I'm in the market for a new CD player for my car. On Saturday I went to
Best Buy to see what they had to offer.

I was happy to find out that they were offering "free installation on any
deck over $99." Sounded good to me. I picked out a few decks that I was
interested in, wrote down the model numbers, and went home to research
these units and to think about it.

I made my decision, and headed back to Best Buy on Sunday. I was sad to
find out that the free installation deal "ended yesterday." Now if I
bought a radio, installation would be an extra $52.

I was bummed to say the least. The sales rep told me that they run that
special periodically, but she didn't know when they would again.

My question to this group: How often does Best Buy offer their "free
installation on any deck over $99" deal? Will I be waiting long if I
decide to wait for that to roll around again?

Thanks much,

flicker

usually it's not that long. Usually every other week, maybe 2 at tops. We
were running the free install the previous 2 weeks, so now is a breather
with free speakers. But the free labor deal is the better option cause you
save $48 verses getting cheap $25 speakers. :P

"flicker" wrote in message
.. .
I'm in the market for a new CD player for my car. On Saturday I went to
Best Buy to see what they had to offer.

I was happy to find out that they were offering "free installation on any
deck over $99." Sounded good to me. I picked out a few decks that I was
interested in, wrote down the model numbers, and went home to research
these units and to think about it.

I made my decision, and headed back to Best Buy on Sunday. I was sad to
find out that the free installation deal "ended yesterday." Now if I
bought a radio, installation would be an extra $52.

I was bummed to say the least. The sales rep told me that they run that
special periodically, but she didn't know when they would again.

My question to this group: How often does Best Buy offer their "free
installation on any deck over $99" deal? Will I be waiting long if I
decide to wait for that to roll around again?

Thanks much,

flicker

oh and please don't refer to it as free installation, it's free labor. If
it was free installation, you would be getting the parts free, which you are
not, only labor. Thanks.

"mayhemkrew" wrote in message
news:enU0c.99616$4o.120649@attbi_s52...
usually it's not that long. Usually every other week, maybe 2 at tops.
We
were running the free install the previous 2 weeks, so now is a breather
with free speakers. But the free labor deal is the better option cause
you
save $48 verses getting cheap $25 speakers. :P

"flicker" wrote in message
.. .
I'm in the market for a new CD player for my car. On Saturday I went to
Best Buy to see what they had to offer.

I was happy to find out that they were offering "free installation on
any
deck over $99." Sounded good to me. I picked out a few decks that I
was
interested in, wrote down the model numbers, and went home to research
these units and to think about it.

I made my decision, and headed back to Best Buy on Sunday. I was sad to
find out that the free installation deal "ended yesterday." Now if I
bought a radio, installation would be an extra $52.

I was bummed to say the least. The sales rep told me that they run that
special periodically, but she didn't know when they would again.

My question to this group: How often does Best Buy offer their "free
installation on any deck over $99" deal? Will I be waiting long if I
decide to wait for that to roll around again?

Thanks much,

flicker

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 04:55:03 GMT, "mayhemkrew"
wrote:

oh and please don't refer to it as free installation, it's free labor. If
it was free installation, you would be getting the parts free, which you are
not, only labor. Thanks.


hey you work at best buy.... next time someguy comes in with a 2001+
Cav/sunfire with a stock am/fm radio...and he is getting a new
headunit... buy it off him for $10... and rip off the front face, all
the buttons/dials.... and mail it to me... ill give you 15 bucks!!

I wanna use the orignal face of a stock radio as kind-of a second
faceplate on my car.... basically velcro it overtop of my aftermarket
deck... making it look stock


any chance of you doing that???

the thing about the free installation is...it's not actually free

they charge a shop fee, install a wiring harness(you pay), and a dash
mounting kit(you pay)

so even with free installation...you are still paying an additional $50 out
the door

my advice...usually you can find authorized decks on cruthfield cheaper than
BB or CC....they come with the wiring harness, mounting kit, detailed
instructions for your particular vehicle, and phone support

probably the best first step for the newb entering the DIY world
"flicker" wrote in message
.. .
I'm in the market for a new CD player for my car. On Saturday I went to
Best Buy to see what they had to offer.

