to Fry’s.
I am a CA resident. I will just have to do that. Do you think anything will happen from it? If anything, an increase of awareness of Fry’s customer service practices. Thanks for the info.
LOL…well, I guess there is a niche for everything huh, you can check our ibooks while waiting for the viagra…hehe
I heard Best Buy is almost as bad as Fry’s. Good thing I haven’t had to use them for very much.
I heard about BestBuy’s recent online scam. They show customers while in-store an intranet version of their website where there prices are fixed? Crazy!
BestBuy bought out Futureshop so their pretty much the same company now. BestBuy is ‘non-commission’ sales staff but I’m sure they still get spiffs or sorts.
I worked for Futureshop prior to working for Londondrugs.
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I’ve heard a ton of negative stories about the Geek Squad at Best Buys, but I feel like I should stand up for FRY’s… I really do think they’re great!
I used to go to Fry’s when I worked at the Mountain View, CA office 2 jobs ago. Love the electronic and computer selection however never had to deal with their customer service, cause I would normally bring what I bought back to Toronto, Canada.
However, I do remember it was very difficult to flag down a salesperson even to get some questions answered.
Das Brain
MoneyAccumulator.com
Hi, I was wondering if you had an update or if you are still waiting for an answer. Also, I wanted to clarify something. You stated: “For the time being, I’m using a computer that looks like it is still running on DOS.” Is this the loaner that Fry’s gave you or a different laptop? Fry’s is supposed to provide you with a loaner that is the closest equivalent model to yours.
Hope everything turns out ok. . .
Charles,
Well, I called them after the 3-5 days they said it would take to diagnose my computer and they hadn’t done it yet. It’s now been another week and I haven’t heard from them after they told me they would call me the next day.
I’m going to call them tomorrow and I’ll post an update later this week. Thanks for asking.
As for the computer, it’s an HP (the extent to the similarities to mine) but it’s seen better days. They couldn’t find the battery, so I have to have it plugged in at all times!!
Hi Jane, I was wondering if you got your HP laptop back or not.
You have mentioned that “…. it had been over heating and shutting down on me (must have been all the blogging time I’ve been putting in) .” I have serviced my client’s Toshiba laptop that have the same problem. There are usually 2 enermies of electronics: heat and moisture.
My client complains that his laptop shuts down after using for awhile. I suspect that it is a overheating problem so I took his laptop apart at home. I have found 1/2″ thick of dust clogging up the heat sink fins!!! The fan usually blows the heat sink fins to cool down the CPU (brain of the PC). It is obstructed by that 1/2″ of dust.
If after the hard drive replacement and it still display the shut down problem, you will need to send your laptop for a tune-up. Just tell the technician that you want him to clean the fan and heatsink for the CPU or you can do it by yourself if you are up to it. You can goole your laptop model for the laptop taking apart instructions.
Best Regards,
Jeff,
Thanks a lot for the information. My first reaction to the overheating was dust clogging the fans. But I took off the bottom, opened her up and there wasn’t very much. I cleaned what was there and I kept having the same problem.
Unfortunately, I still haven’t heard from fry’s and I should give them a call…it’s been about a week since my last call. They should know my name by know
It may be in need of a tune up, but depending on costs, it may make more sense to invest in a new notebook…we’ll see. This one was 3 years old.
The short of it… same thing for us, just in Duluth, Georgia. And the store manager (not department manager – the Fry’s store manager) suggested I get my husband to help me.
I know this is Georgia and all, but is that a Fry’s Electronics attitude? It’s one thing to waste thousands of dollars, but an entirely different thing to have some one spit in your face while they steal from you.
Jane,
In California you complain to the California Department of Corporations. Believe me, it will get a response. They can take away Fry’s license to do business in California. I have used them twice (I used to live in LA) and it works quite well.
BTW, I’m spikecwc from nutscape.
Actually, in California, this sort of complaint is filed with the California Dept of Corporations.
