My latest Best(?) Buy experience...

[Crusty]

1) Pick out TV online, and check to see it's in stock
2) Goto the store, sales rep says they don't have the model in stock, only a bigger one(go figure)
3) Goto a computer, pull up the website that says it's in stock
4) Find a different sales rep who checks the stock and says they have 2 of them in the store
5) Check out and get the TV home
6) After about a few hours we unpack the TV to find out it's been USED*
7) Call up the store, and tell them what happened
8) They tell us we have to bring the TV back into the store in order to get this settled, unless we want to pay them to come pick it up. They told us there was an Massachusetts law that requires them to charge us if they pick up. Does anyone know if that's true?
9) Then they tell us we will only be able to get $200 back.... unless we want to return the TV for good
10) Call up the 1 800 number to see what they say
11) They transfer us to "Customer Relations", where we get a message saying they are closed
12) Call back, and tell them what happened... tell us they are there and transfer us again immediately, only to get the same damn message


So now, we have a bigass USED 56" DLP LED TV that we paid FULL price for. We are planning on going back into the store tomorrow to make a fuss. I'm going to push for the $200 they promised us, plus the $400 4 year service plan. We have no idea how long the TV was used for, or where it was used.. so no telling what could be wrong with it.


* How did we know it was used? First off, the TV was covered in dust, had some hairs on it, the manual had someones email address + serial number written on it and looked like it had been read several times through, the remote already had the batteries in it and was covered in dust, the power cord was unravelled and around the bottom of the TV, and lastly the packing in the box was all ripped to shreds and the white nylon straps were all in piles on the bottom of the box.

Does anyone know what the standard open box discount is at Best Buy? $200 off a $2200 TV seems a bit low to me.

Unless we can get the 4 yr service plan for free from them, i'm pretty sure we will just return the TV, which will be a giant pain in the ass considering we only know ONE person with a car big enough to transport it.

This was such a huge disappointment, to go through all motions of getting it home only to find it's not what we paid for


edit: To everyone who is saying go buy it at Amazon or somewhere else and have it delivered.. it's just not possible atm. It would need to get here before Saturday.

 

[amdskip]

Someone else posted a thread just like this and the ended up defeating best buy. Maybe someone will remember who posted it.

 

[Parasitic]

Why did you pick BB in the first place?

 

[Crusty]

Originally posted by: Parasitic
Why did you pick BB in the first place?

Limited store selection around here, and they had what we wanted in stock.

 

[OUCaptain]

I'd push for swapping it with a new one (obviosly open the box and verify) and the $400 4 year service plan.

edit: Perhaps you've also learned your lesson about shopping at BB. I was rather upset this year when I got a BB gift card. It was either break my boycott, or throw $50 away.

 

[Crusty]

Originally posted by: OUCaptain
I'd push for swapping it with a new one (obviosly open the box and verify) and the $400 4 year service plan.

The problem with that is the same problem we have with returning the TV. It's a PITA to get a car to get the TV back and forth, and Best Buy wants to charge us for picking up and delivering. /sigh

 

[jpeyton]

I'm curious, why did you buy a TV from Best Buy without doing the DirecTV sign-up for an instant $300 off?

 

[akshatp]

If you bought it on a CC, just call the cc company and dispute the charge. Take pics of the tv, remote, packing, etc and you have a strong case. You might end up getting a free tv, albeit used...

 

[Crusty]

Originally posted by: jpeyton
I'm curious, why did you buy a TV from Best Buy without doing the DirecTV sign-up for an instant $300 off?

I was unaware of this deal, and nobody in the store mentioned it to me. In fact, just about the only thing they were sure we knew was that they did not work on commisions and they didn't actually have the TV we bought in stock.

Got a link to the details on this?

 

[Captante]

Originally posted by: Crusty

Originally posted by: OUCaptain
I'd push for swapping it with a new one (obviosly open the box and verify) and the $400 4 year service plan.

The problem with that is the same problem we have with returning the TV. It's a PITA to get a car to get the TV back and forth, and Best Buy wants to charge us for picking up and delivering. /sigh

Regardless of it being a PITA, its the only way you'll end up feeling satisfied.

