NOT HOT! BestBuy's new PM policies

[newb111]

Originally posted by: Tsunami982
i hate bestbuy.... the odds of getting one of their rebates back (at least for me) is about 50%.

BB: "WE ARENT OBLIGATED TO PRICEMATCH OURSELVES, EVEN OUR SHELF TAGS" STORY

one time i went there and picked up a pair of hard drives for 49.99OTC. it rang up 109.99. i told them that it said that price on shelf. so they sent a guy to check it out. he came back and said "nope, 109.99" so i told him id go with his him to get the tag. as i was walking over there he starts to nervously hurry up to get there before me. as i get there he grabs the shelf tag and tries to get in the back room. the only reason that he didnt get away with it was because i made a huge scene (i was pissed at the time) and got the attention of tons of customers. i started telling everyone basically telling everyone that could hear me what they were doing and how they should never shop at BB again. the guy looked like a deer in headlights and was stunned, so i grabbed the shelf tag from him and took it up to the counter.

end of story right? NO. so i take it up and show it to them. the manager and clerk look at it for a while and whisper a bunch of stuff to each other. list of excuses BB gave me as to why the shelf tag wasnt good enough to prove the price:
1. they said it was an old tag. all BB price tags have the date they were printed at the bottom (this one was printed that day no more than 2- hours before)
2. HAHAHA this one is good.... they said they dont pricematch themselves. i was like, "this isnt a PM, its a shelf tag... in your store". THEN HE SAID IT... "WE ARENT OBLIGATED TO PRICEMATCH OURSELVES, EVEN OUR SHELF TAGS" so i guess they consider the prices on the shelves a PM? HAHAHAHAHA
3. they said i could have printed the tag myself, at this point they were getting desperate.

so... by now its been over an hour and a half of stupidity. they had insulted my intelligence and now my integrity... so i now im pissed and start being really really loud so that every customer in the store would know what they were getting into with BB. they threaten to call the cops to remove me and i busted out the ol' "false advertising" line (i did have their shelf tag and all). so customers started leaving and eventually they caved....

and through it all i still cant believe they said "WE AREN'T OBLIGATED TO PRICEMATCH OURSELVES, EVEN OUR SHELF TAGS"

they are legally obligated to sell at the price on the shelf. the department of weights and measures strictly monitors shelf tags, and stores can be fined if an item is not tagged. They are also required by law to sell at the price it is tagged. This is to protect the consumer from bait-and-switch tactics used by retailers.

 

[ivwshane]

Originally posted by: lMlHuxley

Originally posted by: M0RPH

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Here's the other strangely hypocritical irony

You want to know what's ironic? Ironic is the fact that it's entirely because of people like you that Best Buy has been forced to get more and more restrictive with their price-matching policy. It's because of people like you who are constantly scheming and trying to dream up ways to take advantage of the price-matching policy and twist it in ways in which it wasn't intended. For example, price-matching to AFTER-REBATE prices of other stores and then sending in rebates on top of that. That's not how pricematching is intended to work. You are abusing the system. Ironic how the biggest abusers of the system are the ones who are the loudest to complain when they get called on what they're doing and the stores get wise to their games.

preach the word man. I am 100% behind you and agree with you on all points. I cant believe the work people go through to save 20 bucks. I have no idea what their motivation is.

You two must work at best buy. Please show me where the original poster was trying to scam them. If he was trying to scam them, believe me, I'd be all over has @ss for even complaining about it.

Also again you failed to see the point of this thread. The original poster isn't complaining that they didn't PM the memory but rather that they have a PM policy that doesn't make sense.

quote:
Originally posted by: ivwshane

quote:
BestBuy is dojgn so well because they don't have stupid policies that make them lose money.

You relieze most PM's end up WAY below cost, right??

So the simple fact that deal hounds like people on this board don't like BB is enough proff to why the company is profitable.



If price matching ends up making an item below cost then they shouldn't have the policy in the first place. You don't create a PM policy and then choose your PM based off of what you might lose in the deal.

That's the point of this thread imo, that best buy states they have a PM policy but make it very difficult to even take advantage of it.



I totally disagree, they will price match ad prices that you bring in as long as the price does not have a rebate in it. I have never had a problem with this and doubt that many people have. I think you are way out on a limb here.