I was happy to find out that they were offering "free installation on any
deck over $99." Sounded good to me. I picked out a few decks that I was
interested in, wrote down the model numbers, and went home to research
these units and to think about it.

I made my decision, and headed back to Best Buy on Sunday. I was sad to
find out that the free installation deal "ended yesterday." Now if I
bought a radio, installation would be an extra $52.

I was bummed to say the least. The sales rep told me that they run that
special periodically, but she didn't know when they would again.

My question to this group: How often does Best Buy offer their "free
installation on any deck over $99" deal? Will I be waiting long if I
decide to wait for that to roll around again?

Thanks much,

flicker

You'd be better off not letting Best Buy touch your car. If you're really
looking to save cash, buy your equipment off the net and have it installed at a
shop. You may not get a warranty with some of those online purchases, but it
doesn't matter to some people when they can save a ton of cash.

Don't think that will happen cause I will probably break even. $10 to buy
it, and then close to $5 to ship it. BLAH!

wrote in message
...
On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 04:55:03 GMT, "mayhemkrew"
wrote:

oh and please don't refer to it as free installation, it's free labor.
If
it was free installation, you would be getting the parts free, which you
are
not, only labor. Thanks.


hey you work at best buy.... next time someguy comes in with a 2001+
Cav/sunfire with a stock am/fm radio...and he is getting a new
headunit... buy it off him for $10... and rip off the front face, all
the buttons/dials.... and mail it to me... ill give you 15 bucks!!

I wanna use the orignal face of a stock radio as kind-of a second
faceplate on my car.... basically velcro it overtop of my aftermarket
deck... making it look stock


any chance of you doing that???

That's why it's not free installation...it's free labor. You get us to do
it for free. Some people do not have all the tools to do it themselves and
ending up breaking something in doing it. Sure there are ALOT of BBY & CC
stores that have some really ****ty installers, but go by word of mouth. My
bay, we get customers as far as 200 miles to come to us just from word of
mouth. All of our installers are no lower than First Class MECP certified
and one is Master Certified. All of us came from smaller "custom" shops
that either went out of business, were treated like crap, or were not paid
faily. I do miss doing all the custom stuff, cause Best Buy doesn't do all
that (although, I do occassionally get a little fancy makin amp racks and
such), but it's easier work for more pay.

"delvryboy" wrote in message
...
the thing about the free installation is...it's not actually free

they charge a shop fee, install a wiring harness(you pay), and a dash
mounting kit(you pay)

so even with free installation...you are still paying an additional $50
out
the door

my advice...usually you can find authorized decks on cruthfield cheaper
than
BB or CC....they come with the wiring harness, mounting kit, detailed
instructions for your particular vehicle, and phone support

probably the best first step for the newb entering the DIY world
"flicker" wrote in message
.. .
I'm in the market for a new CD player for my car. On Saturday I went to
Best Buy to see what they had to offer.

I was happy to find out that they were offering "free installation on
any
deck over $99." Sounded good to me. I picked out a few decks that I
was
interested in, wrote down the model numbers, and went home to research
these units and to think about it.

I made my decision, and headed back to Best Buy on Sunday. I was sad to
find out that the free installation deal "ended yesterday." Now if I
bought a radio, installation would be an extra $52.

I was bummed to say the least. The sales rep told me that they run that
special periodically, but she didn't know when they would again.

My question to this group: How often does Best Buy offer their "free
installation on any deck over $99" deal? Will I be waiting long if I
decide to wait for that to roll around again?

Thanks much,

flicker

i am not in any way saying that BB installers do not know what they are
doing, it's just sometimes the consumer is mislead by the offer of free
installation

.....just wanted to let him know it does not include acc.
"mayhemkrew" wrote in message
news:Sx31c.103494$4o.121515@attbi_s52...
That's why it's not free installation...it's free labor. You get us to do
it for free. Some people do not have all the tools to do it themselves
and
ending up breaking something in doing it. Sure there are ALOT of BBY & CC
stores that have some really ****ty installers, but go by word of mouth.
My
bay, we get customers as far as 200 miles to come to us just from word of
mouth. All of our installers are no lower than First Class MECP certified
and one is Master Certified. All of us came from smaller "custom" shops
that either went out of business, were treated like crap, or were not paid
faily. I do miss doing all the custom stuff, cause Best Buy doesn't do
all
that (although, I do occassionally get a little fancy makin amp racks and
such), but it's easier work for more pay.

