Best Buy Confirms 'Secret' Version of its Website to screw customers.

[Chris]

http://yro.slashdot.org/yro/07/03/03/0423239.shtml

"The Courant site confirms an oft-rumoured possibility: Best Buy does indeed maintain a second website for what one could assume is for the purpose of defrauding its customers. State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal ordered the investigation into Best Buy's practices on Feb. 9 after columnist George Gombossy disclosed the website and showed how employees at two Connecticut stores used it to deny customers a $150 discount on a computer advertised on BestBuy.com. Says Gombossy, 'What is more troubling to me, and to some Best Buy customers, is that even when one informs a salesperson of the Internet price, customers have been shown the intranet site, which looks identical to the Internet site, but does not always show the lowest price. [State Attorney General Richard Blumenthal] said that because of the fuzzy responses from Best Buy, he has yet to figure out the real motivation behind the intranet site and whether sales people are encouraged to use it to cheat customers.'"

 

[Chris]

Another one:

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/...tore-customers-with-secret-website-241220.php

Best Buy came clean today admitting to investigators that their stores rely on a secret intranet site which shows higher prices than the ones customers find at BestBuy.com. The intranet is used to trick you into coming into the store, so when you see a sale online and refer to it at the store, the sales person goes "online" and shows you something else (usually a higher price).

 

[lailer75]

fuckin assholes!!!!!

 

[Chris]

fuckin assholes!!!!!

Pretty much sums it up.

 

[Metal Ken]

Shit, if they tried to deny me a 150$ discount, i'd just go somewhere else.

 

[Drew]

That's fucking assholish.



...though, it'd fucking rule if you were a customer and you happened to notice the domain was their intranet one and not the internet one. That'd be a seriously fucking awkward moment for the sales guy.

 

[Chris]

I doubt their sales guys are really aware of it. If so, I'm sure it would have leaked ages ago.

 

[ohio_eric]

Yay! I no longer have to shop at Best Buy. Fuck them if they're going to pull this shit.

 

[Kagami]

that's that shit they have running on their computers in the store, fucking cumguzzlers!

 

[Chris]

that's probably that shit they have running on their computers in the store

That's pretty much exactly what it is. They have a separate version of the website in-store, with jacked up prices. So when people come in and say "I saw this for $199 online", they go to their "other" bestbuy website in the store, which looks exactly the same. Then, lo and behold, said item is $250.

 

[Metal Ken]

That's pretty much exactly what it is. They have a separate version of the website in-store, with jacked up prices. So when people come in and say "I saw this for $199 online", they go to their "other" bestbuy website in the store, which looks exactly the same. Then, lo and behold, said item is $250.

THats why when i see an offer or something or an outrageous price, i'll print that shit out and take it in there with me.

 

[Leon]

Wal-Mart... check
Best Buy... checked!

 

[HighGain510]

THats why when i see an offer or something or an outrageous price, i'll print that shit out and take it in there with me.

Nope, that won't work. I KNEW that was an issue before actually. I went on the website, checked the price... drove all the way to Delaware to grab it tax-free and they told me I was incorrect on the price. I printed out the online price for the Nikon D-50 I was going to buy directly from their website so they could see it and brought it back in. They verified, the prices didn't match, they said "oh, that's our 'online-only' price for that item" !!! WTF?! I was furious... two hours of my time wasted. I bought it online at like 40% less at an eBay store! In your face Best Buy! I tried to argue saying it didn't say that anywhere on their website, but they said that was their policy and wouldn't work with me so I left. $600 sale for them, out the window.... douchebags!

I buy cds there only because I use a reward zone card so every few cds adds up to a free one, but I rarely buy anything major there now... just another reason to keep up that practice.

 

[Metal Ken]

I tried to argue saying it didn't say that anywhere on their website, but they said that was their policy and wouldn't work with me so I left. $600 sale for them, out the window.... douchebags!

Do they work on comission? If thats the case, i'd get the guy's phone number and call him and be like "Man, guess where the 600$ sale i almost gave you just went? Hows that feel?"

 

[b3n]

I saw that Slashdot article the other day - in the comments section one guy says that he was shopping somewhere else (may have been circuit city or something) and as the web price was cheaper, the sales guy let him use a store PC to order through the website and reserve it for store pickup, thus getting the discounted rate.

That's pretty good service

 

[HighGain510]

Do they work on comission? If thats the case, i'd get the guy's phone number and call him and be like "Man, guess where the 600$ sale i almost gave you just went? Hows that feel?"

LOL I didn't need his number, I was so pissed I said it right to his face. I said, "Fine, if you won't match your OWN online price that's cool, I can find the same thing on eBay for a decent amount less, I just prefer having a store warranty in case something goes wrong right off the bat. It's cool, your loss sir." and that was that. Ever since then I haven't made any of my major purchases there.


Oh yeah another thing I HATE is that I bought something in Delaware (tax-free, PA has 6% sales tax) and it was defective. I brought it in to my local store with the receipt and said "hi, the USB on this is bent (clearly visible too), could I please exchange it for a new one?" and to that the returns girl said "Sure, go grab another one and I'll need $35 from you."

WHAT? Yep, apparently if you buy something in Delaware and EXCHANGE IT FOR THE SAME ITEM in PA or anywhere else that has sales tax, the fuckers try to collect the tax from you since you're exchanging it in their state. Lame IMO. If you lived in Delaware and were on the road in another state and tried to exchange something why would it be fair to charge you the sales tax? It's an even exchange, same item for same item....

 

[Ryan]

Do they work on comission? If thats the case, i'd get the guy's phone number and call him and be like "Man, guess where the 600$ sale i almost gave you just went? Hows that feel?"

No sir, I don't like it.

 

[noodles]

WHAT? Yep, apparently if you buy something in Delaware and EXCHANGE IT FOR THE SAME ITEM in PA or anywhere else that has sales tax, the fuckers try to collect the tax from you since you're exchanging it in their state. Lame IMO. If you lived in Delaware and were on the road in another state and tried to exchange something why would it be fair to charge you the sales tax? It's an even exchange, same item for same item....

Actually, that is not the fault of Best Buy. All returns must be credited, even if it is just an exchange. The exchanged item is considered a new transaction, and therefor must be taxed. The nature of the beast is every item they stock must be accounted for, and must be taxed. They are actually required to do a yearly inventory, and pay a tax on everything left in the store.

 

[Naren]

Wow. That's fucked up.

My best friend's grandma was accused of stealing at a Best Buy and was held in the back room for over an hour before my friend's mom came in and threatened to take them to court and showed them a bunch of legal precedents (which she knows about because of her job) and that made them give up immediately.

They've got a nice selection and sometimes they have good prices, but they seriously have some of the worst customer service I've ever seen. And I would have never imagined it was THIS bad.

 

[HighGain510]

Actually, that is not the fault of Best Buy. All returns must be credited, even if it is just an exchange. The exchanged item is considered a new transaction, and therefor must be taxed. The nature of the beast is every item they stock must be accounted for, and must be taxed. They are actually required to do a yearly inventory, and pay a tax on everything left in the store.

Ah okay thanks Dave, I was not aware of that. Well, in that case... I AM angry at whomever it was that came up with the idea of doing it that way!