BestBuy on ebay, PNY, screwed me (kind of)

[VirtualLarry]

I've ordered a bunch of power-bank (cell-phone portable batteries) made by PNY from Ebay's site.

I could get Chinese ones off of ebay, for probably half or a third of the price, but PNY is an American company, and I trust their products. BestBuy is one of their official retailers.

Well, two months or so ago, I ordered some of their newest model power banks, the ones with the white LED light on them, and a backlit LCD readout of the charge capacity, and a button to press to see the LCD and activate the light. They are really nice.

And on ebay, somewhat cheap.

They come in 5200mAh, 7800mAh, and 10800mAh sizes. And they come in 1x, 2x, and 4x packs.

These multi-packs, on BestBuy's ebay site, show 2x or 4x of the power banks, staggered, in the picture. The prices are also 2x or 4x (roughly) the price of the single-unit packs.

However, distressingly, they do not state "4-pack" anywhere in the header, or description.

Kind of a wink, wink, nudge, nudge, multi-pack for you, thing.

I just knew that was going to cause problems, eventually, with a lazy / stupid /.or just plain un-attentive packer.

Two months ago, I ordered a 2x pack of the 7800, and a 4x pack of the 10800. I received all of them, properly.

The 10800 are somewhat physically larger in my pocket, so I thought that I would buy some more of the 7800 units, while they were still available. 1x is like $11.99 or $12.99, 4x is like $45.99.

I ordered the 4x pack, and I received it today. There was only a single power bank in the box.

The packing slip, listed qty 1, but the actual product model number and description, mentioned "MultiPack" explicitly, and also contained "X4" and "4".

When I received it, I contacted BestBuy through ebay, and told them that I had only received one of the units, and not the multi-pack that I ordered and paid for.

I asked for either: 1) shipping me the remaining three units, or 2) a pro-rated refund of 3/4 of my purchase price.

Their response? Oh, you can return them at your local store.

1) When I use ebay, I don't want to have to go to a retail store.
2) I have health complications right now, that make it a hassle to go to their store, which is in the next town over from me.
3) Why they can't just push a few buttons, issue me a pro-rated refund for the items that I did not receive, and make me happy, and fulfill their obligations as a seller, is beyond me. I know that they can do this too, as they had to do that some other year, when I ordered a qty of one of their clearance items, that they couldn't ship me the full qty that I ordered, and split-shipped them between warehouses.

Now, this item appears to have been drop-shipped by PNY themselves, so I guess they should shoulder most of the blame for the packing mishap, but BestBuy sold them to me, and I have no direct contact with the drop-shipper, only BestBuy.

So where should I go from here? Anyone want to fill me in on how to proceed with an ebay dispute, for "not as described"?

Edit: I mean, this is a simple mistake in packing, I've had it happen before with other vendors, although especially with Chinese vendors offering multi-packs of items, and me ordering a qty., of the multi-packs, and only getting one.

I would hate to think that BestBuy is somehow INTENTIONALLY implementing this sort of thing, to emulate the Chinese sellers.

Anyways, simple mistake, should be simple to fix, right? Just give me a pro-rated refund and send me on my way. But they seem to not want to do that.

 

[Paladin3]

You are essentially asking for 1) a single-pack for 1/4 the price of the 4-pack, or 2) four single-packs for the price of a four-pack. Most retailers won't do that because a single-pack x 4 is not interchangeable with single 4-pack in their inventory system.

Either call them and ask a manager if they will make an exception for you, or return it at the B&M store like everyone else. It's not their fault you find it a hassle to leave the house, regardless of the reason.

If they stick to their policy and refuse, then you have the right to not do future business with them. Or you can stick to your outrage and "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" conspiracy theory that Best Buy did this intentionally, but it's major weak sauce.

 

[Crono]

Dispute through ebay/paypal or through your credit/debit card if you used one. Physical returns isn't a requirement for any other store operating on ebay as far as I know.

 

[Not So Mild]

Nah, the second one he received says x4 and multipack, they know it's a multipack and was just mis-shipped. I'm pretty certain the dispute has to be handled through ebay, or paypal (assuming that's how you paid). I've worked at Best Buy, and we'd rarely touch anything in store that you ordered from our own website, and I've never had someone try to return an item from eBay, but I can promise you, I'd say no.

 

[Rifter]

You are essentially asking for 1) a single-pack for 1/4 the price of the 4-pack, or 2) four single-packs for the price of a four-pack. Most retailers won't do that because a single-pack x 4 is not interchangeable with single 4-pack in their inventory system.

Either call them and ask a manager if they will make an exception for you, or return it at the B&M store like everyone else. It's not their fault you find it a hassle to leave the house, regardless of the reason.

If they stick to their policy and refuse, then you have the right to not do future business with them. Or you can stick to your outrage and "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" conspiracy theory that Best Buy did this intentionally, but it's major weak sauce.

I think you missed the part where he ordered from ebay and did not buy it from bestbuy physical location.

To the OP id just file paypal dispute, and order another 4 pack.

 

[DesiPower]

Just open a case on ebay saying you did not receive what you ordered. If BB does not respond in 7 days you get full refund and free return shipping... I never understand why people complain about ebay, the MOST buyer friendly site on the planet... There is of course a bit of a hassle of return and wait and all, if you want to avoid that, then you pay full retail. If you want the discount, then you gamble on the hassle. But screwed? you never are on ebay, as a buyer of course, now seller? that's a different story.

 

[Crono]

Just open a case on ebay saying you did not receive what you ordered. If BB does not respond in 7 days you get full refund and free return shipping... I never understand why people complain about ebay, the MOST buyer friendly site on the planet...

Probably because it sucks if you are a seller. Also even as a buyer I much preferred when ebay was more small-seller friendly since it meant a greater number of auctions. It's been years since I've found really good auction deals on ebay with any consistency.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You are essentially asking for 1) a single-pack for 1/4 the price of the 4-pack, or 2) four single-packs for the price of a four-pack. Most retailers won't do that because a single-pack x 4 is not interchangeable with single 4-pack in their inventory system.

Except... the "4-pack" is simply four of the individually-packaged units in an OEM box. Basically, an OEM case. I effectively ordered an OEM case, and they sent me a single unit. Why can't they refund my OEM case price, and charge me for a single unit?

Edit: There's no separate UPC for the OEM case / 4x multi-pack, although the model # is different for the multi-pack.

Either call them and ask a manager if they will make an exception for you, or return it at the B&M store like everyone else. It's not their fault you find it a hassle to leave the house, regardless of the reason.

Not an ebay user, or online shopper, I see. Have fun supporting those dead B&M stores 10 years in the future.

It's not my fault they are hassling me by shipping me the wrong item/qty, regardless of the reason.

If they stick to their policy and refuse, then you have the right to not do future business with them. Or you can stick to your outrage and "nudge, nudge, wink, wink" conspiracy theory that Best Buy did this intentionally, but it's major weak sauce.

Or open a not-as-described case. Which I would surely win.

 

[Paladin3]

When I received it, I contacted BestBuy through ebay, and told them that I had only received one of the units, and not the multi-pack that I ordered and paid for.

I asked for either: 1) shipping me the remaining three units, or 2) a pro-rated refund of 3/4 of my purchase price.

Their response? Oh, you can return them at your local store.

So what did you do? Return it or open a dispute with eBay? Or did they acquiesce to your demands?

And if you are saying that the product is NOT returnable to a B&M Best Buy then the customer service folks you emailed lied to you. In which case you should open that dispute.

Vote with your wallet and stop doing business with them. That'll show 'em!