This shit's getting ridiculous. Pretty soon we're going to have to plug the things in and boot them up/load some mp3s/play a game/watch a movie while we're in the store to make sure everything works. Bah.

I'm sure best Buy will take your claim "very seriously". So now Best Buy won't honor an in-store extended warranty (I purchased), they are trying to stiff you on a new purchase. If Best Buy wants to make real money, they should put on display real merchandise, but stuff all the boxes with wood blocks.

The PS3 serial is scanned DIRECTALLY off of the PS3, not the box. that serial is recorded on the receipt. I have seen many people try and pull on over on us, usually its pretty obvious when the thing looks like it has been in use for a while

@sp00nix: Sorry brain fart in the morning, i was thinking of PS2 and PSP, where the box has an opening for the serial to pop out :)

@sp00nix: Except we've seen more then one story on here about the wrong number being scanned.

Directally you say? Well then, slam dunk!

I call BS on this one. Best Buy does get their money back from Sony, this is not some giant corporate conspiracy against you.

Come on folks, I know Best Buy is a crappy company, and it's possible the OP isn't lying here. But if he is telling the truth, it didn't happen because of some evil Best Buy plot, it happened because some crappy customer got away with returning a mismatched serial unit before and it caused this guy to get screwed.

@sp00nix: So there's no serial on the box at all?

The PS3 my husband bought from Best Buy was also used. Someone had linked their online account to it, so he couldn't save his games. We figured it out eventually, but were PISSED that what looked like an unopened box that we paid full price for had been screwed around with - my guess is Best Buy employees playing on their breaks. It's our own fault for buying something at Best Buy, even though I read Consumerist every day.

This kinda thing happens ALL the time @ Best Buy. This isn't even news. Best Buy is the worst retailer in our country PERIOD. If you shop there after all these stories I don't even feel sorry for you.

@Pro-Pain: Whoa, whoa, whoa. I've stopped ever going to Best Buy, but calling them the WORST retailer leaves out such fine places as Wal-Mart and Home Depot, and that's just plain not fair.

Another thing about Worst Buy and chargebacks - A lot of banks are now siding with Worst Buy and not allowing chargebacks. They have somehow manipulated (paid off) the system. Try to do a chargeback with your credit card company on a Worst Buy purchase and see what happens. You will LOSE 99% of the time now. This has only come about in the last two years. Worst Buy had so many chargebacks because of the shady way they do business that their bank has evidently found a way to just "blow off" disputes. I dare you - try a chargeback NOW.

Just install your own hard drive and it will have more space than anything you can buy off the store shelf.

It's soooooooooooooooooooooooo easy:

[www.gamersreports.com]

I'm no huge fan of Best Buy, but this guy needs to take off his tinfoil hat if he thinks it's a corporate conspiracy to intentionally sell back defective systems.

Make sure the box is factory sealed before you buy it. I do this for everything I buy. If I recall correctly, the PS3 had a round sticker over the little box flap that can't be removed without making a mark.

EECB them: susan.busch@bestbuy.com; kelly.groehler@bestbuy.com; Jennifer.driscoll@bestbuy.com; Charles.marentette@bestbuy.com; Carla.haugen@bestbuy.com; Michael.Vitelli@bestbuy.com; David.Morrish@bestbuy.com; Barry.Judge@bestbuy.com; David.Berg@bestbuy.com

This is Best Buy. What exactly do you think an EECB will accomplish? A joke for their lunch break maybe? They don't CARE. AT ALL. EVER.

@Rectilinear Propagation: There is for PS3 systems. The way they used to do it is leave a window so the serial on the unit it self could be viewed, XBOX still does this.

You better hope BB takes care of this because Sony sure as hell won't. As another poster said, you might be better off buying a different HDD and just cutting your losses.

The serial number of the PS3 console is scanned directly off of the barcode on the back of the console, through a hole in the box. Unless the 'serial number' on the receipt is a scan of the UPC or some other barcode listed on the box, I'm very skeptical of OP's account.

@Pro-Pain: Well maybe its the shady ways customers are trying to pull fast ones. I see it allot, i cant tell you how many times we have had customers walked out by the police for trying some sort of scam and getting busted. Blame them.

Twice now at Fry's, I've had the cashier type in the product number instead of the serial number. I of course don't realize this until I go to return the item and they tell me that the serial number doesn't match, I assure them that it's the same item, then we realize the mistake of the cashier, and finally they say they'll do the return anyway "just this once".

@Draconianspark:

Unless Best Buy has different PS3 boxes from where I work, this is not true. The only systems that still do it this way (the obviously superior way, I might add) are the 360 and the PS2. PSP, PS3, Wii, and DS all have you scan a sticker on the box.

