Best Buy Won't Match J&R's "Wholesale" Prices
The Best Buy in Secaucus, NJ refused to match J&R's price for a Bluetooth headset, claiming that J&R was not covered by Best Buy's price match guarantee. Best Buy employees first called J&R—a large New York electronics retailer—a wholesaler. A manager later insisted that J&R was a Mom & Pop store and refused to match the lower price. When reader Steven attempted to cut through the absurdity by calling corporate, he was told that the price match is provided at each store's discretion. Read his full story, inside.
Yesterday, March 3, I decided to buy a Bluetooth headset because they have recently banned handset use while driving in NJ. I read reviews online, and decided to go with a certain headset that both J&R Electronics in NYC carries, as well as Best Buy. After some quick research, I realized that J&R's in-store price was $30 less than Best Buy's in-store price. So I reviewed Best Buy's price guarantee policy thoroughly, and I couldn't see why there would be a problem matching the price. I called Best Buy corporate to double check with them, and the lady on the phone agreed with me.Alternatively, Steven could have hopped in his car, spent four hours crossing the Lincoln tunnel, and bought the headset directly from J&R in Manhattan.So I headed over to the Secaucus, NJ store, picked up the BluAnt Z9 headset I wanted to buy, and the representative in the "Mobile Shop" that was helping me, asked me who I wanted to price match, and I told him J&R, he said, "Oh, yea, that's fine, just head over to the customer service counter." I go to the customer service counter; present the cashier with my proof of J&R's in-store price, as well as the store's phone number, in case they needed to call to verify stock, according to their policy. She walks away from me and talks on her walkie talkie and comes back and says that "the store manager says we can't match that price." I asked to see the manager. After a few minutes the manager comes, doesn't even say hi, or how are you today, he just stands there and looks at me. I explain to him how I spoke to Best Buy corporate before coming, etc. He tells me that J&R is a wholesaler, and they can't match their price. I asked to him explain how it's a wholesale shop when a normal person can go buy a product there without a resellers ID or tax certificate. Then he told me, "I'll have someone in the back call corporate for you, when they have an answer, they'll beep my walkie talkie."
I waited another 10 minutes and the original cashier comes to me and says "we can't do it, corporate says it's the stores discretion, and we're not going to do it." I told her I wanted to see a manager. A different lady comes to the counter, again very rude and no greeting, turns out that the first person that came to the counter as a manager figure, wasn't even a manager. So now this one gives me a run around. She tries to tell me they're a wholesaler only because they have "wholesale prices," to which I answered, "So just because they're prices are lower than yours, they're wholesale prices?" She was beat, and she knew it. Turns out she doesn't even know what the fine print is on their price guarantee program, so I had to read it back to her, and then I find out that she's not even a store manager. So at this point I am pretty disgusted with the stores hospitality and service, and the lack of knowledge of the policy on the whole staff. I asked her to see a store manager or the store's general manager. She told me that neither of them was here today and that they were off. I continue arguing with her, threaten to call the Checks & Balances Bureau of Hudson County, she panics, then 15 minutes later came an actual store manager, this was the first person I interacted with that greeted me. The manager before introduced us and she told me that "he had just come in," forgetting that she told me he was off. He claimed that J&R electronics is a local competitor, but they are a "mom & pops store." I didn't do anything but burst out laughing. I mean what kind of retail educated manager can say J&R is a mom and pops store? They probably do at least ¾ of the online business that BestBuy.com does, and they have only 1 retail store. They have a far superior customer service and retail structure to Best Buy. He then went on and scanned the product and told me that the best he could do is $79.99 vs. J&R's $69.95. So asked him for his name and number, they lady's name I spoke to before him, as well as the General and District Manager's names and numbers. The gentleman refused to give me their names and contact info and told me that corporate does not allow them to give that info out. So I walked out, and I am now looking for Best Buy corporate emails, hoping you can help me with some contact info. I have attached Best Buy's Price Guarantee Policy, as well as a screenshot of J&R & Best Buy's page for the product.
The $30 price difference is not a big deal to me, believe me. It's the way Best Buy treats it's customers, and how thousands of customers a day get shafted by them.
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Comments:
I think it's finally time for someone to write a book, maybe a picture book, probably along the lines of Aesop's Fables.
