We polled readers, who by a 51-29 percent vote said he should keep the console. Ian, though, tried his darndest to get Best Buy to accept the 360, but Best Buy wouldn't have it. He writes:

A seemingly agonizingly long time later (today), Alex from Best Buy Corporate Offices left a message on my home phone. I've written down the most important part.

"I contacted the regional office, and we can't seem to find out where you got two. I guess at this point, you can just keep that, if you haven't returned it to the store already."

I, like approximately two thirds of consumerist readers who answered the poll, have no qualms about receiving a free Xbox from Best Buy. I was very surprised how many of the commenters (who were the minority) proclaimed me a morally corrupt human being for accepting the free Xbox I was offered. I would just like to point out how you really shouldn't judge my entire moral fiber based on one action. I'm a guy who holds doors open for people and regularly gives to charity. At the end of the day, I get to keep the Xbox.

Cheers to Best Buy for handling its mistake like professionals and letting Ian off the hook— as the Cardinals refused to do for the Bears Sunday.

(Photo: tubbynj)

MyFox Atlanta DC says that Best Buy vice president Armando Alavarez's first class upgrade was revoked last week, after the gate agent saw he was wearing a Puma running outfit. He said he frequently checks his suits and wears more comfortable clothes for the flight. You can see by the photo or the video clip below that his Puma running outfit was in excellent shape.

For those who don't want to watch the video (are you sure? you'll miss Alvarez talking about his Puma running outfit!), MyFox DC says Alvarez wrote a letter to United to complain about having his upgrade revoked, but he hasn't heard back from them. The network says it contacted their customer service department three times but never heard back, either. I'm pretty sure you have to write a hit YouTube song to get United's attention these days, Alvarez; you might want to see if Best Buy can hold a United Hates Puma Running Suits sale or something.

"Man Denied First Class Seat on United" [MyFox Atlanta] (Thanks to Diasdiem!)

"We're going into this business in a big way," Mr. Homeister said. "Our goal is to have broad availability in the marketplace, across multiple devices."

The idea is to allow consumers to pay once for a DVD and then be able to play it "any device: television, Blu-ray disc player, personal computer, handheld media player or smartphone."

Are you into this?

Best Buy Prepares for the Post-DVD Era [Best Buy]
(Photo:chhipkali)

She sent this email to Best Buy:

On January 2, 2009 I bought a Samsung 46" 8 series television. I love it! In June, the motherboard had to be replaced.

About a month and a half ago I noticed that when I would turn my TV. on I would have lines that went up and down on both sides of my television. I called the Geek Squad to get someone out here to look at it. I ended wasting an entire day waiting for the third party to get here. I had told them to call me before they got here so I could make sure to be home since I had to go get my son from pre-school. Well he showed up, never called, and left. I missed him by 4 minutes! Needless to say, I was less than thrilled with the third party and Best Buy, what a waste of a day!

I called the Geek Squad that day to reschedule with the Geek Squad since that is who I wanted in the first place but, I was told when I originally scheduled my appointment with the third party that the Geek Squad was booked through November so a third party was a better option. A week later when my appointment with Geek Squad was supposed to be, Geek Squad never showed. I called the Geek Squad at noon to figure out when they would be over since I hadn't heard from them. I was told that I never did have an appointment and that I wouldn't be seeing the Geek Squad that day since I didn't have an appointment. I thought I did have an appointment since that is what I had been told by a Geek Squad agent. Another waste of half a day.

At this point I told the customer service agent that I didn't mind going with a third party I just didn't want to go with the company that I had originally scheduled with. They found me another third party in the valley and I scheduled an appointment with them for today, the 28th. The gentleman showed up this morning, replaced the part that they thought was going out. That didn't work, I still had lines on my TV, in the process of trying to fix my television he scratched the cabinet the TV was sitting on and then blamed me! Not only was my TV not fixed but my cabinet was now scratched, furniture isn't cheap, I was pissed off.

I called the Geek Squad to figure out what the next step was and they told me that I had to wait and see what the manufacturer wanted to do since my TV was only 10 months old and being fixed under the manufacturer warranty. At this point I am wondering why exactly I paid for a Black Tie policy if it wasn't even being used. I was told by the Geek Squad and by the third party that they next step would probably be to replace the LCD panel. Unacceptable!!! I didn't pay top dollar for my TV to have a new motherboard, and a new LCD panel replaced after only 10 months. I don't want a hodgepodge of new and replaced parts.

I called the 888-Best-Buy this afternoon to lodge a complaint. I feel like I have been given the run around by not only Best Buy, shame on you, but by your third party as well. In my mind your third party is a direct reflection of Best Buy and should also live up to your standards. When I get substandard service it makes it so I don't want to do business with Best Buy anymore, there are too many other options for me to have to put up with this.

If you've gone through similar hassles with Geek Squad and lived to tell the tale, please drop your knowledge in the comments.

(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane)

Let us refresh your memory:

Connecticut State's Attorney's Office Launches Investigation Into Best Buy's Secret Intranet Site
Best Buy Refuses To Stop Misleading Customers With Secret Website
Best Buy Not Honoring Price Match Guarantee
Best Buy Accused Of Paying Bonuses To Managers Who Don't Price Match

The problem, of course, is that while this practice is misleading, it's not illegal.

Lawsuit: Best Buy lies [Chicago Bar-Tender] (Thanks to everyone who sent this in!)

(Photo: Ian Muttoo)

"Best Buy Opens First 24-Hour Store" [RetailWire]
(Photo: Ben+Sam)

He doesn't spell out his request in his message, but you can tell he's struggling with a moral dilemma. The devil on his shoulder tells him that the extended warranty he bought when he purchased his destined-to-break Xbox 360 entitles him to whatever results from the process when he makes Best Buy live up to its end of the bargain. The angel says, "Be better than Best Buy."

He writes:

Today I went and picked up a refurbished Xbox 360 Elite from my local Best Buy that they gave me as a replacement for the one I brought in a couple weeks ago which was broken. The only thing is, I had already returned the broken Xbox and received $400 in store credit for it. I had tried to get it repaired through their extended warranty program (which I know is a terrible deal for everything else, but has worked wonders for my series of Xboxes), and they couldn't repair it. I had been eyeing the release of the Modern Warfare 2 Xbox 360 being released in November, so instead of simply picking up another Xbox 360 Elite, I asked if I could get store credit instead.

The retail price of an Elite was $400 at the time of purchase, and the new MW2 Xbox will also retail for $400. $400 of store credit was granted, as well as a prorated refund of the extended warranty. Basically, I milked the warranty program to get a free upgrade to a newer version of the Xbox (which I had previously done when my Pro Xbox died and I upgraded to an Elite without being charged due to price drops), but this is an entirely new quandry for me. They gave me a replacement Xbox for one I already returned to the store for store credit. I have a feeling it may be an issue with the Best Buy computer system accepting the refund and the Geek Squad system automatically giving me a replacement for an Xbox they couldn't fix. Do you guys think I should try to give it back?

OK, time to weigh in on what you think Ian should do.