I took a notebook computer in on service contract 7 weeks ago for the DVD Rom not working. They said it would take about 3 weeks for service. We checked back with them at the store on the 19th of March. They said they found the computer on a shelf in the back room and had not been sent out as yet for repairs. We still have the loaner computer. As for fixing the DVD rom, we can get one ourselves and install it ourselves with far less trouble than the trips to Fry’s and the service contract. Is the service contract worth it? Obviously not, since it added over $137 to the price of the notebook computer. Incidentally, where is Fry’s management? Don’t they realize they are looking bad? They should start to care!
Hi Jane,
I just got back from Fry’s and the first thing I “google”ed was “Fry’s worst service.” Your blog entry was the first link that appeared, and I must say that I am so thankful for clicking on it. I very much appreciate your entry because I feel exactlly the same with what you’ve undergone with them. FRY’S HAS THE WORST COMPUTER SERVICE EVER!
My story:
A couple of months ago, I took my Sony TX VAIO into Fry’s services due to the problem with it shutting down every five minutes or so. I had to wait an hour until finally, one of the service men in their ugly blue-colored coats was able to help me. He was certainly kind and took in my laptop that I purchased with a warranty for $300.00 on top of the very expensive VAIO price, which many of you may already know. They were also very kind enough to give me a loaner laptop. I signed all the paperwork that stated that there was “NO COSMETIC DAMAGE.”
Just recently, I received a call from Fry’s that my laptop was back and was unable to fix under the warranty, and in order to get it fixed, it would cost me $2,440.00. They also mentioned the broken mousepad, broken usb port on the side, and that the keyboard looked like someone had sat on it. I could not believe my ears of all the physical damage that was done to it, but what really pissed me off was that Fry’s was telling me that it was my fault! Not only was my computer not working anymore, but apparently, it looked like a piece of crap.
I went in two days ago to Concord, CA Fry’s service center to see what the problem was. I had to wait TWO HOURS in order for someone to help me. The customer before me had to wait two hours too and he was so upset that he was yelling at one of the Fry’s servicemen. Even the lady next to me was shaking her head because of the horrible wait in line. Fry’s employees were walking back and forth, checking his/her cellphones, and cracking jokes, while frustrated customers were waiting patiently in line. THIS IS RIDICULOUS SERVICE AND IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE!!! Why wasn’t the manager doing anything about it?
One Fry’s serviceman finally came to help me, but it took another 30 MINUTES to find my laptop. He didn’t even find it; I actually WENT BEHIND THE COUNTER MYSELF INTO THE ROOM WHERE THEY KEEP LAPTOPS AND FOUND MY OWN LAPTOP BY MYSELF! I could not believe what they had done to it!!! The entire right side of the keyboard was crushed into the laptop, the mouse pad was sticking up as if the service people had forgotten to put it back to together!!! There was scratches everywhere and the screen didn’t even turn on. I was completely flabbergasted. I was speechless and devastated. I got the assistant manager (TIM BRYANT (925) 852-0300)) and showed my copied receipts that proved there was no physical/cosmetic damage to the laptop when I had brought it in for service. They told me that they will take care of everything and that everything will be fine. Well, after that horrendous wait and finally getting somewhere with the whole situation, I was pretty satisfied……UNTIL TODAY.
I went in today because I got a call from the Computer Service Supervisor, JR RADCLIFFE (925) 305-1218, that he needed some copies of my receipt. When I arrived at Fry’s, to my surprise I was told that there were notes in the computer that I had brought the laptop in damaged. How did the story change from “we’re very sorry that this happened and we’re going to do all we can do to help you” to “you’re a liar, you damaged it, and if you take this to court, you’ll lose.” How rude and absolutely unprofessional is that? FRY’S is trying to return my laptop to me in WORSE condition than it was before, and they’re blaming me for it. The situation is ludicrous; I can’t help but laugh at the whole thing because of its soooooooooooo stupid, and what pisses me off is that I can’t do anything about it! I feel so helpless…
I was at Fry’s for another two hours of my life today and nothing was done except more stress into my life. I decided that it wasn’t worth the fight. I’m going to Fry’s tomorrow to pick up my DEAD and PIECE OF SHIT laptop, and give back the loaner laptop. I learned from this experience that I will never purchase another eletronic device from Fry’s ever again. Not only did they lose a very good customer, but they’re about to lose many great customers…. I just told all my friends at UC Berkeley, Boalt Hall Law School, and friends that work for Google and Microsoft, the wonderful service Fry’s offers to its customers.
