Sam says that he went to BestBuy.com and bought a hard drive for in-store pick up. What he got was a box of bathroom tiles. Now Best Buy is saying he’d better take it up with manufacturer and that they’re not going to issue a refund and that Sam should just take his loss. We don’t think he should. We think it’s not legal to sell someone a box full of bathroom tiles instead of a hard drive.
Here’s Sam’s letter:
Hey Guys,
I got on my computer and bought a Western Digital 1TB hard drive from BestBuy.com and arranged for a store pickup so I could speed up my normal Saturday errands. I got the confirmation sheet and headed to my local Best Buy to pick it up. Well it took them a good 15 minutes to get my stuff out (quick pick up my ass) and I got a 10 buck discount for my time.
So I got home, opened the box and found not a 1TB internal hard drive but 6 pieces of bathroom ceramic tile wrapped in last months New York Post. I got into my car, raced back to Best Buy and voiced my complaint. The employee and assistant manager were more than willing to help, saying that it happens. So they set up the return and I repurchased the drive and while I was checking the contents to ensure it was a hard drive this time, the store manager came up, took the box from me and said to take it up with the manufacturer.
Now to my surprise, I argued with the guy saying that they have already accepted the return and I have now purchased the new one. He said I was shit out of luck. I followed up with the manufacturer today and they said they would get the complaint to the Best Buy Purchasing department. Best Buy corporate said that they stand by their manager’s decision.
I’ve told American Express to stop payment and went to the local consumer affairs department and will be going to the better business bureau. I don’t know if I’ll be held responsible for payment yet or not or if that Best Buy will get investigated or what. I’m going to go back there tomorrow to argue with the guy some more and get his boss’s number. I hope to get the local news media involved seeing how it’s getting close to the holiday shopping season and they love to get horror stories like this out on the air.
Western Digital informed me that the drive was manufactured in Malaysia on 9/4/07 and the newspaper that was in the box was from 9/16/07. The Best Buy is in Yonkers, NY. I might end up $300 bucks down the hole. Do you guys have any tips on how to better deal with the situation?
Sam, we think you did the exact right thing by stopping payment. Best Buy is in the wrong. It’s not legal for a store, no matter how huge and multinational, to go around selling boxes of bathroom tile as hard drives. Yes, Best Buy was hit with a scam, but that doesn’t mean they should get to pass the loss along to you.
A chargeback is appropriate. We’d also recommend filing a complaint with Andrew Cuomo, the AG of NY. Filing a false complaint with the AG’s office is actually illegal (Class A Misdemeanor), so maybe they’ll “take it seriously.”
You could also try filing a police report. This will be useful down the line (if you need to go to small claims court) because it provides additional official documentation of your claim, and hey, they might even help you.
The moral of Sam’s story is this: If Best Buy sells you an empty hard drive box, they’re going to think you’re a liar if you do this honest thing and bring it back to complain. (Rather than trying to return it without telling them there was bathroom tile in the box and risk getting busted for someone else’s scam.) Check your boxes before you leave the store.
UPDATE: Sam writes:
Hey Meg,
Thanks for posting the story. I’m amazed at the response it has gotten so far. I will definitely take up the advice offered.
Here is a quick update:
Western Digital said it was Best Buy’s issue (surprise surprise).
I’ve been told to contact Lewis the store General Manager who is the only person to overturn the other store manager’s decision. I was told to find him at the store this past Saturday. I was assured by Ed, the assistant manager on Friday evening that he would be there all day on Saturday. I get up at 10 and drive all the way back to Best Buy to speak with him and first I was told he was doing orientation for the new Best Buy employees. Then the acting store manager Joe told me that it was his day off and he would be back there Wednesday. I have a feeling the other employees have been warned about me and my case. I’ll start getting a police report together and start prepping something for Mr. Cuomo to look at.