You can disagree all you want but apparently according to the many posts here there is an issue.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: M0RPH

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Here's the other strangely hypocritical irony

You want to know what's ironic? Ironic is the fact that it's entirely because of people like you that Best Buy has been forced to get more and more restrictive with their price-matching policy. It's because of people like you who are constantly scheming and trying to dream up ways to take advantage of the price-matching policy and twist it in ways in which it wasn't intended. For example, price-matching to AFTER-REBATE prices of other stores and then sending in rebates on top of that. That's not how pricematching is intended to work. You are abusing the system. Ironic how the biggest abusers of the system are the ones who are the loudest to complain when they get called on what they're doing and the stores get wise to their games.

Excuse me?? I think that it is wrong of you to quote me, and then make that statement.

I certainly have NOT been trying to scheme and twist the PM policy in ways that "it was not intended". I think that if you read my posts carefully, you will find that to be true. I strongly resent people that accuse me of things that I DO NOT DO.

If you want to make that statement, against those in general, that try to "cheat" the system, then go right ahead. But don't quote me in reference to that, because that's just so wrong. I don't try to rip off stores, and I expect the same of them towards me.

What prompted my initial post, was that a local retail competitor was selling an identical item, at an out-the-door price of $60. ($100 retail, minus $40 "instant rebate, equals $60 purchase pric.) Btw, "Instant rebate" really isn't a rebate, it's a strange way of wording a simple discount. It in fact legally cannot really be a rebate (AFAIK, IANAL), because I don't even hand over the extra money, and then get it right back. It never changes hands in the first place, so it's not a "rebate".

BestBuy was offering the same product, for $100 retail, minus a $30 MIR. I don't know if that was a store rebate, or a mfg rebate, I didn't even bother to look that up, because I didn't care. All I wanted to do, was have BestBuy pricematch the local competitor on that item, to their same $60 purchase price. I could care less if it invalidated the rebate (if it were a store rebate), becuase I generally hate rebates anyways. And if it were a mfg rebate, then the store PM should have nothing to do with it, because that is between the end customer and the mfg as far as money changing hands. It has nothing to do with BestBuy.

So before you get up on your soapbox, about "people like me", please have your facts straight first. I am probably the last person to intentionally try to cheat anyone.

(And in fact, I opined in at least several CC Hot Deal threads during the previous month, about people both pricematching, and then sending in store rebates on those same items, warning that they might not recieve the rebates, trying to make sure that no-one was mislead in those threads about the "deal", expecting a better deal than they might recieve. I then stopped espousing that opinion, as it seemed like the general consensus was that one would get their rebate anyways, and this was confirmed by several CC CSRs contacted with questions about that. But I am philosophically not opposed to a store reducing or eliminating a store rebate reward amount, if that item was also pricematched - but they should state that in writing, in the legal terms and conditions of the rebate offer.)

So I actually wholly agree with your sentiments, just not who you apparently chose to direct them at.

 

[ScrapSilicon]

Originally posted by: ivwshane

Originally posted by: lMlHuxley

Originally posted by: M0RPH

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Here's the other strangely hypocritical irony

You want to know what's ironic? Ironic is the fact that it's entirely because of people like you that Best Buy has been forced to get more and more restrictive with their price-matching policy. It's because of people like you who are constantly scheming and trying to dream up ways to take advantage of the price-matching policy and twist it in ways in which it wasn't intended. For example, price-matching to AFTER-REBATE prices of other stores and then sending in rebates on top of that. That's not how pricematching is intended to work. You are abusing the system. Ironic how the biggest abusers of the system are the ones who are the loudest to complain when they get called on what they're doing and the stores get wise to their games.

preach the word man. I am 100% behind you and agree with you on all points. I cant believe the work people go through to save 20 bucks. I have no idea what their motivation is.

You two must work at best buy. Please show me where the original poster was trying to scam them. If he was trying to scam them, believe me, I'd be all over has @ss for even complaining about it.

Also again you failed to see the point of this thread. The original poster isn't complaining that they didn't PM the memory but rather that they have a PM policy that doesn't make sense.

quote:
Originally posted by: ivwshane

quote:
BestBuy is dojgn so well because they don't have stupid policies that make them lose money.

You relieze most PM's end up WAY below cost, right??

So the simple fact that deal hounds like people on this board don't like BB is enough proff to why the company is profitable.



If price matching ends up making an item below cost then they shouldn't have the policy in the first place. You don't create a PM policy and then choose your PM based off of what you might lose in the deal.

That's the point of this thread imo, that best buy states they have a PM policy but make it very difficult to even take advantage of it.



