Best Buy now issuing return warnings?

[sao123]

They price match Amazon .

I have shopped at 3 local best buys... not a single one of them will pricematch any online vendor.

 

[djnsmith7]

Sometime between the last 1 - 2 months, a manager at a local BB said they stopped all online price matching.

Funny thing is, Fry's has huge banners all over the place saying they match online prices.

 

[Tommy2000GT]

It's because the horders at Slickdeals abused the systems and ruined it for everyone

 

[Ken g6]

What's the scam?

I've heard of people picking up a new item in-store, walking over to the returns counter, and just returning it for cash right there. I suppose that if a receipt was required, one could do the same thing after buying an identical item.

On the other hand, it seems like requiring a receipt and having better inventory control (individually numbering each item, both on the box and on the receipt) would prevent most of this without customer inconvenience. An automatic scale at the customer service desk would help avoid cheap replacement items. A similar scale at the checkout counter would help prevent innocent customers from getting cheap replacement items.

 

[Ns1]

nm

 

[The_Dude8]

Why not? They price match Amazon and have much of what I'm looking for. Even with Prime (which cost's $$$) it'll take way longer to get an item from Amazon. There's no reason for me not to shop there unless it's an item they don't carry.

when did bestbuy start price matching amazon?

 

[TheSpy007]

I have never seen a best buy price match Amazon or any online website that does not have a physical stores. And i worked at two different best buys for 6 years.

 

[Imp]

Mother effer... I just remembered a shitty return experience. Someone bought me Logitech Z-2300 speakers for my birthday, and he supposedly bought them new. When I opened them all the plastic was opened, wire were taped lazilly together.

I initially thought he got me refurbs, being a gift, I didn't care. I just mentioned it and he said he got them new.

Not sure if it was the store or the last asshole.

 

[foghorn67]

I hate Best Buy, but good for them. I hate freeloaders even more than BB.

 

[tboo]

I can't even get them to match their online outlet prices in-store. This may be a new policy, but I'm skeptical.

Not that I have a problem if they have adopted that PM policy. In the end, though, it'll only likely hasten their demise.

This. Where I live BB will only price match local stores which for me means Target & Walmart.

 

[Sephire]

Those damn resellers on Ebay are also to blame. They buy ALL the blu-rays on sale and then return them before 30 days if they don't sell.

 

[Northern Lawn]

I don't really see an issue with this. When's the last time you legitely had to return something twice in a 90 day period? This is to stop people from "trying" things and then returning them. or "renting" them. Kinda like most hardware stores have a free tool rental service. Buy it, use it, return it. Not really suppose to do that.

Well we're doing renovations, but so far no problem from Home Depot.

 

[Northern Lawn]

I hate Best Buy, but good for them. I hate freeloaders even more than BB.

I hate Best Buy too and I only shopped there one time lol.

The very first time I shopped at Best Buy was because I almost bought a video game for $55 from Staples but then I remember Best Buy will beat the price (not just price match but beat the price) by 10% and there just happened to be a Best Buy Next door.

So I go there, pick out the game, I told them about their "beat the competitors by 10% advertisement". I had to go to a different cash register, then I had to wait...they didn't want to do this... ten minutes later they told me it's actually 10% of the difference. So I would save like 50 cents.

I told them to piss off and went back to staples and bought it for full price. Haven't been in a Best Buy since (5 years or so) don't even look at their flyers.

 

[darkswordsman17]

We need another "retail stories" thread. Its really too bad the Consumerist is too much like retail, you can never tell if someone got legitimately screwed or if they're only offering up info that supports them. Having been on both sides, its impossible for me to tell any more unless they can provide extensive proof (which has plenty of times blown up in the person's face).

There were tons of stories about people buying new items at Best Buy and it having a brick or batteries or something in it instead of the actual product. There were a few people that said they'd worked at Best Buy and it wasn't uncommon for their store to just re-shrinkwrap returns so they could sell them as new, and that because of this some employees would actually nab the item and put batteries in. Some customers did this as well (bought the item, put something else inside, shrinkwrapped it back up and returned it).