(Photo: Tengaport)

He writes:

Today I went to Best Buy just to check it out. I haven't been to a Best Buy in a few years. After much looking around, I've seen better buys actually. While browsing the Wii Games, I saw Mario Party 8 with a "geek squad professional installation" sticker on it. I asked a few associates how much a professional installation would cost without much luck. I eventually asked Geek Squad. They said that the sticker was there in error. Either way, it's a funny picture to start a Monday.

Hey, mistakes happen. Such as going to Best Buy and not expecting the Geek Squad to pitch you — intentionally or not — ludicrous, unnecessary services.

Sure, everyone was afraid of what might happen to satellite radio subscription prices after Sirius and XM merged, but nobody imagined paying $10,000 for an iPod converter. We'd rather go out and buy a car with that money instead.

Lucky customers who saw the original $699 price and held off on purchasing it in hopes of a better deal have been rewarded by getting to pay an extra $50.

Perhaps the spectacular savings are likely due to Best Buy being cognizant of how the economy is doing so well, recognizing that folks are flush with spending money and would like to kick in a little extra for their gizmos.

Or, the camera price had been reduced by the individual store, but then a new sale came down from corporate that was predicated on an original list price of $799. The store computers then put three elements together:

1. $50 off
2. old price
3. new "sale price" based on the numbers from corporate

and combined them on one tag. But even though a computer made it up, someone had to put that tag on the shelf. Though there's a plausible explanation, it's not a wise business practice. It's confusing to customers and looks like you're being disingenuous. Best Buy is by no means unique, we've seen this sort of thing at several different kinds of stores. Seems like an industry practice worth reconsidering.

From The Daily Bleat's open letter to Best Buy's CEO:

As it happens, I was on a cordless, and I was outside, so I was literally facing a brick wall while I was talking to one. Tanya explained that the unit had to fail four times before anything could be done. That was the alpha and omega of the situation. It would have been nice if Tanya had expressed sympathy or tendered an apology at that point, but it's not her job, I guess.

It's Tanya's job to tell me what the customer isn't going to get. If that's what the rules say.

Now. I don't run a big company, and I have no inside know-how on the vagaries of handling customer complaints – Gosh, I bet you get a lot! But I would suggest, with all due respect, that the customer profile database be tweaked somehow so you can see, for your own benefit, that a customer who bought two top-of-the-line appliances has had failures with each one, and tie this information into a repair / failure database. Surely some program could tell you that the cost of satisfying the customer NOW is less than the cost of making four trips to repair the SAME. STUPID. POORLY. DESIGNED. PART, and said customer might buy another appliance, or speak favorably of the experience to others, or refrain from issuing twitter updates to 10,000 people.

Heard of Twitter? Yes? Okay, then.

Since she couldn't do anything for me, she set up an appointment to repair the unit. We had to choose a date on a Saturday, because I work. I suggested they order the defective control panel now so it can be installed on Saturday, but she said the technicians don't get their assignments until the day they go out. So next Saturday's visit is just a formality, I guess. It will take a week to get the part, and I hope they can show up on the next Saturday, because otherwise I will be washing dishes for three weeks.

We've heard this type of complaint a lot. Anyone had success short circuiting the 4-repair policy?

Dear CEO of Best Buy [Daily Bleat] (Thanks, Rich!)
(Photo:Meg Marco)

Bryan writes:

Just wanted to share what my local Best Buy here in [redacted] was doing to rip the unaware off. They are taking brand new Xbox 360 Elites and opening them and updating the system software, and as you can see in the photo, charging people 29.99 for a service that is available for free!!! Now do they discount these units after they have opened them, nope full price for all. Now I don't know if Microsoft is aware that Best Buy is tampering with the seal and replacing with a Best Buy branded "Inspected By". Sorry for the crappy pics but it's a cheap cell phone don't usually take pics, but readers beware of their new scheme. Thanks Best Buy — way to stick it to the uninformed.

I really should have slapped this with the "above and beyond" tag. Just look at that penmanship! And the exquisite rectangle! It adds the appropriate amount of class to the endeavor.

He writes:

Today we went shopping at Best Buy in [redacted], MO. We recently remodeled our kitchen and needed a laptop for internet access while cooking and eating.

Anyway, we found a cheap laptop with nice features and proceeded to pick up a box from the floor. When I looked, though, the laptop had been opened and a sticker placed on it saying Geek Squad had "optimized" the laptop and created the recovery disks.

I asked one of the floor guys why they do this and he explained, "Computers don't ship with CDs anymore, so we do this as a service."

When I asked about the optimization he shrugged.

I explained to him I was uncomfortable buying a laptop that's been opened and logged onto. While I have no reason to think poorly of Geek Squad, all it would take is one rogue employee to begin installing a key capture program or other malware. The staff member told me they would look for one in the back that was unopened.

Since I haven't bought a laptop or PC retail in over a year, I am unsure if this is standard industry practice. When I order from Amazon the computers always arrive unopened.

We've seen this complaint a few other times, notably at Staples where they claimed to have optimized all of the laptops in stock.

The consolation for Patrick, judging from Best Buy's other optimization practices, is that the optimizers probably didn't do all that much to the computer, other than possibly making it unreturnable unless a restocking fee is tacked on.

I bought a laptop off the shelf of a Tucson Best Buy last year and found it thoroughly un-optimized. Have any of you found these silly optimization stickers?

We're going to guess that not many of those customers doing research online beforehand were planning to buy their new TV from Best Buy, anyway.

Last week, at least, employees didn't seem terribly aware of the discrepancy:

When asked about the pricing discrepancy, a blue shirted clerk replied that he was unaware of it, adding that he would "price match" Bestbuy.com's online prices, if he could verify them. Isn't that wonderful?

Well, as long as they're price-matching from their actual web site and not a secret intranet, it's not so bad.

Best Buy: A New "Dual Price" Strategy? [HDGuru]

If you don't know how to rip music off a CD, you're probably having someone read you this post. Best Buy charges you $1 a CD and $35 for a shipping kit. Reader Sabler spotted the program and sent us his responses to the Geek Squad's sales pitch:

1) We are an amazing time saver!

True. Asking someone to rip even one CD for me saves me untold seconds. Time has, in fact, been saved.

Look, unless you've got an entire room dedicated to CDs this isn't tantamount to canceling weekend plans. On a modern computer, a disc averaging about 12 tracks should encode in ~2 minutes. Even if you've got a pile of 100 CDs that's only going to be about 3 hours of your time. Make some coffee, do a crossword or three, make some phone calls, pay some bills...

2) Just $1 per CD includes free shipping, insurance, cleaning, and repair

On the flip side of this, if you have so much music that you can't bear to do this by yourself, you have to ask if it's worth spending any money on the risk of your stuff getting lost, stolen, or damaged by, God help you, Geek Squad's repair + cleaning services.

3) We'll transfer your music to a purchased device free of charge

In the world of the iPod, iPhone, and Zune, this is pretty much automated.

4) We have great metadata and album artwork
I have my beefs with Gracenote/CDDB occasionally having some wrong information, but this is the most hands-off, automatic part of CD-ripping. Why am I paying these guys to do it again?

5) We have legendary service and support and a satisfaction guarantee

Which reminds me of an joke I once saw in an (obviously) fake ACME Catalog. "We stand by our products, usually at a safe distance."

Oh, Geek Squad, what will you think of next?

