# Yeah Yeah Yeah I work at Best Buy...



## 1zach4

but i'm Master MECP certified....and have been doing this going on 9 years now!

Love this forum and constantly have customers check it out so they can actually learn about what they are having me install in their cars!


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## eskateboarding7

You're not on the MECP map of masters, which store do you work at? I'm at Peachtree City.


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## mikey7182

eskateboarding7 said:


> You're not on the MECP map of masters, which store do you work at? I'm at Peachtree City.


You Best Buy guys go by your online screen names?? 

Welcome to the forum, Zach.


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## KAPendley

1zach4 said:


> but i'm Master MECP certified....and have been doing this going on 9 years now!
> 
> Love this forum and constantly have customers check it out so they can actually learn about what they are having me install in their cars!


You have your customers go to THIS forum????? :laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## chad

You know, I have a lot of respect for Big Box installers, it IS trench warfare, I imagine you see some weird ****.


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## Eiswritsat

1zach4 said:


> but i'm Master MECP certified....and have been doing this going on 9 years now!
> 
> Love this forum and constantly have customers check it out so they can actually learn about what they are having me install in their cars!


what store do you work at in GA?


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## audioroach

welcome fellow autotech


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## Greg S

Nothing wrong with working at Best Buy. I did 15 years with Circuit City before I left six years ago. You get to see the worst of the stuff out there but you also get the opportunity to do some really nice work once in a while.


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## jowens500

Two of the installers at the Best Buy in my city have systems that were built at our shop


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## chad

If you never see the nasty you...

A. miss out on a lot of things to laugh at.

B. have a hard time learning to appreciate the good things.


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## Ziggy

I had a cool interaction with a BB installer... 
I went to buy a harness kit there for a new unit -and before I left, he took just about 45 seconds looking at the wire diagram, to say: 
"Yeah, you need hook up these, these, and maybe these if you want to... but they do this, and you don't have to if you don't want it to do this." 
I was seriously stoked, and felt very confident from the brief (I been there-done that) coaching.


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## jowens500

chad said:


> If you never see the nasty you...
> 
> A. miss out on a lot of things to laugh at.
> 
> B. have a hard time learning to appreciate the good things.


Which reminds me, I got moar good pics to post up. Thanks Chad!


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## 1zach4

Wow this is embarrassing, but not afraid to say it lol


Posted prematurely on the master's certification (was about to take it) and I didn't pass it lol probably the first test i've ever failed in my life. So for the short term i'm just an advanced installer, but I will pass DANGIT!

Btw i'm at 501 now, kennesaw

I also worked at Circuit City for 4 years as an installer before they went BK


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## 1zach4

and yeah I have customers come here all the time! I talk to a lot of folks that wish they knew how to install themselves but have never been taught or known where to look for info, so I give them this website and tell them to enjoy lol


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## nittanylion64

Hello, I too am from an Autotech bay. Store 1025. It's a good gig.


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## tinctorus

Nothing wrong with working at best buy  It pays the bills thats for sure


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## Lnh

I used to work at Best Buy, store 177. Went over to help out in car audio from computers one day and have been in to audio ever since. I blame Best Buy for my most expensive habit lol


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## methodsound

jowens500 said:


> Two of the installers at the Best Buy in my city have systems that were built at our shop



In general ( there are 500+ Best Buy locations ) 
Best Buy does not allow their installers to work on their own vehicle at work. Also Best Buy does not allow their install bays to have fabrication tools such as table saws, routers, and so on. And forget about fiberglass, paint, and bondo. They do however provide health insurance and better hourly wage than most independent shops. ( I did my time at Best Buy from 1999-2003 ).


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## killerwhale

the guy that tought me most of what i know and got me started in my first sound system in my car used to work for best buy he tells me back in the day they used to be able to do custom installs in cars


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## methodsound

killerwhale said:


> the guy that tought me most of what i know and got me started in my first sound system in my car used to work for best buy he tells me back in the day they used to be able to do custom installs in cars


Like I said the pay and benefits will attract good installers, some of which might be bored out of their minds installing XM radio's into SUVs all day. We did not even get into the morning meetings and Best Buy jumping jacks! Gotta prevent shrink. Shrink, Shrink, Shrink. ( shrink = theft prevention ) 

Have you seen their "We do not work on these vehicles list"? To minimize liability they are not allowed to work on most of the newer modern luxury cars. Part of the reason is the nationwide warranty. One store might have a tech that can work on anything, and the next store over has a rookie that would not be able to service the car that the other store worked on.


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## killerwhale

yea ive only had one head unit istalled by best buy only because the install was free with the purchase but even then i go talk to the istallers to make sure that they atleast sound like they know whats what and they know what they are doing because like you said some stores have over talented istallers and some have "techs" that only know that red is pos and blk in neg


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## eskateboarding7

I've never seen this list of vehicles that cannot be worked on....my store must not have one. And not all stores are not allowed to have tables saws and do custom work, there are a few bays that have been doing this as a test if they have the talent. Our store was going to get it, but lost the funds.


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## tinctorus

Yeah I can assure you there is no "do not work on list" thats a bunch of crap man
and with a company that large you are bound to have some that dont know what they are doing
but I can gaurantee I have seen just as many "hacks" at so called "custom shops"


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## jimbo2246

tinctorus said:


> Yeah I can assure you there is no "do not work on list" thats a bunch of crap man
> and with a company that large you are bound to have some that dont know what they are doing
> but I can gaurantee I have seen just as many "hacks" at so called "custom shops"


I agree 100%. I've been in 12v industry for around 10 years. Most of that time was in a custom shop. I just took a job at Best Buy (due to relocation) and have been impressed by some of the installers that I've met here.


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## roller

I've worked at best buy before.. One time an installer found a used condom in a customer's vehicle.:cwm8:


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## Beeblebrox

Ah, the Best Buy install bay. I was an Autotech (silly name) for 3 years. I really liked it, though like all retail politics is a game you should know _before_ you tick off the Ops lady.


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## ds06max

killerwhale, so how hard is the master test? im looking into getting the study guide. I'm advanced MECP now and would like to get the master, just curious whats all on there


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## Sundevil2188

Another autotech here...store 252


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## 1zach4

Im sure you have been busy then this past week or so lol

I've worked 8am to 9 or 10pm every day except one since Christmas.....tomorrow is the last day and I get another day off and this insane rush is over.


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## petermakar

in the midwest the big box chains bank in the winter.... i thought you had to be mecp for 10 years before you can take that stupid test? are they gonna pay you more if you have a piece of paper?


