Zen and the Art of Programming

366 Responses to “The Ugly Truth about Best Buy Refunds”

1. # DellGuyon 11 Jul 2007 at 2:05 am

   Dude you should have gotten a dell. And one more thing, they sold you a defective product, don’t talk to Best Buy, call your credit card bank and dispute the charge.

2. # mind on 11 Jul 2007 at 2:15 am

   jeeze. don’t wait three weeks for them to tell you this and that blah blah. it’s just going to put you in a bad position when a month has gone by and they’re giving you the same crap. do something now while you’re still in that return window. i’d go back there and if they’re not going to exchange it, make it clear that you aren’t leaving the store with the laptop, and that you want your credit card refunded. if they refuse to credit your card, take pictures of yourself returning it, and take it up with the card agency.

3. # Antonio Cangianoon 11 Jul 2007 at 2:47 am

   @[DellGuy, mind]

   Very good point. It’s a European credit card in Canada though, so it may be harder to succeed.

4. # nicole on 11 Jul 2007 at 3:20 am

   Don’t let them bully you around. I have had to return a notebook to Best Buy on a couple of occasions. If you have more than one Best Buy within a reasonable distance, I would try and return it at another location.
   It basically depends on who you get at the counter. Keep your cool, explain the defect with as few words as possible and say they need to take it back, period.

5. # Scott on 11 Jul 2007 at 9:15 am

   Don’t wait 3 weeks, keep taking action. Also, post this to consumerist.com - they love to see Best Buy screw up.

6. # Sandyon 11 Jul 2007 at 9:16 am

   I was going to buy a Vaio from them, you may have saved me $2,000. Thank you sir and sorry to hear about your sad story.

7. # Antonio Cangianoon 11 Jul 2007 at 9:18 am

   @scott

   Thanks for your advice. I’ve already contacted Consumerist.com, let’s hope they bring some visibility to this story.

8. # smitherson 11 Jul 2007 at 9:36 am

   I had a similar problem with a 24″ monitor. They screwed me over and I paid in cash, so there was nothing I could do. Fuck Best Buy, I’ll never buy again from them.

9. # Paul Johnson on 11 Jul 2007 at 9:51 am

   Over here in the UK you can use the Small Claims Court in cases like this. In my experience companies will stonewall until you mention the magic words “small claims court”, and then suddenly fall over themselves to give you everything you asked for.

   Canada should have a similar system.

   Paul.

10. # sfarmstrong on 11 Jul 2007 at 10:23 am

    Small claims court? Why does everyone assume that invoking the law means going to court? What you’ve described is an egregious violation of consumer protection legislation AND the common law of contracts. Get a lawyer. Have the lawyer straighten Best Buy out. You’ve got a pretty decent chance of getting your refund and your legal fees. Threatening letters/phone calls from a lawyer are a great way to scare big business, especially when your case has clear merit.

    Consumer watchdogs are nice, but nothing beats the law for getting leverage on jerks.

    At the very least, you should consult with a lawyer to get some basic advice on how to proceed.

11. # sfarmstrong on 11 Jul 2007 at 10:30 am

    And I believe I didn’t take the time to read Paul Johnson’s post carefully. Please ignore my “why does everyone assume” comment. Threatening small claims court might work.

    The only problem I see with that is that most people who threaten to sue don’t usually do so. When a lawyer calls, the threat is a lot more credible.

12. # Matt on 11 Jul 2007 at 10:33 am

    Here’s the trick…

    Break something that *IS* covered under warranty.

    Simply editing boot.ini or one of the windows boot files is usually sufficient. The techs are dumb and won’t know how to fix it and just write it off as a bad hard drive and swap it.

    I did this once when they changed the online price the day after I bought a laptop but wouldn’t honor it because bestbuy is not bestbuy.com.

    Worked like a charm.

13. # Paulon 11 Jul 2007 at 10:38 am

    Seriously, don’t wait 3 weeks, that’s absurd.
    Perhaps take a look here:
    http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/DBLaws/Statutes/English/02c30_e.htm#BK17

    Call the Credit Card company, and fight tooth and nail. Don’t let them push you around.

    That’s the location I shop at, or I should say Used to shop at - I won’t be going there anymore.

14. # The Geek on 11 Jul 2007 at 10:40 am

    I must say this sounds like an issue with a particular Best Buy. I buy from Best Buy all the time and have had them go out of their way to resolve problems for me. I know that the people can make all the difference. I would definitely contact the corporate offices and let them know about your terrible experience.

15. # ben on 11 Jul 2007 at 11:45 am

    That’s it–I won’t purchase anything at Best Buy anymore. I’ve read too many stories like this.

    I love buying at Amazon. They have a great return policy and really back it up with action. I’ve never had a refused return and credit with them. The result is that I try to buy most everything of any expense from them, so having a good return policy pays dividends back.

16. # Best Buy Boycotter on 11 Jul 2007 at 12:09 pm

    I had this same idea. But I feel like a website with a forum of just Best Buy horror stories should be made. And the owner of the website should facilitate a BBB complaint. It took, I believe, some 200 complaints in New Jersey to the A.G. (not sure of the state, researched this a bit ago) to file a suit on behalf of the state, Attorney General. This needs to be corrected. Best Buy is horrible with customer service.

17. # Jimon 11 Jul 2007 at 12:24 pm

    Don’t threaten to go to court, just to it. File the claim and serve the corporate office. They will settle, and you will be out $15 for the forms.

18. # Kevin on 11 Jul 2007 at 12:55 pm

    You are rolling over way too easily. You need to know what the warranty says and also what the law says. You purchased a defective producter from a well known manufacturer via a well known retailer. You didn’t buy a no name computer from the back of some guys trunk. You are in the right on this and you need to push the issue

19. # someguyon 11 Jul 2007 at 12:55 pm

    I highly recommend contacting your credit card company. They provide an awesome amount of protection for defective products, or service promised that wasn’t provided. Both seem to apply here, and I suspect that a chargeback is in BB’s future.

20. # null on 11 Jul 2007 at 1:08 pm

    I am not terribly surprised by this, but I am surprised that Acer will not solve this quickly for you. Most manufacturers will cover major lcd defects for at least one year, and with better manufacturers, up to 3.

    Like you, I have been in the industry for years, and am familiar with most of the manufacturers. I would contact Acer Canada immediately to see what they have to say about it.

21. # Go here on 11 Jul 2007 at 1:14 pm

    bestbuysux.og

22. # chorlick on 11 Jul 2007 at 1:44 pm

    Im a front desk clerk for circuit city(store 0855). Circuit city has very lax rules and regulations on returns. Essentially benefit of doubt is also provided to the customer. Next time try them.