I totally disagree, they will price match ad prices that you bring in as long as the price does not have a rebate in it. I have never had a problem with this and doubt that many people have. I think you are way out on a limb here.

You can disagree all you want but apparently according to the many posts here there is an issue.

corporate sausage-stuffingconsumers ..while trying to duck their posted offers of merchandise/services at X $ but then squawk if someone takes them up on said offer(s)..and the consumer has no protection(truly lip service on this) from this complex bait and switch shellgame.
BB's CEO $2.1 mil bonus

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: lMlHuxley
preach the word man. I am 100% behind you and agree with you on all points. I cant believe the work people go through to save 20 bucks. I have no idea what their motivation is.

Uh... hello... knock - knock...

1) It's "saving money". Unlike you, I do not have an infinite supply of money, so I generally try to choose ways to spend it wisely.
2) In some cases (such as mine), it's slightly more convenient - the BestBuy store in question is about 5-10 minutes closer. So it's actually less work, not more, for me.
3) The BestBuy corporation is making the legal offer to me, the customer. Why shouldn't I be allowed to take advantage of their offer?
4) Why do you seem to espouse the same sort of "you are pricematching? you must be a criminal!" attitude towards me, the same awful attitude that many others that have posted in this thread have also mentioned. (I'm guessing that you must work, or have worked, for BestBuy?)

And hey, if all else fails, launch all Zig! Send those astroturfing spin-doctors in! Set up us the ad-hominim attack!

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: lavergne9
While I agree that there are some who abuse the PM policy, there are just as many that do not, yet still wish to take advantage of it. I don't mind them changing their policy, since that is their right, but I do think that it should be defined in the policy what is and is not acceptable and what the exact procedure is to obtain a pricematch.

Thank you. That is exactly my point. Their pricematch policy should be clearly and explicitly spelled out. None of this "used car salesman"-type power-negotiation sessions with the manager to try to get what is labeled as a "guarantee" on the store wall. The hassle that the current policy causes, results in bad service for the customer, and extra time spent on dealing with pricematches by the employees.

Originally posted by: lavergne9
Certainly this would cut down on complaints as it would be clearcut whether you will get a PM or not instead of the apparent discretion of the manager that they have now, which means you could get denied a PM by a manger and then come in the store later in the day and be granted one by a different manager. I would think a simple, clear, easy to follow policy would be the best way to go for everyone.

Yes, or simply explicitly state that "All pricematches are at the sole discretion of the manager".

Or, heck, just get rid of the pricematch policy totally. I would rather that they not have one at all, than have one that is misleading and deceptive, and results in customer expectations that cannot or will not be met.

Think of it this way - what if stores offered free coffee and doughnuts to shoppers? What if all of the stores started doing it, just because one store did it first? What if the company running the store chains thought that it was an important item to have a large sign plastered at the front of the store announcing that coffee and doughnnuts were available free to customers? They thought that customers would no longer shop at any store that didn't provide C&D support.

Now, consider that initially, this proved to be a big thing. But seeing potential small losses in the long term, from providing this extra offer to customers, all of the stores started cutting back on their "C&D policy". They stopped brewing the coffee freshly, and switched to cheaper, lower-quality beans. They started using stale, day-old doughnuts purchased cheaply out the back door of their local doughnut bakery. The corporation thought that was a great idea, since they saved half of the cost of the original C&D policy. The corporate boardroom thought that this was a great idea to cut costs - so much so that everyone on the board got a bonus that month because of it.

But... consider the customers perspective on this. When the C&D policy started, many customers took advantage of it. But this cost the store a good amount, which is why they instituted the changes. Fewer customers took advantage of it, because they soon started to learn that the coffee was old and the doughnuts were stale. It wasn't what they were expecting from the policy decreed by the large sign at the front of the store.

Some customers, especially ones that had never taken advantage of the C&D policy before (when things were fresher then), and had no idea what it had actually become, had a horrid experience, attempting to drink disgustingly-old coffee and brittle, hard, stale doughnuts. That wasn't the pleasant experience that they expected. So those customers, simply left the store, never to return again.

Eventually, the store noticed what was going on, and decided that they really, really, needed to re-think their C&D policy. Someone mentioned that the cost of providing actual fresh doughnuts wasn't so very high, in comparison to the number of lost potential sales that the stale C&D ended up turning away. Someone else even suggested that it was giving such an exceptionally-poor experience to new customers, that it should be eliminated altogether.

