Mini Blog#60 - Give Best Buy a break…
I have gotten this e-mail twice. Two slightly different versions, but nonetheless I have received it twice. I think it is very one sided and some things need to be cleared up on it. I happen to know someone who works at Best Buy. She didn’t want to be named here but this is her first guest post. Let me just tell you that this “person” that I know is a cute blond with big brown eyes and a pretty sweet engagement ring if I do say so myself…but she won’t be named here. This is the e-mail that has been going around:
| BEST BUY, MY FOOT
Best Buy has some bad policies….Normally, I would not share this with others, however, since this could happen to you or your friends , I decided to share it. If you purchase something from, Wal-Mart, Sam’s Club, JC Penny, Sears etc. and you return the item with the receipt they will give you your money back if you paid cash, or credit your account if paid by plastic. Well, I purchased a GPS for my car, a Tom Tom XL.S from ‘Best Buy’. They have a policy that it must be returned within 14 days for a refund!So after 4 days I returned it in the original box with all the items in the box, with paper work and cords all wrapped in the plastic. Just as I received it, including the receipt. I explained to the lady at the return desk I did not like the way it could not find store names. The lady at the refund desk said, there is a 15% restock fee, for items returned. I said no one told me that. I said how much would that be. She said it goes by the price of the item. It will be $45.00 Dollars for you. I said, all your going to do is walk over and place it back on the shelf then charge me $45.00 of my money for restocking? She said that’s the store policy. I said if more people were aware of it they would not buy anything here! If I bought a $2000.00 computer or TV and returned it I would be charged $300.00 dollars restock fee? She said yes, 15%.I said OK, just give me my money minus the restock fee.She said, since the item is over $200.00 dollars, she can’t give me my money back!!! Corporate has to and they will mail you a check in 7 to ten days.!! I said ‘WHAT?!’ It’s my money!! I paid in cash! I want to buy a different brand..Now I have to wait 7 to 10 days. She said well, our policy is on the back of your receipt.I said, do you read the front or back of your receipt? She said well, the front! I said so do I, I want to talk to the Manager!.So the manager comes over, I explained everything to him, and he said, well, sir they should of told you about the policy when you got the item. I said, No one, has ever told me about the check refund or restock fee, whenever I bought items from computers to TVs from Best Buy. The only thing they ever discussed was the worthless extended warranty program. He said Well, I can give you corporate phone number. I called corporate. The guy said, well, I’m not supposed to do this but I can give you a 45.00 dollar gift card and you can use it at Best Buy. I told him if I bought something and returned it, you would charge me a restock fee on the item and then send me a check for the remaining 3 dollars. You can keep your gift card, I’m never shopping in Best Buy ever again, and if I would of been smart, I would of charged the whole thing on my credit card! Then I would of canceled the transaction. I would of gotten all my money back including your stupid fees! He didn’t say a word! I informed him that I was going to e-mail my friends and give them a heads up on this stores policy, as they don’t tell you about all the little caveats. So please pass this on. It may save your friends from having a bad experience of shopping at Best Buy |
And here is my very good “friend” responding to the e-mail:
“Parts of this are true, but others are not. First, not all of our products have a restocking fee. Just computers, cameras/camcorders, and GPS systems (and I know that Target has this too and more stores are starting on their electronics). All of these items are supposed to have stickers with large letters that explain the restocking fee. If a customer would come back to most of the stores that I have ever been too, and told us that they didn’t like the one they purchased, but would like to exchange it for something, then I would waive the restocking fee. Obviously, I can’t speak for all stores, but it’s what my store does and so do some others that I’ve been too. As for the 14 day return policy, we only have this on a few of our products, the same ones that have a restocking fee. Mostly because many people along the way abused the return policy in one way or another and would just take the product on vacation, use it and then bring it back…like a camera for instance. This caused us to go from a 30 day to a 14 return policy on some products. As for the check, it is true that if you spend over $250 in cash or check and want to do a straight return, you will be issued a mail check that will take about a week to get. We don’t carry that kind of cash in store for obvious reasons. However, if you are just exchanging the product for something, that can all be taken care of right then and there, without having to wait for your money and then coming back into the store.”
I want to thank my guest poster. Maybe I will have to cook her dinner later. I just want everyone to know that there are two sides to every story and that most chain e-mails like this are pretty one-sided. Best Buy is a great company, but like every other corporation, they must have policies in place to protect themselves from consumers who take advantage of the system. Sometimes this affects honest consumers like the guy who apparently wrote this e-mail. If you appreciate the low prices at Best Buy, then I hope you can appreciate policies like this.
I wish I knew the guest poster, she sounds like a pretty cool chick.
The main point that I got from this blog, is that if I am going to make a large purchase from Best Buy, I will use my debit card. I hardly ever pay cash for a trip to Starbucks, let alone a $299 camera!
I will still shop at Best Buy, because like you said, I appreciate the low prices.
XOXOXOXO
K
Comment by Kim — June 26, 2008 @ 4:51 pm
Dude, what would Jaci say about your comments. You really shouldn’t talk that way about other girls when you are engaged. Especially when she is too! As for the post, i’m going to Blog about a site tomorrow that comes in handy for these chain e-mails. So check back tomorrow!
Comment by David — June 26, 2008 @ 11:33 pm
Unfortunately, I’ve had a similar experience with Best Buy. They are on my list of places I won’t shop.
Comment by AxsDeny — June 27, 2008 @ 7:42 am