I’ve read some bad Best Buy stories in my time here at The Consumerist, but this one really takes the asshole cake. To sell its special HDTV calibration service, this Best Buy in NC set up two identical model HDTVs, both showing ESPN. As seen in the picture tipster Robert took, the “calibrated” one is noticeably better. That’s because it’s showing ESPN HD and the one on the left is showing just regular ESPN. You can also see how a set of box have been placed in front of the non-calibrated tv on the left so you can’t see that’s it not ESPN HD. That, my friends, is quintessential deceptive marketing. Robert’s story of what he saw, and the rivers of bullshit and non-answer that came out of the Best Buy employees’ mouths when he confronted them about it, inside…
Dear Consumerist,
While helping my father look for an HDTV at the newest Best Buy in Charlotte, NC this Sunday, I came across their demo display of their color calibration service. On the left side of the demo, they had a HDTV tuned to ESPN, and on the right, there was the exact same model of TV presumably tuned to the same station, but with a far superior picture. The difference between the two was remarkable; the left one was grainy and blurry while the right one looked sharp and detailed. Thinking that something was not right, I took a further look at the demo and realized that the inferior tv on the left was turned to plain old ESPN, and the superior tv on the right was tuned to ESPN HD. What’s even worse is they had a box for their Black Tie TV Protection Plan strategically placed so that when looking at the display from most angles, it covered up the ESPN logo on the left tv as to disguise the fact that it was not an HD channel.
Having figured out the nature of their scam, I went to talk to one of the employees. I showed him the TVs, and he didn’t have much to say besides that the color calibration service would decrease power consumption on my TV by 30%, which if I am not mistaken, a flat out lie.
Another employee overheard our conversation, and would at first, not admit that one tv had an HD signal and that the other one did not. He insisted that the difference was strictly because of their color calibration. Not wanting to let him get away with his BS, I told him that his claim was impossible, and finally got him to admit not only that I was right, but also that the tv with the standard signal was set to stretch the picture out (presumably to make the picture even worse). He then say that it would probably help to set the TVs to the same channel, but he “didn’t know where the remote was.”
By that point I was tired of the crap flowing out of his mouth, so I proceeded to shop around. Ten minutes later when I was ready to leave, I passed by the demo again only to find that the employee had done nothing, and that it was just as misleading as it was before.
This is just a cheap tactic to get people to buy into their crappy calibration service, which I could probably do myself with a half hour of playing with the settings on my TV. While I noticed the scam, I highly doubt that my 70+ year old father would.
Attached is a picture I quickly snapped with my iPhone. It’s not the best, but you can still see that the right one is set on ESPN HD while the left one is just regular ESPN. I guess this is just another example of Best Buys classy business practices.
-Robert
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Well, I work at a Best Buy, and we do not use this “tactic.” We use two of the very same TV’s and put in a bluray disc which is then shared to both TV’s. You can definately see the difference in color, one showing near neon green grass compared to the calibrated one which has realistic colors. Power consumption is also decreased. We have meters that measure the power used for both TV’s. The calibrated one saves you about $300 a year. Also, you can FEEL the difference in heat dissipated. The calibration is great addition to your HDTV. I agree, this Best Buy was not doing the right thing is lieing to the consumers. I urge you to go to other Best Buy’s and see the differences in their calibration demo’s.
Plus, you know, not even showing the same picture.
WTF is wrong with Best Buy? Don’t they realize that if they were just honest they’d have so much more business?
No, those boxes arent there to hide anything, I work at a best buy and that is NOT a calibration demo. That is a HD v non-HD station with the new “geeksquad black tie protection” boxes displayed. Stop your bashing, this is debunked. Go to ANY home theater department in any best buy and prove me wrong with pics. You wont.
This week I visited the Best Buy at St Peters Missouri. The salesman I encountered was pushy to say the least. I was interested in a 52 inch Sony LCD HDTV and was inquiring into the bottom line price.
He immediately tried to lead me to a Plasma HDTV which I had no interest in. Then he proceede in attempting to see me a contract with a satellite TV provider which I was not intersted in. He tried to include costs for wall mounting which I did not want, cables that I did not want. etc.
Bottomline is I never did even get a price of the Sony I was interested in. Circuit city had a much better deal and did not try to sell me the Brooklyn Bridge.
I guess I just don’t get it. How long do you need your TV to last anyway? You’re just going to go out and get a new one as soon as yours becomes “obsolete” any way. So who cares? All of you know you’re not keeping your current TV for 20 years.
All this shit BB sells to expand the “life” of your gadget is a scam. You aren’t going to be keeping your “tech” stuff for that long!!! That’s the truth. So just let it die.
I went to BBuy to buy a 30″ tube TV a few years ago. The sales person told me I should buy the support contract since this unit has a “digital comb filter, and it needs cleaning every year”.
I told him a comb filter is a chip, and it did not need cleaning, He said if it didn’t get cleaned it might void the warranty.
I asked how the extended contract would work. He said “bring the TV in once a year, and if the comb filter needs cleaning, we will clean it”
They probablly remove any elephants that get in there too.
I work at bestbuy as a GeekSquad agent in fact and here’s what it comes down to. Yeah some stores occasionally use shady practices. The company as a whole does NOT support this. Our store even had its problems. Talk to a manager at the store. More than likely the deceptive person will be reprimanded or fired. I’ve heard just as many stories from small local and online stores as I have from big box stores. The sad truth is dishonest people are everywhere, not just at BestBuy
The power savings claim isn’t a lie. There have been studies that have shown an energy savings of “up to” 30%. This is on a large screen plasma display who consumes less energy with a lower-brightness level.
LCDs showed very little power savings.
I purchased a Sony LCD HDTV and Blu-ray player from BB a year ago and boy were they insisting I get the calibration service!! I do understand it’s their job to offer this crap so I listened patiently knowing in my mind I wasn’t crazy to shell out $200+ for this service. Besides, the supposed difference didn’t exactly blow me away. I politely said no so then they proceeded to try to get me to buy their overpriced HDMI cables ($60 bucks a piece!! Are you kidding???). I knew I could get them much cheaper elsewhere!! Not giving up, when I went to get my car to load the TV and my teenage son stayed behind, a salesman told my son “tell your dad that Blu-ray player is useless without the HDMI cables”
Extended warranties, calibration services, overpriced wires…..what will they think of next??