    -chorlick

23. # T.Mj. on 11 Jul 2007 at 1:45 pm

    The trick to sorting out these situations tends to be climbing further up the food chain. The higher up you go, the more managers place the reputation of the brand over the profit of an individual store.

24. # Denise on 11 Jul 2007 at 1:48 pm

    Hi, sorry to hear about your issue. When you get the unit back from BBY, one option is that you can take it to an authorized Acer repair center and get them to evaluate it. If they come up with a manufacturer’s defect as cause then you have more of a leg to stand on. I would suggest that you, of course, get everything in writing and of course, get names and phone numbers if possible. Sorry you are having such a back time and hope it works out for you and your wife.

25. # Yolounda on 11 Jul 2007 at 1:48 pm

    Wow, my cousin just had the same experience with best buy..i have always thought that there were pretty good to deal with but i guess not, thanks for opening my eyes even more. She purchased a desktop from them and when launching the desktop she got an error saying there was a problem with the drivers and could not open windows and she did not have the restore CD (mind you, this was just purchased, only 1 days lapsed between buying it and setting it up). I told her that it seems like they may have given her a pc that was returned, because all the restore and software cd were not in the box. So she immediatley called Customer Support and they told her a bunch of mess about contacting the vendor, i told her hell no, take that machine back to the store and tell them u do not want this one or any other, just ur money back, (she too paid cash) and they told her that it would take a month for them to send her a check…she purchased the damn thing just three days prior…so i was upset by that, but now from what happened to you, i think i willl do like the other person and stick to buying online instead…less hassle…. sorry about ur situtation….

26. # Andrew Ferguson on 11 Jul 2007 at 1:52 pm

    As a former employee of Future Shop (the Canadian arm of Best Buy), I wish you luck. You’ll need it.

    Some suggestions:

    Get nitpicky with the fine print on the back of the receipt if it’s on your side.

    Get in touch with the regional manager if you can to plead your case.

    Don’t give up. Everyone does this and every time they do, they provide incentive for BB and other companies to treat their customers like this. Get your CC company to challenge the charges, and take them to court (don’t just threaten it.

    Send this to all your local papers. *We* know the power of the internet, but BB/FS management are really dismissive about it.

    Best Buy is a publicly traded company. This means they have listed contact info for head office:

    http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=BBY

    Try asking for executive customer service, customer resolution, etc.

    Do the usual consumerist things and email carpetbomb Acer/BBY. Link to the forums showing this is a common problem.

    Good luck
    PS. If you can find an employee in customer service on their last day who hates the place, they might just be your best friend…

27. # John Rockman on 11 Jul 2007 at 2:38 pm

    Wow, I was going to replace 20,000 dollars worth of equipments and laptop for my company at Best Buy. After hearing this story, I will definitely not chance it to have complication with their customer service. Thank you for your story and I wish you luck with getting your money back! You did consumer a great service!

    John

28. # Pablo on 11 Jul 2007 at 4:14 pm

    I’d just file a Small Claims action, it won’t cost more than $50 and you’ll force them to reply within 14 days. If they don’t reply, you win.

    If they reply, it goes to a settlement hearing and I’m sure you’ll be able to present your case yourself and clearly demonstrate this was defective equipment as others have suffered the same problem.

    Big Business only kicks people around because we let them. Kick back!

29. # Scotton 11 Jul 2007 at 4:23 pm

    I refuse to walk into another Best Buy for the rest of my life. They are rude and they don’t care at all about the customer. I went to buy a $2500 Sony LCD there and they had run out of the one I wanted. I saw that the older model was still on the shelf and asked if I could get that for the same price as the newer model… it was something like $2799. They said no, and the manager was rude. I’ve had this experience repeated many times there and I take all my business to Circuit City now. I went there from Best Buy and bought the TV for $2500.

    Scott

    http://www.toldya.com/

30. # Azaron 11 Jul 2007 at 4:24 pm

    Paul: he still sew them in Canada, just like the UK.

    Seriously, I will never buy from them.

31. # Jude Cooper on 11 Jul 2007 at 4:35 pm

    I bought two notebooks at Best Buy. On the last one I bought the warranty and it was worth because LCD screen had to be replaced and I had a reoccurring problem where the notebook would not turn on. For that problem I had to bring it in for repairs three times and they still could not find what was causing it to malfunction. On the fourth trip Best Buy said they could not send it in for repairs without charging because my warranty expired and it had been over 30 days. I argued they never fixed the original problem. I finally paid one of my students $30 to fix it. I work at an elite university and I tell all my students DO NOT A COMPUTER FROM BUY FROM BEST BUY.

32. # Vic on 11 Jul 2007 at 4:43 pm

    You should talk to your CC company again. You have a right to dispute charges on something the seller has not come through. You bought something that is defective.

    Have the credit card company do a charge back. Good luck.

33. # Mike on 11 Jul 2007 at 4:49 pm

    That’s why I bought my laptop from Office Depot.

    I checked out Best Buy first. Before I plunked down my cash (er, CC), I asked for the manager or assistant manager. I was told neither was available. Then I asked the sales person if the laptop proved to be defective if I could return it. He ignored my question and tried to get me to upgrade. My response was to say, “I’m sorry you ignored my question. You just lost a sale.”

    I then went to Office Depot and asked for the manager after I selected a computer. When he arrived, I asked him the same thing. He said, “Not a problem. Just ask for me if you want to return it or have any problems.” He was polite and friendly, and didn’t ignore any questions I asked. Well, the computer wasn’t defective, so I didn’t have to test his answer. But at least I believe he would have taken it back.

    I don’t think I’ll be going back to Best Buy.

34. # Clay on 11 Jul 2007 at 4:56 pm

    I worked retail for a few years (not a big box store we actually had customer service) and I can tell you that Acer is the one you want to deal with. They’re more worried about their reputation than Best Buy is. A broken LCD is a very difficult one to explain as a customer because it generally only happens due to physical damage. I’d start phoning Acer soon to see if there’s anything they can do, chances are you’ll have to keep hounding them to speak with higher ups that will authorize a replacement. Also make sure you end up speaking with someone higher up first otherwise they may get you to send it into a depot and just say ‘no’ based on the fault.

35. # Tom on 11 Jul 2007 at 5:24 pm

    Hey,

    I worked at Circuit City for a grand total of 7 months before I left for a variety of reasons.

    In that time I did computer repair for about 3-4 months, and I saw not one but two Acer’s with the exact same problem, I don’t recall the model number but I know they were 15″ widescreens. Anyway, about 2 inches in from the right side there was a purplish bar before a dead area. If you were to pinch the top of the screen right in that spot, it’d work. This would resolve the problem on both computers, and LUCKILY, we had a great salesman on the team who would usually get people to get the accidental warranty on the lower end units. What that means is, even though they’ll try to say the customer is at fault and Acer probably won’t do anything, the customer being at fault is _covered_ and they would get new laptops.