Thanks Again,
-Sam
UPDATE: Amex Slaps Best Buy, Obtains Refund For Reader’s Box Of Tile Hard Drive
I know that this is beating a dead horse a bit, but I’m not surprised. I bought a Gateway laptop from BestBuy in Gatineau, Quebec (Canada) and an extended warranty, thing is, I worked in a computer store at the time (was named CompuSmart). About a month after purchasing it, the hard drive died, so I took back to the store to be repaired and I was told that it had to be shipped out for repairs and it would take 2 weeks, no biggie. I phoned a week after it was supposed to be back wondering if it was in, the guy told me that it hadn’t come back and that they would follow up about the status of the unit. So I waited… 1 week… 2 weeks… 3 weeks… got fed up, phoned again and was told the same story. Now this is getting to be a major piss off seeing as I spent over $1500 for the laptop alone. So I told them that they’d better phone me next week or else. (Side note: I phoned Gateway’s support line to find out that the hard drive was supposed to be replaced on site within 3 days as all best buy had to do was order the part from them and it was shipped same day, nice…) No phone call, so I went into the store with a buddy of mine who was a consumer advocate (plenty of those in the nation’s capital) and asked what the hell was going on. The tech told me that there was nothing on record about me bringing in the laptop for repair, not a smart move… seeing as I had the repair slip in my hand as well as the receipt and warranty papers. Hell, I brought the box that it came in as well!
Anyway, I demanded to see the manager and he started to give me the same crap and I told him, “Look, I have this repair slip here with *your* store’s number and address on it and you’re telling me that my laptop isn’t here?” In an attempt to prove me wrong, he told one of the techs to look in back for a Gateway laptop and sure enough, they came back with one that was identical to mine, flipped it over and the serial numbers matched. After some digging around, turns out it was never shipped out. He offered to make sure that it was shipped out this time and I refused, I told him that I was misled for almost 2 months and that I wanted a replacement unit. Being the ass that he was, he started to argue when my buddy chimed in and flashed his ID card and told him that he was in violation of consumer laws… more crap ensued.. and long story short, I ended up going home with a newer Core 2 Duo laptop with a 120gb drive instead of a Core Duo unit with a 100gb Fujitsu drive (which apparently are notorious for failing). As for the local best buy… they got slapped with a $500,000 fine after other consumers lodged complaints and the manager was fired.
As for returns, the store I worked at was part of a smaller chain. We always inspected all returns, shrink-wrapped or not and tested them as well. I came across some interesting things… dog shit, dead birds, shotgun shells and my favourite, 2 pairs of 40DD bras! Man, those people who tried to fraud us got shipped out so fast, we didn’t even give them the box back! Also, if customers insisted on inspecting the product. No problem! Out came the exacto knife and the product was out to see. If the customer wanted it, great! Elsewise, it was resealed and put back on display. That’s how business should be done.
I’d be very leery about the contents of anything you purchase from Best Buy. I learned the “crap in a box” lesson about a year and a half ago.
I had bought one of Yamaha’s higher-end home theater receivers from a Best Buy in Richmond, VA to replace an older one I had. When I got the box home and opened it up there was a dated, lesser model receiver in the box. I inspected the outside and noticed that someone opened it from the bottom, dropped the new receiver out and slipped in the older one in its place, resealing it to look like nothing happened. If you didn’t turn the box over and inspect it closely you’d never know (lesson learned for me).
I immediately brought the box back to Best Buy and was met with skepticism and disbelief by the person at the service desk and one of the supervisors.
After several calls to Best Buy’s customer support center and arguing with the people there for over two hours, one manager finally took notice of the damage to the bottom of the box and approved the exchange of the receiver with a new one. Needless to say, I opened the new box right there to verify that the correct receiver was inside.
I’m not sure what’s going on at Best Buy’s distribution centers but it would appear that they need to spend less time worrying about customer dishonesty and a little more time vetting and monitoring those who work for them. I’ve NEVER had this problem at any other store.
Everyone should print this article and leave it in your local BB store near the HD’s.