If anyone has some advice to offer, then please do so. I’d be glad to hear from you.
Thanks,
Angellica
I cannot agree more with your entry. I just had the worse experience with Fry’s ever. Not only were they unable to fix my Sony VAIO TX, but they brought it back physically damaged, AND telling me it was my fault.
Was just curious about what ended up happening?
Charles,
I was in the middle of writing a post for the recap, but I had another incident with the comp so I had to take it back again…I’ll be writing that out in the upcoming days.
“If anyone has some advice to offer, then please do so. I’d be glad to hear from you.”
Angellica,
You can fill out a customer feedback form that is available at the store. If you don’t plan on going back and you don’t mind being contacted about it, you can fill out this online form:
http://www.frys.com/isp/storefeedback.html
Thank you, Charles.
We actually opened up the laptop and to our surprise, there were screws TAPED inside. Basically, they didn’t feel like putting the laptop they took apart back together.
Anyways, your advice is very appreciated.
Thanks again,
Angellica
I agree with you entirely. I have waited for a manager for 25 minutes. I have phone for a manager and the staff tells me they cannot put the call through from the switchboard. (This is a technology firm, no switchboard access to management? This insults my inteligence).
I do not believe they have managers. Juste pictures of Mr. Downer and Mr. Clare that probably don’t exist.
Luckilly we have a Best Buy, Comp USA and Circuit City close by.
No more Fry’s for me.
I am a tech that works at Fry’s. They shouldn’t have made you wait 3-5 days for the loaner, in the paperwork it actually says after 24 hours, but they we can issue you one on the spot. Typically that only happens when we know right away (if we power it on at the counter) if it is hardware related. About half the check-ins are software issues, and NO company/retail store covers software issues (windows, virus/spyware, etc). That part is in the control of the customer, not Fry’s. Sctricly, only hardware is covered.
When I check-in any computer it only takes 5 minutes to complete everything. It sounds like everyone there was relatively new. Also, there is no $100 fee at the time of checking the unit in, that’s only if the problem is software related as mentioned. Sometimes the tech’s will even wave that fee as a courtesy, but require you to pay the service to fix the problem.
Most of the problems are with the warranty because the customer does not read everything on it, then we have to explain to them the warranty that they purchased. Usually this ends with them having to speak with a manager. The problem is with the sales people telling them it covers absolutely everything, so we get all the crap for it when it is not our fault.
It sounds like that location just has a crappy service dept.
Just to end with a note– do not be a dick at the service counter and start demanding things, no one will go out of their way for you. If there is a nice customer who just wants help fixing their warrantied computer, I will jump through hoops to make them happy and give them a replacement computer on the spot without even diagnostics yet. With assholes, you’re going to (purposely sometimes) receive crappy service, and trust me no one will want to help you out..
