Earlier today I logged on to BestBuy.com to check out the price of the new Fall Out Boy CD Infinity on High. The CD was on sale for $9.99 so I decided to head over to my local Best Buy in Macedonia, Ohio and purchase it.
I went over to the new release wall and found the CD, which was marked $13.99. I asked the guy in the music department to check the price on BestBuy.com since I was pretty sure that it was on sale for $9.99. He logged onto his terminal, opened up a browser, navigated to a site that looks identical to BestBuy.com and typed the title into the browser. The price came back as $13.99. How could that be, I just checked an hour ago? Then I remembered the story on Digg a few days ago about Best Buy having a secret intranet that displays different prices than the real BestBuy.com. Determined to uncover the discrepancy I went back home to print out the webpage. That’s when scam #2 was uncovered.
I went back on BestBuy.com and navigated to the CDs page. I read the page a little closer this time and saw that they are offering not only the CD for $9.99, but you also get a free laminate and free shipping. I figured this was a much better deal so I followed the directions at the bottom of the free laminate offer page and added the items to my cart. The problem? It said shipping was $1.49.
I couldn’t figure out why there would be a shipping charge since it was free shipping, so I called 1-800-BEST-BUY to talk to someone in their online sales unit. The lady informed me that the shipping on the CD was free, but not on the laminate. I told her that’s not at all what the website says, it says:
Pre-order the new CD Infinity on High for only $9.99 and get a free Fall Out Boy limited edition laminate. Plus, get a code to download two Best Buy exclusive tracks: “G.I.N.A.S.F.S.” and “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s An Arms Race.” You’ll also receive free shipping.
That clearly implies that the shipping on everything mentioned above is free. If there was a shipping charge for the laminate then it would should say “You’ll also receive free shipping on the CD.” The lady told me I was just plain wrong and then transfered me to her supervisor. The supervisor was much more understanding and said that she completely understood what I was saying and agreed that the way it reads the shipping should be free, but that her department was powerless to wave shipping charges. She then told me she would transfer my call to customer support, who could wave the shipping charge. After waiting on hold for 25 minutes with the customer support department I finally hung up.
What is Best Buy’s problem? I am a long time customer and spend thousands of dollars at their store each year and they’re going to lie to me about the price of the CD at the store, mislead me about shipping on their website and argue with me about a $1.49 shipping charge on the phone? Their customer service has really gone down hill over the last year or two and after today’s completely unnecessary hassle I think I’m done with them.
And what about the CD? Well, I’ll probably just print out the $9.99 sale page off their website and have one of their competitors price match it.
If by some off chance anyone from Best Buy reads this and would like to contact me and send their apologizes, along with a free copy of the CD and laminate, you can e-mail me using the contact link at the top of the page.
Update (2/18/07): It appears that Best Buy has corrected the shipping error on their website, as it now says ‘free’ when you add both products to your cart, but I still haven’t heard anything from Best Buy in regards to this incident. Also, I picked the CD up at Target for $9.98 and it’s great, so I highly recommend you head out and buy a copy (but not at Best Buy).
I had a similar experience.
Here is the email i sent their customer support:
I just wanted to express my disappointment in your companys price match policy. I ordered these speakers 10 days ago on bestbuy.com for in-store pickup for $99.99. Now you have them for $79.99. I went to the store for a price match and first they told me the speakers weren’t $20.00 cheaper and showed me that when they looked them up, they were actually more expensive. I called my brother who is a former bestbuy employee to have him look up on the net and see if the price had changed. He informed me they were still $79.99. He told me bestbuy has an intrAnet and an intErnet that may show two different prices. I asked to speak to a manager. She right away knew what I was talking about and told me that she would go check the price on a different computer. She also told me I would have to call the 1-888 number for a price match since it was an online purchase for in-store pickup. I call your 1-888 number and get told you won’t price match sale items and also that these speakers came with promotional items and that was another reason you can’t pricematch. These speakers did not come with any extra items, just the speakers, so I have no idea what she was talking about there. I said fine I’ll return them and re-buy them at the cheaper price and you can lose money selling them as open box. She then tells me there is a 25% restocking fee. I got fed up and decided to call my brother about this. He tells me that the 25% restocking fee is incorrect but he’s not sure about the on sale pricematching. I decide to call the 1-888 number again because maybe I got a person who was missinformed. The second person I talked to said pretty much the same thing only didn’t say anything about there being promotional items nor did she say anything about a restocking fee when I said I would just return them. I asked to speak to a manager about this whole thing and he re-affirmed the on sale price match policy and when I told him that I would just return them he stated “that is an option for you,sir”.