    Of course, that end point isn’t really relevant, but the goal of this post was to let you know about the problems i’d seen with acers in early-mid 2006.

36. # Steve on 11 Jul 2007 at 5:57 pm

    Dispute the credit card charge (if a CC was used).

37. # Ben Popken on 11 Jul 2007 at 5:57 pm

    You should email this to Geek Squad executive customer service team:

    info@geeksquadcentral.com with the subject line, “For Robert”

    It actually works! See here.

38. # nullon 11 Jul 2007 at 6:21 pm

    You should of just told them you wanted a different serie of acer laptop. Show the receipt, and trade it for cashback or another one at the same price. Simple.

39. # angeleson 11 Jul 2007 at 6:36 pm

    I will never buy from them.

40. # Antonio Cangianoon 11 Jul 2007 at 6:42 pm

    @Steve

    The credit card company already told me that they are not going to do anything about this.

    @Ben Popken

    Thanks very much for this pointer. I’m writing to Robert as we speak.

    @null

    I offered to purchase a more expensive model (a Sony Vaio) from them and pay the difference, but they wouldn’t even let me finish my sentence before telling me point blank that they were not going to exchange or refund the laptop.

41. # sigfpeon 11 Jul 2007 at 6:55 pm

    Acer are a bunch of crooks masquerading as a PC manufacturer. They’ll use whatever deception it takes to get out of their warranty responsibilities. Nobody should ever buy a product from them. Pity this web page has two ads for Acer products.

42. # Trg5363 on 11 Jul 2007 at 7:29 pm

    You know, I find stories like this about big retail chains hilarious. How do you expect a business like Best Buy to pay MORE than what they’re selling the computer to you for to just replace it. That puts the business out money. Laptops are sold below margin in most cases, so in turn, you’re spending less than the company spent to even carry it in their stores. Most places offer product service plans that will replace things like that with no deductible or cost to you. But other than to really have any proof that you in fact did nothing is anyone’s guess. Now I’m not calling you a liar, but you have to also realize that just because you said something happened doesn’t mean it did. If you were treated like a liar from a customer service employee, then that of course isn’t right and in no way do I think anyone should be treated that way. Y’know…Every time someone has something bad to say about something its because they’ve had a bad personal experience. Just because Person A had an Acer crap out on them doesn’t mean that Person B has had perfection with theirs. Shipping, manufacturing, delivery all play a part in jostling product around, and I’m not surprised that products end up like yours did. Do yourself a favor next time and protect your investment.

43. # Ian on 11 Jul 2007 at 7:30 pm

    Consumerist has contact information for executive customer serivice of best buy and they have been fantastic in my experience for resolving personal complaints as well as those of my friends when the store served useless. They usually answer first with a form letter than within a day someone contacts you directly and they try to resolve everything.

44. # Stanon 11 Jul 2007 at 7:51 pm

    Wow, you are on the Consumerist’s frontpage.

45. # Oscar on 12 Jul 2007 at 6:49 am

    Man, if you think Best Buy sucks, for Pete’s sake stay about from CompUSA which both sucks, blows, takes it up the ass from Satan and worse. They’ll give to you up the ass as well. I worked at CompUSA and the only thing you could say good about it was “Well it’s not Best Buy”. The sales staff gets paid on the amount of EXTENDED WARRANTIES they sell, not on the sales of computers. That’s why they push the damn things so much, but here’s a tip: NEVER BUY AN EXTENDED warranty. A better use of your money is to wipe your own ass with your money and flush it down the toilet.

    The first day I was working at Best Buy, in the Mac Dept, where you often go stuck as a newbie, I asked the manager to get someone to help me, and the dept head of another section said to both me and the main manager “I don’t want to fuck withe Macs”. Good service, huh?

    Never, never, never, never, shop at CompUSA, or Best Buy. I don’t know if there are CompUSA’s in Canada, but if there are, avoid them. Avoid Best Buy as well. Best place I’ve found so far to buy computers is Craig’s List. I’m not joking.

    Man, I hope you fuck those weasels at Best Buy out of some serious bucks. Good luck.

46. # fs04 on 12 Jul 2007 at 8:00 am

    @Trg5363

    Correction: Notebooks are sold above margin, whereas most desktops are sold below margin.

    Nonetheless, as an ex-employee of Best Buy/Geek Squad, you’d be hard pressed to find item that’s sold BELOW margin other than desktop computers and video game consoles.

47. # Emadon 12 Jul 2007 at 9:26 am

    Costco, bring it back within 90 days, no questions asked. Also, when you buy a pc at costco, they automatically add another 2 years of warranty in addition to the manf waranty.

    Had similiar bestbuy issues, wont be there again

48. # The Terryman on 12 Jul 2007 at 9:28 am

    Bought a Macbook, it had an issue that cropped up in 1 week with the screen. Walked into an Apple store. Walked out with a brand new replacement. All I had to do was restore from my backup. Viola’
    End analysis, Buy Apple.

    P.S. I was screwed by Best Buy 2 times but NO MORE.

49. # Tom Jones on 12 Jul 2007 at 9:35 am

    Best Buy needs to rename itself to Worst Buy!

50. # Elaon 12 Jul 2007 at 9:56 am

    My husband way driving to best buy to purchase a large high def TV screen. I called him on the cell and told him not to. He was confused but understood where I was coming from. As soon as he is back home, we’ll order a Sony Bravia TV via Dell. Thanks for warning us about bb attitude.

51. # chaochou2on 12 Jul 2007 at 2:38 pm

    After 2 months at the Geekpuke Squad, I am finally getting my HP computer back today. When I dropped it off, I had come from an IT shop that had run diagnostics on it and had found the C drive was bad; I told the Geekiot that I wanted that hard drive back and he said confidently, “No problem. We always give your hard drive back.” I re-iterated that there was private data on it and I wanted it back, not recovered. “Understood. No problem”.

    Next week I got a Geek-call telling me that both my hard drives were bad (actually, I had to TELL THEM the machine had 2 drives, not one) and they would NOT return my hard drives. But he was happy to ask (extort) for “$250 and up” for them to “attempt” to recover my data.

    So after fighting Best Buy for 2 months, supposedly the famed Geekiots (who never seemed to know what the other Geekiots or corporate said or had done) had replaced the both hard drives once, the motherboard twice, and attempted uncounted numbers of OS re-installs…

    I get to see if my computer even works AT ALL! I’m not taking any bets….

52. # slymaple on 12 Jul 2007 at 4:42 pm

    Contact Ellen Roseman of the Toronto Star. (http://www.thestar.com)- look under business columnist or search her column “On Your Side”). She has been advocating for consumers for a long time and been successful in making errant companies “see the light”. The article will appear in the Toronto Star and I’m sure that’s too much of publicity that Best Buy is willing to take. That should kick their ass.

