Office Depot does not want our business

With my wife going back to school, we are in the market for a new notebook computer. We do not want to spend much money, but are willing to above the budget if we could find a tablet PC so that she will have less danger of carpal tunnel. Office Depot had one that we were willing to buy, but they do not want to sell it to us. After trying on numerous occasions to give them our money, I have given up and will never purchase anything from Office Depot again unless their corporate office makes good on their inept store managers.

It began when we were shopping around for laptops, to get a feel for what weight and key sizes that my wife might like. While we were in Office Depot, we saw the tablet PC and wanted to look at it. The salesman found a manager, who told him that we were not allowed to. They have their laptops alarmed and locked down with a piece of plastic so that you can not lift them. The pen is locked beneath the tablet, so we could not get it out and take a look at it. So, we moved on and went over to Best Buy, where they had a similar model. Best Buy locks their notebooks down as well, but you can lift them half an inch or so and they left the tablet pc unlocked so that you could actually test the tablet features.

A week later and we were ready to buy. The one at Best Buy cost too much and was not on sale, so we went back to Office Depot. Again, the salesman tried to get permission for us to look at it, and despite our willingness to buy they were still unwilling to allow us to look at the computer. We decided we would not find the same deal anywhere else, and she needed something, so we started exploring options of purchasing it anyway.

First, they had none in stock other than the display model. The display model was broken. No big deal, they can order one for us. But wait, if they order it it will not arrive for a few weeks. Well, that is also no big deal. Order one anyway. But wait, if they order it, then we have to pay an extra $400 because that is the price on the internet for it. So, even though we want to buy it in the store, and the store is ordering it, we have to pay the internet price and not the in store price.

Well, what other stores have it in stock? There is one in Framingham, Massachussetts. Well, send it up this way, charge us the in store price, and call it good. But no, they do not do in store purchases. That was about the point I gave up on trying to get the local Office Depot store to sell us the computer.

I called up the store in Framingham, and they do have one in stock. It is their floor model. Hopefully it works. I would normally not bother going down there to buy it, but I figured that instead of just going to Boston on Saturday morning like I am already planning, I will spend a little more time down there and catch a ride to pick up the computer. Can they hold it for me? No. I am willing to purchase it, but can not get there until Friday evening or on Saturday. But I will be there. Can you hold it? No.

So, I called up the corporate office to lodge a complaint and try to purchase one of their computers. I do not really care about these stores, I just want their advertised deal on their computer. I would bring it to the Better Business Bureau if the corporate office reflects the customer service values of their local managers, but all I really want is to purchase a computer from them at their advertised rate. By the time I got through the BBB process, we will have needed to have already purchased something. I should hear back from them by tomorrow afternoon after they have researched the matter.