Borrow the car, take it back & make them give you a verified new one with at least $200 off the price if it & do it asap ... the longer you wait, the better chance there is you'll get screwed again.

 

[Capt Caveman]

Originally posted by: akshatp
If you bought it on a CC, just call the cc company and dispute the charge. Take pics of the tv, remote, packing, etc and you have a strong case. You might end up getting a free tv, albeit used...

He's not going to get a free tv out of this. His only options are going to be getting the current used tv at a discount, accepting a new one in it's place or returning it for a full refund.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: Crusty

Originally posted by: jpeyton
I'm curious, why did you buy a TV from Best Buy without doing the DirecTV sign-up for an instant $300 off?

I was unaware of this deal, and nobody in the store mentioned it to me. In fact, just about the only thing they were sure we knew was that they did not work on commisions and they didn't actually have the TV we bought in stock.

Got a link to the details on this?

Text

They have it advertised every week. The other discounts are a little tougher to get, but the the DirecTV discount is easy. Just pick any TV over $999, sign-up for DirecTV (you do this over the phone in-store), the Best Buy salesperson rings up your TV with a promotional SKU that deducts $300 from the price, then you call DirecTV anytime before your installation appointment to cancel. There is no contract and no cancellation charge; you keep the $300 discount on your TV.

I've done this a few times (for myself, relatives, and friends); 100% success rate. But remember, it is in-store only.

 

[Crusty]

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: Crusty

Originally posted by: jpeyton
I'm curious, why did you buy a TV from Best Buy without doing the DirecTV sign-up for an instant $300 off?

I was unaware of this deal, and nobody in the store mentioned it to me. In fact, just about the only thing they were sure we knew was that they did not work on commisions and they didn't actually have the TV we bought in stock.

Got a link to the details on this?

Text

They have it advertised every week. The other discounts are a little tougher to get, but the the DirecTV discount is easy. Just pick any TV over $999, sign-up for DirecTV (you do this over the phone in-store), the Best Buy salesperson rings up your TV with a promotional SKU that deducts $300 from the price, then you call DirecTV anytime before your installation appointment to cancel.

I wonder if this would stack with the 10% coupon we used. Original price was $2199 I think, after tax we paid just over $2000 for it. If we could get the 4yr plan, $200 off the price, and the $300 back from this that would put the TV around $1500 - $400 for the service plan. I would take this TV used for that price!

I'll definitely give it a try when we go into the store tomorrow to bitch.

 

[jpeyton]

Originally posted by: Crusty
I wonder if this would stack with the 10% coupon we used. Original price was $2199 I think, after tax we paid just over $2000 for it. If we could get the 4yr plan, $200 off the price, and the $300 back from this that would put the TV around $1500 - $400 for the service plan. I would take this TV used for that price!

I'll definitely give it a try when we go into the store tomorrow to bitch.

Stacking multiple discounts is always YMMV with Best Buy. But at least you have a bargaining chip; threaten to return your 'used' TV if they don't. I know for a fact that the DirecTV discount works on open-boxed TVs.

 

[Crusty]

Originally posted by: akshatp
If you bought it on a CC, just call the cc company and dispute the charge. Take pics of the tv, remote, packing, etc and you have a strong case. You might end up getting a free tv, albeit used...

So you are saying I basically steal the TV from Best Buy? We have until Jan 31st to get this settled, albeit it should never have happened in the first place. If we still don't have it settled by them we'll dispute the charge and leave the TV at Best Buy.

People who abuse the system are the reason why it's so fucked up to begin with.

 

[Sluggo]

Not to derail, but I cant determine if you are buying the service plan or not.

Our Samsung DLP just died today, just 90 days after the 1 year warranty was up, so I am glad we bought the service plan from BB when we bought it last year. Assuming of course that they can fix the TV.

 

[vrbaba]

How is the picture quality? Any dead pixels, etc. what not?

Usually there is a 10-15% discount for open items. So i think thats where the 100 is coming from, right?