53. # Icepak on 12 Jul 2007 at 7:37 pm

    I really feel for you and can really understand how frustrated you must be. It’s because of stories like yours that I refuse to shop at Best Buy any more. I will be checking back to see how this progresses. Definitely, do not wait. I would attempt to escalate this higher up the chain at Best Buy if you can. I can’t believe the credit card company won’t do anything either.

54. # Janeon 12 Jul 2007 at 11:54 pm

    I realize this is somewhat irrelevant to your post, but it’s just to point out that the low end MacBook (which should suit your wife just fine like the Acer) is not $2500, and is closer to less than half that price. It’s only a couple hundred bucks more than the Acer (although you living in .ca, i’m not sure what the pricing’s going to be like on the macs, but you could always go refurb or get a discount somehow).

    I’ve had all sorts of ridiculous run-ins with the incompetent Best Buy staff here in southern california, not worth it. One best buy peon gave me a hard time after I waited 2 hours in total to get a hard drive I needed that I ordered online. The first time, they took an hour to find the drive…I was so exhausted I just left with it, only to come home 5 minutes later to find out the hard drive was PATA and not SATA, so I drove back in under 15 minutes since I had first left the store to exchange it. The SAME person who got the hard drive the first time gave me this attitude because the receipt said SATA while the box said PATA (why she didn’t notice this the first time…). Needless to say I got a refund and drove to Fry’s an hour away to handpick the right hard drive at half the price.

    Waits at apple stores can be as much as 30m-1hr but the staff is spectacular, applecare phone staff and service are pretty decent, and if not, there’s always an email to sjobs@apple.com to fix the issue
    That being said, good luck with bestbuy and acer. Not much to suggest, given you’ve already done most of the things I was thinking of.

55. # general975 on 13 Jul 2007 at 12:53 pm

    why would you ever buy a computer from a department store, order it online thru a computer company or from a place like newegg or pcmall.

56. # rust on 13 Jul 2007 at 3:37 pm

    My BB experience has also sucked. I purchased an HP desktop about 2 years ago from BB because of their Rewards program. Tried to redeem my rewards a few weeks later and they said I had none. Checked my account on line and it said the same. Called the Rewards hotline and spoke to someone who was able to pull up my purchases and see that no Rewards had been used but they were not able/willing to make it right. A few months pass and I whine about it to my brother, he explains that he had been throwing away a bunch of BB Rewards junk mail they kept sending him, he had not purchased anything from them. When I called back they told me that indeed he was given my rewards points accidentally (same last name) and that they could not make it right. After speaking to management, I was told that the points had expired and that there was nothing they could do. It has been 2 years and I have not stepped foot into BB since. Looking for great customer service in a local store go to Circuit City. Otherwise, shop online.

57. # Sarah on 13 Jul 2007 at 4:08 pm

    I’ve been shopping less and less at Best Buy over the past few years, opting for Amazon (can’t beat that Prime shipping deal), NewEgg, etc. I just get so sick of having those damn extended warranties shoved down my throat, and we’ve had all sorts of trouble getting them to back their products when something goes wrong. We all know the warranties are pretty much worthless, and we all know it’s how employees make their money. And, I’m sorry about that, but I can’t change it except by not buying there at all.

    That being said, I had a bad notebook experience myself a few weeks ago. I picked up an Acer that was on sale at Circuit City, and the thing would NOT stay connected wirelessly (I found several comments on this issue after the purchase, oops). Anyway, I took it back the day after I bought it and they were very cool about it, wiping out the restocking fee and everything. I bought a different Toshiba notebook there and it’s been great. It was a shame the first notebook sucked, but I was really happy with Circuit City in this regard. Still got the whole warranty pitch, but what are you going to do?

58. # Sabra on 13 Jul 2007 at 5:48 pm

    I wish I had something constructive to add, but not really. I’m typing this comment on a laptop we bought at CompUSA after leaving Best Buy and swearing never to return. We got there an hour after the store opened, wanting to buy a specific laptop they had on sale. They were sorry, they were out of those, but they’d happily sell us this other model for roughly twice as much.

    Uh, no.

    I’ve since talked to a huge number of people who all have their own “this is how I got burned by Best Buy” stories; I suppose I’m lucky mine didn’t cost anything. (Well, CompUSA did get $3000 from us later that day.)

59. # Employee No Name on 13 Jul 2007 at 6:02 pm

    I work at a best buy in Cincinnati. Assuming that the screen was not cracked I am not sure why that laptop was not replaced. Sorry to hear about the trouble. Come down to cincinnati next time. Defective items can be returned/exchanged with in 14 days, and yours sounds defective to me. I fight for the customers at my store without them i have no job. Sorry again about the problems.

60. # Meredith on 13 Jul 2007 at 8:04 pm

    This is crap. Customer service from Best Buy is horrible. They don’t care and they don’t give a shit. Don’t stop. Go forward until you are reimbursed for all your (Time spent dealing with this issue)
    I will never shop there again. You have my support

61. # Best Buy on 13 Jul 2007 at 8:51 pm

    the problem is not with best buy, the problem is with acer, you should have contacted them as it is clearly a manufacturers defect, best buy is a reseller of products and unfortunately your laptop fits the bill of physical damage even though it may not be, contact acer directly, anyone can deal with their depot directly as best buy is not authorized to deal with acers at this point in time, sorry for the inconvenience.

62. # Johnon 13 Jul 2007 at 9:29 pm

    “Best Buy” the problem is clearly with Best Buy as they are the one who decided not to exchange it within the initial 14 days for defective units as advertised. They don’t say on their fliers “14 days easy returns, but not if it’s a serious issue with your monitor”.

63. # Matt Joneson 13 Jul 2007 at 9:58 pm

    I heard mention that he should have gotten a Dell. I don’t think you have ordered one
    over the phone.
    We saw the ad and called. Gave them the
    code and discussed all the info screen size etc. UPS tries delivering it to the house across the street for two days.
    We wait wondering where it is. It arrives
    with a smaller screen 15″ not 17″ and
    the printer does not work. After 6 calls
    to Dell in India. They will not exchange
    the screen without more money. Oh and they want shipping costs to return the malfunctioning printer. I have shortened
    this and left out the emails and the robotic representatives of Dell. This is
    America and I thought we had standards?
    go ahead order from Dell on the phone and see what a nightmare it becomes should you need any customer service.
    Good Luck……I suggest buy local and
    Mom and Pop if at all possible.

