HHGregg - Clinton Highway DECEPTIVE PRACTICE - BAIT & SWITCH price quotes Knoxville Tennessee

From their website:
"Customer satisfaction is the heart of our business. "

BWAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! - Not at the Clinton Highway store; at that location deception and lies are the heart of their business.

I found a convection range on sale for $494.xx at HHGregg during a Friday-Saturday sale and could not make it to a store on those days. I called the Clinton Highway store on the following Sunday morning and asked the salesman ("Bill" - and I quote the names since those probably weren't real either) what price he could give me since the sale ended the prior day. He asked me to wait a moment while he checked, then came back to the phone and said he could give me the unit for $499. I advised him that I would be coming to pick one up.

So I make the drive (two hours) to the store and find the salesman I spoke with, advised him I was here for the $499 range and he asked me to wait a moment. When he returned, he stated that his Sales/Floor Manager ("Justin") said they would "meet me half way" on the new sales price and I could have it for $599.

On asking to speak with the store manager, I was referred to "Justin" (whom I was lead to believe was the store manager, only to find out later that "Todd" was the store manager); and stating my case, all I received was "Oh, yeah, I spoke to 'Bill', we'll meet you half way."; and the following dialogue ensued:

ME: "But 'Bill' quoted me $499 on the phone this morning, after asking me to wait while he consulted management."

"Justin": "That doesn't matter, we'll meet you half way, $599."

ME: "Oh, I don't think so. You'll probably be hearing from your corporate office."

"Justin": "Okay, whatever."

And with that, I stormed out of the store.

On relating this to my wife, she (unbeknownst to me at the time) called the store and asked to speak to the store manager, who happens to be named(?) "Todd". She related to "Todd" what had happened with the Frigidaire convection range and he became belligerent with her, stating that "he had 62 ranges in his catalog and she would have to be more specific". She advised him that it was the ONE Frigidaire convection range they had on the floor, on a clearance sale, to which he responded that that was of no help. Does the Clinton Highway store manager work from home, or what?

There is a silver lining, and a bit of a conundrum, to all this and that is the other HHGregg store in Knoxville, located at 11370 Parkside Dr. (the Turkey Creek shopping complex). On leaving the BAD Clinton Highway HHGregg, I decided, since I had driven 2 hours already, to go to the other HHGregg (the GOOD Parkside Drive HHGregg) in Knoxville.

At the GOOD HHGregg, I have to wait a bit for a sales associate as they were HELPING other customers, and that's fine. When an associate finally does approach me, I ask him about the Frigidaire convection range that was on sale Friday and Saturday and, without my saying another word, he says; "Yeah, we'll still honor the $494.xx sales price from yesterday." My response was; "WHAT? You will? That's GREAT!, sign me up!". Needless to say, I was stupefied.

Bear in mind that, up to this point, I had not said a word about the Clinton Highway disaster. I then related my experience at the other store (and the associate confirmed that "Todd" is, in fact, the store manager at Clinton Highway) and received in response only a shake of the head and the faintest glimmer of the familiar "knowing smile".

This, then, makes my third major appliance/electronics purchase from HHGregg, the first two also being from the GOOD Parkside Drive store. I highly recommend the Parkside Drive HHGregg; and I strongly condemn the Clinton Highway HHGregg.

At this point, I can only conclude that the Clinton Highway HHGregg has a huckster ("Todd") at the helm, with a legion of sham artists at his disposal (including "Bill" and "Justin").

Joe
Tri-Cities, Tennessee
U.S.A.

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