So what do you folks think? I hope that the analogy is clear enough.

 

[jodhas]

Bottom line...

Best Buy really bites. They really do have 16 year olds as their reps. These guys are busy following their "protocol" which isn't helpful anyways.

Most of the AT'ers surpass in terms of experience and knowledge with tech gadgetry anyways.

Their prices are way too high and even their black friday sales are easily beaten if you pricegrabber/watch it.

I only use BB to see on hand the new camcorders and televisions. Even at that, many times their floor demo's are non functional.

Anyhow, stay away if you dont' like BB.

 

[M0RPH]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry
What prompted my initial post, was that a local retail competitor was selling an identical item, at an out-the-door price of $60. ($100 retail, minus $40 "instant rebate, equals $60 purchase pric.) Btw, "Instant rebate" really isn't a rebate, it's a strange way of wording a simple discount. It in fact legally cannot really be a rebate (AFAIK, IANAL), because I don't even hand over the extra money, and then get it right back. It never changes hands in the first place, so it's not a "rebate".

So you get it for $60 at Best Buy, then turn around and send in a $30 rebate so that you get it for $30. Well, you claim that you were not gonna do this but if that's the case, why didn't you just buy it at the place that had it for $60 out the door? Why not reward that store with your business for having a good sale price. Why would you go through the hassle of pricematching at Best Buy? Sorry man, your story doesn't jive.

 

[lavergne9]

Originally posted by: M0RPH


So you get it for $60 at Best Buy, then turn around and send in a $30 rebate so that you get it for $30. Well, you claim that you were not gonna do this but if that's the case, why didn't you just buy it at the place that had it for $60 out the door? Why not reward that store with your business for having a good sale price. Why would you go through the hassle of pricematching at Best Buy? Sorry man, your story doesn't jive.

I don't want to get in the middle of all the flak, but I don't see why it matters why he wanted BB to PM. Maybe he had a bad experience at the other store recently, and thought BB would be better (at the time), or maybe someone he really hates works there and he doesn't want to see that person, or maybe he didn't have any cash and wanted to use his BB credit card or something. Whatever the reason, BB offers to PM so it's not like he was doing anything wrong by trying to get one. Even if he sends in the rebate I don't see how that matters. I would assume it was a BB rebate if it was only offered there, but whatever the case may be if BB chose to honor the rebate knowing that it had been PMed then I don't see what's wrong with that. Personally I never deal with PMs and usually not even with rebates, but if the rebate is a manufacturers rebate, it's not like BB or any other retailer is losing money over it, and if it is a store rebate, then all they have to do is say you PMed, you don't get a rebate. Maybe I'm missing something, but that's how I see it at least.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: M0RPH
So you get it for $60 at Best Buy, then turn around and send in a $30 rebate so that you get it for $30. Well, you claim that you were not gonna do this but if that's the case, why didn't you just buy it at the place that had it for $60 out the door? Why not reward that store with your business for having a good sale price. Why would you go through the hassle of pricematching at Best Buy? Sorry man, your story doesn't jive.

Yeah, I know.. what was I thinking... going to shop at BestBuy... I must be stupid or something... really...

On a more serious note, I went to BestBuy for these reasons, some of which I've already stated:
1) I've price-matched before at my local BestBuy several times without problems
2) The BestBuy location near me is about 5-10 min closer than the OfficeMax near me, saving me gas and time
3) Mostly because reason of 1 (my prior positive experiences PM'ing at BB), and also because I tend to procrastinate, I didn't leave the house until sometime after 9pm. OfficeMax closes at 9:30pm, BestBuy closes at 10:00pm. By leaving late, I basically excluded the possibility of making it to OM in time before they closed. (I did not think that would be a big issue, because of reason 1. Apparently that was my biggest mistake.)

I only found out about the $30 MIR at BestBuy, when I actually went to find the product on the display shelf. The shelf tag didn't specify whether it was a store or a mfg MIR, just that it was a MIR. I probably could have dug out a flyer to find out which it was, but like I said, I didn't care, I just wanted the RAM in my hands for $60. Seeing as how BestBuy was offering it for an after-rebate price of $70, I didn't think that they would even blink an eye at PM'ing a local retail competitor's price of $60 OTD.