On this note of discussing some of this stuff, let's not forget the wounded monitor children and some of the other scummy a-holes (like someone mentioned Slickdeals, which I personally thought was significantly less full of a-holes that would lie and make shit up and do all sorts of stuff just to save $5).

Probably not the response OP was looking for.

Anyways, I don't find it surprising that this popped up in the AVS forums. Some of the people there seem to have returning/exchanging equipment as a kind of hobby.

Yeah definitely. The display subforum on Hardforum has a bunch of people like that as well. There's people there that have been told "here's a refund, please take your business elsewhere as we simply cannot appease you" after returning monitors so many times.

Reminds me of the people who abused Costco's return policy. Know how many would abuse the tvs/computers and return them 3-4 years later for a new tv/computer plus a refund? Absurd... which is why Costco has altered their policies. Fuckin' people.

Costco's policy was especially good-natured (read: stupid). They'd allow returns years later, even after they'd stopped carrying the product or the product even being under warranty. So of course when people found out they could return their 1-10 year old TV/computer/etc for the price they paid back when it was new and then get the latest for 50% less than what they'd spent before, every asshole who wanted to or tried to justify it ("they're a corporation", "they screwed me once, when they wouldn't let me use a 50 cent off coupon!") took advantage of it.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Best Buy sucks.

Amazon sells stuff for cheaper

 

[OBLAMA2009]

i dont think ive ever returned anything anywhere that i can remember. if im not sure i want something i dont bother buying it. i wouldnt want to deal with the embarrassment of asking someone to take a return on an opened product or the stupid hassle of driving back to the store etc...

 

[rh71]

Other stores like Babies R Us don't mark things as used when someone returns it - they just sell it as new on the shelves again. If you've ever bought from there, you know that most of their boxes are in crap condition and most look like they were re-taped/re-packaged. It's a crapshoot whether you'll get a brand new one. We've had some items that were obviously used. I don't know whether it's "undocumented" policy that they just put things back on the shelves or if it's just lazy employees which they seem to have a lot of as well.

Another thing I wanted to say is maybe the Chinese have it right by not offering refunds on anything - so much less hassle for them. I also don't buy directly from them because of that.

Its not free, 15% restocking fee or Prime membership required. Fail

I just returned a wifi extender (doesn't work with FIOS router) and surprisingly Amazon paid for return shipping and gave me a full refund no questions asked. It's a few simple clicks on the website, print their form, and drop it off at UPS. Full refund a couple days later. I don't have Prime.

Home Depot has been doing this for years. People like to "rent" items. Its basically to keep track of how many times you return stuff.

I was in the returns line at HD behind a guy who was a contractor and a supervisor came over and told him that was his last return at her store. Apparently he had been "renting" a lot. He fought back and said the "I'm the customer and I'm always right" crap. She wouldn't have any of it - good for her. I've had many returns at Home Depot over the years for valid reasons - so if you're getting flagged there, you're REALLY bad.

 

[dabuddha]

As usual, all this does is screw the honest folk. What's to stop a scammer from getting his friend or SO to return items?

 

[Anubis]

Why not? They price match Amazon and have much of what I'm looking for. Even with Prime (which cost's $$$) it'll take way longer to get an item from Amazon. There's no reason for me not to shop there unless it's an item they don't carry.

did they start doing this last week because they dont even price match their own website from my expirence.

also for me BB would have to be 20+$ cheaper then amazon for it to be a better deal even factoring in shipping time and shipping costs seeing as the closest BB is 50 miles away,

so a 100 mile trip or wait 2 days and get it from amazon, shit for some things id spend more in gas just getting there and back then the cost of the item

 

[Fritzo]

Those damn resellers on Ebay are also to blame. They buy ALL the blu-rays on sale and then return them before 30 days if they don't sell.