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## firetyrant

Not saying that all BB stores suck, but I had a deck install a deck and they did a hack job, then refused to fix the issue of power going on and off the deck. When I took the plate off around the deck, I noticed some of the wires were taped together. I fixed it myself never been back since to have something installed. But however I've had other friends of mine had very very clean installs. I guess the guy was in a bad mood and I made him angry.


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## UngaroCD

I started at Circuit City ten years ago, and it gave me a good foundation for the electronic side of things. No custom until I left for Tweeter in 2004. The problem with big box stores is the sheer number of installers they employ. I'd say out of a crew of 8 at CC, 2 of us were good. (Yeah, I include myself in that. As I'm sure those on this thread are also the cream of the crop.  ) The rest were kids who were hung over from whatever they did the night before. The fact is that 9 times out of 10, management at a big box place isn't experienced in car audio and hires people who also aren't. 

Rule of thumb: Follow good installers, not retailers.

Also, I hear rumblings about BB getting out of car audio install. How true is this?? Maybe it's just here in TX?


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## stalintc

Being a BBY installer is what you make of it. You can not do much custom work, but the trade off is you can get very good management experience. I was $4.50 and 1 person away from being Secret Weapon. I took a tip for $4.50 and got fired for it...so DON"T take tips (and get caught).

I spent 6 years there and ran into some brilliant (and some not so much) installers there. There are people I have worked with that have built a few SEMA cars, and one that started a car fire.

As far as master certification, my best advice is get the guide and memorize it, and do not think for yourself. One of many examples:

In a car which form of voltage is present:
AC
BC 
DC 
None of the above

The "correct" answer was DC...

In my day Master took a portfolio, interview, and a lot of experience to get

Just a few things I figured I would add to the discussion. Good luck on the test ds06.


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## deesz

problem with best buy installers is that they hire kids who dont know and then they become leaders who train other kids who dont know. oh and they got hired by managers who know nothing of the install bay. i knew a installer at one best buy who had been doing it for 20 years for good guys/ custom shops and then best buy. he was an old fart who knew a lot and was a very good custom installer. 
now the problem with the statement i said earlier is just that you will assume im talking about every installer, well im not but from a customer stand point one best buy installer from one store is the same as another installer from another store they dont associate installers by name and work but by "best buy" 
another case in point i have worked with people who have been doing it for "10" years but they are complete hack jobs they were never trained properly and dont want to learn and grow. now I have been doing it for 5 years and know twice of what he knows because i was trained properly. i know i still need improvement like everyone else in the world but me understanding that i can grow...
oh and by the way the best buy near where i live have a table saw and work on fiberglass.


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## Angrywhopper

1. There is a book of cars that BB does not work on. How do I know this? I get customers every week with either old school cars that have been restored, luxury vehicles, and cars that are generally $50,000 or more. BB will refer them to us when they come in looking to get work done.

2. BB and all big box store installs are crap. Is there 1 or 2 good installers nationwide that works for BB? Sure. But for the most part, they are all crappy $12 an hour installers. How do I know this? Well when customers get work done there, they usually end up at the speciality shop to get it repaired. I can't count the number of times I(our shop) has fixed a big box stores install mistake.

3. I live and work in a major city and area of California, so we have a few BB around us. We have customers that work at BB that come to us for their car audio needs, even though they get a discount working for BB. Not only do we carry products that BB does not, they know our installs are 1000% better. They can actually speak to a car audio enthusiast that knows the industry inside and out, not some 16 year old kid they just stuck at the car audio counter that doesn't know a dash kit from an amplifier.

I wouldn't be surprised if BB got out of the car audio industry. Cars are getting extremely harder to work on and only the best installers will be able to stay in business. The newly hired kid will not be able to work on these new cars.


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## chefhow

Angrywhopper said:


> 1. There is a book of cars that BB does not work on. How do I know this? I get customers every week with either old school cars that have been restored, luxury vehicles, and cars that are generally $50,000 or more. BB will refer them to us when they come in looking to get work done.
> 
> 2. *BB and all big box store installs are crap*. Is there 1 or 2 good installers nationwide that works for BB? Sure. But for the most part, they are all crappy $12 an hour installers. How do I know this? Well when customers get work done there, they usually end up at the speciality shop to get it repaired. I can't count the number of times I(our shop) has fixed a big box stores install mistake.
> 
> 3. I live and work in a major city and area of California, so we have a few BB around us. We have customers that work at BB that come to us for their car audio needs, even though they get a discount working for BB. Not only do we carry products that BB does not, they know our installs are 1000% better. They can actually speak to a car audio enthusiast that knows the industry inside and out, not some 16 year old kid they just stuck at the car audio counter that doesn't know a dash kit from an amplifier.
> 
> I wouldn't be surprised if BB got out of the car audio industry. Cars are getting extremely harder to work on and only the best installers will be able to stay in business. The newly hired kid will not be able to work on these new cars.


Thats a BOLD statement to make. I'd be willing to bet that there are installers at the shop you work at that arent all that as well. Just because they work at a big box doesnt mean they suck, maybe they want to make more money, need benefits, are looking at the bigger picture and want to be management instead of working at a local place that may give them nothing in return for the services they provide.


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## Angrywhopper

chefhow said:


> Thats a BOLD statement to make. I'd be willing to bet that there are installers at the shop you work at that arent all that as well. Just because they work at a big box doesnt mean they suck, maybe they want to make more money, need benefits, are looking at the bigger picture and want to be management instead of working at a local place that may give them nothing in return for the services they provide.


Ok fair enough.. there are always exceptions and i'm sure there are some competent installers that work at a big box store somewhere in the U.S. 
Any professional installer knows he can get more money at a specialty store than he can get at a big box store.


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## chefhow

Angrywhopper said:


> Ok fair enough.. there are always exceptions and i'm sure there are some competent installers that work at a big box store somewhere in the U.S.
> Any professional installer knows he can get more money at a specialty store than he can get at a big box store.


But can he get a 401K with the opportunity for a future? A good medical and dental plan? An education paid for? I dont think so(I've been the specialty owner before so I know). Never under estimate the power of the big box, franchise and multi store players.


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## Sex Cells

Angrywhopper said:


> Ok fair enough.. there are always exceptions and i'm sure there are some competent installers that work at a big box store somewhere in the U.S.
> Any professional installer knows he can get more money at a specialty store than he can get at a big box store.


lol. You sound like someone who's been backed into a corner by big boxes and internet sales.