64. # Antonio Cangianoon 13 Jul 2007 at 10:37 pm

    @John

    In retrospective, I really wish I had taken pictures and a video to show how the laptop appeared entirely intact with the glossy outer glass in perfect shape and the inner glass being the only area that was cracked. I didn’t expect the whole story to escalate to this point so I didn’t even think about taking a picture before I went to the store. Now they have the laptop so I won’t be able to take a picture at the time being.

    I’ve been using laptops for many years, and being a gift for my wife, I treated it with “white gloves”. In particular I was very careful when opening the lid, by opening both sliders and I didn’t apply any pressure on it. And honestly the screen was opened up and untouched the whole session in which I used it on Monday night before noticing the issue.

    My guess is that the laptop already had a partially damaged TFT which defects were not visible (perhaps a minute hairline crack) and after a few hours of usage the internal heat caused it to crack.

    I realize that many people lie and as a result other people are suspicious, but in this case it’s a very unfortunate situation independent from my actions and control. I wouldn’t go to this great length if I didn’t feel unjustly punished for something I didn’t do.

65. # shilohin on 13 Jul 2007 at 10:45 pm

    The problem ***IS*** with Best Buy. I made the mistake once of buying an HP printer from Best Buy, along with an extended warranty. After about 11 months, the printer stripped a gear, you could hear the gear teeth raking when it tried to print. So I took it back to Best Buy. They told me (without trying it out) the problem was the printer needed to be cleaned and that cost $30 and WAS NOT covered by the warranty or extended warranty. I argued with them for 30 minutes and they wouldn’t even try it out, and I told them you could HEAR the stripped gear. They would not budge. I took it back home and decided that since the warranty was obviously worthless, I would fix the printer myself (being an A+ Certifed computer tech). I took another non-working HP printer that was made similar, removed the gear from the older one, put it in the newer one. Voila! The printer worked perfectly for 2+ years. Best Buy is rotten. If you only knew how many times I’ve heard their sales people telling lies about computer equipment to unsuspecting and unknowing customers. It’s disgusting.

66. # Agreed on 14 Jul 2007 at 12:16 am

    I bought my girl a toshiba from bestbuy (she wasnt having the mac pitch when I bought the satalite now she wishes I bought one) after about 2 months the screen stopped working (straight up stopped working, no leaking no cracks, just wouldnt work) bestbuy fixed it (After a LOT LOT LOT of greif and arguing) and they said if they didnt return it in 6 weeks they would give a new laptop in its place. it came back after 8 at which point they gave me some speal about shipping time not being included in the 6 weeks even though they shipped it to their warehouse to be repaired. last time i ever shop at bestbuy (hp has repaired my other laptop twice and they had a 4-5 business day turn around from the time they shipped me an empty pre paid fedex box to the time they shipped back to me and it was in my hands again. most amazing service ever) apple on my macbook pro wasnt too bad, 6 business day turn around because the store had to wait for a new case after the start button became unseated. so ya, bestbuy = major greif, everyone else didnt question me about problems and simply repaired as agreed in the purchased warrenty. whats the point of buying a 300 dollar warrenty if they wont honor any of the repairs??

67. # Tyler on 14 Jul 2007 at 12:44 am

    Did you show it to one of the Geek Squad guys? I work at a store called The Source by Circuit City(tm and c and r signs, etc)

    What they did is, unfortunately, a symptom of what we, retail service deals with. We have people routinely trying to, to put it in not so polite terms, scam us. They buy something, scuff it up, wreck it, expect us to give them money back. A great way to test stolen credit cards. Or, they buy something, use it once, and try to return it, and that was their whole intention.

    However, that being said, if there are no cracks in the screen, we would cover it, since it is obviously a manufacturer defect. The drones at the cs desks in Best buys would not know this, you should have gone to a Geek Squad counter. You did not indicate if you did so. Second, do NOT leave your laptop there. They had no rights to keep it, if they are not working on it.

    Advice to all consumers with suddenly wrecked merchandise: stay calm, smile, be conversant with the representative. Ask them: “Is there anything we can do to fix this problem?” Most of the reps will do everything they can to help you, if you are polite, nice, and ask and listen well.

    Also, understand that we have policies in place that we, upon pain of losing our jobs, cannot defy or break. Most of us /need/ our jobs, so we’re likely not to risk our necks for you, no matter how nice you are. Remember that.

    Last thing: understand that these are businesses that operate on razor thin margins. They need to do everything they can to make money for their shareholders.

68. # Phoosh on 14 Jul 2007 at 12:53 am

    Wow, this isn’t the first time I have heard a horror story from Best Buy. First there was the secret Best Buy website set up to rip off in store customers in search of sales. Then there was the incident with Xbox 360’s being sold with invalid warranty or used 360’s being sold as new. This is just one more of those things that you come to expect from crappy companies. Ever since the first incident, I have been warning everyone i know and telling them to buy from Circuit City instead. They have almost an identical selection of products and usually have a store open within a mile of most Best Buys. The only difference between the two is that one doesn’t take every chance they get to rip off their paying customers.

69. # Antonio Cangianoon 14 Jul 2007 at 1:18 am

    @Tyler

    When I arrived at the store, I first spoke shortly with a Best Buy clerk, she called a Geek Squad agent who said “OK, no problem” and then went to speak to a Best Buy manager, then the Geek Squad agent went away and came back with (what I assume) was a Geek Squad manager. This guy told me immediately that there is no way that they would exchange it and that it was my fault in a rather accusatory tone. I can tell you that, despite being “Geek” Squad agents they didn’t seem very knowledgeable or particularly prepared from a technical viewpoint.

70. # Egon on 14 Jul 2007 at 4:51 am

    I don’t believe you didn’t ask to speak to the store manager. This quite often works well, as the employee who is trying to put you off, could get in trouble if you complain about him to his manager.

    Also, don’t give in that easily: your credit card should block the payment. I don’t know which kind of card you’ve got, but don’t just consult your bank but rather the company who is behind all that (American Express, Master Card, …).

    Don’t be afraid to ‘threaten’ Best Buy guys: consult their manager, consult your lawyer, threaten to inform the proper agencies or get everything back in court.

71. # Loraon 14 Jul 2007 at 7:35 am

    Found this by using StumbleUpon. Your voice is being heard.

72. # Anthonyon 14 Jul 2007 at 7:50 am

    Hi there, let the boycott of Best Buy begin! Oh wait, most of us smart people already do! Sorry for your loss, if there is a CAL against BB you know I’ll be there. With beer!

73. # Ericon 14 Jul 2007 at 9:52 am

    Hey man, I’m lucky. The people at my Best Buy actually do work with you. I think it might be the extended warranty, though. I always get that, and they never turn me away.

    P.S. If you get the extended warranty before the 30-day mark, it’s still valid. Your problem would probably be covered.