"delvryboy" wrote in message
...
the thing about the free installation is...it's not actually free

they charge a shop fee, install a wiring harness(you pay), and a dash
mounting kit(you pay)

so even with free installation...you are still paying an additional $50
out
the door

my advice...usually you can find authorized decks on cruthfield cheaper
than
BB or CC....they come with the wiring harness, mounting kit, detailed
instructions for your particular vehicle, and phone support

probably the best first step for the newb entering the DIY world
"flicker" wrote in message
.. .
I'm in the market for a new CD player for my car. On Saturday I went
to
Best Buy to see what they had to offer.

I was happy to find out that they were offering "free installation on
any
deck over $99." Sounded good to me. I picked out a few decks that I
was
interested in, wrote down the model numbers, and went home to research
these units and to think about it.

I made my decision, and headed back to Best Buy on Sunday. I was sad
to
find out that the free installation deal "ended yesterday." Now if I
bought a radio, installation would be an extra $52.

I was bummed to say the least. The sales rep told me that they run
that
special periodically, but she didn't know when they would again.

My question to this group: How often does Best Buy offer their "free
installation on any deck over $99" deal? Will I be waiting long if I
decide to wait for that to roll around again?

Thanks much,

flicker

oh, I think he knew that cause he states cost for parts. I understand
people are mislead, but fine print is there for a reason, and we always
inform the customer up front.


"delvryboy" wrote in message
...
i am not in any way saying that BB installers do not know what they are
doing, it's just sometimes the consumer is mislead by the offer of free
installation

....just wanted to let him know it does not include acc.
"mayhemkrew" wrote in message
news:Sx31c.103494$4o.121515@attbi_s52...
That's why it's not free installation...it's free labor. You get us to
do
it for free. Some people do not have all the tools to do it themselves
and
ending up breaking something in doing it. Sure there are ALOT of BBY &
CC
stores that have some really ****ty installers, but go by word of mouth.
My
bay, we get customers as far as 200 miles to come to us just from word
of
mouth. All of our installers are no lower than First Class MECP
certified
and one is Master Certified. All of us came from smaller "custom" shops
that either went out of business, were treated like crap, or were not
paid
faily. I do miss doing all the custom stuff, cause Best Buy doesn't do
all
that (although, I do occassionally get a little fancy makin amp racks
and
such), but it's easier work for more pay.

"delvryboy" wrote in message
...
the thing about the free installation is...it's not actually free

they charge a shop fee, install a wiring harness(you pay), and a dash
mounting kit(you pay)

so even with free installation...you are still paying an additional
$50
out
the door

my advice...usually you can find authorized decks on cruthfield
cheaper
than
BB or CC....they come with the wiring harness, mounting kit, detailed
instructions for your particular vehicle, and phone support

probably the best first step for the newb entering the DIY world
"flicker" wrote in message
.. .
I'm in the market for a new CD player for my car. On Saturday I
went
to
Best Buy to see what they had to offer.

I was happy to find out that they were offering "free installation
on
any
deck over $99." Sounded good to me. I picked out a few decks that
I
was
interested in, wrote down the model numbers, and went home to
research
these units and to think about it.

I made my decision, and headed back to Best Buy on Sunday. I was
sad
to
find out that the free installation deal "ended yesterday." Now if
I
bought a radio, installation would be an extra $52.

I was bummed to say the least. The sales rep told me that they run
that
special periodically, but she didn't know when they would again.

My question to this group: How often does Best Buy offer their
"free
installation on any deck over $99" deal? Will I be waiting long if
I
decide to wait for that to roll around again?