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## Angrywhopper

chefhow said:


> But can he get a 401K with the opportunity for a future? A good medical and dental plan? An education paid for? I dont think so(I've been the specialty owner before so I know). Never under estimate the power of the big box, franchise and multi store players.


I can see the benefits as the only beneficial thing when working for the big box stores. However, I don't see an installer furthering his/her career as far as bigger and better installs and continuing to work with people that are not car audio enthusiasts.


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## Angrywhopper

Sex Cells said:


> lol. You sound like someone who's been backed into a corner by big boxes and internet sales.


:laugh: No. I have a 06 Mercedes S class in the shop right now getting $5000 worth of work and a 04 Cadillac CTS getting about $1500 worth of alarm work done this second. Business is great! 

I'd be happy to debate with you, but please keep it on topic.


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## chefhow

Angrywhopper said:


> I can see the benefits as the only beneficial thing when working for the big box stores. However, I don't see an installer furthering his/her career as far as bigger and better installs and continuing to work with people that are not car audio enthusiasts.


My cousin went from being an installer at CC for about 8 years while they paid for 80% of his education(IIRC) at the Art Institute to be a sound tech and he is now in the recording business as a producer and engineer. See ppl use jobs as a way to start a career and a way to have educations paid for. I have a lab tech that is working for me(I am a Corp Chef for a food manufacturer) while he is getting his BS in Human Biology.


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## Angrywhopper

chefhow said:


> My cousin went from being an installer at CC for about 8 years while they paid for 80% of his education(IIRC) at the Art Institute to be a sound tech and he is now in the recording business as a producer and engineer. See ppl use jobs as a way to start a career and a way to have educations paid for. I have a lab tech that is working for me(I am a Corp Chef for a food manufacturer) while he is getting his BS in Human Biology.


You make a good point. I wasn't aware that a big box store would pay for 80% of your education. Do they offer that to all of their employees?


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## Sex Cells

Angrywhopper said:


> You make a good point. I wasn't aware that a big box store would pay for 80% of your education. Do they offer that to all of their employees?


When i worked at HD you could get upto a couple thousand a semester IIRC. I still miss working at Home Depot sometimes. Yes, i know, off the subject again.


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## chefhow

Angrywhopper said:


> You make a good point. I wasn't aware that a big box store would pay for 80% of your education. Do they offer that to all of their employees?


They will pay a certain % based on your grades and you have to stay for a certain amount of time based on $$ spent and the degree you are going to school for. The lab tech that works for me has to do 1 year for every year we pay for. We have paid for 2 of his 3 so far so he is contracted to work for 4 years. He can buy his way out by repaying the tuition/fees plus 12%.


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## Angrywhopper

Sex Cells said:


> When i worked at HD you could get upto a couple thousand a semester IIRC. I still miss working at Home Depot sometimes. Yes, i know, off the subject again.


Hmm good to know.


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## Angrywhopper

chefhow said:


> They will pay a certain % based on your grades and you have to stay for a certain amount of time based on $$ spent and the degree you are going to school for. The lab tech that works for me has to do 1 year for every year we pay for. We have paid for 2 of his 3 so far so he is contracted to work for 4 years. He can buy his way out by repaying the tuition/fees plus 12%.


That's pretty damn cool. Working for a big box store makes a little more sense now..but i'd still prefer the awesome installs done at the specialty shop.:devil:


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## Sex Cells

chefhow said:


> They will pay a certain % based on your grades and you have to stay for a certain amount of time based on $$ spent and the degree you are going to school for. The lab tech that works for me has to do 1 year for every year we pay for. We have paid for 2 of his 3 so far so he is contracted to work for 4 years. He can buy his way out by repaying the tuition/fees plus 12%.


We just required that they be full time or salaried and had were pursing a degree that was somewhat relevant to our industry. I'm sure you could stretch that though, when we looked for HR's, for example, we only required they have a college degree (Bachelors).. didn't matter what it was in. Beyond that they had to pass our internal curriculum (RMA, Multiple interviews, etc). Helluva job though!


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## fiberglasslvr

I too work at best buy. #1061. ive been here for about 5 years now, and I still get to do all the things i did at the custom shops i worked at. in my location i do quite a few exotics(lambo,ferrari, etc.) but they also let me do custom work as well. I.E fiberglass boxes,kicks,wood boxes,custom dashes etc. but i do have to supply all my own tools. wich is cool cuz ive had them for a long time now. I do agree with some of the posts here saying that there are installers that work for this company that dont know sh!t. But there are also alot of installers who know there stuff, and are really good. to bad there is no standard, to get hired as an installer.


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## Angrywhopper

fiberglasslvr said:


> I too work at best buy. #1061. ive been here for about 5 years now, and I still get to do all the things i did at the custom shops i worked at. in my location i do quite a few exotics(lambo,ferrari, etc.) but they also let me do custom work as well. I.E fiberglass boxes,kicks,wood boxes,custom dashes etc. but i do have to supply all my own tools. wich is cool cuz ive had them for a long time now. I do agree with some of the posts here saying that there are installers that work for this company that dont know sh!t. But there are also alot of installers who know there stuff, and are really good. to bad there is no standard, to get hired as an installer.


BB allows you to work on Lambo's and Ferrari's? People with those kind of exotics go to BB for their car audio? I find that extremely hard to believe. Show me pics of the cars in the install bays.


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## Greg S

Angrywhopper said:


> BB allows you to work on Lambo's and Ferrari's? People with those kind of exotics go to BB for their car audio? I find that extremely hard to believe. Show me pics of the cars in the install bays.


Just depends on where the store is. I cut my teeth on Rolls Royces, Jaguars, BMWs, Mercedes, and one Ferrari F40 when I was installing for Circuit City. It does happen. Though this was a few decades ago.


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## stalintc

> BB allows you to work on Lambo's and Ferrari's? People with those kind of exotics go to BB for their car audio? I find that extremely hard to believe.


I was not limited by BBY in what I could work on, I was encouraged to take any car that I could safely complete. While the majority of vehicles I did there were 1991-2005 Silverados and the like, however I did get to work on a few gems;

2003 A8L, A few A6's, 1978 Porsche (restored), 1967 Camero (restored), Bricklin SV-1 (awesome!), 1981 DeLorean (same owner as the Bricklin), 2001 M5, 1996 Lotus Esprit, assorted Rovers, a school bus, and a few boats. 