LOL- that's both sleazy and brilliant

 

[Thebobo]

Years ago I had a friend who had a Comodore 128 that went bad, they bought another one at Sears - swaped the innards and returned the bad one. D:

 

[Number1]

I hate Best Buy too and I only shopped there one time lol.

The very first time I shopped at Best Buy was because I almost bought a video game for $55 from Staples but then I remember Best Buy will beat the price (not just price match but beat the price) by 10% and there just happened to be a Best Buy Next door.

So I go there, pick out the game, I told them about their "beat the competitors by 10% advertisement". I had to go to a different cash register, then I had to wait...they didn't want to do this... ten minutes later they told me it's actually 10% of the difference. So I would save like 50 cents.

I told them to piss off and went back to staples and bought it for full price. Haven't been in a Best Buy since (5 years or so) don't even look at their flyers.

You're missing out on a lot of good deal you dim wit and for your info, Future Shop is owned by BB.
Reading comprehention is not your strong suit if you tought BB would beat competitors prices by 10%. It's quite clear in their advertisement it's going to be 10% of the difference.. Sounds pretty stupid to boycot a store chain because YOU were not able to comprehend their advertised price match policy.

I love BB and Future Shop. You have to put up with a little bit of bull but at the end of the day you can get great deals.

Is anybody helping out with your renovations? I am a little concerned you might end up paying too much for your hardware.

 

[dabuddha]

You're missing out on a lot of good deal you dim wit and for your info, Future Shop is owned by BB.
Reading comprehention is not your strong suit if you tought BB would beat competitors prices by 10%. It's quite clear in their advertisement it's going to be 10% of the difference.. Sounds pretty stupid to boycot a store chain because YOU were not able to comprehend their advertised price match policy.

I love BB and Future Shop. You have to put up with a little bit of bull but at the end of the day you can get great deals.

Is anybody helping out with your renovations? I am a little concerned you might end up paying too much for your hardware.

Our Lowest Price Guarantee does not apply to advertising errors or misprints, Boxing Day prices, special educational prices, restricted offers, mail order offers, rebates, coupons, premiums, free or bonus offers, OEM products, limited or minimum quantity or limited time offers, close-outs, liquidations, clearances, and financing offers.

The restrictions practically make the "guarantee" useless since it gives them the ability to argue that any sale price at another store is a "limited time offer."

Regardless, fuck Best Buy. It's a piece of shit store run by pieces of shit. I'm not going to rant on about my experiences with those cockroaches but if you care, you can find my old threads.

 

[Northern Lawn]

You're missing out on a lot of good deal you dim wit and for your info, Future Shop is owned by BB.
Reading comprehention is not your strong suit

Yes I know that fucktard, I actually said in a previous post Futureshop is one of my favourite stores and it's owned by best buy. But Futureshop was here long before them, and I've never had a problem with them.

Go back to your welfare line with your welfare cell phone paid by the tax payers so you bums can look for a job. They should make taking a bus and texting a crime in Nova Scotia. That would shut you up fast.

edit: I don't like Best Buy and avoided them for a long time because they are an American Store. Then I heard they bought Futureshop. But first impressions are important.

I give Home Depot a pass because Rona made unreal demands for a business account with them so screw rona. ANd don't you worry about our renovations, it's a little more complicated then digging a new latrene hole.

 

[Northern Lawn]

The restrictions practically make the "guarantee" useless since it gives them the ability to argue that any sale price at another store is a "limited time offer."

Regardless, fuck Best Buy. It's a piece of shit store run by pieces of shit. I'm not going to rant on about my experiences with those cockroaches but if you care, you can find my old threads.

Yes, they are very deceptive.

Yes, FUCK BEST BUY!!

and YES FUCK NOVA SCOTIA's unemployable masses.

Edit: I'm done cursing for now.