Except the moral of every story will be: "Don't shop at Best Buy."
"They have a far superior customer service and retail structure to Best Buy."
I think the question here is QUITE obvious.
"Alternatively, Steven could have hopped in his car, spent four hours crossing the Lincoln tunnel, and bought the headset directly from J&R in Manhattan."
Steven could also pick up the phone, order the headset and have in in two days and save the sales tax to boot.
So Best Buy isn't all that great? Wow.
If they have a clause that they can refuse at the store's discretion, then they really don't have to give you a reason why they wouldn't price match, but they tried and were grasping for anything. I don't have a copy of their in-store policy, but I would bet they do have that clause in there.
If you don't buy that headset somewhere else, Then you let BB have an easy win in this case. Discipline them : Buy it somewhere else and call their bluff. If more people would do this, they would get with the program or their crushing cost structure would ensure their demise...
Dumb. They lost a customer for good probably for 30 bucks. Bad customer service.
When I bought my HP c5180 printer last year, there were 2 local stores that sold it. Compusa and Bestbuy. Compusa's price was on par with directly ordering from HP, Bestbuy was about $20 more expensive.
The closest Compusa that had it in stock was in Orem, UT .. about a 25 minute freeway drive up a hill and down the other side. Bestbuy had them in stock without me having to drive over the mountains, but refused to price match because the Compusa store wasn't in the "local area" ..
BB, needless to say, did not get my business and Compusa, in their inability to have the item available, also didn't get my business.
I ordered from HP directly, got a sales price on the printer + web discount + free shipping ... even after local sales taxes were added, it came in at $20 less than the compusa price.
BestBuy Store Price Guarantee
Two more great reasons to buy with confidence at Best Buy.
If you are about to make a purchase and discover a lower advertised price offered by a local retail competitor on the same available brand and model, let us know and we'll match that price on the spot.
Secaucus is 6 miles away from J&R (as the crow flies).
Sounds local to me.
Also sounds like BestBuy doesn't stand behind their specific policy.
For the umteenth time. Best Buy is only out to seperate a fool from his money.
DON'T SHOP THERE! They Suck!
Also, this puts them in the running (agin) for a #1 seed in the worst company competition.
Spending my money at Amazon and Costco,
David
With all these stories up on Consumerist lately, why do people even shop at _______ (insert Best Buy, Walmart, or other "throwing your money down a toilet will be less painful than shopping here" retailer)?
If people stop shopping there, they will ask "why?"
Why would you buy at Best Buy if you have J&R local to you? That's the same company that runs JR.com, right?
I mean...I can't fathom how Best Buy could even EXIST in proximity to J&R.
I had the same issue at the Secaucaus Best Buy concerning a price Match for Rock Band from J&R. It seems like they train all the employees on the floor with that line.
@tombo: "Dumb. They lost a customer for good probably for 30 bucks. Bad customer service."
Yep, but the manager helped boost his profitability bonus for the month by not cutting a price to keep a sale. What does he care if the chain loses all their customers? He's got his now, and the BBY stockholders are left with nothing in a few years.
I think it is time for Consumerist to stop publishing Best Buy stories, no one possessing anything resembling the faintest of clues will shop there anymore, so basically we get a once a week AOL/Myspace user pushing their luck and whining about it.
I received a BB gift card. When I go looking for something I need I'm appalled by the prices that BB charges compared to Frys or MicroCenter. Maybe I can sell the card on ebay for 80% of face value and come out a few bucks ahead.
I would either look for the same deal yet with free shipping from J&R or try to get there when already in the area for something else. Or split the difference and get it for slightly less anywhere other than Best Buy.
This is why I ignore most enticements like Best Buys price match, there are always strings or they have thousands of excuses to invalidate them after you try to use them. Sort of like the store coupons that you can't use for anything brand name or anything on sale.
@TechnoDestructo:
To drive from Secaucus, NJ to J&R in NYC is not as quick as it would seem. With traffic, $7 tunnel tolls, parking, it is time consuming and costly. Not worth saving $30. I hate to defend Best Buy, but realistically, J&R could be considered non-local.
The best solution is order online or by phone and avoid all the aggravation. Why even walk into BB? Save some gas and a lot of time.
@dialing_wand: "If people stop shopping there, they will ask 'why?'"
