Local Best Buy is Clueless

Don't get me started on the clueless blueshirt I encountered last weekend.

I was thinking of getting a second shelf-sized antenna to dedicate to my new TiVo HD so that I could continue having my existing one connected directly to my television's tuner. The one I have now is worth maybe $25 and was included when I bought my HDTV (from another vendor!)

This idiot insisted that I needed an amplified antenna to "properly pull in those HD signals" despite my statement that I get them just fine being 10 miles away from the transmitters with my unamplified antenna. Oh no, I've heard of people in (the little town immediately in the shadow of these towers) needing an amplified antenna. Blah, blah, blah. Yeah, RIGHT.

Who knows. Perhaps there was some reason some did (television in a room below grade?) but to insist I needed one when I clearly indicated that I ALREADY RECEIVED THEM with an existing unamplified antenna...grr.

I didn't buy an antenna. I ended up splitting the one I have and guess what? My THD still has enough signal to pull my locals just fine.

I won't get into his blatantly inaccurate statements about UHF, VHF, broadcast tower location and the occupancy of said frequency bands before and after the 2009 transition in our local market.

I never mentioned my intent to buy a THD. In hindsight, I bet he would have had some great "facts" about that product, too.

just like any place, you have to know who to talk to. There are always people, regardless of where it is who don't put in the time and effort needed to become better at their job. Every place I have worked has had the good and the bad, and every place I shop has the good and the bad. I have gotten the best help at Best Buy from one Magnolia guy, who always has the right solutions (except his preference of DTV).

Many situations require an amplified antenna, and though you may not have needed it, which would have been a better solution: Going home, getting bad reception and being mad at him because he didn't get you the right antenna, or going home, plugging in the more expensive amplified antenna, and getting a great signal? He definitely did a poor job of listening, but I run into so many people who do not listen every day, so he is not in the minority...

But as always, shopping with previous knowledge gives you the ability to pick between the clueless ones and those who know what they are doing.

EVizzle said:

just like any place, you have to know who to talk to. There are always people, regardless of where it is who don't put in the time and effort needed to become better at their job. Every place I have worked has had the good and the bad, and every place I shop has the good and the bad. I have gotten the best help at Best Buy from one Magnolia guy, who always has the right solutions (except his preference of DTV).

Many situations require an amplified antenna, and though you may not have needed it, which would have been a better solution: Going home, getting bad reception and being mad at him because he didn't get you the right antenna, or going home, plugging in the more expensive amplified antenna, and getting a great signal? He definitely did a poor job of listening, but I run into so many people who do not listen every day, so he is not in the minority...

But as always, shopping with previous knowledge gives you the ability to pick between the clueless ones and those who know what they are doing.

Click to expand...

You're right. I don't expect a sales guy to have an EE degree. But the stories of disinformation about technical stuff we hear about various big box stores! I feel badly for people with no prior knowledge, for I'm sure the sales hounds show them no mercy.

I just really bristled at him being such a tool about me needing an amplified antenna (at $70 instead of $25) before he even learned of my proximity to the towers AND after I told him I was currently receiving them quite nicely with an unamplified one. It was a bit like arguing with some clueless level-1 tech at (insert any cable/satellite/telco/cell company here) who just deer-stares and restates the scripted (dis)information when the customer demurs.

They didn't even stock my little modern-looking Terk; just its amplified brother. The unamplified ones they did have looked like something you threw away in 1984 when you got cable.

At least he wasn't around when I picked up the TiVo. He probably would have foisted (or tried to, anyway) an overpriced HDMI cable on me. Thanks, but my very reasonable monoprice one will work just fine.