An employee of Best Buy apparently thinks too many days have gone without us posting something about the store, so he sent in his list of 10 things he thinks every customer should know when shopping there. Items 10 through 7 are all about warranties and service plans, so the usual caveats apply (make sure you know what’s really covered, and that it’s worth the extra cost to you). #4, however, is good to know: “Its pretty much pointless to call Corporate/Customer Service Hotline—they can not override a store’s decision. Best bet is to call or email a District Manager or higher.”
ELECTRONICS
When Buying A New Cell Phone, Ask About The "Buyer's Remorse" Period
By 3.12.08
Jason bought a couple of new Sidekick phones, but quickly discovered that he and his wife couldn’t live with the abysmal battery life. He called T-Mobile and found out that he had a 14-day window during which he could return the phones for a full refund. Before he sent them back in, however, T-Mobile offered to send him two more batteries via expedited shipping to see if the experience would improve. Jason agreed and tested the new batteries, but still wanted to return the phone. But now he had a problem: he was one day outside his “Buyer’s Remorse” period and T-Mobile wouldn’t let him.
Is It Legal To Use Out Of Date List Prices For Comparison On Sales?
By 2.27.08
Last week we pointed out how Apple artificially inflates the discount of its refurbished units by using the original introductory list price as a comparison, even if the price has since dropped and the true list price is now lower. Now a reader writes in to say he caught Toys R Us doing the same thing on sale prices of Playstation 3 bundles and 30 gig Zunes. Our question: is this legal? New York City’s consumer protection law seems to imply that—at least for retailers doing business in NYC—it’s not, unless you clearly indicate the trail of price reductions, something neither company is doing.
CompUSA Sells "Defective" DVD Player That "Does Not Work" "As Is" For $179.98
By 2.24.08
CompUSA is selling a broken Sony DVD player for $179.98—that’s 40% off the sticker price! The Wife over at Bastion of Mediocrity noticed that the sticker also reads: “Defective,” “Does Not Work,” “As Is.”
You Can't Discount The Past, Apple
By 2.23.08
A reader noticed that Apple is selling refurbished 8gb iPhones for $349, and they’re listing the original price as $599. “Save 42% off the original price,” says the Apple Store. Gosh, that’s a huge savings! Wait… well sure, the original original price was $599, but we all know that Apple knocked that down fairly quickly, and now a brand new 8 gb model sells for $399—which means actually you’re only saving 12.5% off the Real World Price Right Now of a brand new iPhone, if you went and bought it today.
Best Buy Overlaps Their Product Service Plans With Manufacturer's Warranty
By 2.22.08
Wiliam writes in to point out something he noticed in the fine print of Best Buy’s Product Service Plan: it begins as soon as you purchase the item, and doesn’t cover anything covered by the manufacturer’s warranty.
Monster Responds To "Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff"
By 2.19.08
The Monster Cables Public Relations department sent in a two-page response to our post, “Monster Cables, Monster Ripoff. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is one issue that they are definitely taking seriously. Read their official company rebuttal statement, inside…
The Web Betrays Importer Of Digital Photo Frames
By 2.16.08
Brian found this funny juxtaposition of a news story and a “deal” on a digital photo picture frame on techbargains.com.
By 2.15.08
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Best Buy’s sales are down.
Best Buy said it expects sales at stores open at least 14 months, or same-store sales, to fall slightly in the fourth quarter on lower revenue for advanced televisions, MP3 devices and video games.
By 2.12.08
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”Everything will be brand new.” – Gilbert Fiorentino, CEO of TigerDirect, on his company’s takeover of the remaining CompUSA stores. [Miami Herald]
Newegg Honors Rebate For Out-Of-Business Company
By 2.7.08
More praise for Newegg, one of those rare retailers with an exceptional customer service record. Andrea bought an Astar Electronics HDMI Player with DIVX and sent off her rebate request, but never received the promised rebate.
TigerDirect Will Take Over 16 CompUSA Stores
By 2.1.08
TigerDirect has gone through with its plan to purchase CompUSA, including its website, inventory, and “16 of the best CompUSA retail stores,” according to an email sent by CEO Gilbert Fiorentino to TigerDirect employees. The tipster writes, “This also includes Tiger absorbing a fair amount of their stock, though most of what’s in the stores IS going to get cleared out.”
Have A Best Buy Card? Check Your Local Store Before Using It Online
By 1.31.08
Matt writes in with a tip if you’re unlucky enough to have a Best Buy credit card and plan on using it any time soon: check whether the brick and mortar store near you has any special promotions running first. If so, buy the item from their store instead of online or you’ll be bound by Best Buy’s 90 days same-as-cash terms regardless of whether or not the store is offering a better deal.
Xbox 360 Breaks Down 5 Times In A Row, But Microsoft Refuses To Replace It
By 1.22.08
Greg writes in to tell us that on January 2nd, his Xbox 360 unit broke down for the fifth time—it lasted eleven days this time, setting a new record for Shortest Period of Functionality. In the past year, it’s been out of commission for over 12 weeks total. He’s now asking for a new or refurbished unit, or else a refund, but Microsoft is determined to keep him in an extended warranty repair cycle indefinitely and won’t negotiate. Surely by this point it’s just cheaper to replace the defective unit, isn’t it?
Holiday Stress Drives Tim To Shout "Fuck Off!" At Customer
By 1.10.08
Here’s the strange, sad tale of Short-Tempered Tim at New World Video Direct in Brooklyn, NY. When Nicholas called NWVDirect a week or so ago with questions about an extended warranty for his new plasma TV, he got terse answers from a generally unhelpful man on the other end. The call was abruptly disconnected. Undaunted, Nicholas called back and got the same man, so he asked to speak to a supervisor, which is when things started to spiral out of control at the NWVDirect call center.
Best Buy CEO Admits They'll Probably Screw Up Digital TV Switchover
By 1.10.08
Well, at least he’s being honest—Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson announced at CES today that the 2009 switchover from analog to digital television (still a year away) poses “one of the biggest risks our industry has,” whatever that means. “The number of converter boxes that is going to be required could put tremendous pressure on us.” Oh, you mean because you’ll have to have them in stock? Interpretation: if you’re going to need a converter box or two, you’d better plan on buying them elsewhere.
Really Annoying Circuit City Trip Results In Lost Time And Rebate
By 1.9.08
Subject: Store # 3160 – Problem at Checkout
By 1.9.08
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Best Buy announced today that they’ll be opening stores in Mexico later this year. We can’t wait for our first story where someone buys a hard drive and opens the box to find it’s been replaced with a piñata.