This was in a 6 year period of time, so definitely the *exceptions*, but nonetheless still done at BBY.


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## 1zach4

I worked on quite a few porsche's, lamborghini's, ferrari's, rolls royces (classic ones at that), lotus esprit turbo, s500's, range rover hse's etc etc when I worked at circuit city.

Nicest thing I ever touched at best buy was probably a 2002 mercedes C-class lol

That is mainly due to the economy and being located down the street from 2 of the top shops in the southeast....but heck the circuit city was even closer to those shops.

I'm not an installer anymore, and daytrade the stock market for a living now lol I up and walked out of my shop on a friday when I logged into my etrade account and saw one of my major stocks had EXPLODED....I made more that friday than I had made in my entire lifetime...so I printed off some separation paperwork, filled it out, called my manager to the bay and said "I quit"


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## Iancredible

jowens500 said:


> Two of the installers at the Best Buy in my city have systems that were built at our shop


same here ... 

We have a good relationship with the local box guys. They send us the "hard" stuff and we will share the "easy" stuff with them 

in no means am I saying box installers cannot handle the hard stuff, they are just a little limited by corporate polices (so ive been told)


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## stalintc

Iancredible said:


> they are just a little limited by corporate polices (so ive been told)


I tried for a few years to get BBY to allow us to use even a table saw, let alone get composites involved. Their delima was 3 fold: National installation warranty not serviceable at many locations, insurance issues, proper ventilation to meet local codes. Where my store was they did not issue permits to companies to do anything that would vent those type of fumes, requiring a crazy expensive recirculating filter arrangement which was not worth it.


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## nothinbutnick56

Angrywhopper said:


> BB allows you to work on Lambo's and Ferrari's? People with those kind of exotics go to BB for their car audio? I find that extremely hard to believe. Show me pics of the cars in the install bays.





















There you go. A Gallardo and Lotus Elise both for in dash, amp, sub etc. This doesn't include the Murcielago that was also brought.

And I also read there is a "list" of cars BBY cannot work on which is also completely NOT true. As much as custom shops say they fix the big box mistakes BBY gets just as many screw ups from local places. It happens both ways.


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## Angrywhopper

Hmmm I see 2 beautiful cars parked. Not saying you didn't work on them, but I see no pictures of them actually getting worked on.

And if this list you speak about is not true, why is it that we get at least 1 phone call a week from BB telling us their sending a car they can't work on? Or the customers that come in and tell us that BB or any other big box store wouldn't work on their car.


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## nothinbutnick56

Angrywhopper said:


> Hmmm I see 2 beautiful cars parked. Not saying you didn't work on them, but I see no pictures of them actually getting worked on.
> 
> And if this list you speak about is not true, why is it that we get at least 1 phone call a week from BB telling us their sending a car they can't work on? Or the customers that come in and tell us that BB or any other big box store wouldn't work on their car.


I'll get the installation pictures off the thumb drive at work, those are the only ones I had available at the time.

Each store can turn down a vehicle for any reason they seem fit. That would also include if a rookie installer doesn't feel comfortable working on a high-dollar car for reason of possible damage claim or if he just doesn't know how to do it. Which really makes a bad name for a lot of us that have the experience and can take care of that customer easily.

But the fact is, and we are TESTED on that question when we are bestbuy certified to install. Literally on the test itself there is a question that states "Is there a list of cars autotechs are not permitted to work on?" and that answer is NO.

The only reason I would ever turn down a car is if I thought it would be a liability. If I see alternator issues or a battery that's got issues I'll turn it down in a second. Hell I had a guy in an 86 caprice with a rusted leaking roof I turned down because there was a pool of water all over the car it was awful. AND he wanted an alpine 9887 put in haha. Easily worth more than the car.


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## Angrywhopper

nothinbutnick56 said:


> I'll get the installation pictures off the thumb drive at work, those are the only ones I had available at the time.
> 
> Each store can turn down a vehicle for any reason they seem fit. That would also include if a rookie installer doesn't feel comfortable working on a high-dollar car for reason of possible damage claim or if he just doesn't know how to do it. Which really makes a bad name for a lot of us that have the experience and can take care of that customer easily.
> 
> But the fact is, and we are TESTED on that question when we are bestbuy certified to install. Literally on the test itself there is a question that states "Is there a list of cars autotechs are not permitted to work on?" and that answer is NO.
> 
> The only reason I would ever turn down a car is if I thought it would be a liability. If I see alternator issues or a battery that's got issues I'll turn it down in a second. Hell I had a guy in an 86 caprice with a rusted leaking roof I turned down because there was a pool of water all over the car it was awful. AND he wanted an alpine 9887 put in haha. Easily worth more than the car.


Ok sounds fair.


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## stalintc

Angrywhopper said:


> Ok sounds fair.


This is the kind of stuff I like to see! Props to you Angrywhopper for being fair. Its nice to see that once in a while online.


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## Angrywhopper

stalintc said:


> This is the kind of stuff I like to see! Props to you Angrywhopper for being fair. Its nice to see that once in a while online.


Thanks. Your a cool forum member also!


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## MasterODisaster

On/Off of Best Buy since 1988. Back in the day we could do pretty much anything we wanted (fiberglass work, wash our own cars in the bay and what not), now since the company is so big, they have a lot of rules in place to keep the average Joe in check. This company is great though - they really mean it when they say "Have fun while being the best". You'll have hack installers in any company, and then even good installers that have bad days, or junky cars that have not been cleaned in years that you don't do as good a job on as you would on a clean car that is obviously taken care of... I heard the saying "you're only as good as your worst install", but I think we all know there are times when we get a tad lazy (human nature). I just encourage my installers to make every effort to be consistent in doing good installs and have fun doing it - if you don't enjoy it - why not go do something else?

Ever get the chance - go to Hawaii for a while - it brings a whole new perspective to life.

PEACE!


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## Sleeves

I've been installing as a full time profession since 1997. I learned in small specialist shops and enjoyed the freedom and minimalist policies afforded by working in that type of environment. Unfortunately, when fuel prices skyrocketed and our recession started around 4 years ago I was laid off as a full time employee from the small specialist shop where I was working (3 people operated the place and I was the only one without a wife and kids so I was let go). The last thing on my mind was going to work for a big box company, but most of the specialist shops within 50 miles of me were not hiring and the other ones were a bit below my moral standards.