(Photo: Photosynthetique)

Well, the internet didn't take too kindly to the plight and suddenly Best Buy decided maybe doing that to customers isn't such a great strategy. So the general manager of the store in question has gone and made things right.

Diana gloats:

I am writing this letter as a follow up to a letter that I wrote last month. You may remember my story: my husband and I brought our PC to Best Buy for a CD player to be replaced, and the Geek Squad changed the entire hard drive, causing us to lose everything. I read all of the comments on Consumerist regarding my letter, and I actually agree with much of what was posted, as it was a huge mistake on our part not to have backed up our data….even when going in for something as simple as a CD replacement. We have learned our lesson and are researching the best way to back up our things. There were other comments implying that my story was false, that I had made it up, etc, and I can assure you that this is the real deal. I would never purposefully hurt another person, or a business, and in no way did I make it up….

Having said that, I would like to say a HUGE thank you to Mr. Kevin Grant, the General Manager of the Best Buy store in Salem, NH. Mr. Grant was alerted to my posting on Consumerist and contacted us immediately. He was very professional with my husband, and really cared about the situation that we were in…he even gave us his cell phone number! His communication was fantastic, and has kept in touch, just to make sure that we are all set. Mr. Grant did everything in his power to right this situation, although, in my opinion, it was not his wrong to make right. Mr. Grant made phone calls and tried to rectify the situation, and ultimately, has paid for us to have our data retrieved from our original hard drive, along with the external hard drive. I understand that paying for this $1,700 mistake will take away from his profit/loss for the month, but it is clear that his number one goal was to make us happy and to make up for the mistakes that the Geek Squad had made.

I am still annoyed that Mr. Grant had to take the hit for the mistakes of the Geek Squad, but am so pleased in the manner that Mr. Grant has helped us. I am grateful for his response and professionalism. I tried to find my original posting on your web site, but was unable to…could you please post this for me? I want Mr. Grant to know how much we appreciate his efforts.

Thanks for helping us! Diane and Joe.

Done and done. So remember kids, no need to back up your data before you take it to be repaired because the powers of public shame will solve all your problems. Just joking — never, ever, ever, never, ever allow a computer mechanic to monkey with your business unless you've backed that *ss up.

(Photo: Scurzuzu)

Most of Microsoft's anti-Linux pitch focuses on familiarity, reliability, and ease-of-use, and the inaccuracies are on the order of statements like, "Linux is a self-help solution. There are no step-by-step tutorials provided, and help documentation is limited." True? Only if you ignore the hundreds of online tutorials, not to mention the wizards that make installing distros like Ubuntu at least as easy as working with Vista.

Still, we sort of agree with PC World's Tony Bradley, who points out that "Linux is getting easier and more mainstream as time goes on, but we're talking about Best Buy customers. ... they tend to buy a computer system like they buy a microwave or a dishwasher. They just want a computing ‘appliance' to set on the desk and connect to the Internet." If that's the case,though, how to do Microsoft's "assassins" go after the Mac? Oh, right, it's expensive. Guess they had a hard time using that argument against Linux, given its price point of, oh, free.

Microsoft trains Best Buy Linux assassins [ZDNet]
Microsoft and Best Buy Gang Up On Linux [PC World]
Microsoft helps Best Buy employees troll Mac users, too [Ars Technica]

Michael says:

I checked the availability of a HDD that's on sale there on the Best Buy web site, and it reported that it was in stock at this location. I drove to the store, and when I didn't see any on the shelf I asked a sales associate. He informed me that they were all out of stock and that the web site takes about 6 hours to update the inventory, and that that was the reason for the discrepancy.

I didn't trust him, however, so when I got home I logged back onto the Best Buy site and ordered the HDD for in-store pick-up at the same location, and wouldn't you know it, about a half an hour later there was a message in my inbox letting me know that my order was ready to be picked up! I drove back to Best Buy once again to pick up my HDD and asked the employee at the customer service counter why I was told that the drive was not in stock when it obviously was. Her response was just a sort of awkward shrug and an "I dunno." In the end at least I got my HDD, but I sure wasted a lot of time (not to mention gas) driving around unnecessarily.

You have to admit, however, that his "the website is wrong" line did effectively get you to go away, albeit temporarily, which we can only assume was its intended function.

(Photo:dooleymtv)

He writes:

Here's the summary:

02/20/09: purchased Insignia 52 inch LCD from Best Buy for $1,398.99

08/15/09: TV died; went to repair hell

08/24/09: wrong part replaced then unreplaced for $407.07 by technicians that had to drive 120 miles each way for the wrong diagnosis from Best Buy.

08/25/09: placed in cost effectiveness committee

08/28/09: sent to parts research purgatory

09/04/09: still haven't said enough Hail Mary's to the right Best Buy Saints

What I thought was really disturbing was something the last CSR I spoke with told me: If the repair cost doesn't exceed the purchase price, they would rather send out a tech to repair it multiple times.

My response was that it would seem to have an extremely negative impact on your profit margin.

It should be noted that every CSR I have spoken with has been extremely professional and polite. I have mirrored this attitude as well and have had extraordinary patience as a result of my 10 plus years of experience as a former CSR and Quality Assurance Agent. I have never been abrasive to their customer service because I refuse to be that customer and it will usually have a negative impact on the problem being resolved. My blame goes to the policy and not the paid rep that is just doing their job.

Russ says Best Buy doesn't know where his part is or when he can get it replaced. He says he's shut off cable service and laments that his TV is a "giant paperweight in our living room." Have any of you experienced a similar TV repair runaround? Is this what you should expect when you buy Insignia?

(Photo: bmljenny)

On the night of the 30th, the entire store had a meeting to attend from 7:30-9:30. A few months ago, we had started a store wide contest that stated that any employee who got the most BBY Credit Card applications got to throw a pie at the manager of their choice. This contest ended on the night of the meeting, and the winners were given pies to throw at the manager of their choosing. It is important to note that all of the managers were aware and consented to this contest.

You probably have guessed that this did not go very well.

One of the managers, [Manager 1], came to the meeting late and dressed in what only can be defined as "Thug Clothing". Seeing as she has always lectured and disciplined employees on being in on time and dress code, she was an obvious target for the pie contest.

One employee, whom I will call [Employee 1] won in his department and was given a pie. Immediately, [Manager 1] exclaimed "If ANYONE throws a pie at me, I'm gonna KICK THEIR ASS!". We later found out that she was not joking, as many thought she was at the time.

So, in order to reduce a mess, we all head out to the front of the store. The store was currently closed and it was around 9:10 p.m. It is important to note that all of these people were punched in and working on the clock when this happened. About 40 or so witnessed it.

[Employee 1] walks up to [Manager 1] to throw the pie, she loses it and slaps it out of his hand. Ironically enough, this causes pie to spill all over her. So, naturally, she decides to chase [Employee 1] in the store yelling [expletive that means "your father"]! Pie debris is spilled everywhere at the front entrance.

The contest continues outside and [Employee 1] joins the rest of the crowd to watch other managers get pied. [Manager 1] shows up behind [Employee 1] and threatens to kick his ass yet again and begins to cuss him out. Another employee walks up behind to talk to [Manager 1]. Being the crazy bitch that she clearly is, [Manager 1] thinks this other employee [Employee 2] is trying to throw a pie too. So, she turns around and begins to cuss him out and threaten to hurt him, even though the guy did absolutely nothing.