Why couldnt you just go back to the store with the TV unless you had a taxi or other transportation method not available now. It would have been settled right then. If you have to pay, the manager should give you enough discount to cover for the transportation costs.

Good luck resolving this. Most people (the online deal hunting community) only shops at BB for specific deals and try to squeeze every bit out of them. Their phone support sucks, and customer service over phone or in stor is incompetent.

 

[vrbaba]

Originally posted by: Sluggo
Not to derail, but I cant determine if you are buying the service plan or not.

Our Samsung DLP just died today, just 90 days after the 1 year warranty was up, so I am glad we bought the service plan from BB when we bought it last year. Assuming of course that they can fix the TV.

Its a ymmv when it comes to dying TVs. Im guessing your Bulb went out?

I have a Samsung DLP thats still going strong for over 3 years. I havent heard of many DLPs dying. Usually the replacement bulb is about the same cost as the 3/4 year plan, so it might not be worth it.

 

[vrbaba]

Originally posted by: Crusty

Originally posted by: jpeyton

Originally posted by: Crusty

Originally posted by: jpeyton
I'm curious, why did you buy a TV from Best Buy without doing the DirecTV sign-up for an instant $300 off?

I was unaware of this deal, and nobody in the store mentioned it to me. In fact, just about the only thing they were sure we knew was that they did not work on commisions and they didn't actually have the TV we bought in stock.

Got a link to the details on this?

Text

They have it advertised every week. The other discounts are a little tougher to get, but the the DirecTV discount is easy. Just pick any TV over $999, sign-up for DirecTV (you do this over the phone in-store), the Best Buy salesperson rings up your TV with a promotional SKU that deducts $300 from the price, then you call DirecTV anytime before your installation appointment to cancel.

I wonder if this would stack with the 10% coupon we used. Original price was $2199 I think, after tax we paid just over $2000 for it. If we could get the 4yr plan, $200 off the price, and the $300 back from this that would put the TV around $1500 - $400 for the service plan. I would take this TV used for that price!

I'll definitely give it a try when we go into the store tomorrow to bitch.

You are unlikely getting the 4-yr plan for free, but depends. Either case, when you are bitching, also throw in that "I wasnt told about the DirecTV deal, and since I just bought this nice big Hd tv, i want to get HD channels and football sunday ticket." they should do a return rebuy.

Or you can try to get a new tv (which is really NEW) and have them add the 4yr plan for free and get 300 off for directv.

 

[Sluggo]

Originally posted by: vrbaba

Originally posted by: Sluggo
Not to derail, but I cant determine if you are buying the service plan or not.

Our Samsung DLP just died today, just 90 days after the 1 year warranty was up, so I am glad we bought the service plan from BB when we bought it last year. Assuming of course that they can fix the TV.

Its a ymmv when it comes to dying TVs. Im guessing your Bulb went out?

I have a Samsung DLP thats still going strong for over 3 years. I havent heard of many DLPs dying. Usually the replacement bulb is about the same cost as the 3/4 year plan, so it might not be worth it.

I figured the 1 bulb replacement that was covered would negate the cost of the 4 year service plan, thats basically why we bought it. as of now, I can see the bulb lit up through the back of the TV, so I dont think its the bulb, but the screen will not light up. It attempts to power up for about 30 seconds, the "lamp" LED flashes during this time. After about 30 seconds it shuts itself back off to standby mode. Unplugging the TV for an hour or so didnt seem to help any, so we will see what the dude says on Wednesday.

 

[vrbaba]

Originally posted by: Sluggo

Originally posted by: vrbaba

Originally posted by: Sluggo
Not to derail, but I cant determine if you are buying the service plan or not.

Our Samsung DLP just died today, just 90 days after the 1 year warranty was up, so I am glad we bought the service plan from BB when we bought it last year. Assuming of course that they can fix the TV.

Its a ymmv when it comes to dying TVs. Im guessing your Bulb went out?

I have a Samsung DLP thats still going strong for over 3 years. I havent heard of many DLPs dying. Usually the replacement bulb is about the same cost as the 3/4 year plan, so it might not be worth it.