Apparently I was wrong, and that's when I started to learn more about all of the horribly ambiguous and misleading loopholes in their policy, and indeed, changes to their corporate policies (as I was told by the manager that night), that in light of my prior successful, legit, pricematches, cast doubt on the future of the possibility of obtaining more (legitimate) PMs. I thought that those policy changes and the issues that I faced, would be valuable to bring to the attention of the AT HD community, which I did with this thread.

Oh, and BTW, OM had the RAM the day after, listed with both the same $40 IR, as well as a $20 mfg MIR, bringing the after-rebate cost down to a theoretical $40. $60 is still a very decent price for a 512MB PC2700 DIMM (that would most likely run at PC3200 speeds, given the quality of memory involved), and that's why I could care less about the rebate as well.

BUT, even IF I had some sort of hypothetical "master deal" all planned out (I didn't, I only learned about the price of the RAM at OM at about 8pm whilst browsing a different thread on Hot Deals), if the rebate offered was a mfg rebate, then why does it matter if I got the product via a PM or not? (Also, if I knew beforehand that BB was offering a mfg rebate on the item, I would have posted it as a seperate deal thread. However, I was more concerned about getting to the store before they closed that night, because I was certain that the deal was going to end that night, because (as I mentioned in the former linked thread), OM's upcoming weekly sales flyer, showed that the regular retail price for the RAM was going up to $149, and then discounted with a $40 IR and a $20 MIR.)

So, nice try attempting to cut me down, I appreciate the effort, but I'm afraid it was in vain.

This particular pricematch isn't the issue though, rather it was simply the vehicle whereas I learned more about the "big picture" about BB's PM policy, including the apparently unstated parts, which lead me to the conclusion that "lip service" is a probably the biggest feature of the policy.

Btw, it is illogical to use the term "guarantee", to describe something that is up to an individual person's discretion in the matter. A better term, I think, would be "opportunity". However "pricematch opportunity" doesn't have the same amount of marketing "buzz", that "pricematch guarantee" does.

I think that I've stated my particular points fairly well, and redundantly, at this point. I would appreciate any comments on my "coffee and doughnuts" analogy, but if this thread degrades into a series of personal attacks, I think that the most prudent thing to do would be to ask the mods to lock it. (I don't think that it needs that at this point though.) I don't want it to turn into a completely "bestbuy sucks" thread either, because that wasn't the point, and as I tried to make clear, these problems affect all of the major retailers. However, BB seems to be "up there" as one of the worst offenders, and my experiences that night served as a very poignant example of these industry-wide issues, that can also affect customer-service in a very negative way. I appreciate everyone's comments and anecdotes about their pricematch experiences. I'm clearly not alone, in any case.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Originally posted by: M0RPH
So you get it for $60 at Best Buy, then turn around and send in a $30 rebate so that you get it for $30. Well, you claim that you were not gonna do this but if that's the case, why didn't you just buy it at the place that had it for $60 out the door? Why not reward that store with your business for having a good sale price. Why would you go through the hassle of pricematching at Best Buy? Sorry man, your story doesn't jive.

Ok, shorter version of same, take 2.

I was lazy, and tried to get away with doing things the easiest way possible. (For me, that was driving to a closer store, to get a pricematch, where I had sucessfully pricematched before.)

In hindsight, perhaps that was unwise, as I lost out on the cheap RAM. However, I gained something too, I learned a lot more about pricematching, and these issues, which is why I started this thread.

 

[lMlHuxley]

Originally posted by: ivwshane

Originally posted by: lMlHuxley

Originally posted by: M0RPH

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Here's the other strangely hypocritical irony

You want to know what's ironic? Ironic is the fact that it's entirely because of people like you that Best Buy has been forced to get more and more restrictive with their price-matching policy. It's because of people like you who are constantly scheming and trying to dream up ways to take advantage of the price-matching policy and twist it in ways in which it wasn't intended. For example, price-matching to AFTER-REBATE prices of other stores and then sending in rebates on top of that. That's not how pricematching is intended to work. You are abusing the system. Ironic how the biggest abusers of the system are the ones who are the loudest to complain when they get called on what they're doing and the stores get wise to their games.

preach the word man. I am 100% behind you and agree with you on all points. I cant believe the work people go through to save 20 bucks. I have no idea what their motivation is.

You two must work at best buy. Please show me where the original poster was trying to scam them. If he was trying to scam them, believe me, I'd be all over has @ss for even complaining about it.

Also again you failed to see the point of this thread. The original poster isn't complaining that they didn't PM the memory but rather that they have a PM policy that doesn't make sense.

quote:
Originally posted by: ivwshane

quote:
BestBuy is dojgn so well because they don't have stupid policies that make them lose money.