In an act of sheer stupidity, a supervisor named [Manager 2] jumps out and says "I got your back, [Manager 1]" and begins throwing sprite bottles at random people. You know, to add onto the stupidity, I suppose. Two cashiers get hit with the sprite bottles (and the sprite)! [Manager 2] begins picking fights with other people and ends up calling one employee a [very rude slur.]

Did I mention? This entire time, the General Manager is nowhere to be seen. He didn't even come to his own meeting.

About 13 employees have gone to BestBuy HR about this. While the investigation is "pending" many of us fear the GM will give both of these people a slap on the wrist and continue with business as usual. This is because the GM is very close with these people. We feel that if Consumerist made people aware of this, perhaps HR will act differently in the situation and might actually solve this problem.

Why do BestBuy employees seem to be featured on Consumerist so often? Maybe it's because of this. Look who we have to work under. You may have a bad experience with a manager and never shop at the store again. Given this economy, many of us have no choice but to listen and witness this bullsh*t daily. These are both examples of people who clearly should never have worked in retail, but somehow actually got authority of some kind. I would work elsewhere, but I currently have no choice.

X's story sheds some light on just how badly Best Buy management wants to sign you up for their credit cards, as well as how little oversight there seems to be — there's no chance the pie-in-the-face thing was corporate policy. Or is there? We e-mailed Best Buy CEO corporate:

We received word that managers were offering the chance for employees to hit one of them in the face with a pie if they got the most customers to sign up for a credit card. Can you comment on whether this was corporate policy, and assuming it's not, also say what is being done to stop this from happening again?

And got this cryptic reply from Susan Busch, senior director of public relations:

Having fun while being the best is one of Best Buy's core values. Our employees are both encouraged and empowered to make sure fun is infused into all aspects of our work.

Corporate-endorsed pie and soda bottle fights that spice up what would have otherwise been a dull sit-down meeting? Is it just me, or does that particular Best Buy seem like a fun place to work? Well, if it weren't for the violence, profanity and hateful slurs, anyway.

(Photo: Morton Fox)

Sure, they aren't $9.99, but the discounts range from $500 to $1100 off the original prices. They'll also offer home theater sound equipment and Blu-Ray players at a lower price when bundled with the shiny new TVs.

Christmas In August? Best Buy's Big HDTV Price Drop [via Gizmodo]

(Photo: Ron (Crawfishpie) Dauphin)

Diane writes:

I am writing to you because my husband and I are really getting the run around from Best Buy.

We bought a PC about 5 years ago, which has become our children's computer. It was in good condition, except the CD player in it was broken. We bought the extended warranty for the computer so we brought the tower in to the (redacted), NH store to get the CD replaced over 3 weeks ago. We declined backing up the data (a $100 charge) since replacing the CD drive is not a big deal, and does not require any work to be done to the hard drive. My husband would have replaced the CD drive himself, but then it would invalidate the warranty.

We found out this week that there was actually more work done to the computer than just what we had requested. In fact, our entire hard drive was replaced, thus all of the data is now gone! Apparently there were other things wrong with the computer than what we thought and the Geek Squad thought it would be in everyone's best interest to replace the hard drive. In fact, the Geek Squad replaced so much on the computer that the value of the work that they did is well over the amount of money that the computer is even worth!!! If we thought there was even a chance that our data was in jeopardy, we definitely would have backed it up ourselves, or paid the $100 to have it backed up.

So, to make a long story short, the Best Buy Geek Squad is asking that we pay about $1,700 in for lab fees, an external hard drive and labor in order to MAYBE aquire about 80% of the data from my computer. When we called their corporate office, after a 2 hour phone call, my husband was told that the corporate office, "does not negotiate fees". Corporate Office called the GM from the Best Buy in (redacted), NH and they are giving us a $200 gift card that we can use to pay towards the fee.

We need your help! We do not have an extra $1,500 to get our data back! We are losing thousands of photos of our children, and a lot of personal and professional files. I now know that we should always back up our data, but honestly, we were just getting the CD drive changed! We didn't want anything else done to the computer! It was working just fine! We truly feel like we are being wronged here.

I just need to know what to do next? Do we pay the fee and then sue them? We could put it on our Best Buy credit card (interest free for 18 months) although I really don't want to.

Best Buy seems to be admitting some fault here by offering the $200 gift card, but it's but a bandaid for a gaping wound. You're in a tight spot, because while it was totally reasonable to assume that replacing a CD drive wouldn't include erasing your hard drive, you aren't really dealing with a reasonable entity. We haven't examined the terms of your warranty, but if you feel like you can make the case that it was violated in any way, you can try taking Best Buy to small claims court.

It's not expensive and you can do it yourself. Here's some information about the small claims process. It's different in every state, but NH's limit of $5,000 should cover your issue if you're able to make your case.

Internet, how have you handled similar situations?

(Photo: dooleymtv)

To stem off the return carnage, Best Buy is getting proactive by offering gamers a sweet deal to accept their new/old PS3 for what it is. According to an store memo attained by Kotaku, Best Buy will price match the old console and give customers a free game (Infamous, MLB 09 The Show or Killzone 2) if they keep their PS3 Fats.

Kotaku reports:

It's important to note that this isn't an advertised sale, it's an internal memo. So it may be up to the store manager's discretion how often to offer the deal. I'd also assume that this would only hold for Playstation 3's purchased within the past 30 days and with a valid receipt.

Are any of you recent PS3 buyers who will take Best Buy up on the deal? Or would you rather go for the Slim's larger hard drive and sleeker form factor? Those who are into the deal should get out there soon and buy a big-boned PS3 before the Slims hit shelves.

Best Buy Offering Free Games To Prevent PS3 Slim Trade-Ins [Kotaku]
(Photo: Vincent J. Brown)

From the Bloomfield Enterprise:

Bergstreser tackled and attempted to pin one of the men to the ground. Trapp came to Bergstreser's aid before the suspect drew a knife, the fired employees and the Broomfield police report said.

A manager also was involved in the fracas and was cut by the suspect. She was not fired.

The suspect broke free, and both men fled from the FlatIron Marketplace parking lot in an old light-green Pontiac sedan driven by a woman.

One of the fired employees says he knew that he wasn't supposed to touch customers (a policy that is designed to prevent the company from being sued) — even ones who were running away with armloads of hard drives. The other says he was never given the relevant training.

"They would tell us how to do the everyday routine stuff. As for actually ever handling a situation (with a fleeing shoplifter), there was never any role-playing, never any instructions," Trapp said. "They kind of left us in a gray area, and I think they did it intentionally,"

We understand why this happens, but we think its really sad.

Employees involved in shoplifting fracas fired from Best Buy [Bloomfield Enterprise]
(Photo:frankieleon)

From MarketWatch:

Best Buy's "confronting a new set of strategic challenges from its perch as the dominant specialty retailer of electronics in the U.S.," the analyst said. It's "confronting them from a position of strength, in terms of market share, talent, and balance sheet, but they remain thorny nonetheless."