I spent over a year working 1 day a week at my previous employer (basically covering the day each week the installer they retained was off) with extra days given to me during Christmas and tax return season. I was eating in to my savings, going nowhere, and the hope of getting put back to full time status "when business picked up" was slipping away.

I was very close to giving up on a profession to which I had devoted over 10 years of my life. It was then that a friend mine who had worked as an installer at Best Buy asked if I would be interested in a position at new store they were opening. She had previously been an installer at her old Best Buy and had worked her way up to the point that she was going to be the services manager at the new Best Buy they were opening. She was going to directly responsible for the "services" that went out of the store (car audio installs, home theater installs, and computer work) and she wanted to avoid some of the situations of which Mr. Whopper spoke. Although in the back of my mind I was considering this a "sell-out" move, I really needed a full time job again and this was the best chance I had to get back on my feet. I ended up getting the full time "autotech lead" position.

Although initially I was genuinely embarrassed to admit to my old install friends that I was working for a Best Buy, I did eventually come to respect them as a corporation and gained invaluable sales and teamwork experience while I was there that I would have NEVER received from any specialists I had ever seen. I was getting paid at the same hourly rate I was earning at my previous job (although I was commuting 50 minutes in each direction now), was encouraged to go as far as I wanted with the MECP program, and I was given opportunities to expand outside of mobile electronics if I wanted (I spent about 1 month on and off training to do home installations). Raises are given for each level of MECP certification completed (although I came in paid high enough that I did not receive a raise for my Basic certification) and Best Buy provides the study guides, some very good internal resources and forums to help you learn and prepare you for the tests, pays for the tests (as long as you pass their online qualifying test) and at my Best Buy (can't really speak for all of them) let me study on the clock during some of my slow times. I was able to get my Basic, Advanced, and Master level certifications at no cost to me (Best Buy even pays you for driving to and the time spent taking the tests) at slightly over a year spent with the company. [As a side note for the person that asked about experience requirements for the certifications: There is no prerequisite for Basic, suggested 1 year install experience before taking the Advanced, and suggested 3 years install experience before attempting Master. You do not have to be certified for that amount of time and at no point was I asked for proof of experience.]

I will also say that during my stay at Best Buy I fixed a few of botched installs by one of the local "specialists". I never saw a list of vehicles on which I was not allowed to work, I brought my personal table saw to work, and I did a little bit of fiberglass (although it was for the manager that that helped me get the job, never for customers). Although I went in out of necessity, I came out with a much greater respect (and gasp!: LOVE of Best Buy). I found out through the internal forums that was no shortage of talented installers spread throughout their stores and those same forums provided an excellent medium for them to share their experience with newer and less experienced installers. There was also benefits like 401K, health insurance, employee discount, tuition reimbursement, etc. If I had not been presented with the opportunity to buy out and take over the shop from which I was laid off I would still be happily working for Best Buy. 

Of course not all of the Best Buys have top-notch installers and even though the resources I mentioned are in place you can't make autotechs without the hunger for knowledge use them. Just keep in mind that with the economy the way it is and the attractive benefits that Best Buy can afford to offer you will probably see more and more experienced installers looking to places like Best Buy to sustain their livelihood and even grow themselves in some different directions.


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## FAUEE

I've been off and on with Best Buy for ~5 years now. Started off as PT Computers, and eventually worked my way over to car audio and install where I had really wanted to be. I've seen the best and the worst of that company. Everything you've heard (regardless of what it was) is true about them.

The best installer I've ever known worked for Best Buy, and still does actually. He's one of those guys that had his own shop, and then moved in to BBY to have a stable job. He's also one of those guys who can magically make things perfect, and fabricates things like a God. 

At the same time, I've known installers for BBY that shouldn't be anywhere NEAR a car, let alone working on one. I knew one guy who somehow managed to drill through the BCM of a Volvo installing satellite radio (that was an expensive mistake for the store). 

I've seen the good side of BBY (when the economy was still strong and we got hit with a hurricane and power was out for a week, they had everyone who wanted to come in to work and basically just move boxes around and talk about products/train to keep people working. When Katrina hit they paid for BBY employees in that area that lost their homes and stores to go to anywhere in the country and gave them a job and helped them get a place to stay. There was a time when they would pay for your school, regardless of if it had anything to do with BBY if you were a full time employee. I've seen their checks and balances work and store managers who were trying to cheat the system and do whatever they wanted at the expense of their employees be fired outright.

I've also seen the bad side of BBY. Managers often now have no idea about car audio other than not wanting to have to deal with it since business has slowed. Managers will get rid of the expensive good installers they have to bring in untrained new people for minimum wage or slightly better. I've seen the change from them trying to pay for as many employee's school as possible to as little as possible. I've seen managers blackmail and cheat employees as far as they could.

As with everything in life, YMMV. The first store I worked at was great. We always had great managers, the store understood the value of having a good install team, and the store recognized the profits that could come from having a strong car audio sales team. Then I moved, and I was going to transfer to the store near the college I was going to, however that store only paid its installers slightly over minimum wage, which was A LOT less than I had been making. I passed on that transfer and found a different job. That store felt like they could have basically and endless supply of $8 an hour goons to work on cars, and fire them whenever something got broken (which happened fairly frequently since nobody was ever even slightly experienced as an installer). Then I moved again, and that store was sort of in between. Some of their management was onboard with having a good install bay and car audio team, but then the GM changed and he went the "inexpensive labor route". He went so far as to basically blackmail and force me into leaving so that he could get away with bringing in a minimum wage crackhead (keep in mind, this was in a very upscale area. This was a calculated move to make customers NOT want to use the install bay so that he could close it down and use it for something else without anyone making too big of a stink).

And me? Well, I'm just trying to finish out my Senior year of Electrical Engineering school, and hoping my stock plan jumps back up after the crippling losses of last week.


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## cgarnes

I worked at Best Buy for a year in both the home and car sides of the business. I learned more working at Best Buy as a floor supervisor than I ever did working for other electronics in my career. If I hadn't been trained as a boss as Best Buy as well as I was I probably wouldn't own my own business today. Say what you will about Best Buy, but they do have over 700 stores so they must be doing something right!


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## TimesCaptured

I worked 7 years as an Electrician as well as 5 years as a controls tech. I have dealing with Car Audio since I was 12. I am quite sure I could pass the MECP basic guide and do very well on the masters.

Anyone have any sample questions they can post?

I want to see if I can cover the check my mouth just wrote.