You relieze most PM's end up WAY below cost, right??

So the simple fact that deal hounds like people on this board don't like BB is enough proff to why the company is profitable.



If price matching ends up making an item below cost then they shouldn't have the policy in the first place. You don't create a PM policy and then choose your PM based off of what you might lose in the deal.

That's the point of this thread imo, that best buy states they have a PM policy but make it very difficult to even take advantage of it.



I totally disagree, they will price match ad prices that you bring in as long as the price does not have a rebate in it. I have never had a problem with this and doubt that many people have. I think you are way out on a limb here.

You can disagree all you want but apparently according to the many posts here there is an issue.

Yes, you are correct I suppose. It does seem like he is complaining about that specific instance being part of their price match policy though. Anyway, I was agreeing with that guy just because I agreed with his post, not that it was against the original poster.

 

[lMlHuxley]

Originally posted by: VirtualLarry

Originally posted by: lMlHuxley
preach the word man. I am 100% behind you and agree with you on all points. I cant believe the work people go through to save 20 bucks. I have no idea what their motivation is.

Uh... hello... knock - knock...

1) It's "saving money". Unlike you, I do not have an infinite supply of money, so I generally try to choose ways to spend it wisely.
2) In some cases (such as mine), it's slightly more convenient - the BestBuy store in question is about 5-10 minutes closer. So it's actually less work, not more, for me.
3) The BestBuy corporation is making the legal offer to me, the customer. Why shouldn't I be allowed to take advantage of their offer?
4) Why do you seem to espouse the same sort of "you are pricematching? you must be a criminal!" attitude towards me, the same awful attitude that many others that have posted in this thread have also mentioned. (I'm guessing that you must work, or have worked, for BestBuy?)

And hey, if all else fails, launch all Zig! Send those astroturfing spin-doctors in! Set up us the ad-hominim attack!

Refer to my post responding to the same thing below. Also, I don't see the point in saving a few bucks when it is going to be a huge amount of hassle on my part that is what I am saying. I would rather not have the item than deal w/ the hassle.

 

[lMlHuxley]

and stop being a friggin jackass. I am posting non-sarcastic straight responses and you have to post like a little child with posts full of asshole sarcastic remarks. Maybe you acted this way at best buy and didnt get your discount because of that.

 

[JTech007]

I normally don't shop at BB but they were the only local retailer that had the Gyration products available in the store. or so I thought. I stopped by after work and after 5 minutes of looking at the 16 year old sales staff screw around I took it upon myself to grab one of them to show me where their stock was on the Keyboard/Mouse combo... He seemed put off that I could not find it myself and said "they should be on the bottom shelf". Nope, already looked there. So he proceeds to shrugh and grab the price tag off the shelf and see if they had any at all, or when they would have some. He proceedes to try 3 computers before he is allowed to logon which seems to make him more angry. Then after looking at the inventory he proceeds to tell me that he has none and there is NONE on order... So I asked why then is their a display for them? His responce is "you can go online at BB.com and but it there" and proceceds to place the price tag back on the shelf and walked away to watch more TV...

Haha, I think I will buy it online since it is my only option. Of course it won't be from BB. The other thing that I found odd is he didn't try to sell me something else, he just walked away! Awesome service from the 16 year old with a degree in being lazy.

 

[lMlHuxley]

Originally posted by: JTech007
I normally don't shop at BB but they were the only local retailer that had the Gyration products available in the store. or so I thought. I stopped by after work and after 5 minutes of looking at the 16 year old sales staff screw around I took it upon myself to grab one of them to show me where their stock was on the Keyboard/Mouse combo... He seemed put off that I could not find it myself and said "they should be on the bottom shelf". Nope, already looked there. So he proceeds to shrugh and grab the price tag off the shelf and see if they had any at all, or when they would have some. He proceedes to try 3 computers before he is allowed to logon which seems to make him more angry. Then after looking at the inventory he proceeds to tell me that he has none and there is NONE on order... So I asked why then is their a display for them? His responce is "you can go online at BB.com and but it there" and proceceds to place the price tag back on the shelf and walked away to watch more TV...

Haha, I think I will buy it online since it is my only option. Of course it won't be from BB. The other thing that I found odd is he didn't try to sell me something else, he just walked away! Awesome service from the 16 year old with a degree in being lazy.