This is Wall Street for "LOL, people are going to "shop" at Best Buy and buy at Walmart (which is upgrading its electronics offerings) or Amazon.com."

Best Buy is facing declining music and DVD sales and a "maturing video game cycle." Flat panel TVs are cheaper and less profitable. In Best Buy's favor is the fact that their main competitor, Circuit City, died a violent, public death and has only recently sort of risen from the ashes. All in all, it's a fun time to be in retail, no?

Retail stocks drop as Best Buy downgraded from buy rating [MarketWatch]
(Photo:penner42)

Bryan writes:

About 18 months ago I purchased a new HDTV from Best Buy and also purchased the extended service plan (stupid I know, but this was before I started reading Consumerist). I purchased this specific TV because the light source was supposed to last for 5 years and even came with a 5yr warranty. Well, as it turns out the light didn't last nearly 5 years. It conked out after 6 months. I thought maybe it was just a bad part so I spent about a month in the Geek Squad repair cycle and had it replaced. The TV worked great for about another 6 months, when the light source died again. I again went through the Geek Squad repair maze and about a month later the TV was fixed. This time the light source broke within 1 week of the repair. Ok, I was irritated before but now I am getting mad. Luckily this time I was on vacation and the TV was repaired before I got back home. Another 6 months later and the light source broke for the 4th time.

I decided to contact Best Buy and request a replacement under their "no lemon" clause of the extended warranty. After all I have had 4 failures of the TV and that is what it takes under the policy to get replaced. To my dismay, but not unexpected, a Best Buy CSR left a message on my cell phone denying my claim. He said the light source was not a qualified part under the policy. The next day I called Best Buy to investigate the denial. The CSR I spoke to repeated that the light source was not a qualified repair. Knowing I would not get anywhere I immediately asked to speak with a supervisor. I very much thought my call would get disconnected right then but to my surprise a supervisor was on the line in less than a minute. I went back and forth with him for about 10 minutes about the policy and why it should qualify. Needless to say he would not budge from the "not qualified" line so I ended our conversation.

This is when I decided to take The Consumerist's advise and write an EECB to Best Buy. Less than 24 hours later I was contacted by the Executive Relations Specialist. She said that she would be looking into my issue and would contact me soon. To my complete shock and amazement the Executive Relations Specialist contacted me less than a week later and said that my replacement had been approved. She supplied me with an exchange number to take to any Best Buy to get a new TV. I can even use the original purchase price as credit towards a different TV.

Below are the email that I sent to the Best Buy Executives and their responses. Thanks Consumerist!

Bryan sent one of the better EECBs we've ever read. It's clear, direct, and earns the reader's sympathy. He wrote:

I would like to begin by thanking you for taking the time to read my letter and for taking the necessary steps necessary to resolve my situation. Please know that I am not taking writing to you directly lightly. I have tried to resolve my issue through both Geek Squad and Best Buy customer service on many occasions. Being unable to resolve my issue through normal channels I feel that I have no other option but appeal to you directly.

I have been a loyal Best Buy customer for many years and am a Preferred Silver member of your Reward Zone program. I have been very pleased with the level of customer service that I have received from your stores, until now. My story begins when I bought a 56" Panasonic LiFi LCD Projection TV on January 3, 2008 along with the Performance Service Plan #XXXXXXXXX (a copy of the receipt is attached). I selected this specific television because both Best Buy and Panasonic claimed that the LiFi light source in the television had an expected life of 20,000 hours and "lasts so long you may never need to change it."

Sadly, over the year and a half that I have owned the TV is has fallen vastly short of living up to its claims. Only six months after purchasing the TV the LiFi light source on went out and needed to be replaced. Approximately six months after that the LiFi light source failed again requiring another replacement. This time the LiFi light source only lasted a single week before it went out again and needed another replacement. Just recently, the LiFi blight source failed again and requires another replacement. This is the fourth time in a year and a half that the LiFi light source has failed and needed replacement (receipts for all repairs are attached). During the last service call the Geek Squad technician conducted a performance test on the TV to verify that no other components were causing the problems. He established, and verified with Panasonic, that there were no other problems with the TV causing the LiFi light source to fail.

At this point I contacted Best Buy customer service to fail a claim under the "No Lemon" policy of the PSP for a replacement TV. The representative who took my claim was very helpful and told me a confirmation number would be sent in 3-5 business days that can be used to obtain a replacement. However, instead of a confirmation number a representative named "Brian" called me on 7/3/09 to inform me that my claim had been denied.

On 7/7/09 I contacted Best Buy customer service again to inquire as to why my claim had been denied. I first spoke with "Chava" who informed me that a technician had determined that the TV was repairable and therefore not eligible for replacement. Upon hearing this I asked to be transferred to a manager for further clarification. I then spoke with "Matt" who I spoke with for 20 minutes regarding my situation. During our conversation Matt gave several contradictory excuses for why my TV was not eligible for a "No Lemon" replacement. Below I will discuss each of Matt's arguments separately.

1) Matt: If the technician determines the TV to be repairable then it does not have to be replaced.

a. Under the PSP is specifically states "After three qualified (3) service repairs have been completed on an individual product and that individual product requires a fourth qualified (4th) repair, as determined by us, we will replace it with a product of comparable performance of like kind and quality not to exceed the original purchase amount." The PSP does not give the option to continue repairing the TV after the 4th repair. It only gives the option for replacement.

2) Matt in response to above: The LiFi light source is not a qualified repair as it is a "consumable part" because it is a "bulb."

a. The LiFi light source is not a consumable part as defined by the PSP. It does not have electrodes that deteriorate with time like a traditional projection bulb. It is designed to not be consumable and last the life of the TV.

b. The LiFi light source is not considered a "bulb" in other parts of the PSP, and therefore should not qualify as such under the "No Lemon" policy.

i. The PSP states that it will only "One (1) bulb replacement for DLP, Projection LCD TVs and Home Theater Projectors of your original bulb during the term of this plan" will be approved."

ii. However, the LiFi light source has already been approved for replacement under the PSP three times. This shows that the LiFi light source is not considered a "bulb" under the PSP.

Needless to say, Matt was not able to resolve my issue with the perpetually broken TV which is why I am writing to you. Over the past year and a half that I have owned the TV it has been broken and inoperable approximately 20% of the time. In order to get the TV repaired I have taken 4 full days off of work to be available for the Geek Squad service technician. These constant repairs have cost me a great deal of lost income and entertainment time; time and money that should never have been lost if the TV was not a "Lemon."

The bottom line is that the TV is not living up to the claims made by Best Buy and Panasonic when I purchased it. The LiFi light source in the TV has failed four times in the past year and each time needed to be replaced. I purchased the additional Performance Service Plan to protect me from this exact situation but am now being denied my rights under the agreement.

I ask that you please look into my situation and rectify the egregious error. I am not asking for anything more then what is rightfully owed to me under the PSP; a replacement of the faulty TV through the "No Lemon" policy of the PSP. I would even be willing to accept a refund of the original purchase price of the TV in the form of a Best Buy gift card so I can purchase a replacement myself.

Again, I thank you for taking the time to read my letter and address the issues that are raised within it. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me at xxx-xxx-xxxx or email address.