74. # Jim on 14 Jul 2007 at 10:01 am

    I had the same problem with Best buy on a DV Camcorder. Call the corporate office in Minnesota and then call a consumer helpline at a local TV station.
    I spent 3 weeks arguing and escalating on up Best Buy’s management chain with no results. Within 2 hours of talking to the local TV station’s consumer advocate I received a call from Best Buy asking me to come in to pick up a new camera. Best buy hates to have their dirty little secrets exposed!

75. # Tyler on 14 Jul 2007 at 5:23 pm

    Hmmm. I really wish I could help you out Anthony. Typically Acer is pretty good about warranties, and servicing defective lcds.

    Every company has horror stories about them unfortunately, and few are very perfect. (Except for M$’s tech support; they’re incredible, talented, work hard for hours for you… and no accents.)

    I really wish this hadn’t of happened Anthony. Like others have suggested, you would be better off buying from places like Circuit City, The Source, or Mom and Pop computer stores.

    Goodluck man. :/

76. # nitabean on 14 Jul 2007 at 6:21 pm

    I read(in AARP) about someone having an issue with a company doing this; he purchased some shares of their stock, and then threatened to show up at the shareholders meeting to present his case of being ripped off.
    They quickly settled, he then sold the stock at a small profit!

    I will avoid Best Buy for major purchases.

77. # ding on 14 Jul 2007 at 9:14 pm

    Having worked at CompUSA, it’s better to bring it in as “won’t boot” than try to tell the morons at these types of shops the specific problem (very easy to break it so it won’t boot). On an Acer laptop right now I’m kinda shocked as I love mine and have had NO problems but I know that they really don’t want to help you out if they can avoid it. Just remember that US companies outside of the US are more crocked, stay away. Sad on the Credit Card issue as mine will trust me over a merchant every time and as long as I send them the lappy they refund me (leaving it with them is suicide as you’re giving them the call on the laptop they already won’t exchange)

78. # Eric on 14 Jul 2007 at 9:30 pm

    I can tell you that your experience is not unique. I bought a small (US$40 item) and got the same crappy run-around. I’m surprised your CC company won’t at least do something to help you.

    As for sending people to Dell, don’t. As bad as Best Buy is, Dell is far, far worse. You can read OUR disaster with Dell on my blog at http://www.darsys.net/2005/08/why-dell-sucks-and-blows-dont-buy-dell.html
    (This link is right to the article so you don’t have to read all my personal stuff).

    My next laptop will be a Mac. My desktop already is a Mac. It’s sad when neither the seller nor the manufacturer will help you.

    Good luck.

79. # www.getnoticedfirst.comon 14 Jul 2007 at 9:30 pm

    I am so sick of these darn companies ripping people off! Best Buy should give you another laptop AND give you money back.

    I’m done with Best Buy.

80. # fooz1212@yahoo.com on 14 Jul 2007 at 9:30 pm

    i won’t buy there because of your experience. hope you got the lady a card at least. best wishes and thank you for letting us know where not to shop.

81. # Unknown on 14 Jul 2007 at 11:49 pm

    I work at a best buy in texas…and you know, I hate hearing stories like this because of the reputation it gives other stores who will honor what they say. Come down to texas! Haha…

    Seriously, though. It coulda happened to anyone, and I’m sorry it happened to you.

82. # thrifty on 15 Jul 2007 at 12:16 am

    I feel bad for you. I’m a Mgr. for WalMart
    and even though there is NO love lost between me and my company I can say we have excellent customer service, at least at our store. If you bought it from us and returned it within 15 days with receipt you would have received your money back.

    We have a new BB almost ready to open and I was looking foreward to it. Not anymore. They won’t get my money. I’ll give my money back to Wally World or Circuit City which I have had great luck with. Wish you luck

83. # kmuzuon 15 Jul 2007 at 2:11 am

    Best Buy has sold off all services. For example, if you write a check, BB instantly sells the check to a third-party, who then guarantees and fiances the transaction. So, if the 3rd party does not like your check, they can reject the transaction and there is nothhing you or BB can do about it. The same is true with the Customer Service and Warrenty. If you buy the plan, then there is no problem, because it does not cost BB anything. However, if you do not purchase the extended warrenty then it costs BB money and they will refuse. BB punishes complainers. There are enough sheep who don’t complain. The Geek Squad (I’m pretty sure) is a seperate company as well.

    My advice is to write to the VP of marketing at ACER and tell them as objectively as possible what happened and that you would just like to exchange the laptop. Tell them you have a popular blog and how you’ll sing ACER’s praises if they will do as you want.

    I’ve been screwed by BB so many times. Just remember if it cost them even one cent they will fight you to the very end.

    Good luck

    Kmuzu.

84. # fireangel02 on 15 Jul 2007 at 9:36 am

    I bought a gateway laptop from best buys about 1 1/2 years ago. I do not think I will ever by another laptop from best buys. Gateway installs trial versions of norton anti virus and mcafee anti viris. I decided to use mcafee anti virus and i uninstalled nortons. Well it messed my computer up by giving me errors, so i took it to the geek squad and they blamed me for installing it and messing it up. They argued with me for a while, and i told them i know that they dont work together, that is one of the first things you learn(I have a degree in computer repair, just didnt feel like fixing my brand new laptop my self). They finally looked it over and said that i had installed a new video driver on my computer, when i had not installed any thing on the laptop yet. So he unistalled one of the drivers and said there it will work now, and it did for a little while, but the next day i started getting lines going through my computer, it was like static or those bars you get on tv, they would just scroll across my tv. I took it back and they could not find the problem so i called gateway and they walked me through how to fix it. They had me unistall both of the virus softwares and reinstall the video driver, and it works fine now. Then i had a problem with my battery and they wanted to keep it for 3 weeks, so once again i called gateway and they sent me a replacement battery and told me just to mail back the old one. I talked to several different people at gateway and they said that best buys geek squad has no idea what they are doing.

85. # BurnedByBestBuyToo on 15 Jul 2007 at 10:41 am

    All I can say is good luck my friend. I went thru the almost same experience with BB. They kept my daughter’s laptop for over a month before they finally agreed to give me a new unit. And then when I finally get the computer back - guess what? They’ve lost the power cable. Then they try to argue with me that I didn’t give them the power cable when I returned the unit - which is incorrect. I argued with anyone and everyone that would listen to me that the cable was with the unit when I returned it. Finally I said - screw it - just sell me a new power cable. And guess what? They didn’t even have one in stock. I ended up just going to the local mom and pop computer store and getting a cable from them.

    I will never, ever, ever step foot in a BB again. Their customer service absolutely sucks.

    But you know what? In the long run, stories such as these are going to cost them. Sooner or later, everyone will learn how bad this place sucks and quit shooping there.

    I hope the place goes belly up. They’re the worst of the worst.