I had a VERY similar problem with Best Buy and will NEVER EVER EVER shop there again. I purchased what I thought was a BB King Christmas CD. When opened, Burl Ives was inside. I went to exchange the $10 CD and Best Buy refused. I did not want the $10 back, I just wanted the CD. They refused to exchange. I talked with the manager, no help. I tried to call customer service, no one answered the phone. I emailed them and never received a response. I cannot believe that could handle a $10 sale so poorly. BOYCOTT BEST BUY!
You can also most certainly report them to your local attorney general’s office for fraud given you kept the outside wrapping or receipt showing it mis-labeled.
I must be the rare, 1-in-1,000,000 person or something, but I’ve NEVER had any problems at Best Buy. I’ve probably spent about 2 grand there over the years and even returned several items. Especially with electronics, the associate has always opened the box, inspected the contents and tested the item. When they are not familiar with the item, they call someone from that department to make sure all the items and all the accessories are in the box.
My Best Buy location must be the rare exception. It’s a training store for the region, so maybe that has something to do with it.
I attepmted to sign up with DirectTv in 7/07. I had an appointment for them to come out to install. On the date they were supposed to come the tech called and asked exactly where I was located at. I informed him how far north and that I was a block away from the lake. He said “OH SHIT” and then said we will be there in a half hour. One hour later no show. They never showed up at all. Then on the same day a DirectTV rep called to apologize and stated he himself would come out to install and made an appointment with me for that following Monday. Well he never showed up either. For some reason I gave them one more chance and the Representative I spoke to set up an appointment, told me I would be getting their special offer which was $10.00 off per month for so many months and then there was an additional $10.00 off for 10 months. I was also informed I would be receiving a redemption coupon for a free protable DVD player which I never received and when called to question it was told I was not eligible for that rpomotion.I had asked the rep. if when they come to instal will they also hook up VCR and DVD and I was told yes. When the gentlemen came to hook up the service he went on the roof to install dish and left 30 feet of cable on the roof and also made extra holes in the roof. My landlord was furious so I had him deal directly with DirectTV. He never informed me of that outcome. So now when he was in the apartment doing the installation I reminded him about the VCR and DVD and was told that is not my job so of course it was not done. Also I was given a box with a DVR (until now didn’t even know what the DVR is) and a separate box in my bedroom. On 1/30/08 I called DirectTV to see when my year contract was up and was advised since I ordered the box with the DVR I am on a 2 year contract. Also when the gentlemen signed me up for the 3rd time he signed up for packages I didn’t even want or ordered. I advised DirectTV to cancel my service and they said I will have to pay a 300.00 cancellation fee which I refuse to pay because of all the mishaps this whole time. They are sending me the information so I can return their boxes. Had I known that this was going to be a scam and that they tell you anything just to get you to sign up I would have never signed up with them. I have never had such aggravation and stress from just trying to get cable services. I would never reccommend DirectTv to anyone nor will I ever use theirh services again.
congrats to sam hopefully my case ends so well.
Last year around christmas I purchased blazing angels for the nintendo wii. I opened the game in the store to make sure everything was cool and all that was there was a clear plastic disc. I immediatly went to the service department for an exchange and was met by a prissy little girl who said that i switched the real game with this clear disc and was trying to pull a fast one. The clear disc actually had some writting on it and looked like a manufacturing mistake. I asked her if she knew where to get a clear disc like this and she proceeded to make me soooooo angry that i almost broke my rules and hit a women. To make a long story short best buy would not exchange the game and the manufacter ubisoft kept telling me to return it to best buy. I still have the stupid clear disc and justhad to eat my 40 bucks.
Although I want to first point out that Amex did resolve this by getting the guy his refund, and Best Buy is horribly and obscenely at fault for this situation, if a “store manager” stole my property or refused to refund my money when it is clear they needed to, the police would be involved, plain and simple. The store manager wouldn’t be able to leave the building without a bloody ass scene, or in handcuffs (citizen’s arrest outside the store) if it were my money. Period.
People need to learn to stop letting retail and corporate aholes violate their rights.
Why on earth does anyone in their right mind shop at Best Buy? Friends don’t let friends buy from Best Buy.