I also don't know how best buy works, but the registers where I work won't accept a scan of an incorrect barcode as a serial number.

There is no hole on the PS3 box, they only scanned the box, which is how I was able to buy a PS3 with the wrong serial.

I'm not accusing best buy of doing it on purpose, it was just a theory I had. And I still think it is viable. And no, they don't get reimbursed for broken PS3's with a different serial number than the box, best buy customer service said this to me on the phone. That's what made me realize the ONLY way they could get their money back if someone returned a PS3 with the wrong serial is to sell it back.

I think scammers are starting to turn to this site to leverage there scam. Its as bad as the Nigerians e-mailing me about my ebay and craigs list posts.

@odhen: /agree. I just bought a PS3 for my girlfriend from Gamestop and it was scanned off a bar code on the back of the box. There is no window.

She opens it on Monday. Hopefully it works (but I bought it with my Amex so I should be ok if not).

@A.W.E.S.O.M.-O: This may not be a corporate conspiracy (though it wouldn't surprise me after seeing the profiling info in the last few days), but that doesn't mean that someone at the store level didn't do this in order to increase profit for the store.

I've heard of stuff like this before where you get a used console in a new box. I have no idea how it happens, but I always match the serial number on the box with the serial number on the machine. I can't believe there's no window on the box XBox and Wii have this and I think even the NES and Genesis did too, what was Sony thinking?

Best Buy frequently receives manipulated returns. This is a fact. For instance, an expensive high end video card for a computer is replaced by an inexpensive low end one that escapes the return counter person AND Geek Squad. Best Buy will figure out they got burned upon return inspection later by a smarter Geek Squad person. They WILL put that card RIGHT BACK OUT ON THE FLOOR to sell knowing full well it's not what it's supposed to be. THAT my friends is why BEST BUY SUCKS. This guy is NOT scamming. I believe him. Read his last paragraph and ask ANY X Best Buy employee how things work around the return desk. You'll see.

This why I buy electronics from Costco. Better prices, better return policy, better customer service - where's the downside?

@Pro-Pain: bitter much?

@ arch05 - Bitter much huh? What are you talking about? Stupid post much??

Or you could always sue in small claims:

[consumerist.com]

Sony needs to do what Nintendo did with the Wii, there is a hole in the box where the actual serial number of the console is as well as a serial number on the outside of the box. When I purchased my Wii at target, they scanned both the console and the box, and what I hope is that the inventory computer compared the two numbers before purchase. Just goes to show that Sony pays too much attention to preventing their customers from using what they purchase, how else are you going to sue your customer base when they give up and get the DRM-free stuff elsewhere?

@Pro-Pain: Ok, a wise man once said to me, "You don't ask and then you don't get". At the end of the day all the advice on this post is nothing more than that advice. That said, if the person getting screwed takes no action, then they are screwed. However, should they choose to take some action. Then at the very least they tried. At then end of the day those who actually try and keep plugging away will get the results that they desire. Rather than take a defeatist attitude I encourage this person to take every possible avenue to see resolution to his dilemma. Having experienced something similar, I bought an empty box at Best Buy once, I can assure you having a sound and well reasoned argument can go a long way. Now if all you want to do is whine, then just say so, and people like me will just breeze over your post.

@omerhi: Thank goodness it's directally. Can you imagine taking a PS3 RECTALLY!?

This problem could be very simply fixed with a little engineering.

What needs to be done is that the packaging needs to have a transparent window that lines up with an opening in the packing material, which in turn lines up with the serial number tag on the unit. This will prevent all sorts of fraud, including those that involve replacing the unit with something of similar weight (tiles, for instance) and will also save packaging costs, because it will no longer be necessary to print unique serial numbers on the box, nor will there be a need at the factory to match the box to the unit correctly. The benefit to the manufacturer, retailer and customer are all the same: reduced fraud.

What probably happened?
--An employee opened the box & replaced it with a busted one. Resealed the box to make it seem like it was never open.
--A customer bought a PS3. Took it home, placed his busted PS3 in the box, resealed it to make it seem like it was never opened. Returned it to best buy.

Probably no big conspiracy here.

@KyleOrton:
Figuratively speaking...he did. ;)

@puddleglum411: Uh-uh. I bought a video card from Costco some years back. It didn't work too well. When I went to return it, there was a huddle of their staff and some kind of discussion. They came back to me and told me it was the wrong type of video card! The implication was clear (and I don't blame them) - I was trying to pull a fast one.

They let me return it, but boy did I feel dirty.

So it's hard for me to tell if this guy is trying something funny or not.