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## audiophile25

I work at store 169 in Knoxville. I started in small retail specialist shops but the past two I worked for went out of business. Best Buy doesnt allow me to do much custom work but it pays the bills and doesnt seem to be going out of business.


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## Sleeves

TimesCaptured said:


> I worked 7 years as an Electrician as well as 5 years as a controls tech. I have dealing with Car Audio since I was 12. I am quite sure I could pass the MECP basic guide and do very well on the masters.
> 
> Anyone have any sample questions they can post?
> 
> I want to see if I can cover the check my mouth just wrote.


Here is some sample questions out of the MECP Master study guide (1st chapter, vehicle electrical systems):

1. Choose an appropriate substitute for a relay in a low current DC switching application.
a. potentiometer
b. silicon controlled rectifier
c. NPN transistor
d. Zener diode

2. What is the time constant formula for capacitors?
a. 1 time constant = R x C (resistance times capacitance)
b. 1 time constant = R/C (resistance divided by capacitance)
c. 1 time constant = C/R (capacitance divided by resistance)
d. 1 time constant = (C + R)^2 [sorry i don't know how to add the tiny 2 for squared] (capacitance plus resistance squared)

3. What device can be placed on a relay to protect transistorized outputs?
a. silicone diode
b. carbon resistor
c. iron core inductor
d. another relay

4. How would the device from question 3 above be placed on the relay?
a. In series between the load and terminal 30
b. In parallel across the coil terminals
c. In parallel between terminal 30 and 86
d. In series between the trigger and terminal 85

5. What is the electrical power consumption of a device with 13.8 volts of supply and a current draw of 150 milliamps?
a. 0.01 watts
b. 0.0092 watts
c. 2.07 watts
d. 10.87 watts

6. In an NPN transistor, the direction of the arrow indicates which one of the following?
a. The P material
b. The N material
c. The gate
d. The base

7. When reading an automotive wiring schematic, what does the letter "L" or the letters "BU" represent next to a wire?
a. An inductor is present in that circuit
b. The inductive property of the circuit is subject to EMR of the neighboring circuits
c. The color of the wire is blue
d. The circuit is <20a

8. Which pin in an OBD-II diagnostic connector is the supply B+ and which is chassis ground?
a. Pin 2 is B+ and pin 16 is chassis ground
b. Pin 4 is chassis ground and pin 16 is B+
c. Pin 5 is chassis ground and pin 10 is B+
d. Pin 6 is B+ and pin 8 is chassis ground

9. Which character represents an OBD-II network diagnostic trouble code?
a. P
b. B
c. N
d. U

10. M.O.S.T. optical network cables are always orange in color.
a. True
b. False


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## Kkustoms

I thought id chime in on this one. Ive been an installer for 14 years. 3 years ago i left an independent shop to go to a Best Buy becasue with a baby on the way the pay was a huge difference and you cant beat having benefits with children. This so called list of cars we can't work on is a joke. Ive never had to turn any vehicle away. also the comment about best buys not allowed having tablesaws, routers, fiberglass etc is B/S i have everything i had at my previous shop. I find it usless to bash other shops weither it be a big box store or an independent just give your customers the option to choose on there own you just end up looking like an ass.


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## deesz

Kkustoms said:


> I thought id chime in on this one. Ive been an installer for 14 years. 3 years ago i left an independent shop to go to a Best Buy becasue with a baby on the way the pay was a huge difference and you cant beat having benefits with children. This so called list of cars we can't work on is a joke. Ive never had to turn any vehicle away. also the comment about best buys not allowed having tablesaws, routers, fiberglass etc is B/S i have everything i had at my previous shop. I find it usless to bash other shops weither it be a big box store or an independent just give your customers the option to choose on there own you just end up looking like an ass.


technically your not allowed to have a saw and do fiberglass the shops do not have the right permits the managers are just looking the other way. but as mentioned there is no list of cars that can not be worked on.


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## Kkustoms

> technically your not allowed to have a saw and do fiberglass the shops do not have the right permits the managers are just looking the other way. but as mentioned there is no list of cars that can not be worked on.


Actually we do have all the permits. we had the WSIB ( canadian safety and insurance board ) come in and go over what we needed to be safe. we had to install flame proof cabinents for the paint and fiberglass with signs posted with MSDS sheets. also had them come in a fit me for a resperator. We passed all the permits.we also had the fire marshall come in a certify the bay when we had or district manager for geek squad in.


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## deesz

Kkustoms said:


> Actually we do have all the permits. we had the WSIB ( canadian safety and insurance board ) come in and go over what we needed to be safe. we had to install flame proof cabinents for the paint and fiberglass with signs posted with MSDS sheets. also had them come in a fit me for a resperator. We passed all the permits.we also had the fire marshall come in a certify the bay when we had or district manager for geek squad in.


your one of 2000 stores. lol nice on getting that done the problem i have with this argument is that yes there are stores where there entire install bay sucks and yes there are stores where they have some installers that know there shi* even better than some "mom and pop" shops but how does the consumer find these stores where there are good installers. it only takes one time to f up someones car and turn them away from ALL best buys.

I will also argue that most mom and pop shops are actually worst than most best buys heres why....
1 most mom and pop shops are on commission they hire some kid who has the want to learn and pay him nothing he is trained to get things done fast 
doesnt matter how he installed it just as long as it looks nice and works. they make money from the amount of installs and not quality. now dont get me wrong there are shops who pride on just the opposite. 
best buy employees are non commission so they can slow down the install and put more quality into it. im also not saying every best buy is this way.
so in argument im going to go with best buy and mom and pop shops are equal only difference is the higher end product that best doesnt carry not saying they cant recommend it for someone to go get...


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## Sleeves

deesz said:


> your one of 2000 stores. lol nice on getting that done the problem i have with this argument is that yes there are stores where there entire install bay sucks and yes there are stores where they have some installers that know there shi* even better than some "mom and pop" shops but how does the consumer find these stores where there are good installers. it only takes one time to f up someones car and turn them away from ALL best buys.
> 
> I will also argue that most mom and pop shops are actually worst than most best buys heres why....
> 1 most mom and pop shops are on commission they hire some kid who has the want to learn and pay him nothing he is trained to get things done fast
> doesnt matter how he installed it just as long as it looks nice and works. they make money from the amount of installs and not quality. now dont get me wrong there are shops who pride on just the opposite.
> best buy employees are non commission so they can slow down the install and put more quality into it. im also not saying every best buy is this way.
> so in argument im going to go with best buy and mom and pop shops are equal only difference is the higher end product that best doesnt carry not saying they cant recommend it for someone to go get...