I figured the 1 bulb replacement that was covered would negate the cost of the 4 year service plan, thats basically why we bought it. as of now, I can see the bulb lit up through the back of the TV, so I dont think its the bulb, but the screen will not light up. It attempts to power up for about 30 seconds, the "lamp" LED flashes during this time. After about 30 seconds it shuts itself back off to standby mode. Unplugging the TV for an hour or so didnt seem to help any, so we will see what the dude says on Wednesday.

Check the manual if you havent already. Depending on how the 'Lamp' led flashes, it can give you some indications. Sounds like the bulb. I didnt know you could actually see it in the back. But check the manual. Just to save you some trouble from those BB "experts". Of course, you DONT want to tell them if you figured it out. If they cant figure it out, they should be able to give you a new TV as a replacement

 

[Delta6Echo]

Did you do any research at all? You do know we have a Hot Deals forum, right?

http://forums.anandtech.com/ca...atid=40&flcache=572905

LED televisions are not out yet. It sounds like you bought a rear-projection TV for $2K and you did it at Best Buy....WOW!

 

[Sphexi]

Return it for a full refund, give the store manager the finger, and go somewhere that doesn't treat customers like crap.

 

[Epic Fail]

Originally posted by: vrbaba
Why couldnt you just go back to the store with the TV unless you had a taxi or other transportation method not available now. It would have been settled right then. If you have to pay, the manager should give you enough discount to cover for the transportation costs.

Driving and hauling a big ass TV is a fun thing for you to do?

 

[ColdFusion718]

Originally posted by: Crusty

1) Pick out TV online, and check to see it's in stock
2) Goto the store, sales rep says they don't have the model in stock, only a bigger one(go figure)
3) Goto a computer, pull up the website that says it's in stock
4) Find a different sales rep who checks the stock and says they have 2 of them in the store
5) Check out and get the TV home
6) After about a few hours we unpack the TV to find out it's been USED*
7) Call up the store, and tell them what happened
8) They tell us we have to bring the TV back into the store in order to get this settled, unless we want to pay them to come pick it up. They told us there was an Massachusetts law that requires them to charge us if they pick up. Does anyone know if that's true?
9) Then they tell us we will only be able to get $200 back.... unless we want to return the TV for good
10) Call up the 1 800 number to see what they say
11) They transfer us to "Customer Relations", where we get a message saying they are closed
12) Call back, and tell them what happened... tell us they are there and transfer us again immediately, only to get the same damn message


So now, we have a bigass USED 56" DLP LED TV that we paid FULL price for. We are planning on going back into the store tomorrow to make a fuss. I'm going to push for the $200 they promised us, plus the $400 4 year service plan. We have no idea how long the TV was used for, or where it was used.. so no telling what could be wrong with it.


* How did we know it was used? First off, the TV was covered in dust, had some hairs on it, the manual had someones email address + serial number written on it and looked like it had been read several times through, the remote already had the batteries in it and was covered in dust, the power cord was unravelled and around the bottom of the TV, and lastly the packing in the box was all ripped to shreds and the white nylon straps were all in piles on the bottom of the box.

Does anyone know what the standard open box discount is at Best Buy? $200 off a $2200 TV seems a bit low to me.

Unless we can get the 4 yr service plan for free from them, i'm pretty sure we will just return the TV, which will be a giant pain in the ass considering we only know ONE person with a car big enough to transport it.

This was such a huge dissapointment, to go through all motions of getting it home only to find it's not what we paid for

Go buy the 52" Samsung LN-T5271 TV from Amazon for $2554 (free white glove shipping service, no tax unless you live in Washington). I bought mine during Black Friday and it was a completely painless experience for me. Plus, if they drop the price within 30 days, you can call them for a price adjustment. I have the 1800 number and how to get a CSR on the phone within 30 seconds. I've done 2 price adjustments--$100 and $144.99 and both took no more than 5 minutes on the phone.

It's an LCD TV though so unless you really want to get a DLP, I recommend this TV. It blows the other ones away.

EDIT: I know you live in Massachusetts, OP. I just mentioned the blip about tax in Washington for those who are from that state.