An executive resolution specialist responded with a promise to look into his case:

Good morning Bryan,

I wanted to reach out to you surrounding the email you had sent to a few of our executives and leadership yesterday afternoon. Please allow me to address your concerns on their behalf.

I am truly sorry to hear about the number of times the LiFi light has had to be replaced within your Panasonic LiFi Projection TV in the last

18 months or so. I can understand your disappointment and I regret the inconvenience these issues must have caused. Normally, projection lights are considered bulbs/lamps which although may be covered under your Plan, does not count toward No Lemon.

However I would like to take the opportunity to partner with the local leadership to see what resolution we may be able to offer. I will reach back in touch with you again soon.

Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns in the mean time.

Respectfully,

Nichol Mathis
Executive Resolution Specialist

She quickly followed up with an offer to replace the defective television:

Hello Bryan,

I wanted to reach back out to you. I received an email late yesterday advising me that we were able to approve your TV for exchange. Your confirmation number is xxxxxxx.

You may go to the store immediately to have the exchange performed.

Please be sure to bring your confirmation number and receipt if possible. If you no longer have a copy of the receipt then you can refer to your Customer Service Pin which will allow the store to locate the transaction. The pin is xxxxxxxxxx.

Please let me know if you have any further questions or concerns.

Kind regards,

Nichol Mathis
Executive Resolution Specialist

Learn how to launch your own EECB by reading this post.

(Photo: The Joy Of The Mundane)

Here are just a couple of examples from the HD Guru report:

Sales Pitch: Their Geek Squad Black Tie Protection pamphlet says that if your product requires 4 repairs, "we'll make sure that you get a new one."
Truth: Contract says "new" can mean refurbished or rebuilt, at Best Buy's discretion.

Sales Pitch: Pamphlet says on TVs 30" and up, you'll get a loaner if they can't fix yours on the first visit.
Truth: There's no mention of a loaner TV anywhere in the contract, so you'd better hope your Best Buy honors pamphlets.

Sales Pitch: If they can't repair your TV, they'll replace it with a product of equal value, or reimburse you fair market value for it.
Truth: "Fair market" means what they determine it's worth at the time of the repair. As an example, HD Guru points out that this past April Best Buy recalled a house brand LCD HDTV that sold for "up to $1000" and was less than 3 years old. The fair market value compensation it gave out: "gift cards amounting to $500 or about half of the original purchase price."

Click over and read the full report for more details on the truth versus fiction of Best Buy's warranty programs, and to read the company's official response to HD Guru's questions.

"Extended Warranties: What You See Is Often Not What You Get - An HD GURU Investigative Report" [HD Guru]
(Photo: Robert Scoble)

The above error message showed. Had I spelled my street name wrong, or put in the wrong zip code? No, everything looked fine. I really wasn't in the mood to deal with a customer service line to get a few reward points, so I shrugged, reconsidered my purchase, and bought a similar item from another online merchant. Then I went about the rest of my day.

Almost four hours after I had registered for the RewardZone number, I received an e-mail confirming my account. I took my account number, went back to BestBuy.com, and sure enough the site accepted my RewardZone account and let me register.

Now, obviously this didn't affect my life very much, but Best Buy did lose a sale. I picked them because of price, in-store pickup, and they still had the camera I wanted in stock. If users of the site are encouraged to sign up for RewardZone during checkout, which they are, shouldn't they also be able to use their reward cards immediately?

If this happened when cashiers sign customers up for new cards, it would be unacceptable. Imagine walking up to the cash register to make a new purchase and signing up for a new card, only to hear the cashier say, "Oh, if you want points on this purchase, you'll have to wait four hours. Here, go wander around the mall until then." You'd probably wander into a competing store.

Best Buy marketing manager John Bernier tweeted that the $99 price in the system was due to "human error," but the price was honored while in the system, and Best Buy will not be chasing down customers who got that price and demanding an extra $100.

On the ground, the Wall Street Journal discovered that not all stores were quite sure what was going on:

On the West Coast, a man from Best Buy's location on Geary Boulevard in San Francisco told me the phone was indeed $99, and that "lots of people came in" to buy it (but then admitted that out of three Pres in stock, they'd sold two). Farther south, in Palo Alto, the Pre was also selling for $99, and the one handset they had in stock had already been sold. In Sunnyvale, a salesman reported that they'd had "quite a few" people come into the store to take advantage of the $99 Pre. When I asked him if he'd heard the $100 price drop might be a mistake, he said, "As far as I know, that's just a special offer we have going on this week."

But at Best Buy's store at 13th and Harrison streets in San Francisco, the salesman told me that the $99 offer might be a glitch in the system. "We're not sure if they're going to change it back tomorrow," he said of the Palm Pre's price, but they had 30 in stock and had already sold 10.

Confusion at Best Buy Over Rumors of a $99 Palm Pre [Wall Street Journal]
Best Buy Selling the Pre for $99 with 2 Year Contract. Update: Oops, it was a Best Buy Error, Price is $199 [Pre Central]

(Photo: Pre Central)

It seems like a pretty simple transaction: purchase computer, leave computer overnight with the Geek Squad to have recovery disks made, bring computer home the following day. No, this is too difficult for Best Buy.

This is the letter that she sent to Best Buy CEO Bradbury Anderson yesterday:

Bradbury H. Anderson
Vice Chairman and Chief Executive

Best Buy Co., Inc.
7601 Penn Ave S.
Richfield, MN 55423

Dear Mr. Anderson:

Below please find a summary of events from my horrendous experience trying to purchase a laptop from your Yuma, Arizona location. While I researched my laptop purchase quite extensively, I never expected the real research should have gone to a store with proper equipment, employees who can return phone calls and some appreciation of customer service in any form; a store I have been loyal to for over 5 years.

July 8th 2009: My Boyfriend, Kevin insisted on a new laptop purchase to replace my '06 HP (which I purchased from Best Buy with a three year warranty). I happily began to research computers with him and decided upon an HP dv6 1260se. We made the purchase, bought a three year warranty and also asked to have your Geek Squad department make recovery software disks at an additional charge of $69.99. We left the computer overnight since the backup takes 3-4 hours and waited on a phone call to pick up the new device. A day had passed, it was now Thursday and I did not receive a phone call. Surely your company must be so busy in this economy it cannot return the phone call toward a purchase of $1385.89? So I called to check in and what do you know… the device was defective. Luckily, your employees caught this error. How horrible would it be to bring a defective computer home? Oh the disappointment.

July 10th 2009: More disappointment. We returned to your store and began to look at other laptop options. My boyfriend's aunt who had also recently purchased a laptop from your location recommended an HP dv7 1285 and we inquired on the model. Sure enough, Best Buy did carry the computer, but it was sold out. After speaking with several customer service reps we were told we could order the computer which would take 5-6 business days OR we could wait for the shipment arriving on Tuesday, July 14th. Obviously we chose the second option and again waited patiently for the computer to arrive. I left the store confident and happily awaited a phone call; more anxious than ever.

July 14th 2009: No phone call. I again called in to check up on the computer and what do you know? The order was ‘deleted'. Extremely anxious and annoyed, I again returned to your store and we were again informed the order was deleted. We inquired about other possible locations and miraculously ONE laptop was at a San Diego, Mission Valley location and would be transferred over for our inconvenience. Did I mention this computer with warranty is an additional $300 from our original purchase? My faith in your store was strong up until this point.

