Reader Travis would like to purchase an XM radio from Best Buy. Sadly for him, Best Buy refused to sell him the radio without first learning his phone number. Travis does not want to share his phone number with Best Buy, therefore Travis has no radio.
I recently had a situation with a Best Buy in Spokane Valley, WA. I was looking to purchase an XM satellite radio. I looked it all over and decided on which one I wanted. I picked up the box and took it to the front.
You don’t need to purchase a subscription, apparently you just call once you make the purchase and talk to XM and they set up your service. While trying to make the purchase, the cashier asked for my telephone number. I politely refused to give my telephone number.
She immediately developed an attitude (like so many you describe at Best Buy in your stories). She told me that she could not sell me the radio without my home phone number. I asked her where on the sign with the price tag that it said $149 + Phone Number. She said it doesn’t say that, but she could not sell it to me without my phone number. I then asked her if there was a manager who could come talk to me. The manager came over and had a brief conversation with the cashier and then refused to sell me the radio without my home phone number. Both developed the same nasty attitudes that are described so often by people with stories about Best Buy.
I politely left and walked across the street to Circuit City, but they didn’t sell the model I was interested in. Now I am torn…I will never give my phone number, but there is no where left locally to buy what I am looking for.
Does privacy not mean anything anymore? I guess what struck me as odd is that I just sensed the same attitude from the Best Buy cashiers that everyone else describes. I mean, they have a god complex or something. It is just strange. Does Best Buy teach it’s employees to be that way? It must or it wouldn’t be such a wide spread attitude.
Any ideas?
-Travis
Does anyone actually know why Best Buy needs your phone number in order to sell you an XM radio? We’ve never bought one, so maybe we’re missing some key piece of information that will M. Night Shyamalan this whole situation for us. Anyone?
(Photo:dlayphoto)
@dougm: Many computers at stores are now programmed to kick out what they see as “fake” numbers. I don’t know if it’s proprietary information for me to tell you, but a store I used to work at rejects anything 555, almost anything 1234, and I’m pretty sure 867-5309 was on it. They’re excuse was that their database was getting clogged because hundreds of people were choosing those numbers.
I can think of no reason why Best Buy needs to know the phone number. When I bought my XM radio, I picked up the radio and a XM gift card for $50. I bought both, activated the radio at home, and all was well. But I don’t remember if they asked for my phone number, it was over two years ago. This might be a possibility for this gentleman though.
Or he could go with a fake number, or even look up the number for another Best Buy and give them that (pick one not in their region so they won’t recognize it).
Something else that just occurred to me: if you’re of the still writing paper checks variety, and don’t print your phone number on your checks, be prepared to give it or a fake number.
Our store could not accept checks without a phone number on them. Absolutely 100% couldn’t do it. But if you gave us a fake one we wouldn’t know and wouldn’t bat an eyelash, as long as you never SAID it was a fake one. But the company who made sure we got paid when you wrote a check required a phone number, there was nothing anybody could do about it at the store level.
So it’s not a bad idea to have that rejection hotline number memorized ; )
Consumerist is full of legit gripes wrapped in whiney annoyingly long and self absorbed screeds.
I like all these suggestions for giving fake numbers.
Last week I returned some merchandise to Belk. The items were originally paid for with cash, had all of their tags, and I had the receipt. I was asked my full name, address, phone number, and DRIVER’S LICENSE NUMBER. When I refused to give it to the cashier and demanded to know why she needed my DL # for a cash transation, she told me she wouldn’t give me my money back. I wish I’d been thinking more clearly and had given her fake information. I really do feel as though I bent over and took it.
BEST BUY SUCKETH
637-5809
(also useful in bars)
I didn’t realize anyone *didn’t* make up numbers for these things. By the way, 20252 is an excellent zip code to use – it’s Smoky the Bear’s personal zip, but he’s never complained when I’ve borrowed it to feed to intrusive salesclerks.
Jerks like many of you who give out fake random numbers are the
reason I get so many random phone calls about all manner of stupid shit
all the time.
Do others a favor and give a number you know to be invalid, such as 555.
@91004: Just because you don’t have the number anymore doesn’t mean it’s nonexistent. Someone, somewhere, might have it, now. Even if they’ve subdivided area codes since then and your old address is now in a different area code. There are only so many numbers to go around. Very likely the number has been reassigned to someone/some place now in your old area code, in Colorado Springs.
I just tell them I don’t have a phone and life goes on. I’m pretty sure that if you had done the same, they would have sold you the XM.
Anytime a business asks for my Zipcode, I always respond with 10048. If the salesdroid asks where that’s at, I respond lower Manhattan and leave it at that.
If they want a phone number, it’s (911) 512-1024.
This seems to be a complex case that can best be expressed through an equation:
Best Buy Customer Service + Spokane = Normal Best Buy Customer Service
It’s good to know that at least their customer service is homogenous.
Now, my question: Why is the phone number so critical in the first place, especially when you can use any number of the aforementioned methods of providing dubious info?
“604…” “Oh, you’re from *scrunchy face* CANADA? Oh, we don’t need it then.”
