This whole fiasco, to me, has to do with a few things:
1.) I purchased the item online, recieved VALID confirmation that the item was IN-STOCK at my local store. I was charged on my credit card AT THAT TIME. Sale closed. When I get to the store, I discover they did not bother to pull the item I ordered and promptly sold out of their stock. My item being one of those sold, then. As I see this, I purchased a product and then was not delivered the product (albeit, I had to go in and pick it up). I don't know what the legal term would be, but I did not recieve the product that I HAD been charged for. There needs to be better communication from the instore to the online store at this point. They should not charge your card until the item has been received.
2.) I followed the instructions that I was given by BestBuy.com to receive this item after I found out my local store was all out and had given me the shaft. I spent an hour on the phone wrestling with them about this. They told me that I should cancel my order, then re-order the item for delivery. That they would waive the shipping and order costs. This was their responsibility to "make it right" with the customer. My previous order was canceled and my account credited (three days later). And then the money was removed from my account again on this second order. I realize that the money is not actually removed until the order goes through, but there IS a hold showing on my account for that money. My balance reflects this. So I tied up this amount of money TWICE with BestBuy.com in order to receive this item. My account STILL shows that the money has not been credited back to my account for the second order. So in essence, they have my money and I have nothing until the credit goes through.
3.) If the store DID, in fact, have the inventory at that time (as their system said) then it was being held by employees or had been stolen by employees (since the RAM is behind the counter). I work as a retail manager, myself, except in a grocery store. When we have special sales on items, NO employees are allowed to "hold" items until the end of their shift or longer (until payday). We have had people reprimanded for doing so. This has to do with a level playing field approach. The customer should have the same opportunity as the employee.
4.) If I am successful in raising a bit of hell with Best Buy over this, I am sure they will offer me some coupon or something of the sort. And a $10 coupon is NOT what I am looking for out of this. A $10 coupon will not make the current price of the RAM ($62) equal to the price that I paid and was promised delivery for. Not to mention the time to file the rebate is past now, and by cancelling my order, they have invalidated me from sending in the rebate on this item.
Sorry to get wordy, but I'm really upset by this. I have been shopping at Best Buy's nearly all my life. I am like a weekly visitor. I just spent $100 to buy gift certificates there yesterday (before I received the news that my order had been canceled.) I wish I hadn't now. I've never had a problem with them before this, but they have really mistreated the "regular" customer with this.
--Christopher