Reputation: Fry's has a great reputation as a privately held company. This family-owned business was started by a group of brothers who are still involved in the daily operations of the company.
Products: Fry's has PCs, Apple Computers, iPads, Smart Tablets, e-readers, and even appliances. There are also software products, audio items, and toys/games available for customers. We felt like Fry's had one of the broadest selections of categories in this industry.
Shipping and Customer Service: Fry's has a truly global reach, with both domestic and international shipping. Some items on the website ship for free, while others have shipping starting at $1.99. Also, there is a 30-day return policy, as well as a 30-day price matching policy.

Fry's also makes it very easy to pay for your purchase. While they don't take any online payment such as PayPal, we found that they were set up to do money transfers, money orders and personal checks (if you purchase an item via mail), and gift cards or Fry's credit cards. They also make it very easy to do business with tax-exempt businesses. One aspect of their product line that was beneficial was their items for existing electronics. We found that we could find batteries for most MP3 players and other accessories. Fry's also offered a barebones computer system for customers that might want to purchase something basic to start with. It's also possible to purchase electronics from Fry's in order to create a custom computing system. We also felt like they had a selection of Apple computing products similar to that of the Apple Store. We looked at some of their computers, especially their MacBook Pro 15" Retina. With other retailers, such as Best Buy, we only found a few Apple models. Fry's has the latest MacBooks and iMacs available for customers, offering the newest systems that Apple has to offer.

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The Bad

Lacking software
Support for Apple customers
Lots of items are sold out

Overall, we felt like Fry's was a great company to do business with. There were a couple of things, however, that we felt that they could do better on. These are listed as follows:

We would like to see more software available their website. For example, there weren't many Adobe products to choose from. Many of the standard products sold for graphic designers via Adobe were not available through their website. Also, some of their software titles are only available in stores.
Support for Apple Computers: While we loved the number of Apple computers available from Fry's, we had some qualms about the limited number of Mac accessories that were available. There were only a few keyboards and mice available from Fry's, whereas the Apple website had a lot more.
The availability of certain items was questionable. Due to the holidays, many items were sold out. For example, we found a great 16 GB Kindle Fire for $199. However, due to the high demand of this item, it was sold out. If an item is sold out on the website, then perhaps it should be removed from the catalog.

The most frequent complaint involved issues with products/service. Many customers had a hard time with the turnaround time on their repair. Other customers had an issue with trying to get in touch with a manager over their repair. Even though Fry's has a great reputation, better customer service can help address these complaints.

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The Bottom Line

We recommend purchasing electronics from Fry's without reservation. Here is what we liked about Fry's:

A family-owned business with a great reputation: Fry's has stores in most major areas in the country so it is easy to pick up an online purchase. There are also easy domestic shipping options to all 48 contiguous states.
Free Delivery on Many Items: On the website, Fry's often indicates that they have free online shipping with a little logo next to the item.
The high number and variety of products available: Fry's offers computing brands from every major brand name, from Apple to HP. They also sell the Kindle Fire, iPad, and other accessories.
The 30-day price matching guarantee and the 30-day return policy are among the most generous in the industry.

Here are some things that Fry's could improve upon:

The number of software products that are available on the website in comparison to the store, as well as an increase in the number of software types available (Adobe CS was not included on the website).
Some customer service improvement might be warranted by the complaints we have read.
When items become unavailable, they should be removed from the website. Also, for high demand items, Fry's should increase their inventory in order to get rid of the "one item per household rule," which we saw with the 16 GB Kindle Fire.

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KEVINZE2 Chula Vista, CA

BEWARE YOU BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY AND STORE LOCATION OFF STONEBRIDGE ROAD YOU WILL LITERALLY RECEIVE THE WORST CUSTOMER SERVICE IN HISTORY. ALL THEY WANT IS YOUR MONEY AND GET YOU IN AND OUT. ANY PROBLEMS WITH ANYTHING DO NOT I REPEAT DO NOT EXPECT A PHONE CALL BACK (TAKEN ME OVER 7-8 CALLS NOW AND NOTHING). THEY WILL AVOID YOU LIKE A PLAGUE! I HAVE A MANUFACTURE RMA APPROVAL FROM SAMSUNG FOR STORE CREDIT REGARDING ANOTHER TV I BOUGHT FROM THIS FRYS LOCATION AND THEY DO EVERYTHING THEY CAN NOT TO EVEN TRY AND HELP YOU OUT. I HAVE PROBABLY WROTE OVER 100 POSITIVE REVIEWS IN MY LIFE AT 48 YEARS OLD AND LESS THAN 3-4 NEGATIVES ONES AND THIS ONE IS THE WORST. THEY LITERALLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING AND NO WONDER THE LAST COUPLE TIMES I HAVE GONE INTO THIS STORE IS LIKE WALKING INTO A GHOST TOWN. THE SERVICE SUCKS!!

7 years ago

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Lesa Burgess Pleasant Grove, UT

Frys.com doesn't stand by their products. Recently I bought a piece of software for my computer that was going to speed it up. It completely did the opposite to my computer to the point where I had to do a complete system restore. It slowed down my computer until undid the install. After this mishap, I did a little research on the internet and found out that it is a known program to have side effects such as the ones that I had. I don't understand why Frys.com continues to sell this. I was refused a refund because I had already used the software, so alas I was stuck with a faulty software I purchased there. Won't do business again at Frys.com

8 years ago

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Ron LaMee Phoenix, AZ

What a horrible experience... With a recent order: - The product didn't arrive when stated. - Their phone number was busy for an entire morning. - A customer service agent was angry and rude (at 9:30 am in the morning). - Their website web response form gives "Bad URL" when you click submit. - Emails went unanswered. - Store wouldn't accept product return. The story is that I ordered a hard drive to back up a relative's computer. It arrived several days after the stated date when she had gone home. My only recourse was to return the product and pay the shipping, which was unfair under all the circumstances of late delivery, website failure, phone/email runaround and the store's refusal to accept. Ironically, they didn't even have the best price or quickest delivery - Amazon did. However, I've had good luck with Fry's and wanted to give them my business. I have to say that, Fry's has a long ways to go to adopt modern technology and customer experience techniques. They've lost my confidence and business for good.

8 years ago

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edith bearden Downsville, LA

I had ordered the wrong items and I sent an email and they said that I could send it back but there would be a restock fee. I called about sending it back and they said I have to pay to have it sent back. This is the 1st time to use them and I am HIGHLY DISAPPOINTED AND WILL NEVER NEVER USE THEM!!! They are RUDE but I will do what I have to to get some of my money back. I would NOT recommend them to ANYONE!!! They are just a SHAME

7 years ago