Thanks much,

flicker

You'd be better off not letting Best Buy touch your car. If you're really
looking to save cash, buy your equipment off the net and have it installed
at a
shop. You may not get a warranty with some of those online purchases, but
it
doesn't matter to some people when they can save a ton of cash.

If your goal is to save cash, why bring it to a shop to install?

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 17:26:02 GMT, "mayhemkrew"
wrote:

Don't think that will happen cause I will probably break even. $10 to buy
it, and then close to $5 to ship it. BLAH!




ill be paying for shipping

If your goal is to save cash, why bring it to a shop to install?


I got my speakers and amp (Dynaudio System 240 MKII, Zapco Reference 350)
installed for a total of $1,300 which I think is a pretty good deal considering
the amount of time and effort went into the install (getting the Dyn tweets
into the factory locations in my car was horrid). I got my deck, an Eclipse
CD8443 fully installed with any neccesary pieces (dash adapter, etc...) for
$440. You can get pretty good deals if you shop around. The problem is finding
quality shops.

I got my speakers and amp (Dynaudio System 240 MKII, Zapco Reference 350)
installed for a total of $1,300 which I think is a pretty good deal
considering
the amount of time and effort went into the install (getting the Dyn
tweets
into the factory locations in my car was horrid). I got my deck, an
Eclipse
CD8443 fully installed with any neccesary pieces (dash adapter, etc...)
for
$440. You can get pretty good deals if you shop around. The problem is
finding
quality shops.

I hope you're not talking about American dollars. Otherwise, you got ripped
off.

I hope you're not talking about American dollars. Otherwise, you got ripped
off.


I don't think so. Another shop (Paris Audio in Beverly Hills) wanted $1450 for
the same system and hundreds of dollars in labor up front. A 3rd dealer (Sounds
Good Car Stereo, Woodland Hills) quoted me $1,150 for a similar system using MB
Quart Q series speakers and a JL amp and wanted $95 an hour in labor, and told
me up front they figured on at least 4 hours worth of work. The MSRP on the
Dyns I got is over $1,000 and I paied $750 for them. The only way to get a
better deal than that would've meant buying through an unauthorized online
retailer or off of EBay. I got the product, plus professional installation
(which took around 5-6 hours combined) for $1,300. How much do you honestly
think this stuff should've cost? I looked at other system using Pioneer PRS
speakers and Phoenix Gold Titanium speakers and those would've cost about the
same. I could have saved quite a bit by going with Alpine's 2-way Type X system
but I liked the sound of the Dyns slightly better.

I don't think so. Another shop (Paris Audio in Beverly Hills) wanted $1450
for
the same system and hundreds of dollars in labor up front. A 3rd dealer
(Sounds
Good Car Stereo, Woodland Hills) quoted me $1,150 for a similar system
using MB
Quart Q series speakers and a JL amp and wanted $95 an hour in labor, and
told
me up front they figured on at least 4 hours worth of work. The MSRP on
the
Dyns I got is over $1,000 and I paied $750 for them. The only way to get a
better deal than that would've meant buying through an unauthorized online
retailer or off of EBay. I got the product, plus professional installation
(which took around 5-6 hours combined) for $1,300. How much do you
honestly
think this stuff should've cost? I looked at other system using Pioneer
PRS
speakers and Phoenix Gold Titanium speakers and those would've cost about
the
same. I could have saved quite a bit by going with Alpine's 2-way Type X
system
but I liked the sound of the Dyns slightly better.

Oh! I thought you were just talking about the installation. I didn't know
you meant the equipment too.

Oh! I thought you were just talking about the installation. I didn't know
you meant the equipment too.


LOL, yea! It cost me $1,300 for the Zapco Amp, Dynaudio speaker system, and the
installation.

Oh! I thought you were just talking about the installation. I didn't
know
you meant the equipment too.


LOL, yea! It cost me $1,300 for the Zapco Amp, Dynaudio speaker system,
and the
installation.

$1300's ok I guess. I assume you wanted to pay the extra for the warranty,
which is a decent deal then. I just bought an amp today online and paid a
little extra for a warranty too. I had no other options though. This last
piece put me over the $1000 mark in total, and that's not counting the
computer/LCD etc, and the hack job that I initially paid for to have done
(which I finally fixed this weekend after the ground thawed).