86. # Diegoon 15 Jul 2007 at 1:14 pm

    People who say that LCD don’t crack on their own are ignorant. It happened to me and to a friend of mine. I’m A+ certified and in my experience the #1 cause for crack on cheap models is overheat coming from the battery.

87. # azaron 15 Jul 2007 at 3:12 pm

    Do not let it go. Sew them, screw them and post about that in forums.

88. # BobbyBGoode on 15 Jul 2007 at 5:07 pm

    I don’t have any advice for you, however I do find it interesting that you now know what I have known for a few years. I have not set foot inside a Best Buy in quite a while. They do not deserve, nor will the get any of my money. They are a very shoddy outfit that teaches their employees to lie to the customers. This along with poor/questionable business practices will keep me away.

89. # Kevin on 15 Jul 2007 at 10:37 pm

    Sorry to hear about your troubles with Best Buy. Thanks for sharing your horror story, They probably dont give a second thought to your experience with them given the volumes of customers they have, but like you said, your article will reach thousands! I have bought Dells and have no complaints with them, but now I just build my own. I personally do not buy computers from best buy, only hardware items/ software, etc.

90. # Joey on 16 Jul 2007 at 12:25 am

    Hey man, I know what your going through if you could get in contact with me i may be able to help you. Ive dealt with this so many times and i’d like to help you out. Assuming your in the US this can be solved quite fast so please email me asap if your in US and the faster you come in contact the faster we can help you. - Joey

91. # JohnW on 16 Jul 2007 at 4:22 am

    I sent an email to Best Buy Canada pointing to this site. Every little bit helps! Good Luck. In Oz I find it best to but from the smaller more technical focused companies since dealing with the large corperate mind is a bit scary.

92. # jsolisre on 16 Jul 2007 at 5:41 am

    Had almost the same problem with an Acer Travelmate. The harddisk would spin up at regular intervals, storing all user input in the buffer for 1-2 seconds.
    Because I only noticed this after two weeks (it had been lying around in a box for two weeks), the dealer would not replace. Acer Tech dept. said on several occassions that there was nothing wrong.
    That’s when I decided that Acer was never going to me my friend again.

93. # Lynn on 17 Jul 2007 at 12:22 am

    I agree with the tech that said you’d have difficulty getting anyone to replace a unit with a faulty screen. It’s very difficult to prove that you didn’t break it on your own and it’s fairly rare for that kind of a problem to develop on it’s own. I love Best Buy and shop there all the time. I had a laptop for 2 months, dropped it down the stairs and brought it to the Geek Squad in pieces. Since I purchased one of their service plans I was able to get a replacement in less than two weeks. Maybe the problem lies with the store that you’re using rather than the company as a whole?

94. # AJ on 17 Jul 2007 at 4:13 am

    Wow, I’m very sorry that happened, and I think its a shame that Best Buy there didn’t have the guts to help you out. Being an employee of Best Buy myself and being the guy who runs the computer department in my store… that wouldn’t have happened here, a manager wouldn’t have even been involved.

    Its interesting to hear about the horror stories of Best Buys in other places and to be completely honest… its really REALLY embarrassing to see that other blue shirts work with much lower standards than myself and my employees.

95. # T on 17 Jul 2007 at 9:27 am

    I agree with AJ. I am also a employee with best buy (geeksquad) Our store in Virginia would not have treated you in the manner mentioned above. We evaluate issues as such on a daily manner and can weed out true customer abuse from a manufacturer’s defect. Best of luck in obtaining a replacement unit.

96. # jkillah1 on 18 Jul 2007 at 12:02 am

    Wow, I’ve heard about how Best Buy sucks and I’ve read a few horror stories about the geek squad (stealing porn, etc.).

    I used to go in there to check out how much things are and stuff, but now I’ve decided that I’ll never shop there again, and I won’t ever recommend them to anyone.

    Oh, and if I worked for Best Buy myself and saw co-workers doing these types of things, I’d be screaming my head off at them and getting myself fired possibly lol

97. # jkillah1 on 18 Jul 2007 at 12:16 am

    Sorry for the double-post, but I just gotta ask…

    Why didn’t you take some pictures of the laptop when it broke and have them posted? That way people couldn’t challenge you and say that it’s probably your fault for inflicting damage yourself!

    P.S.
    Sue their asses for all they’re worth!

98. # Seanon 18 Jul 2007 at 12:28 pm

    I’ll just add something to the list here:

    Best Buy wouldn’t let me return a friggin’ unopened, Geek Squad brand firewire cable. I didn’t have the receipt, but still. I would expect them to at least be able to give me store credit

99. # Amanda on 18 Jul 2007 at 2:21 pm

    Well, here is one ISP tech support guru that won’t be recommending Best Buy to her customers anymore.

100. # Daniel on 18 Jul 2007 at 2:38 pm

     Don’t understand these comments saying you should have bought something else from somewhere else. The point, surely, is that you should be able to buy the product of your choice from the store of your choice and get a working product and acceptable customer service. Found this on StumbleUpon - have bookmarked and hope you get your money back. Quality control and customer service are the only ways any business is going to grow. For the sake of an $800 computer, BestBuy have lost customers for life - that’s just stupid.

101. # Tim on 18 Jul 2007 at 5:56 pm

     I recall one time when I bought a pack of batteries for about $12 at Bestbuy and when I got home and opened the pack up, I found that at least one of the batteries was leaking out of its casing. I brought the package back to Bestbuy (I think I brought it back the same day). At first they didn’t want to give me a refund despite the defective merchandise. I talked to a manager who also didn’t seem to want to give me the refund. I finally was able to get a store credit - fine with me - but I was miffed when I felt like they were treating me like a dishonest customer who was trying to return used batteries. Perhaps it’s a corporate policy to not want to issue refunds or exchanges…I don’t know.

102. # tom on 18 Jul 2007 at 9:10 pm

     Best buy sucks we call it “worst buy” a friend of mine worked for corporate in Richfield MN. The place is full of pompous, self absorbed assholes who care more about writing a paper on avoiding consumer protection laws than doing their jobs. she quit after 6 months. I hate the place and will never go there. check out the price of a hdmi cable 125.00 at best buy 4.99 at monoprice.com- same cable. worst buy screws people. they should make right with you, good luck.

103. # Kyle on 18 Jul 2007 at 9:41 pm

     I hate to be the one who nullifies all the downriding and hatred toward Best Buy, but I’ve never had a problem with Best Buy, including the recent (but not too recent) purchase of an Acer Aspire 5610. Maybe it’s because of the locale here? Where I live has a reputation for being the best, and I’m not saying that just to brag. School District, Real Estate, Neighborhoods, All. That may have something to do with the Above-Standard Best Buy. They have great products, service, and my dad even easily returned a laptop he’d bought within the 15 day period, no questions asked. I think it depends on the store.

