Hello all,

While I can't suggest that I'm my story is intriuging as Skybirds, I too am moving to a new job. For those of you who have read my "help wanted" threads or my occasional replies to your inquires, you knew me as the Custom Installation Manager for Magnolia Audio Video in Northern California. Now I've been offered - and I've accepted - a new position with our parent company (Best Buy). I'll now be (I think this is correct) a Technical Training Manager (and Subject Matter Expert) responsible for training our new Magnolia Home Theater installers. This will require me to move from paradise (San Francisco Bay Area) to Minneapolis. I'm leaving this weekend - driving across the country in my little SUV, pulling a trailer and trying to keep my two cats from killing me - and will start my new job in a week or so.

So, why should you care? Well, I know from many, many past threads that the group concensus on "big box retail" installation work is that it is not exemplary. In many cases you have been correct. I plan on changing that, one installer at a time. I believe that everyone will benefit from raising the bar for install, whether that is done in a "mom and pop" or a 600+ store chain. I'm sure a few of you will disagree.

On the plus side, the fact that I will no longer have any employee's (just co-workers) means that I won't be clogging up this forum with more pleas for people to come on board. On the other hand, we will be needing an insane number of new installers all over the country as we open new locations, so if anyone is interested...

I'll continue to contribute here when I can and hopefully my new relationships with vendors (I'll also be responsible for training sales people in the are of selling installed and multi-room systems) will allow me to get some answers that no one else has had any luck with. I'll also follow my core mantra of quality in my work and do my best to instill that in our new installers. I'd really like to know if I'm successful. With that in mind, I'd really appreciate it if you all would let me know when you run into any horror stories concerning our installers. I'm not looking for 2nd and 3rd hand examples ("my friends sisters cousin had an install done...) but stuff you are factually aware of.

If anyone wishes to contact me about this (or any other matter I post here) you can reach me at my personal email address: [email protected]
I don't know what my BBY email will be at this point, but I'll update my bio here when I have that info.

Thanks for listening,

Jeff Wagner

Jeff,

That's great! Congratulations on the new position!

I think I'll take you up on your offer to find new installers. I am actually a "remote guy" who does consultation and programming, with primary expertise in Home Theater Master / Universal Remote Control. My former position was a Lead Tech Support Agent for them , so I know them pretty well and do a lot of sub-contract work for installers who don't want to spend time with the remotes, but just mark up my programming costs instead. It works out for everyone.

I'll drop you an e-mail.



Thank you,
Damon DG
= = = = =
Control Systems Consultant & Programmer

Good for you Jeff! We know each other from the SPoT (I use MichaelH there) and I'm sorry to hear you are leaving the Bay Area, but what an opportunity! I must say I think you have your work cut out for you as whenever I am having any trouble closing a small to medium sized deal, I send the client to BB with the challenge to get good help and if they do, by all means call me let me know so I can be excited for them. ...I always get the job after they visit one of the stores. Not trying to be negative, just hope you're not TOO successful! ;)

Seriously though, I do believe in what you mentioned that if the bar is raised across the board we all win. I have long feared that BB would screw up Magnolia when they bought them. If they are instead taking the best of the best and moving them to Corporate to learn from and improve system-wide well then Magnolia is going to fix BB.... and I say AMEN!

Have a safe drive across and the very best to you in this new chapter!

Are you saying Minnesota isn't paradise in wintertime?


Anyhow, welcome to Minnesota. Hope it treats you well.

Or should that read, "in my little SUV, pulling a trailer and trying to keep from killing my two cats".

Sorry, I own a cat and could not imagine the ordeal of driving a thousand or so miles with the cat in the car. Going to the vet is bad enough!

LOL!

My vet is 1 mile from my house and the sounds my two cats make there and back are not for the faint of heart.

ask your vet about kitty tranquilizers.. you'll thank him later...

I let my Siamese out of its carrying case and let her wonder around the car. Yes, the sounds she made did practically break my heart. But she became much more calm when she was able to walk around. It was great when she rested herself on my lap as I was driving. Now she is happily awaiting the spring thaw so she can continue mousing. Some city cat she turned out to be once she hit the burbs.

Alan

It's called a hammer.

Those of us that have and like cats would be happy to suggest some other uses for that hammer.

Good luck with that. I'm glad it's you instead of me. There are a few parts of your story that would scare the s*** out of me, and none of them include the cats.

H.B.

Don't forget your parka!
Corporate America!
The scene in "Chrismas Vacation" comes to mind...
"Merry Christmas, Kiss your a$$, kiss his a$$, etc...

Good luck.

PS. Does this mean you'll have to be a Viking's fan?

Are Best Buys installation rates gonna go up now that they are going to employee instead of subs. I thought it was just crazy having a set price for each type of install. I've showed up at several jobs where the customer paid for one of Best Buys "installs" and they expect me to make it 2 day long custom install. I have made Best Buy look like heros and myself look like an ass. Lets fish 5 speaker wires through insulated walls and hang a plasma and fish video cables for $300.00. Lets just say that didn't last very long. And if you tried to charge the customer extra for stuff that you were allowed to by contract, or had a customer return a cable that you could not use such as a DVI on a tv that only supported HDMI you could be guranteed a call from a Best Buy manager shortly thereafter. I had a store manager tell me to take any cables with me that I could not use. As far as I'm concered thats stealing. And usally to the tune of a $100 cable. Also we were not allowed to sell the customer additional cables. If the salesperson sold the customer a 25' roll of speaker wire to do 5 speakers we had to wait for the customer to go to Best Buy or reschedule and make a free trip. One time we had a real simple plasma install. 42" panasonic. Customer was sold an LCD mount. Took three trips to get it right. Spent well over an hour sitting in the truck waiting for the customer.


Ok sorry for the rant.

Your homework is just one thing, in two parts:

Find out who to talk to who can implement discrete IR codes in all products, talk to them, and give us their email addresses.


Wait, that was three. Oh well. Please try.

BB or not, I'll give you my highest respect if you can pull this one off!!!!

Congrats on your new job!
I hope you've got a WARM winter coat !!

Sounds like you might be on the right track !