On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 21:29:53 GMT, mayhemkrew wrote:

oh, I think he knew that cause he states cost for parts. I understand
people are mislead, but fine print is there for a reason, and we always
inform the customer up front.


"delvryboy" wrote in message
...
i am not in any way saying that BB installers do not know what they are
doing, it's just sometimes the consumer is mislead by the offer of free
installation

....just wanted to let him know it does not include acc.


Thanks everybody in this thread. I got my question answered and then some.
I didn't realize that 'free installation' was only the labor and not the
parts. Just never thought about it I guess. It does make sense, and I
have no problem with that. And now that I know that they will probably
offer that deal again soon, I'll just wait for it.

So now my question is -- do they sell the parts that are needed for the
installation at a fair price?? Or are they insanely marked up (to make up
some profit on what seems to be a good price on the radio and the
install)??

thanks again everybody,

flicker

On Tue, 2 Mar 2004 00:46:24 -0600, delvryboy wrote:

the thing about the free installation is...it's not actually free

they charge a shop fee, install a wiring harness(you pay), and a dash
mounting kit(you pay)

so even with free installation...you are still paying an additional $50 out
the door

my advice...usually you can find authorized decks on cruthfield cheaper than
BB or CC....they come with the wiring harness, mounting kit, detailed
instructions for your particular vehicle, and phone support

probably the best first step for the newb entering the DIY world


I did think about attempting this, but decided that I don't feel like
dealing with the hassle [and believe me, even if it is very
straightforward, when _I_ do it I would encounter some hassle..hehheh]. If
I can get it with free labor on the installation, that should make up for
any extra mark-up they put on the items needed for installation.

also FWIW - the couple of models at BB that I'm considering are about $10
more on crutchfield (probably because they do include the extras, like you
said).

It's obvious on this message board that some don't think too highly of BB's
install service. I'm not too worried, as mine is a very basic job.
Basically swap out the Denon cd player** that I had installed into my honda
civic about six years ago with a new unit. Nothing fancy, I don't think
they can screw that up.


** was a nice cd player that I'd be happy to keep forever, but the damn
thing started skipping about six months ago, and has gotten worse over
time. Now the slightest bump or curve will make it skip and seek forever
to find it's place again.....

Best Buy's problem seems that they are not willing to pay their employees a
decent wage. You get what you pay for.

"flicker" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 2 Mar 2004 00:46:24 -0600, delvryboy wrote:

the thing about the free installation is...it's not actually free

they charge a shop fee, install a wiring harness(you pay), and a dash
mounting kit(you pay)

so even with free installation...you are still paying an additional $50
out
the door

my advice...usually you can find authorized decks on cruthfield cheaper
than
BB or CC....they come with the wiring harness, mounting kit, detailed
instructions for your particular vehicle, and phone support

probably the best first step for the newb entering the DIY world


I did think about attempting this, but decided that I don't feel like
dealing with the hassle [and believe me, even if it is very
straightforward, when _I_ do it I would encounter some hassle..hehheh].
If
I can get it with free labor on the installation, that should make up for
any extra mark-up they put on the items needed for installation.

also FWIW - the couple of models at BB that I'm considering are about $10
more on crutchfield (probably because they do include the extras, like you
said).

It's obvious on this message board that some don't think too highly of
BB's
install service. I'm not too worried, as mine is a very basic job.
Basically swap out the Denon cd player** that I had installed into my
honda
civic about six years ago with a new unit. Nothing fancy, I don't think
they can screw that up.


** was a nice cd player that I'd be happy to keep forever, but the damn
thing started skipping about six months ago, and has gotten worse over
time. Now the slightest bump or curve will make it skip and seek forever
to find it's place again.....

$1300's ok I guess. I assume you wanted to pay the extra for the warranty

I liked knowing that I was getting a full warranty and an un-used
un-refurbished product. I also liked knowing that a group of well seasonsed
installers were doing the work. Other than that they had 2 switches on the set
improperly (a mistake), they did flawless work, especially getting the tweets
into a difficult location.