@sp00nix: "I see it allot, i cant tell you how many times we have had customers walked out by the police for trying some sort of scam and getting busted. Blame them."

Ummm, it doesn't work that way. Just because some unethical customers rip off stores does not give stores the right to cheat all customers. If stores need to implement more serious anti-theft measures, that's fine, but if they try to do that, bollocks it up completely, and innocent customers get hosed as a result? Yeah, that's a problem.

IIRC, Xbox purchases have the same thing as others have described with other systems -- a little cardboard window tears out of the box so the actual unit serial number can be scanned. As much as I dislike Gamestop, my local store seems to have their act together for crap like this.

My Dreamcast had an opening in the box in order to scan the S/N from the console.

I bought a GPS system from Best Buy [Before you yell at me...they were the only store in the area that had the system in stock....and yes I literally checked about twelve other retailers before giving in and going to Best Buy....oh, and I had a flier so I could price match].

The box was unsealed...as was virtually every other GPS unit that Best Buy had. I ask for a supervisor...raise my concern...and I'm told that the units are locked in the display cases where only associates have access (oh...so safe). Anyway, I go home, open the box and turn on the GPS system.

The GPS system already has a "home" address (a McDonalds) with a variety of routes saved...and the GPS system would NOT sync with the satellite(s).

Took it back, and when I went to return/exchange it... I asked for the manager, and got another model that was SEALED in hard plastic casing...and they gave a discount similar in percentage to what I got on the previous model.

I contacted Garmin and let them know what happened (and since, I've seen that other retailers have the SAME models and units wrapped in plastic...Best Buy did not). Garmin simply told me that what the retailers do with merchandise is their concern...they can't tell them what to do...

That's the problem today....blame the other guy...

For the OP, I've heard that Mastercard and Amex are great if you have disputed charges...hopefully you used one of those cards.

@puddleglum411: I love Costco, too, but if you're looking for a specific brand/model you're not always going to find it there, as you know. For some people that's a downside.

Plus, depending on where you live there may not be a Costco anywhere nearby. Here in the Seattle area, home of Costco (yea, Kirkland!) that's not an issue, of course.

@odhen: I'm remembering @ launch, if they changed the boxes since then, I stand corrected. What I can say is the PS/2 definately has the S/N window as I just purchased one a week ago ( Not from BBY )
Unless BBY has changed from their coalition POS system, the system will accept *ANYTHING* scanned in for the alternate info field, I remember dealing with many warranty / return / cell phone activation issues where the serial number or ESN field was just a second scan of the UPC.

First, this story lacks information. I would assume since you said $400, it was the 40GB PS3 model. If so, the model is still in warranty as these consoles are all less than a year old. Only the 20GB and 60GB models can be a year or more older. The 80GB bundle with Motorstorm is also less than a year old, and has been already been discontinued.

You do want to blame Best Buy as a whole, but more likely it is employees who are doing this.

Hasn't an issue with the Xbox 360 happened similar to this when they scan the wrong UPC on the box or something? I think I remember some story about that before.

@kc2idf:

I am surprised there isn't some nice database that registers with Sony, Nintendo, or Microsoft when the console with the serial number has been bought (This could work as a nice database for any and all companies really). When attempting to be purchased later after being bought that one time, it would kick back where and when it was originally purchased. If the item is returned, there could be two choices to put it back into the system, the first is defective and gets returned to the manufacturer, the second would be unopened and gets put back into the system and on the shelf.

This system would make it so you can not be screwed like this. It also would make it so people can't buy something at Best Buy and return it to Walmart without a receipt.

It's far more likely that he broke his PS3 and bought a new one and tried to return the broken one in the new ones box.
It happened all the time when I worked there.

Isn't it also possible that an unscrupulous employee switched out the hardware for his broken ps3? How many people have to get a brick or a can of soup instead of their expensive electronics before Bestbuy does something?

I know it might be overly inconvenient, but can you open the packaging in store and do a visual check? Even a slightly used system will invariably receive a smudge or 2 here and there. The wrapping of the cords/externals won't be as tight or the tape looks like it is torn.

For any higher profile products (over 250 in my world and this includes large sized products like TVs), I open the package right there and make sure it is what I want to take home with me. My philosophy, when dealing with BB or anyone else is that once it leaves the store, I am now responsible for any future dealings (whereas if I am still physically in the store, my chances are better of keeping the accountability with the retailer).

@cwlodarczyk: Or cover their ass.

@sp00nix: Heh heh...you said rectally.

Best Buy scans the serial number on the console, not the box (they did when I worked there before the PS3 was released). If the PS3 ha