Who - top management? I'll bet they'll do what top management at CompUSA did, and top management Sears/KMart are doing - watch it all go down the drain and collect their golden parachutes.
There was just a post on Consumerist the other day about Congress calling in a bunch of the guys who orchestrated the whole subprime mortgage situation. They were asked things like, "How is it people are losing their houses, and investors are losing their money, and you're fat dumb and happy with bazillions of dollars out of the deal?" Hmmm...
I'm a fan of the Steve Jobs CEO compensation plan: give him $1 a year and boatloads of stock options that vest in a few years. Then there's some incentive to keep the business going and growing, and not just take the cash and run.
The sign indicates they will match warehouse prices and references Costco and Sam's. Unless things have changed since I moved from NYC many years ago, J&R is a retail store and does not require membership to shop there, as the warehouse joints do. I wouldn't expect Best Buy to match J&R, Circuit City, Fry's, Brandsmart or very many other electronics stores from what I see in that picture.
@Seth_Went_to_the_Bank: Well they never said they weren't local. First they said they were a wholesaler, and then they said they ere a mom and pop store, and won't match their price.
I don't understand how anyone who reads this blog would ever shop at Best Buy. Ladies and gentlemen, it does not make sense!
I don't know if I am breaking any rules for the site but...
After a few seconds of poking around and I found this out for you. The name of the manager of Best Buy #474, Seacuacus, is Marcel Gomez.
@grouse: Because sometimes, sadly, they are all that's around when you need something they carry *now*. Like, say, if your hard drive dies on you. I make a point of shopping online elsewhere when I can, but even Newegg can't deliver in 20 minutes.
@bobert: "I'm a fan of the Steve Jobs CEO compensation plan: give him $1 a year and boatloads of stock options that vest in a few years. Then there's some incentive to keep the business going and growing, and not just take the cash and run."
Most CEOs get the money AND the stock options.
@homerjay:
Alternatively, Steven could have hopped in his car, spent four hours crossing the Lincoln tunnel, and bought the headset directly from J&R in Manhattan.
'Nuff said.
@grouse: "I don't understand how anyone who reads this blog would ever shop at Best Buy. Ladies and gentlemen, it does not make sense!"
Maybe they get confused because Consumerist pushes deals from Best Buy, a policy that has always made me ask "WTF"?
So, J&R is so wonderful? I went into their retail store last month looking to buy a Bluetooth headset. The price label on the display had it at $5 less than their web site price. When the person behind the counter wrote up the ticket for the item (yes, manually writing up a sales ticket!), they charged me the higher price. I asked, why am I not paying the price on the label? The answer, "that was last weeks' sales price." I was going to ask to speak to the manager, but for $5, I figured that it wouldn't be worth my time.
It seems that the Best Buys in Northern NJ have issues. I found out from a Deal site that Best Buy in Union was selling a HDTV for 350. I went up there, and found out that the RSS system listed 4 of the TVs in stock at that price. But nobody could seem to find them.
No lie. They were missing 4 32" TV's.
In other words, the CSRs were holding them back for themselves.
I one saw best buy match a tigerdirect price of $50 less on a PSU that some one was buying.
any ways at $50 more best buy is not the best buy.
Well, glad you didn't get it from there anyways. I was going to buy a GPS from them if they would price match circuit city. I even brought the print-out in proving the price.
The cashier said "Sorry, we don't match web store prices". I said "Well, I'm going to circuit city then and get it there", and walked out.
Stephen, please don't shop at Best Buy.
You can write to corporate, and they may give you the 30 dollars off, but it won't make a difference for the next guy.
Your better option would be to write them a letter telling them to stuff it and that you won't shop there no matter what. Best Buy gets away with this because they occasionally fix their most blatant errors when people complain loudly, but for the most part, they simply do not care.
I really don't understand why BB wouldn't match a Mom and Pop store. Isn't that what the Best Buy business model is designed to put out of business?
I'm also wondering how Price Match will work post-purchase.
@tombo: "Dumb. They lost a customer for good probably for 30 bucks. Bad customer service."
Doubtful. As soon as Best Buy has a better deal on something, this person will go and shop there. Best Buy didn't lose anything.
OK... but isn't a mom-and-pop store a "local retailer competitor?"