July 15-17 2009: I called in every day to check up on my purchase and inquire on the delivery.

July 18th 2009: Your store calls! The computer is in! The week wait is up! I again ask to have the recovery disks made as I am now well aware of the dreaded 3-4 hour wait time on these; however my anticipation is greatly outweighed by my inconvenience. I'm thrilled to finally have a computer!

Evening of July 18 2009: Geek Squad calls (yes they called!) to inform me that they accidentally placed a DVD instead of a CD to burn the disks. Annoyed, but still incredibly excited I patiently decided to wait until 10am to pick up my long awaited purchase.

10am July 19th 2009: Device is defective. I'm sure you can understand when I say this: your store has put me on more roller coaster of emotions than my own mother does. Can you please explain how after I again returned to your store on the 19th, absolutely no help was offered? I was absolutely thrilled and now I am reconsidering every purchase I have ever made from your store. Yes, I will still forge on but I am so annoyed that I refuse to even look at another laptop online.

Thank you for reading my experience. I truly hope this will avoid another mishap with another loyal customer. I'm sure you are well aware that mistakes are never truly mishaps unless you learn something from them and I have definitely learned something about the decision to purchase a laptop from your company.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Why so unresponsive, Yuma Best Buy? More importantly, why is the Geek Squad finding not one, but two computers sold in your very store "defective"? Is Elizabeth exceptionally unlucky, did you receive a few bad batches from HP, or is something else going on here?

Had Elizabeth sent us this letter before mailing, we might have had a few tips for her - remove the emotional appeals, and the irrelevant information such as her boyfriend's role in the purchase. The situation itself is absurd enough to make the case on its own.

Yes, most Consumerist readers wouldn't leave their computers with the Geek Squad overnight, but if Best Buy wants to encourage customers to use their services, why not make sure that "overnight" actually means "overnight?" and that the Geek Squad performs their services correctly?

(Photo: penner42)

Fully electric motorcycles. Brammo's Enertia bikes run on lithium-ion batteries. They're like laptop computers that go "vroom." The Enertia can run up to 45 miles on a single charge, and reach speeds of up to 50 mph. The battery is good for about 1000 charges.

Consumer Reports gave the Enertia a test drive and was impressed. "Favorably impressed," even:

While our test ride was limited to a quick trip around the block on the streets of Manhattan, we came away favorably impressed. Acceleration is quick and smooth, and disc brakes are powerful and easy to modulate. The 285-pound Enertia feels and looks solidly put together, and it is light and agile, absorbing New York's famous potholes well. Brammo says performance and handling is comparable to a small, 250cc motorcycle. And it's easy to ride, with no shifting. You just twist the throttle and go.

It's a fun idea, but one can buy a gas-powered motorcycle similar in size and quality for about a quarter of what the Enertia costs. And while this post's illustration is just an amusing mashup based on the orange color of the bike's press photos, the Geek Squad techs will indeed be trained to repair the Enertia.

Shopping Best Buy for… Motorcycles? [Consumer Reports Electronics]
Brammo electric motorcycles coming to Best Buy [Consumer Reports Cars]
Enertia [Official Site]

I got an advertisement via email announcing that Best Buy was having a great sale on "up to 100" PC games that would be marked down for the Gamer's Club members to $9.99 in-store while supplies last. Not every store was guaranteed to have stock of every title, but that's pretty normal, so it was no big deal. The email ad even said "All of these specially priced games are marked with a GREEN sticker for easy identification in the store" which was nice for figuring out which games qualified. My son was looking for some new PC games, so we went down within an hour of getting the email.

Unfortunately, upon arriving at the store, [there were] no green stickers on the PC games. After milling about for a while trying to figure out what was going on, I asked the manager, who said he knew nothing of the promotion and did not have a list of $9.99 sale games. I think he thought I was making it up, so I asked to use the store PC and showed him the promotion on the Best Buy Reward Zone website. Even after that he said there was nothing he could do.

The crazy thing is that the "promotion" had already been in force for almost a week before the emails were sent out and there was still no store communication about it!

I took the cause up with Best Buy Customer Care who confirmed that the store has no documentation for this promotion. They're still trying to get a list so they can pass out green stickers in the PC game section. Checking around on some of the game deal message boards, it seems we're not the only store that doesn't have a clue what these games are. I must say that Best Buy Customer Care has been very responsive and seems to be trying to make this right, but it's so weird to have a sale your stores don't know about - why do they bother?

If you're a Reward Zone Gamers Club member and you don't see any green stickers at your local store, check with the manager first before leaving—you may be the first person to tell him about the promotion.

(Photo: J O I D)

Such is former Circuit City credit card holder Jesse's plight:

I held a Circuit City store card for about two years, rarely using it but keeping it around for the fairly substantial credit limit. When the store closed, I waited to hear what would become of the card, as a closed account would drastically reduce my available credit and ding my credit rating.

From the close of the store through the beginning of May, I heard nothing from Chase. I contacted them through their online form, where I was informed that a Chase Visa with the same limit would be sent to my home within 7-10 business days. Three weeks later, nothing. I contacted them again via the online form, and was informed a replacement card with a new account number would be sent in 3-5 business days. Again, nothing.

I called in June, and was informed that my card was switching over to a Best Buy store card. Not what I wanted, but it was something. I was told to expect the card in 7-10 business days. I called again about ten days ago, informed them that I had not received a thing, and was told that another replacement card was being sent in 3-5 business days.

I called today, after two straight months of having received absolutely nothing, and was informed that my account had been closed for "business reasons" on June 24th, with no notification or warning to me. A letter was allegedly sent, but like everything else, I've received absolutely nothing. This of course affects my credit rating, but more importantly, I was misled multiple times about the nature of my relationship with the bank both via e-mail and through their live representatives, and I have no idea if there are cards or accounts open floating in the ether, because they won't tell me how many other accounts I have with the bank unless I can give them the last four digits of card numbers that I don't have and never received.

A few days later, Jesse tried logging on to his new account:

They've still sent me nothing - they told me that a letter was sent out on June 24th, but I still haven't heard anything else. Interestingly, when I go to chase.com/bestbuy and log in with my old Circuit City information, I have an open account with a $0 balance and a current due date. When I call Chase about this card, they tell me that it doesn't exist and that the account was closed.

I'm totally confused.

Sounds like Best Buy and Chase are just as confused as Jesse. What is he to do, commenters?

(Photo: FastFords)

"The Seven Types of Employees You Meet at Best Buy" [Gizmodo]

On June 5th, 2009, I departed Best Buy after almost 3 years of working there (9/15/06 - 6/5/09). I had only recently become full-time, and I had enrolled in 401k when it was available. After I left, I was told my account wasn't large enough to transfer, and was given a choice: I could either roll it over into an IRA, or receive a taxed direct deposit for the amount, which came to approximately $900.

Having just moved from NJ to TX, putting $900 in the bank would be a great replenishment for the costs of moving, not to mention would cover my first month's rent and other bills while I worked toward getting a steady job. I called Best Buy's "eGo" HR system(1-866-692-2947), dialed the prompts, and spoke with a woman who informed me that, unless I had an account with www.mybbyrewards.com, I wouldn't be able to access my money. What??