I find it funny that you think some 16 year old kid cares about his job at best buy (actually probably one of the better paying high school jobs especially with discount). I worked 4-5 years retail back in the ol' high school days and I didnt give a crap about some old guy harassing me about a sale item that he wanted. Especially if I knew we opened that morning with only 4-5 of them on the shelf. A typical line to feed would be "we had a huge stock this morning, if you would have came earlier...." or the all too famous "If you go to the customer service desk they can probably give you a refund (even if you know they won't give them one but it is now out of your hands and you can go back to goofing off or stocking shelves or whatever)". There was so many lines for so many different things.

The basic gyst of the situation is that stores often have few of the hot deal sale item and a lot more of the normal full price stuff. I believe this is the ol' bait and switch? Even though it is illegal it is still fairly common practice. Most stores consider it not to be a bait and switch technique because they opened the doors with half a dozen of the sale item. Sometimes we would get caught with 0 of the item and those days were rough...so rough, then you get customers yelling at you when you have no control over the situation. The customer is pissed, you are pissed because the customer is yelling and you want to hit them in the face and both of you are pissed at the company for screwing you over.

 

[GoPackGo]

Originally posted by: tcsenter

Originally posted by: Pothead
people whine since they now can't rip off BB.

I have only one word to say in response to your conclusion, Sir:

BINGO!

Best Buy rips people off every day:

Over priced warranties sent to a tech center where they are gone to for months and then sent back no fault found.

Price match policies they dont want to honor

Return policies they dont want to honor

Many stories of lying to customers about product availability if they customer doesnt want the warranty

Not the "best buy" items are usually found elsewhere cheaper.

Advertise items not in stock and then not offer a rain check

and on and on....

 

[GoPackGo]

Originally posted by: lavergne9

Originally posted by: Tsunami982
i hate bestbuy.... the odds of getting one of their rebates back (at least for me) is about 50%.

BB: "WE ARENT OBLIGATED TO PRICEMATCH OURSELVES, EVEN OUR SHELF TAGS" STORY

one time i went there and picked up a pair of hard drives for 49.99OTC. it rang up 109.99. i told them that it said that price on shelf. so they sent a guy to check it out. he came back and said "nope, 109.99" so i told him id go with his him to get the tag. as i was walking over there he starts to nervously hurry up to get there before me. as i get there he grabs the shelf tag and tries to get in the back room. the only reason that he didnt get away with it was because i made a huge scene (i was pissed at the time) and got the attention of tons of customers. i started telling everyone basically telling everyone that could hear me what they were doing and how they should never shop at BB again. the guy looked like a deer in headlights and was stunned, so i grabbed the shelf tag from him and took it up to the counter.

end of story right? NO. so i take it up and show it to them. the manager and clerk look at it for a while and whisper a bunch of stuff to each other. list of excuses BB gave me as to why the shelf tag wasnt good enough to prove the price:
1. they said it was an old tag. all BB price tags have the date they were printed at the bottom (this one was printed that day no more than 2- hours before)
2. HAHAHA this one is good.... they said they dont pricematch themselves. i was like, "this isnt a PM, its a shelf tag... in your store". THEN HE SAID IT... "WE ARENT OBLIGATED TO PRICEMATCH OURSELVES, EVEN OUR SHELF TAGS" so i guess they consider the prices on the shelves a PM? HAHAHAHAHA
3. they said i could have printed the tag myself, at this point they were getting desperate.

so... by now its been over an hour and a half of stupidity. they had insulted my intelligence and now my integrity... so i now im pissed and start being really really loud so that every customer in the store would know what they were getting into with BB. they threaten to call the cops to remove me and i busted out the ol' "false advertising" line (i did have their shelf tag and all). so customers started leaving and eventually they caved....

and through it all i still cant believe they said "WE AREN'T OBLIGATED TO PRICEMATCH OURSELVES, EVEN OUR SHELF TAGS"

Man that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. If they don't honor their own shelf tags, that's absolutely ludicrous. At OD if a customer showed us that a shelf tag had a lower price, even if the shelf tag was just old and someone had forgotten to change it, we would honor the price. We took some big hits that way, but it's just good customer service. In fact, that particular override was called the "customer satisfaction" override. That's what it would say in the computer. I mean geeze, if you don't change the shelf tag then it's your fault, you should honor the price. And then to lie about it too, that's just going waaaayyyy beyond cool.

