How Best Buy Nearly Burned Down My House (And Proceeded To Screw Me Over 3 More Times)

The following is an abbreviated account of my recent dealings with Best Buy and the company's idiotic attempts to get a basic washer/dryer delivered and installed at my place. The full story can be saved for another day.

Delivery Attempt #1
(Sat. 9/23, ~2:00pm)
Everything starts out innocently. Two guys haul away the old washer/dryer and bring the new one up. They hook up the washer hoses and everything is fine. They plug the electrical cord in and everything is fine.

Then things get worse. Drastically worse.

As one of the guys is connecting the vent duct to the dryer, the thing suddenly BURSTS INTO FLAMES. And I'm not talking about some little birthday candle flame. You know that annoying kid at every Labor Day get-together that throws a bunch of lighter fluid into the BBQ pit just to be idiotically funny? Picture a flame like that. The fire lasts for maybe five seconds, but fortunately no one is injured (especially the guy who was actually holding the vent duct when it caught on fire).

To this day, no one even knows how the heck this happened.

Delivery Attempt #2
(Sat. 9/30, ~10:00am)
Another Saturday, another attempt at getting this washer/dryer installed. Except this time, the delivery guys don't even bring the unit up to the place. Why? Because when they take the washer/dryer off the truck and out of the box, they realize there's a huge dent in the front of the machine, thus rendering it unusable. Whatever, stuff happens. Just like vent ducts randomly bursting into flames.

Delivery Attempt #3
(Sat. 9/30, ~ 4:00pm)
After some phone calls, I am able to get Best Buy to re-attempt the delivery with another unit on the same day. Third time's the charm right?

Of course not. Once again, everything looks like it's going to be okay, except for one small thing. The delivery guys have the wrong washer hoses, hoses that aren't even the standard ones that are supposed to come with the washer/dryer. Which begs the question, why don't they just carry extra vent ducts, hoses, and electrical cords in their truck?

So once again, they take everything away.

Phone Call #6 (I'll spare you the details of the other phone calls I made. But here's a hint: I was angry)
(Sat. 9/30, ~ 7:00pm)
I talk to someone at the Best Buy delivery center. I explain to her the whole situation and am able to arrange delivery attempt #4 for the next morning. Before I hang up, I explain to her that this is exactly what i need:
- the washer/dryer
- the flexible vent duct (as opposed to the rigid one)
- the three-pronged electrical cord
- the 6 foot washer hoses

We go over this twice. She ensures me that she has made a special note of this and that everything should be good to go the next morning.

Delivery Attempt #4
(Sun. 10/1, ~ 8:00am)
This is where I almost lose it. I get a phone call from the same delivery guy who made Delivery Attempt #2. Here's pretty much how the conversation goes:
"Hey James, I'm about 10 minutes away from your place. But I have a real quick question."
"Sure, go ahead."
"You wouldn't happen to already have the washer/dryer at your place already, would you?"
"Ummmm, no."
"(brief silence) Oh....well....I don't have it either. They only gave me the accessories to hook everything up with."

HE DOESN'T HAVE THE ACTUAL WASHER/DRYER WITH HIM.

Honestly, how does that happen?! And here's the kicker...HE DOES'T EVEN HAVE THE RIGHT ACCESSORIES WITH HIM. He has the three-pronged electrical cord, but he has the rigid vent duct (instead of the flexible one) and the friggin' wrong water hoses! The same WRONG water hoses that were brought at Delivery Attempt #3.

The funny thing is that the delivery guy was smart enough to realize 10 minutes before arriving at my place that BEST BUY PROBABLY SOMEHOW SCREWED IT UP AGAIN. And he sure was right.

Delivery Attempt #5
(Sun. 10/2, ~ 9:00pm)
Finally, on the fifth attempt, the washer/dryer is installed. And strangely enough, things go off without a hitch.

For all my troubles, Best Buy has graciously decided to mail me a $10 gift card. I'm pretty sure I'm going to burn it.