Oh, and I looked at your return policy both online and on my receipt and it says nothing about online orders nor speakers having a 25% restocking fee. In fact it says special order items have a 25% restocking fee. Last time I checked, In-store pickup wasn’t “special order”.
I also looked at your price match policy and this a cut and paste of what is says: “What if I find a lower price at another Best Buy store or on BestBuy.com?
If an item you purchased at Best Buy is advertised at a lower price at another Best Buy store in your local area or on BestBuy.com within 30 days of your original receipt purchase (14 days for select categories*), we will refund you 100% of the price difference. Simply bring in your original Best Buy receipt to the customer service counter while that lower price is still in effect. Clearance items, open-box items or Web-exclusive offers advertised on BestBuy.com are not eligible for price matching.” Tell me where it says you don’t price match on-sale items” I also bought a TV from your company that I had price matched two weeks later after it went on sale, but when I brought that up I was told that you do price match on sale TV’s. I then got the feeling that I was getting the run around and this was a hopeless endeavor. I’m not an idiot. If it weren’t two days after my 30 day return ran out on my TV, I would return it and have nothing more to do with bestbuy.
I don’t mean to come off as rude but this whole ordeal coupled with the fact that the in store order I picked up today (xxxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx) was incorrect (one of the items was the wrong thing). I feel a little dissapointed in your store(s). I know your policys are your policys, and I don’t expect to have them twisted to suit me. But I hope that maybe if someone points out the defects in your current policy, they can at least be re-evaluated. I guess while I’m on the topic of bad in-store pickups, when I went to pick these speakers up 2 hrs. after placing the order, the store hadn’t even checked to see if they had it. I had to wait 30 mins. while they looked for the order, couldn’t find it, and eventually the customer service rep just when back and got me a set of speakers instead. The funny part is two hours after getting my speakers I get a conformation email, followed two minutes later with a thank you for picking up your order email.
So all in all, I am going to return these speakers and buy similar ones from CircuitCity. And you guys can sell these as open box. Seems ridiculous to me but what do I know about doing business huh?
Again I apologize for my rudeness but as you can see I haven’t had good experiences with your store.
Thanks,
xxxxxxx xxxxxxx
Steve,
It definitely sounds like you’ve had your fair share of Best Buy troubles as well. It’s unfortunate that the management at your store wasn’t more helpful and accommodating, but that seems to be a trend at many of their stores. Maybe they need to institute a new training program?
Hopefully you’re enjoying the speakers you picked up at Circuit City!
I saw this as I am looking around trying to find the best place to download the bonus tracks so I don’t have to buy another copy of the cd (even though I have totally worn it out!). Anyway, I have problems with Best Buy too and the coupons they send me. They always say 10% off all music, cds, video games, movies, etc. Not good on new releases or sale or whatever. But EVERY SINGLE TIME I try to use them there is always a problem. It’s never easy. I make sure I don’t get new releases or sale items thinking that the discount will automatically be applied at the register and it doesn’t. Then I’ve got to look like a lame bitch because I want my 10%. Well don’t send me the coupons if they aren’t going to work. I’ve sent emails to ask what the deal is, but never heard anything. And usually at the store I’ll just tell them forget it because I don’t have the patience to wait for them to get a manager and for them to sit there and try to read the coupon, blah, blah, blah. That place takes FOREVER for everything. And nobody there seems to know much. Not more than the common customer…So anyway, late blog comment, but thanks for posting yours.