Actually, according to their own policy they would have to PM. I would think that a shelf tag from their own store, with the same date on it would constitue, "verifiable written proof" of the price.

Their original nickname isn't "Bait and Switch" for nothing!

 

[Bird222]

Originally posted by: lavergne9
While I agree that there are some who abuse the PM policy, there are just as many that do not, yet still wish to take advantage of it. I don't mind them changing their policy, since that is their right, but I do think that it should be defined in the policy what is and is not acceptable and what the exact procedure is to obtain a pricematch. Certainly this would cut down on complaints as it would be clearcut whether you will get a PM or not instead of the apparent discretion of the manager that they have now, which means you could get denied a PM by a manger and then come in the store later in the day and be granted one by a different manager. I would think a simple, clear, easy to follow policy would be the best way to go for everyone.

Exactly. These stores should follow there policy TO THE LETTER. If there policy somehow allows them to be taken advantage of, then they need to hire some new lawyers and change their policy. But they probably won't do that because it is a form of bait to get you to shop there. Giving me lame excuses about 'the price being too low' doesn't not cut it. If I am following your OWN stated policy and I get a killer deal, to bad (actually you should probably thank me and welcome me back again). To me this stuff is about as bad as false advertising a price. One of the reasons, I shop at Wal-Mart is that they are good about refunds. When you buy something you are accepting not only the store's price but also their policies. If they try to change the game AFTER you have purchased, I think that is fraud. On occasions I ask what the refund policy is before I buy just to make sure I agree with it. And sometimes business take a hit in the name of customer service. I had a raincheck from an out-of-town OM for a $30 UPS. The manager told me that they don't usually honor rainchecks from other stores and went to investigate it. He discovered that it was a price error but STILL gave it to me at that price because he said 'THE STORE ACTUALLY ADVERTISED IT AT THAT PRICE'. Will I still shop at OM, of course I will.

 

[Auxano]

VaG said: Cliff notes version please

With BB PM = YMWV (Your Mileage WILL Vary)

 

[GoPackGo]

Originally posted by: Auxano

VaG said: Cliff notes version please

With BB PM = YMWV (Your Mileage WILL Vary)

Anytime you shop at BB your YMWV

 

[Namtaru]

I did not read this whole thread but did read the first post.


I work at Best Buy and will absolutely agree that sometimes our managers can be complete tards and won't pricematch anything.

But there are a few things i wanted to point out.

Best Buy, as is any major corperation, is in the market to make money, plain and simple. If tdepartments do not make money, managers are fired. So it is in the best interest of themselves and te company to turn down any deal that would loe the company money.


Secondly, about your "new" PM policies.

I worked there for 3 years and started 5 years ago.

What you described in your post was in NO way any different from what they have taught me and showed me in the last 5 years. The practices are still the exact same.

Also, 99% of situations like yours, where people want to come in and PM to a rediculous price, is because of mail in rebates, special circumstances, and other things, which is CLEARLY stated in their policy they do not cover.

So just because you didn't get your way and screw over a company, don't be a cry baby and whine on the internet about it.

 

[SgtZulu]

Originally posted by: Namtaru


So just because you didn't get your way and screw over a company, don't be a cry baby and whine on the internet about it.

PREACH IT BROTHER!!!!

 

[Bird222]

I haven't been to BestBuy in a while and I definately don't know their policy verbatim. However, does the PM policy say 'at the discretion of the manager'? Most of the stores I visit take into account the rebate they are offering. Would you not agree, that if the policy doesn't state that rebates will be taken into account or 'at the managers will', even if they will take a loss on the sale that is should be done? After it was done, I would contact whoever was responsible to change the policy because it allows the company to lose money. But the bottom line is that the POLICY should be followed.

 

[faZZter]

"Best Buy, as is any major corperation, is in the market to make money, plain and simple. If tdepartments do not make money, managers are fired. So it is in the best interest of themselves and te company to turn down any deal that would loe the company money." - Namtaru

Not always. If you piss people off they may not ever shop there again.

I would think being cool to the customer and let them get a good deal will pay itself back in continued business with them.

Like I said in my reply I haven't had many issues with BB in my area, in fact they have worked with me many times to pricematch or cut a deal somehow. I'm sure they have sold me some stuff at cost or slightly below, but I still buy other stuff there for close to normal prices occasionally, but if they would have ever really ticked me off I would rarely shop there anymore.

Anyway the point is that a store is better served in the long run by not pissing off customers over a few dollars and one incident.