This last
piece put me over the $1000 mark in total

I'd already spent over $400 on my deck before spending the extra $1,300 for my
front stage and the amp to power them, so I'm over the $1k mark myself, and I
still need a sub

Heck I get paid very nicely compared to what I was making at a custom shop.
I don't want to quote exact figures, but they pay on experience and
certifications.

"Nikoli Yetti" wrote in message
news:7hb1c.168236$uV3.718433@attbi_s51...
Best Buy's problem seems that they are not willing to pay their employees
a
decent wage. You get what you pay for.

"flicker" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 2 Mar 2004 00:46:24 -0600, delvryboy wrote:

the thing about the free installation is...it's not actually free

they charge a shop fee, install a wiring harness(you pay), and a dash
mounting kit(you pay)

so even with free installation...you are still paying an additional
$50
out
the door

my advice...usually you can find authorized decks on cruthfield
cheaper
than
BB or CC....they come with the wiring harness, mounting kit, detailed
instructions for your particular vehicle, and phone support

probably the best first step for the newb entering the DIY world


I did think about attempting this, but decided that I don't feel like
dealing with the hassle [and believe me, even if it is very
straightforward, when _I_ do it I would encounter some hassle..hehheh].
If
I can get it with free labor on the installation, that should make up
for
any extra mark-up they put on the items needed for installation.

also FWIW - the couple of models at BB that I'm considering are about
$10
more on crutchfield (probably because they do include the extras, like
you
said).

It's obvious on this message board that some don't think too highly of
BB's
install service. I'm not too worried, as mine is a very basic job.
Basically swap out the Denon cd player** that I had installed into my
honda
civic about six years ago with a new unit. Nothing fancy, I don't think

they can screw that up.


** was a nice cd player that I'd be happy to keep forever, but the damn
thing started skipping about six months ago, and has gotten worse over
time. Now the slightest bump or curve will make it skip and seek
forever
to find it's place again.....

Well the prices are over priced I will say that, however Best Buy will
replace them for free if they ever fail. They are not over priced compared
to like Circuit City or anything...but are more than like Walmart, which
uses crap parts that look bad in the vehicle. If you can find the exact
same parts that BBY uses for cheaper, they shouldn't have any problem using
them. And exact, I mean exact same model number from Metra or Scosche, etc.

"flicker" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 21:29:53 GMT, mayhemkrew wrote:

oh, I think he knew that cause he states cost for parts. I understand
people are mislead, but fine print is there for a reason, and we always
inform the customer up front.


"delvryboy" wrote in message
...
i am not in any way saying that BB installers do not know what they are
doing, it's just sometimes the consumer is mislead by the offer of free
installation

....just wanted to let him know it does not include acc.


Thanks everybody in this thread. I got my question answered and then
some.
I didn't realize that 'free installation' was only the labor and not the
parts. Just never thought about it I guess. It does make sense, and I
have no problem with that. And now that I know that they will probably
offer that deal again soon, I'll just wait for it.

So now my question is -- do they sell the parts that are needed for the
installation at a fair price?? Or are they insanely marked up (to make up
some profit on what seems to be a good price on the radio and the
install)??

thanks again everybody,

flicker

about every other week... they match the deals when circuit city runs i
and vice versa....


though honestly, i would recommend doing it yourself.. there are ton
of sources for help doing it yourself.

flicker posted

I'm in the market for a new CD player for my car. On Saturday I wen
to
Best Buy to see what they had to offer.

I was happy to find out that they were offering "free installation o
any
deck over $99." Sounded good to me. I picked out a few decks that
was
interested in, wrote down the model numbers, and went home to research
these units and to think about it.

I made my decision, and headed back to Best Buy on Sunday. I was sa
to
find out that the free installation deal "ended yesterday." Now if I
bought a radio, installation would be an extra $52.

I was bummed to say the least. The sales rep told me that they ru
that
special periodically, but she didn't know when they would again.

My question to this group: How often does Best Buy offer their "free
installation on any deck over $99" deal? Will I be waiting long if I
decide to wait for that to roll around again?

Thanks much,

flicke
-
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