Best Buy Pricing Policies

Perry of Washington, DC September 12, 2009

My wife and I sought to purchase a Dell Inspiron laptop, model 1545 from Best Buy for 499.99 on 9/11/09. We asked Andrew, a floor sales associate, about price match and return policy (as we had just returned a non-working Compaq Presario CQ60-420US to Staples, which without hassle refunded our money). We were told the price match policy would apply to our purchase if we found the same model sold by a competitor. We did--the Dell website--for 449.

At the register, a female sales associate denied us the price match; we had to search the store to find Andrew to confirm that what he had been quoted was quoted to us. A female supervisor also denied us; however, Sam, also a supervisor told us that if we found the same model, then they would give us a price match--if the model number, including The SUFFIX was identical.

What? On the Dell website, their model numbers do not include suffixes! Sam proceeded to explain that their model numbers were often exclusive to Best Buy. Therefore, no other competitor would EVER sell that product! Best Buy, with no shame, perpetrates a fraud by advertising a price match guarantee that is impossible to execute.

This is un-American and a bastardization of the principles of capitalism. Don't buy from Best Buy! We walked out of that store with no laptop! We need a laptop for our business. Best Buy missed our 500 over a funky 50!

Jason of wahiawa, HI August 14, 2009

i bought 3 tv's on bestbuy.com on 08/12/2009 at 1:00am samsung 52" at the advertised price for 9.99 since then they changed the price as soon as there web team got into work. and anounced they will not honor the price that it was posted. i also read on the web that people actually got there tv's at that price, but when word started getting out. i have the receit from bestbuy.com

Eva of Greenwood, IN August 12, 2009

I purchase 3 52" tv's advertised on best buy's website as 9.99. they accepted my credit card, gave me a delivery date and gave me a confirmation. My creit card had been hit for over 100.00 (the tv's and shipping) a couple of hours later I received an email stating that my order was cancelled "at my request" when I called them and told them that I did not cancel my order the rep said they did because the sale would not be honored and my money would be refunded. When I threatened to call the news media they said "we have already covered ourselves and you would be the one looking stupid"

John of Fairfield, CA July 22, 2009

I was looking to purchase a flat screen tv. I saw one priced and tagged for 798. There was no other Insignia 50 " model on the floor. to make a long story short they would not give ne the tv for that price and would only take 100 of the correct price. The general manager made that decision and would not even speak to me. I always thought mistakes were always in the customers favor.

Emily of Springfield, MO July 15, 2009

I went to Best Buy last Saturday to buy a laptop. I picked out the one I wanted after extensive research and tried to buy it. After being handled by a computer salesperson who tried to get us to buy unecessary extras (back-up disks for 70 when you can make them yourself, etc.) We were taken to Customer Service - our laptop was taken from us to be "checked."

I asked the CS girl for an application for financing, which she made us get out of the line to fill out (took about 2 minutes, and the line was massive). Now, I have extremely good credit and have never had a problem getting financing or a credit card of any type. However, when they processed my application, they told me it was denied at that they "were not allowed to tell me why." The CS girl said I would get a letter in 30 TO 60 DAYS explaining the reason. I couldn't get my laptop and had to walk out of the store like some credit delinquent.

I went home and tried to apply online where it told me that I had another account past due. After calling a bunch of different places trying to figure out what account they were talking about, I found that one of my credit cards takes 3 business days to apply a payment so it was listed as past due, although paid on time.

When that payment finally registered, I re-applied online because the CS girl at Best Buy told me if I fixed the problem could try again. The Web site wouldn't even let me reapply, telling me I'd already been rejected. There was no way to refile. I called the number listed to ask if there was a way I could try again with a "clean slate" so that they could reaccess my credit report and after talking to 4 different people, I had a man curtly tell me I just needed to reapply in a store and it would be processed as a new app. As you can guess, this didn't work either. The girl at the store's only advice was to call the card company, who told me to go to the store. They're just passing the buck around.

Anyway, I'd also read negative things about their cards so I decided to use my other card. After waiting about 15 minutes for the computer salesman to come back and give us the service agreement, a completely different CS girl came to check us out. This time, our computer had also been taken away, and not yet brought back. The CS girl looked around and grabbed the first computer box she saw and started to check us out. I looked at the label on the box to see if it was the computer we brought over originally. It looked the same and had the same model number - Hp dV4.

