Best Buy’s in-store pickup for online purchases is a handy option, but beware. You could be the victim of a sudden price increase. After Kevin’s wallet fell victim to a price adjustment after the fact, he wrote in to warn other consumers.

Last night I made a purchase online at BestBuy.com for in-store pickup. My grandtotal online was $80.94. When I returned home from picking up my order, I noticed the receipt showed a higher total price than I was shown online. I called Best Buy to question this extra charge and was told that they needed to adjust the total for my order.

I checked my bank account and sure enough they sent through two transactions, one for the amount I was shown online and a second bringing the total cost up to match the “adjusted price”. I was on the phone ready to dispute the extra charge with my bank when I realized I had signed the receipt therefore accepting the order. It’s my fault for signing the receipt without first verifying it but this is extremely shady and off-putting. I checked the printout from my order, the emails for my order and the screenshot of the order acceptance page, in not one of those places does it mention that prices may be adjusted, the total is just an estimate or anything to that effect.

I understand the onus is on me here but I wanted to tell this cautionary tale so any other poor sap who makes purchases from Best Buy knows to check their receipt before signing it.

And yes, I showed my receipt before leaving the store. I was told to leave the receipt out for the gentleman by the door.

There you have it: another kind of mandatory receipt check at Best Buy.

Most likely, permission to do this is buried somewhere in the Bestbuy.com terms and conditions, but this is the sort of thing that should really be made clear to consumers before purchase.

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