Turns out, verifying my home address, phone number, social, and date of birth over the phone simply isn't enough proof that I am who I say I am. If I can't log in to their website, absolutely none of that personal information matters. The rep coolly expressed how sorry she was (I wish I had gotten her name) and offered to send me a password reset. With no other options, I accepted and hung up. "Okay," I thought, "so I have to wait a few days. No big deal, right?"

Yesterday, the password (which had to be mailed to my address in NJ, as they couldn't even update my home address without being able to log-in to that website) was finally received and emailed to me. I went back to mybbyrewards.com, logged in and...no. "There have been too many attempts to log-in and this account has been locked. You will need to request a new password." !!

Understandably frustrated, I called the 1-866-692-2947 HR number to speak with a supervisor. I've read this site for a while and knew not to yell or scream, and also to immediately ask for a supervisor, as the line-level rep probably wouldn't be able to help me. I first spoke with Rosie, who tried to access the account herself and confirmed the "account locked" message. After she took all of my personal information to again verify who I was, she found me a supervisor by the name of Ariel, who also attempted to access the account and again verified that it was locked. From there, it was back to the script: "I'm sorry, but the only way to get in is to have your password reset."

At this point, there doesn't seem to be anything I can do. Thanks to this completely broken system, there's almost a thousand dollars of money - MY money - tied up, and no one seems to be able or willing to do a damn thing about it. The staff at the HR number were quick to suggest that I don't use the website when I get my password, but instead, call a different number and use the password there. Despite my arguments, Ariel seemed to be on auto-pilot as she repeated, ad nauseam, "No one at Best Buy will be able to access your account." I asked her for someone higher than her, such as an Executive Care line or email, but she instead re-routed me to a line that is only valid for active employees.

Patrick wrote back to us Monday with the good news that he finally got ahold of his 401(k) bankroll. Hopefully he doesn't do something silly with it like go investing in the stock market.

(Photo: Vincent J. Brown)

This seems to be the evolutionary path of every reward program: gradually shave off benefits, tighten redemption windows, and create small leaks intended to void some of the perks. You just have to evaluate the overall benefits each time the terms are changed and ask yourself whether it's still worth participating in.

Here's an edited version of the email, with some of the marketing spin taken out (emphasis ours):

Your Reward Zone® program is changing on October 31, 2009

Reward certificates will only be available at MyRZ.com

Reward certificates will no longer be transferable

Lastly, for the following two conditions, points will be cashed out, available certificates will be sent, and any remaining points under 250 will be forfeited:

You will need to use your points in the year they are earned. Reward Zone is becoming an annual program, which means that points no longer roll over from year-to-year.

You will need to make one purchase every 12 months to remain in the program.

Thank you from the Best Buy® Reward Zone program.

Update: Reader C.W. wrote in to say his notice only mentioned the new non-transferable policy, and said nothing about the move to an annual program or forfeiting unused points under 250.

I have not seen the drastic restrictions in my notification rec'd: 06/29/09. I wonder if the restrictions are based on RewardZone Members' status (i.e. "Regular" and "Premier", etc.)? I'm in the Premier status. If a newer one has been, or is being, sent out, I've not gotten it as of today (07/05/09). Just wanted to help contribute to the whole picture. Keep in mind, that Premier users get to "bank" their points for larger prizes in the RZ online catalog.

The Reward Zone® program is changing

We're making a change to your program rules. Reward certificates will no longer be transferable. This safety measure helps prevent others from redeeming your reward certificates without your knowledge.

For an even better membership experience, we're asking members to change their certificate preferences in their profile, so we can:

* Issue rewards more quickly and conveniently
* Deliver benefits more safely and securely
* Be more environmentally friendly by reducing the amount of paper we use

We appreciate your membership, and we want to help you take full advantage of the Reward Zone program. To receive the benefits of faster, more secure reward delivery, visit MyRZ.com to update your certificate preference.

Thank you from the Best Buy® Reward Zone program.

(Photo: Robert Scoble)

When we called customer service to ask about the fee, the very nice Montesa told us that online payments took a day or to process and the 2-day period assures that it'll arrive on time. Huh? Shouldn't the due date be two days earlier in that case?

Wait. I just thought of another way to avoid the fee: you could always pay off the balance and cancel your Best Buy credit cards. Zing!

(Thanks, David Berube!)

Carrie McLaren & Jason Torchinsky are coeditors of Ad Nauseam: A Survivor's Guide to American Consumer Culture. In previous lives, they worked together on the hopelessly obscure and now defunct Stay Free! magazine .

At first glance the program seems a bit more appealing than Wal-Mart's, which makes you wait a few days for a credit to show up on your credit card account, and gives it the instant gratification of trade-in market dominator GameStop — with the added bonus of being able to spend your credit on non-video game stuff.

Best Buy's program is starting in Texas stores this week, and according to an analyst quoted in a GameSpot (not to be confused with GameStop) story says Best Buy's move won't hurt GameStop:

In a note to investors this morning, Lazard Capital Markets analyst Colin Sebastian downplayed the impact the kiosks would have on current used-game market leader GameStop.

"Expect Best Buy's used game initiative to expand market," Sebastian said. "While we believe that Best Buy's entry into the used video game market will create a new overhang on shares of GameStop, we expect Best Buy's initiative to expand the used video game market rather than take significant share from the specialty channel."

So is he right, Consumerists? Are any of you hoarding a stack of used games you'd never take into GameStop and are saving for a Best Buy run to knock a few bucks off that 52-inch plasma you've been eyeing?

Best Buy testing used-game buyback kiosks [GameSpot]
(Photo: epicharmus)

The alleged victim told police that she had agreed to meet the suspect - Jay Mora, 25, of Newark - at the hotel to "engage in a sex-for-money transaction," according to the police report.

While in a room together, Mora allegedly passed off his Geek Squad ID as a State Police badge and told the woman he would release her without arrest if she agreed to have sex with him, police said. After they engaged in sexual acts, the suspect allegedly refused to leave the room, police said.

We had no idea that Geek Squad IDs looked that real, but we'll be sure to keep this in mind the next time we take a computer in for repair and are suddenly "arrested" and carted off to the employee bathroom. Fool me three times, shame on me, fool me four times, I know that's not a police badge now.

By the way, maybe Geek Squad should rethink its faux-crime fighting branding a little, or at least get rid of the badges and the creative police force names for everyone. Check out these descriptions of positions from the Geek Squad website.

Available Positions:
Store Agent positions:

* Counter Intelligence Agent (CIA)
* Deputy of Counter Intelligence (DCI)
* Store Service Manager (SSM)

Field Agent positions:

* Double Agent (DA)
* Certified Special Agent (CSA)
* Deputy Field Marshal (DFM)

It sounds like Jay just took the whole conceit one step further, then added a dirty cop twist. (Note that we have no idea whether he's actually a Geek Squad employee at this point.)

"Cops: Man posed as officer, flashed 'Geek Squad' badge to force sex" [Daily Record] (Thanks to Jeremiah!)

(Photo: zyphbear and bradleygee)