You do realize that you just said a whole lot of nothing, right? Are you a politician in training?:laugh:


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## deesz

Sleeves said:


> You do realize that you just said a whole lot of nothing, right? Are you a politician in training?:laugh:


Yea it came out that way. I guess I was just thinking outloud. All I'm trying to say in this debate is that there is no real difference between mom and pop shops and bestbuy. I have worked at both and seen it all. Ther will always be mom and pop shops and there will always be a "bestbuy" even if bestbuy no longer is around.


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## Installer4life

killerwhale said:


> yea ive only had one head unit istalled by best buy only because the install was free with the purchase but even then i go talk to the istallers to make sure that they atleast sound like they know whats what and they know what they are doing because like you said some stores have over talented istallers and some have "techs" that only know that red is pos and blk in neg


Funny but that red is positive and black is negative is not alway true. I think what you are getting at is that they can hook the blue wire to the green wire because thats what they are told to do but in reality have no idea what the wires they are connecting do.


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## kc8flb

I was an installer at #402 (Utica, Mi) for about five or six years (1995-2001ish). MECP first class and was very proud of my work and installs. 90% is headunit replacement. You get very, very good at making headunits perfect on specific vehicles.

We had no "custom tools" and we did not do much "custom work". We had an air/pneumatic hand held saw for cutting older dashes and cutting metal for older speaker installs.

Did a deck + 2 + amp in an early 80's ferrari and worked on a handful of porsches, but it was not the norm. Easily installed over 1000 headunits, maybe way more than that. Best buy can get busy, espicially from Dec 26th-->Feb, where you are pretty much working 13 hour days, each day.

Installed plenty of twin shaft radios in that timeframe. Probably don't exist anymore. You needed those nice Klein/Xcelite nutdrivers for the shaft nuts 

Worked my way through Design/Engineering school as an installer @ BBY. Great job while going to school.


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## audioholicz

Just put in my application as a BBY installer...we will see what happens. I cant get into any other shops, so hoping can come out of this to at least get in my foot in the door.


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## kc8flb

audioholicz said:


> Just put in my application as a BBY installer...we will see what happens. I cant get into any other shops, so hoping can come out of this to at least get in my foot in the door.


Bby is a good place to learn the fundamentals. With anything, you will get out of it what you put into it.

My recommendations:
1. Pretend every car you work on is a family members car. Do not ever let anything leave that is not of the highest quality. Treat these cars with the utmost respect and care, evn if you are installing a $29 boss/craig headunit into a pos with bananna peels and dirty diapers on the floor. You will not believe how dirty some cars are. Piles of garbage. Trunks filed to the brim with crap.

2. Under promise and over deliver. Does that deck normally take 40 minutes to install? Tell em an hour, that gives you extra time in case something goes wrong (can't find the security tri lobe socket for chryslers) but most of the time you make the customer happy because they are getting out sooner. 

Do the same when quoting jobs. Don't artifically quote higher, but always let the customer know the possible max in case of amp integration, etc.


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## audioholicz

Thanks for those words of advice, my plan is to treat everyone the way that I want to be treated, and considering every install as it was my own. I am sure a lot of people would say the same, but I really do criticize the way people treat me when I go into those kind of places. That is what got me into doing things on my own, just had enough with the "I just work here" attitude, and felt as if they were not passionate about the job. I already completed Mobile Dynamics online with a 92 percent, so I am not MECP certified, but feel as if that is some advantage. Thanks again


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## RakeBayonet

First post, obligatory hello!

I'm a BBY Autotech also. Been with the company since 2004. Everything I was going to say about working for bby has already been said by others in this thread. I'll just reiterate that we can work on whatever car we want. At my old store, we never got any fun cars (well, we got a Prowler in the shop for something, but I was off that day) But in the year or so that I've been in my current store we've had a Viper, an old Alfa, and any Mercedes/BMW/Lexus/Range Rover/etc that you can think of. Mostly for Sat Rad or iPod integration. 

The vehicles that we take (or turn away) are completely up to us. My coworker turned down a 2011 Ferrari California when I was on vacation last week because he didn't want to assume that liability for only a $40 radar detector install. 

My favorite customer at this store is a guy that came in with an early 2000's Aston Martin DB7 because it "didn't have a CD player". When I pulled the car around to the bay, I showed him how to flip down the face of his Alpine deck that was installed by the previous owner. Took everything I had not to laugh out loud. He was a nice guy though, so I didn't bust his chops about it. 

Yeah, I've seen some crap come out of nearby bby stores, and yeah, our bay gets referrals from other bby stores that don't feel comfortable working on expensive cars. However, there are some very talented installers employed by BBY, so don't stereotype us all because of some bad apples.


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## a383z

Figured I'd chime in for a minute. BB hires sometimes what they get I have seen some good installers who just wanted a regular pay check and some ok installers that had very little expierence but called themselves installers. I opened up the BB store in Springfield VA (many moons ago) I was a sales man mostly cause I wanted the easier job (it was the partime)but helped many installers cause i know how. Just chiming in to say every store and installer are different some capable some shouldnt work on a chevette but the capable ones are usually decent installers just wanting the steady check and benefits.


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## chinaonnitrous1

Worked bby from 

2001 to 2005

Went from Install > Sales & Install > Senior > Supervisor > Sales mngr in training.

started in Dublin, california.

Then to grand open 499 Emmeryville

Then to 144 Union City.

Cheers.


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## takeabao

chinaonnitrous1 said:


> Worked bby from
> 
> 2001 to 2005
> 
> Went from Install > Sales & Install > Senior > Supervisor > Sales mngr in training.
> 
> started in Dublin, california.
> 
> Then to grand open 499 Emmeryville
> 
> Then to 144 Union City.
> 
> Cheers.


Hook us up!!!


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## tinctorus

I USED to work there and then I finally got smart about there ******** and told them to go **** themselves after they accused me of stealing simply based on the other installers word who was always gunning for my job, It pissed me off that they believed a kid who had bee there 6 months over a guy who had been there 10 years

SOOoooooo **** BEST BUY, They WAY over price the car audio stuff, the wire harness they sell for 22 dollars are actually 86 cents at employee cost...Hows that for a ripoff...From now on its internet shopping for me or the ONE local place I can trust who sells me stuff at cost and carries MUCH MUCH MUCH better product


ALSO FWIW if ANYONE is interested in buying ANYTHING from best buy that is car audio or car electronics stuff please feel free to message me and I will tell you the TRUE cost on the stuff they are selling you, Car audio has between a 175% and a minimum 1000% markup on car audio stuff


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## MasterODisaster

Trust me --- you DO NOT want to work for Best (Worst) Buy (Lie)


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## Silvercoat

I worked at BestBuy from 2008-2015, first as the part time installer then the Autotech Lead.