FYI, I wouldn't call J&R a mom-and-pop at all. It's hard to know what to call J&R, though. It's like a giant block long chain store... that only has one location. And is also known around the world. Walk into J&R and you'll see Kevin Spacey buying a camcorder and Gary Sinise buying DVDs. Even people in Dubai know what J&R is.
So it's kind of weird for people in Secaucus to say J&R isn't their competitor.
Best Buy does say though in their price match that:
What is considered a local retail competitor?
A retail store located in the same market area as your local Best Buy store.
So... that could mean anything.
@tombo: I'm fighting to pry a promised refund from a company that owes me only around $20. But I don't feel like being out even that amount of money by a company that would rather I give up and leave, and is digging its heels in to the point of trying to get me to give up with paypal and the BBB. Too bad for them I paid with a credit card.
I don't understand why companies are so willing to lose you, and everyone else you tell about how badly you were treated, over $20. Or heck, someone posted on here just the other day about how they got "yes" to "you're willing to lose me and my friends over $5?"
Insane.
@thesabre: In other words, you think everyone who dares to be angry at mistreatment is a liar when they say they won't go back? I *never* went back to Best Buy. And when I say I'm never shopping somewhere again, I don't.
If you're so convinced that people are liars about this matter, then do YOU go back to places that rip you off and/or lie to you?
Why shop at Costco?
For better customer service and return policy.
Its important to remember that one of best buy's corporate tools is to give each store a large amount of control over the way it does business. Its away to eliminate transparency so that they can maintain profit margins. Managers are alowed to decide weather or not to honor your Service Plans, if you buy them.
When people do this, myself included, it's usually because the store with the lower price doesn't actually have it in stock and you couldn't get it there anyway.
@Pupator: One of the lines in most price matching policies, I cannot remember if BBY has it too, is that the other place has to have the item in stock.
@Seth_Went_to_the_Bank:
Why not buy it from Best Buy at the price-match of $79.95, then order it from JR mail order at $69.95, and when the item arrives from JR, return the item to Best Buy and say you found it cheaper somewhere else.
Best Buy can't refuse you the right to return an item that you found cheaper elsewhere. Or just say that you're unhappy with the product. Make sure you use a credit card. Do not use cash or an ATM card. If Best Buy refuses the return, dispute the charge with the credit card company.
The whole reason companies came up with price matches was to prevent returns. Returns are a HUGE loss for retailers. Who is going to buy an open box blue tooth ear piece?
I grew up in Minnesota, I used to shop regularly at Best Buy, but starting about 5 or more years ago, they made a point of maximizing profits and minimizing service. They lost me as a customer forever.
It's "Best" Buy. DUH!
Why on God's green earth would any sane person bother stepping into that store unless they wanted to be fucked over? Their track record is well documented in many, many forums across the web and the Consumerist is no exception.
Entering "Best" Buy and attempting them to actually conform to the law or one of their alleged customer-friendly written policies is just fooling yourself. You WILL be screwed over if you give them a chance. You gave them a chance.
Sad to say, but that price-match sign pictured above is just like a pedophile's candy basket, it's John Wayne Gacy's "rope trick," it's Hitler's offer to Chamberlain. It's only bait to get you into their clutches. The fine print is there, and it will negate whatever print you can actually see.
"Best" Buy is a bad operation. Attempt to deal with them as though they aren't, and you have only yourself to blame.
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice... won't get fooled again.
@Papa Midnight: Most likely a much more pleasant experience than trying to get blood out of a turnip at "Best" Buy as he attempted.
@yikz: Yeah I'm not advocating any kind of purchasing strategy, just commenting on the BB policies...
That's interesting about PM and returns...
Why would you buy at Best Buy if you have J&R local to you? That's the same company that runs JR.com, right?
There's only one retail location (near City Hall in Manhattan) and it's a pain in the balls to park anywhere remotely close.
Between that and the toll to go over the bridge or tunnel... not to mention Manhattan traffic, I understand why someone would deal with the price matching awful.
It's more surprising that anyone who lives in Manhattan, Brooklyn, or STaten Island ever goes to a Best Buy.
This is where I just go to eBay and find the same product except cheaper. Seriously, the shipping charges and wait time are much more tolerable than any Best Buy moron.