about the best buy geek squad comments. yes they do suck very bad. occassionally you’ll run into a ‘real geek’ but very rarely. lol
My friends usually call me while they’re at bestbuy to confirm the accuracy of the geek squad’s advice if they’re unsure. I don’t usually do customer service nor extended warranties on computers… if i couldn’t fix them myself I more then likely wouldn’t bother with a laptop at all. One thing i can’t stand is charging 100 bucks to diagnose the system… much less taking over a week to do it even with a long line of customers… I personally could easily diagnose the problem of a PC in 5-10min. 30min if it is something I haven’t seen in awhile or never encountered myself. It doesn’t take anything special to fix a pc… all it takes is a brain, two static protected hands and a screw driver (hell not even a screw driver anymore with most systems.) I can’t say much for in store techies and geeks seeings how i’ve never used them, but if its truely that much trouble its best just to look up guides online and do it yourself. ^^ the market for repairing/upgrading PCs is only large because so many people are intemidated by even trying. My girlfriend was completely clueless less then a year ago, within that year I had her spec’ing out systems she built and continues to maintain herself. Ontop of that, learned the basics of network administration during that period. =) if you like using computers alot and are willing to learn something new I suggest picking up a standard A+ course (no time for a course, I recommend the ‘for dummies’ books, they’re easy to follow.) and some junk systems from a goodwill store. Its very easy to learn how to fix them yourself =P Want to stop complaining about technicians and fees? solve the problem yourself. not that I condone the way they’ve handled your problem… but honestly I don’t rely on other people to fix my systems because of things like that.
vitamin supplements…
It can on occasion become strenuous to separate the acceptable cunt site work from the unreliable….
I just bought a $1500 laptop from Fry’s in May 2007. The sales associate who was helping me told me, “if anything goes wrong with your computer, you’ll be covered for 3 years, if I were you purchasing such an expensive computer, I’ll have it COVERED.”
I called in today October 2, 2007, to my surprise, as soon as I called to ask detailed information about my warranty, the employee who answered the phone unenthusiastically answered, “ONLY HARDWARE.” I remember when I was buying the warranty, there were a list of at least 20 things that was going to be covered, but they said it was ONLY HARDWARE. I WILL NEVER AGAIN TRUST FRY’S.
I needed a reformatting disk to be in there, but it was not inside the box as the employee who sold it to me, he had also verified with a number of other workers if the disk was in there, but now they are telling me to call the manufacturer, they said, “google it or something”, as if it was not there problem!!!
Holy Cow Bat Man! This is worse than I imagined.
It’s Black Friday noon here in Houston at Fry’s #23. The parking lot jamb packed. Spent over 1.5 hours fighting the masses, actually found 3/4 of the “one day only” specials I came for. Suprise, the computers have been down for over 30 minutes and they announce that they may be up in 10 minutes. After waiting in a line that snaked thru the store well over 1/4 mile, they announce again that the computers will be up in about 10 minutes, sorry for the inconvenience, and Fry’s employee’s with be coming thru with chips and candy to “keep us going” The line is actually moving due to people walking out empty handed, but fully frustrated. My wife advised me that there were lines on the floor 200yds from where the register lines normally begin to contend with such orderly mayhem, and droves of people are leaving with nothing in their hands.The check-out line has consumed 1/2 to 3/4 of all navigable aisles in the store now. I can’t hold out for my free potatoe chip or tootsie roll.
The wait now appears to be 2-3 hours if the registers start working this instant. I think I’ll call out for pizza and a port-a-pottie so I won’t loose my place in line. I’m about ready to pee in my pants, or that Norton spyware box looks pretty good.
Several of my items are free or dirt cheap after a rebate. If everythiong in my cart was free, I still wouldn’t wait thru this crap.
I’m so fed up I will go elsewhere tommorow or next week and pay full price +10% just to avoid this hell hole.
On my way out I was polite enough to give my cart and a message for management to a poor young man that just came on duty, “I dont need any of this THIS BAD, this was a $300 sale, wonder if y’all will extend the ‘One Day Only’ pricing to a day like tommorow when your registers might be working.
For those unfamiliar with this Fry’s #23, it HUGE, acres big, convention center , indoor NASCAR big. I’ll bet they just lost thousands in sales, and a few hundred formerly loyal fools.
I’m outside telling the unsuspecting ariving fools to turn back and save their sanity. I’m dying to know when or if their com-odor 64’s ever got rebooted, and if the “one day only ” mayhem will be exrended into Saturday? That is a risk I’m not willing to take or a store that will ever be visited ever again.