There are MUCH worse places to work. Health benefits were awesome, perks were good as well.

BBY has the tools and money and resources the execute car audio really well, they do NOT have the in store structure.

It did get better over the years (they finally got appointment scheduling software) but the fact that they don't have a dedicated support sales staff in most locations is really the issue. Car audio is not that hard for most of the populace.


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## Alrojoca

MasterODisaster said:


> Trust me --- you DO NOT want to work for Best (Worst) Buy (Lie)


Why is it a lie? 

The reason they are still in business is probably because they are doing something right.
The car audio may not be their priority, just some product diversity.

Yes they make money on over priced accessories, cables and junk.

I've said it before, if they match Amazon prices, why not support your local economy and jobs, rather than pushing a globalization Zionist monopoly? 

You can buy a 2 year or 5 year warranty and exchange it if it fails, I doubt Amazon can do that besides they fact they are not brand authorized resellers.


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## AyOne

I worked at Best Buy for 5 years when I was younger. It was a really fun job, super easy and laid back. You basically get paid to stand around and bs with people. Plus the discount is ridiculous.


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## Rainstar

worst buys is terrible. In california I rather visit Frys electronics.

I had a customer who only goes through me now for IT issues, her computer had a loose sata cable inside, geek squad told her she needed to purchase a new hard drive + charging her a crazy price. she came over to me I saw a loose cable plugged it in started working free of charge. Her computer was purchased from her older brother for not much and she was right to think they overcharged her for some service. my eyes were 0_0 when i heard her story. 

Just my opinion. Best buys survived all this time charging more than Frys does for a lot of things. But perhaps its through ripping off customers.


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## Alrojoca

Rainstar said:


> worst buys is terrible. In california I rather visit Frys electronics.
> 
> I had a customer who only goes through me now for IT issues, her computer had a loose sata cable inside, geek squad told her she needed to purchase a new hard drive + charging her a crazy price. she came over to me I saw a loose cable plugged it in started working free of charge. Her computer was purchased from her older brother for not much and she was right to think they overcharged her for some service. my eyes were 0_0 when i heard her story.
> 
> Just my opinion. Best buys survived all this time charging more than Frys does for a lot of things. But perhaps its through ripping off customers.


For every nightmare story like this one, that sometimes can be an idiot mistake and very seldom a malicious diagnostic, there are hundreds of good stories also, from what I know they offer a 15 min diagnosis one on one with he customer, free of charge, I have personally talkedto a BB tech where people walk away with their laptops fixed free of charge, although they push a yearly or 2 year contract coverage, and many times after a free fix, customers buy that coverage.

Dealing with my computer repair guy, I can tell you that if he works on one of mine the first time, he won't do a quick $50 5 min fix that I am willing to pay.

You need to leave it, he charges $-150, backing it up, ( 3-5 min and let it run ) clean up with several tools he installs and creates a few folders and icons for convenience.
30 mins tops, and at pick up he will spend 10-15 min to go through what he did and instruct about tools or folders created. The work is there but again I would rather pay the $50-60 and walk out in 10 mins while I wait.

Then at least BB holds a hard drive or data for a minimum of 90 days, while some other IT who knows if they actually destroy the data or go through it to see what they find.

I learned of a case at BB where, someone did not pick up the hard drive for 5 months, they sent it to their facility to destroy it, she came back at 6 months and bitched about it, threatened them etc, and the store gave her $2000 worth of free merchandise so that she will be quiet and leave them alone.

I also heard that they do contact the police if they find any child porn in the data also, it is the law.


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## adrianp89

AyOne said:


> I worked at Best Buy for 5 years when I was younger. It was a really fun job, super easy and laid back. You basically get paid to stand around and bs with people. Plus the discount is ridiculous.


This. 

I've worked as a lead running my own install bay and now just work a few times a month. Discount is great, dealing with tech is awesome, and working in the bay is about laid back as it gets. Pay is pretty fair, add in benefits like stock purchase and 401k match, it is better than most shops. Literally nothing to complain about.


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## adrianp89

Rainstar said:


> worst buys is terrible. In california I rather visit Frys electronics.
> 
> I had a customer who only goes through me now for IT issues, her computer had a loose sata cable inside, geek squad told her she needed to purchase a new hard drive + charging her a crazy price. she came over to me I saw a loose cable plugged it in started working free of charge. Her computer was purchased from her older brother for not much and she was right to think they overcharged her for some service. my eyes were 0_0 when i heard her story.
> 
> Just my opinion. Best buys survived all this time charging more than Frys does for a lot of things. But perhaps its through ripping off customers.


A quick case study will show how they survived. I am sure they are starting to use them in business text books now, as they manipulated show-rooming into their advantage. Their turn-around was a thing of art.


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## Rainstar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZq4UnkgZQI

I found an old video, its not just best buys, i guess many local mom/pop repair shop target people who are not tech savy. 

It all comes down to integrity. I am sure many auto places may do the same for a simple fix, quote you higher prices and stretch a repair for hours longer than it really takes.

I think there are restaurants that a Waiter also does this thing where they try to upsell. no harm asking but "SIR WOULD YOU LIKE A BEER" and really if i wanted one I would of started off with one.


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## ttocs388

adrianp89 said:


> This.
> 
> I've worked as a lead running my own install bay and now just work a few times a month. Discount is great, dealing with tech is awesome, and working in the bay is about laid back as it gets. Pay is pretty fair, add in benefits like stock purchase and 401k match, it is better than most shops. Literally nothing to complain about.


Things must have changed from when I was there in the 90s. Back then we were busy as hell and just trying to keep our multiple sales and warranty sales up high enough to keep the district people off of us, all the while never being able to find enough people to work there. Pay was great with the bonuses for sure but all the political big box bs was no fun to put up with.

If/when you do leave watch out they do not screw you too. I remember thinking my last check was a little light but was not sure. Turns out they kept part of my last check/vacation hours just to be dicks honestly as my parents to this day live at the address that was listed for me at the time. I happened to come across it in one of those "you might have unclaimed money" adds I saw somewhere, 11 yrs after I left that place.


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