(I have a 7-11 SpeakOut prepaid phone for use in Canada as it beats my “discounted” roaming rate of .30 a minute plus tolls plus taxes by a country mile…)
[www.payphone-directory.org] doesn’t just have sexy payphone pictures, it includes phone numbers to give snoopy types.
of course when you bark at me for my ID for a $12 credit card purchase (really this is ridiculous) you probably noticed it was a Washington license and yet failed to correlate it with my “canadianness” a little bit earlier. this reveals a lot.
I just give them this one
328-849-7448 which translates to “eat-thy-shit”. Another favorite is “fuc-kof-fpls” or 328-563-3757.
Those are the numbers I typically give out depending on mood.
I would have given them their own phone number just to see if they’d catch it.
I totally agree with Travis’ position and am constantly surprised by the blithe attitude people have about giving out their numbers or giving out fake numbers. By giving out a fake number you are effectively saying it’s OK to ask for a number – so what happens when companies start cross-referencing your numbers at the POS against a database (like TARGET with returns this season)? Will you be irate THEN?
I had a few situations in my town where I was asked to swipe my license to gain entry into a bar/restaurant and I fought that as well, causing a stir, making my concerns as a consumer understood by the company leadership and local papers. I also did a little experiment and wiped my driver’s license to protect myself against the random collection of my data. For example, Wal*Mart asked for my license for a return this holiday and attempted to swipe my license through their reader to collect my info. Doh! The license wasn’t readable and they don’t care to enter it manually. There’s at least one database I avoided…
Here’s the full story [dailyspeculations.com]
And how to wiper yer own license for fun & happiness [dailyspeculations.com]
Try paying attention to how often you are asked @ retail for your information and instead of giving it, reply politely “no, thank you” and smile.
I worked at Best Buy for around a little over a year, and in its POS (point of sale) system the satellite radios and tivos are the only item that will not let you advance to tender without a phone number. It seems to only happen on subscription service items. I asked once for an explanation and was told it was for the convenience of the customer so when they go to begin the subscription with the company all the information for the device is already imputed. When a customer refuses it only makes our job harder because we have to explain why we are not able to process the sale.
Do what I do. When they ask for your phone number, ask them why they want it. I’ve gotten several different answers for this question. The most common is that they need it if I return the item to which I respond “that’s why I have a receipt”. Another response was so that they can track where people are buying are from, to which I reply “no thank you”.
Just be Polite but Firm with refusing to give them your number and you will be fine.
I gave them number to the Best Buy store I was at. It was at the top of the (fake) web page the salesman had open with the price (not) from the external website.
Of course he didn’t catch it.
My wife and I had a good laugh about it when we got to the car.
at least like the former Canadian company “Consumers distributing” they didn’t demand your SIN number with every transaction
Odd, I had a very “tame” response rejected, yet David_Consumerist can type “eat-thy-shit”???
What gives Consumerist?
How about using Google’s GrandCentral?
Awesome info, YETIWISDOM!
It just occurred to me that giving them your ZIP code (instead of your phone number), then paying with your credit card, can be dangerous: you know how the gas stations will only sell you gasoline if you enter the credit card’s billing ZIP? Well, now they [WorstBuy] have it.
If they still ask you for your ZIP code (Big5 Sporting Goods stores come to mind), you can always say you’re from Schenectady, NY (pronounced skÉ™-ˈnek-tÉ™-dÄ“). Why, you ask? Its ZIP code is 12345
These demands for personal info really piss me off.
At KMart they ask for my ZIP code and one time I said “I don’t know” and the clerk didn’t look that surprised, then I looked around and realized half their clientele probably didn’t know their ZIP.
A lot of times they’ll justify their invasion of privacy by citing corporate “policy” so I tell them my “policy” doesn’t permit it. I guess policy is a real power word.
There is always the option of giving out the office number of your state AG..
Actually it’s used for 2 things:
1. Tracking your receipt in case you lose it (which, believe me, a majority of returns are without a receipt so this is a life saver for many people).
2. You have to give a phone number for many products – from satellite radios to GPS systems and even Quickbooks – in order for the serial number on the product to be activated. This prevents stolen merchandise from being able to be used, and protects you in case the item is stolen.
I have had the same experience with a satellite radio purchase at my local Best Buy, but it was Sirius instead of XM. I refused and asked why they needed my personal information, the cashier tried to explain that that was what the computer told him and that he can’t complete the transaction without the info. I kept refusing and asked to speak to a manager. Another associate came over and explained that it was for product safety. If the radio ever became stolen, then the “thieves” would not be able to start the subscription. I didn’t really like this explanation, but I eventually had to accept because I couldn’t find this model at any other store, circuit city or otherwise. Also, it was the day before I was to leave for the Christmas Holiday and I needed to have the give before I left. Otherwise, I would have definitely left without making the purchase.
My only question in thinking about this situation is….Does Bestbuy say it’s for Sirius as a scapegoat? I mean, could it be that Bestbuy is the one that wants the information but they blame it on Sirius/XM?
Suffice it to say, in desperation, I relented and was afraid that they were telling the truth so I gave my actual information.
Give them the number for the local office of the Better Business Bureau.