Did you ever get your computer back?
Mine has been sent to California, and now the manufacturer. It has been gone for 22 days and counting. All that was wrong was a loose power cord connection…..ugh!!!!!!
Update:
I left my warrantied laptop with FRYS on November 22nd. They determined it was a hardware problem, the power cord does not make a good connection. They would NOT give me a loaner because of cosmetic damage (a small crack on the side of the monitor). Great. I called every week to find out when my computer would be fixed. All of December I recieved no information. In January they called to tell me I need a new harddrive and that will cost $500.
1. There is nothing wrong with my hard drive.
2. It was not covered by the warranty (I have no clue why.)
I asked for my computer to be returned to me with no repairs.
Two weeks later I called to ask if my computer was back- the guy on the phone repeated “It takes 6 – 8 weeks” and then hung up on me. He refused to tell me how long it takes for my computer to be shipped back from California.
I went to FRYS immediately and spoke to his manager, Peter. Peter suggested I fill out a customer complaint form. I took. Peter promised to call the place in California and find out when my compute would be returned. He never called me to let me know if he made the call or any information.
Another two weeks passed. It was now February. My computer had been gone over 12 weeks. I called again. My computer was there but no one called me to tell me.
I went to pick it up and they wanted me to pay $99 for it. I told them that they did not provide a service in 6 – 8 weeks. They could not argue with that so they discounted the fee to $40. I paid that stupid fee to get out and vow NEVER to return.
The warranty was a total waste of money. My computer does have a hardware problem and they STILL did not fix it.
FRYS IS RUNNING A SCAM.
What a joke! I bought a USB controller card to have 5 ports for my Mac G5. The brand is MACSENSE, and the outside of the box says MAC OSX. Open it up and the install slip is for PC only. Put it in the Mac and it does not recognize. The best part is Fry’s had about 20 of them on the shelf marked $8.90 with another price label over them for $14.99, with the lower price clearly visible underneath. I live 100 miles from Portland (the closest Fry’s) so needless to say I just threw it out. Shopping at Fry’s is like playing RUSSIAN ROULETTE! Ever notice how long their return merchandise lines are?
Seems to be a consistent thread regarding Fry’s poor service levels.
In Mar-05, I purchased the extended warranty with a new Canon MF5550 multi-function laserjet printer. After about a year of low-volume use, the power supply seemed to be an issue — the device would not recover from a power outage. Fry’s claims to have replaced the power supply. I recently began experiencing the same problem with this machine. Having relocated from Austin, TX to Minneapolis, MN, I decided to have a local Canon authorized service agent perform the diagnostics and repairs rather than send the printer back to Austin (again).
The local agent for Canon says the power supply is the original factory part — not a replacement. More importantly, their diagnostics show the root cause to be the motherboard, not the power supply. My recommendation to all readers is to avoid the extended warranty at Fry’s — it is crap. If I was still a TX resident, I would sue in small claims court to recover my out-of-pocket service costs from their supposed repairs — I am convinced they did nothing … and kept the printer for months. In addition, Fry’s failed to return several parts for the paper tray that were packaged and sent with the printer (when serviced). I am out-of-pocket for replacing these parts — adding insult to injury. I much prefer my local Best Buy over Fry’s and next expect to give Fry’s another dollar of my money.
ok i live on guam and fry’s is like the only online store that ships to here. i’m trying to buy a video card would it be worth buying from them since i’m never really gonna meet the people in person and i just need the card to last about 2 years. or would i just be better off buying a more expensive item on guam?
If you are not going to purchase a warranty and utilize customer service, then you are probably fine. I personally will never give then a dime of my money ever again.
I stopped shopping Fry’s years ago unless there is some component I need urgently that I can’t find anywhere else locally.
One tip: Always make sure that whatever you are buying has not been opened already. You will see boxes on their shelves that have been opened and re-taped shut, doubtless because they were previously returned.