The computer I wanted was white, but when I got home and opened it, it was black. I was confused since the sales person told me the computer only comes in white, but decided I like the black one better and I DID NOT want to go back to Best Buy again. However, no matter what I did I couldn't get sound to come out of the speakers.

Then my husband started poking around on it and asked me "Are you supposed to only have a 160MB hard drive?" I was furious! The computer I wanted had a 320MB hard drive. In addition, this computer had one processor, and I was supposed to have a duo processor. The CS girl clearly picked up the wrong box when she checked us out. I checked online and they do have a computer in the store identical to the one I wanted but in a different color and the different hard drive.

What's werid is they cost exactly the same price, so I had no way to know they'd given me the wrong when I paid. So, I have to go back to Best Buy for the FOURTH time tonight to try and get the computer I wanted in the first place. If they don't fix the mistake that THEY'RE EMPLOYEE made, they're going to hear from a lawyer pretty fast.

Tonya of Beaver, Pa., PA July 14, 2009

Major purchases made between 11/08 - 4/09. As I , me, (my) health issues escalated Best Buy's first female representative decidedly chose to take advantage of vulnerable customer's blatant and thoughtless display of a check for 22,000. when customer had applied for a credit payment plan at the store and was rejected by bad "credit status". Poor business practice to use this adjective to describe this young lady's decision on behalf of remaining in her employment with Best Buy is an outright disgrace to what originally was a good company.

Many employees interacted with me and sadly saying, I believe at least one young man even lost his job because of BBuys " blood thirsty policies" oops! Politics. An older senior worker I believe was also terminated during this period of time. Directly correlated with my need for services. This matter is most serious for Best Buy, so I would kindly suggest you scrutenize any strategy in regard to resolving this matter quickly, quietly and with the upmost integrity at your disposal.

Robert of Rio Rancho, NM June 5, 2009

We have a problem with Best Buys payment plane.We bought a stove and they send us a statement to pay before we even got the stove delieverd and charges us late payments. They demand that if we have a payment do on 6/8/09 we post it 5 days earler so they can process it. Why? I don't understand any other co. I have ever had dealing with we posted our payment on the day it was due. They never explained to us the way they do it.

They also have no grace periot if you are late. We call customer service. We get no service with them the customer is never right all they want is there money. My husband asked the cumstomer service person to conect him to Best Buy or give him a direct # for them. Her response was if she does that she will be fired. What is Best Buy scared of. We pay way more then we have to every month to pay our bill. Do we get appreciation for that no. Just the same old double take. Now they are after us for 9.60 in late charges. We will not pay it. What is there that we can do. People need to know about how this comany treats their customers.

lina of brooklyn, NY May 29, 2009

I purchased a HP laptop early may from best buy. The price I bought it for at best buy was 899. Two days later, the laptop went on sale on the HP website for approximately 749. I heard about the price match policy and thought I could get some money back. I called best buy and they told me I had to go to a store location.

After wards, I went to the store and customer service told me they don't price match to manufacturers and it had to be a storefront. I don't believe the policy works in favor of customers. It is a scam to prevent people from getting any price match. I could have bought the laptop at a much cheaper price. But the item could not be returned because they would charge me a 10% restocking fee for the laptop. I was very frustrated with this situation and a 100 difference is very big to me.

Ricky of Beebe, AR May 20, 2009

I purchased a new Toshiba Laptop, Microsoft Software, a laptop cooler and Verizon Wireless Activation.I asked for the best price because of all I was purchasing and specifically asked if they were going to be on sale anytime in the next week in which they said absolutely not, the price was the best anyone could ever get!!

Well, I get home and the computer screen has a big red X showing up and would do nothing else. I live 40 minutes from there. So I had to drive back to exchange it. Then I noticed the next day they had the software I purchased for 40.00 less! Another trip back to get the price match. Then the next week they put the laptop cooler on sale. Another trip back.

Then when I thought I was going to have wireless service because they said their map showed me being in their coverage...NO COVERAGE! Had to take that back and was told I would have to pay a disconnect fee! They will NOT answer their phone for some reason! I even got one guys cell phone for that reason and he would never answer it!

It cost me alot of time, gas money and stress to purchase from them! I will never step foot in that store again!!

Rod of Port Byron, IL April 15, 2009

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