104. # mikemos on 19 Jul 2007 at 1:08 am

     Good job with the blog. Good editing, you told what happened and got to the point.

     Funny someone blamed you for not getting a Mac. When Apple puts out defective tech, they try to blame it on the consumer as long as they can get away with it (combusting laptops, melting power adapters, flaky paint jobs, etc…).

     I hope people can keep doing this kind of thing.

105. # Sandie on 19 Jul 2007 at 11:54 pm

     I agree 100% that Best Buy is a horrible place. At one time, zip drives were my preferred media for schoolwork and such. Nowadays…not so much, and its next to impossible to find an external one. Finally saw one at Best Buy, and attempted to purchase it. The clerk wouldnt sell it! He couldnt fathom why I would need the thing when there were writable CDs and DVDs and thumb drives. He couldnt get it through his head that I had about a dozen full zip disks that I needed to get info OFF of. He may have eventually sold it, but I left the store.
     As for Acer…Ive had my Aspire laptop for just over a year. Still works great.

106. # Sandie on 19 Jul 2007 at 11:55 pm

     errr…’external one’ mentioned in previous comment is ‘external drive’. sorry bout that.

107. # Jerry on 20 Jul 2007 at 3:29 am

     I was going to buy a digital camera off best buy. but not now. thanks for the tip.

108. # NameWithheld on 20 Jul 2007 at 4:14 am

     I support you!!! - /Stumble.user

109. # webfreak on 20 Jul 2007 at 9:03 am

     Major NOTE TO SELF::
     NEVER BUY AT BEST BUY

110. # Chronologic on 20 Jul 2007 at 11:39 am

     Power to the consumer! Big-box stores think that because they’re so huge and popular, one customer service issue will not deter people from shopping there, but with dedication and solidarity, we can turn that theory upside down.

     NOTE TO MEGA-CORPORATIONS: WE WON’T STAND FOR YOUR UNETHICAL AND DOWNRIGHT GREEDY PRACTICES. FUCK WITH ONE CONSUMER AND YOU FUCK WITH US ALL.

111. # bdb on 20 Jul 2007 at 2:48 pm

     Sorry for your horrible experience and loss. Also thanks for making us aware.

     I am happy now that I chose Dell to buy my new desktop intead of bestbuy or circuit city.

     I was almost ready to buy it from circuit city. But they had a HP desktop with intel core 2 duo with vista premium.

     I needed vista business or ultimate because i need web server and remote desktop. Circuit city employee told me they will charge $250 for OS upgrade (This is reasonable).

     BUT HERE IS THE CATCH THEY SAID MY WARANTY WILL BE VOID IF I UPGRADE MY OS TO VISTA ULTIMATE FROM VISTA PREMIUM. (I walked out saying I will rather buy a Dell or Mac)

     Then I went to Deals2buy.com and found more better deal on Dell.

112. # Buck on 20 Jul 2007 at 5:57 pm

     I am not surprised one bit by your experience at Best Buy. For six months I had a telemarketing job (it WAS good money at that time) which was to call up Best Buy customers to renew their service contracts on whatever electronics/appliances they purchased. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times they told me to go to hell! Especially frail sounding elderly people! Just from those months of experience I will NEVER buy anything at Best Buy! And I am sorry for your experience.

113. # momysmonster on 21 Jul 2007 at 7:12 am

     Fry’s electronics. I have never had a problem with anything from them yet. I buy a lot of computers and computer equipment etc. I build,fix and diagnose problems for people and need to get the best bang for my buck and have never had a problem with anything from Fry’s yet. I would suggest you continue to post your issues with BB all over the web and perhaps tell the higher ups of their company your intent to do so if they don’t resolve this issue to your liking immediatley. In fact I think threatening is weak, go file the papers and take them to court. what do you have to loose?

114. # Pete on 21 Jul 2007 at 7:13 am

     I had a similar thing happen at Worst Buy. I bought a CD burner. When I got it home and opened it, the front face plate was broken off of the CD burner. I brought it back to Best Buy. They said that the product I was returning was a different brand than what I had bought. In other words someone had put a broken burner into a box and sealed it up for sale. They accused me of doing this!!!!! I was so mad I couldn’t sleep. I called Best Buy the next day and they said they stood by their manager and they would not accept it. Unbelievable. I have never shopped at Best Buy again and I tell everyone I know this story. I asked them if their customers should open the box before buying to make sure the product inside is the correct product and not broken. They said they would throw me out of the store if I did that. To this day, my aunt always opens up everything in store before buying.

115. # Allan on 21 Jul 2007 at 7:14 am

     I have restricted my purchases from the Best Buy folks to things like cables and thumb drives. They have shown a remarkable attitude toward their bread & butter (customers) by running an internal bestbuy.com with higher sale prices than those found on the www accessible outside the stores. 20 states have found this practice shady enough to consider class action against BB. I use them as a showroom in which I can compare screens, or hold something I’m considering, but buy? No more.

116. # William on 21 Jul 2007 at 7:15 am

     Two words next time you buy… NEW EGG!!! And your messaged has hit me also…I will not be buying from best buy..

117. # Cam on 21 Jul 2007 at 7:16 am

     Heh. I work at an Office Depot right next door to a Best Buy and many customers come by our store to check the price difference. They are usually suprised to find that nearly all our products are the same price or cheaper, sometimes by as much as $200. They are especially surprised, even, seeing as how Best Buy employees, without fail, ensure them that they are far cheaper. As for returns, we’ll take anything within 14 days, as long as you have your receipt, even if you just bought it, took it home, and threw it at the wall.

118. # C8E on 21 Jul 2007 at 6:35 pm

     Best Buy, we’re waiting for your answer… Hurry up!

119. # GHBoom on 21 Jul 2007 at 8:10 pm

     Best Buy has always been ok with me, sorry to hear of your trouble !!
     I Think that BB should not only replace your laptop, but they should
     give you a free upgrade for the trouble !!!

     (Thats what would restore my faith anyway !!!)

120. # tkuhnle on 22 Jul 2007 at 1:06 am

     I find it entertaining how the corporate shills post to the comments as if they are just another internet citizen adding their opinion. Best Buy is abusive to its customers and must be publicly exposed in order to get them to act responsibly.

121. # khat baker on 22 Jul 2007 at 7:53 am

     It is a disgrace that Best Buy isn’t willing to stand by their merchandise in any manner. If you knew better or not, that isn’t the point. You made your point and I will take my business elsewhere. I hope your wife understands and she must know that your intentions were in the right place. So, because of your post, there is one less Best Buy customer as a result of your blog.

122. # Brent on 22 Jul 2007 at 7:53 am

     I think the comments about different levels of service at different Best Buy stores are probably accurate.

     A year-and-some ago (before