Best Buy's Return Warning, It could happen to you. - Page 2

Hey hater, can you not read? 2 or 3 times, the OP stated that he has returned many items to his BB and all were accepted without question, which is EXACTLY what Amazon does.
Read this carefully:
The OP is stating HIS BB return experience. Facts. Others have had problems with BB returns. That is a fact also. Let them both stand alone.

BTW, I'm not a BB fan and rarely shop there any more. For a few years, almost everything I buy for home is from Amazon.

Its great hearing all you best buy bashers if you got that warning from returning something it means you have returned too many items. They dont want to be a rent a center.

Amazon..


Not sure where your from but i know your the first person to run over to best buy and look at new product.. Why would you buy it on amazon probably a 3rd party when you can buy it at bb/magnolia and walk out with it. also if your rude to the workers why should they be nice to you

Peeps are free to shop where ever they want, but trying to steer your spent $ towards locals is pretty much impossible when we are talking about electronics retail.

OK, johnny down the street got a job at BB...but damn near all his $ goes to gas, food, and his mortgage...much of which isn't locally based. Since its impossible to know where your $ goes after a degree or two of separation, it seems pretty pointless to try.

Powered by the Samsung Galaxy Nexus

With best buy's new NON return policy which can be imposed on anyone at anytime for any reason. BB is now nothing but a showroom to me for mainstream goods. I now fear getting stuck with defective goods and paying a higher price to boot, its a lose lose for both parties. Luckly there are many retailers for all levels of audio video goods in my local area, BB should not be so picky, they should feel honored just to have me walk in the front door,,, or anyone else for at matter.

Wow nothing like this has happened to me at Best Buy, and I am a ruthless returner. I've been known to make 3-4 exchanges for a single purchase on items like speakers, cameras and video game gear. I've got my 'silver rewards' which lengthens the return period, too. I suppose I would never return a small item like a Blu-ray because of a crack in the case - but that's mostly because I value my own time and there's no way an exercise like that is even worth it.

Anyhow it's not as if Best Buy just cuts you off. You get a warning. If I got a warning, I'd stop shopping there altogether, simple as that. Until that day, if Best Buy wants my business, they will have to keep accepting returns. On the flip side a huge amount of what I buy from Best Buy is open-box anyhow... that's where you find the best deals and open-box items can be returned or exchanged at will. Sometimes I'll find an open-box/shelf-display/clearance TV or Camera that is so steeply discounted I get tempted to buy just so I can flip it on eBay for a profit.

You know what? When I buy my next projector I'll be sure to check you out.

Just another data point for the group. We just moved to AZ from AR and the wife's computer crashed hard. I went to BB in Tucson and bought a new tower computer. Two days later the puter crashed, (power supply died) so back to BB I went. This was a return that went so easy it was almost scary. I provided them the receipt, ID when requested, they did a cursory inspection of the box, (my guess is to ensure the tower was actually IN the box) and off I went with refund in hand. All total it took me maybe 2 minutes from the time I made it to a CS rep to walking out the door. Keep in mind as far as BB was concerned, I still lived in AR and here I was out of state trying to do a return? That would raise some computer programs software eyebrows.

So I have to say that that BB as an entity seems to be okay. Maybe the horror stories are just individual employees. Has anybody actually filed a complaint with corporate vice just saying you will never shop there again? Stores need feedback to weed out the bad apples. Maybe try that? It's what I would try.

Money on food is almost always spent locally, go to the market and buy food usually in your own town staffed by people working in the town. Gas is somewhat local, they employ locals and pay tax on their peice of property, and your mortgage includes your property tax. All this helps the town in which you live.

And just as important, it gives Johnny a job with income and maybe a little self respect.

I called CS, to find out what the story is, they said its totally out of there hands ( peeon level which is everyone who works for BB).. Because it based on groups of employees committing major fraud, no one can over ride it, it controled only by the highest ranks at corporate.

I've purchased 90% of my HT equipment from BB. One reason and I'm sure I'm not the only one I purchase when they have a 18/24 month no interest purchase. I've returned plenty and never had a problem. I am a Premiere Silver member so you do get extra perks. My plasma I purchased I also had a 4 yr. warranty purchase and with around 3 weeks of that remaining BB sent out a tech and repaired a 700$ part and labor no questions asked. They have also priced matched online retailers. With that being said there is a HUGE markup with Electronics no matter where you purchase from so I look for the no interest financing purchases. Just doesn't seem to "hurt" as much spread over 24 months. Also I get dollar amount coupons for 10$, 15, or 20$ depending on how much you had previously purchased, hey at least it's something.

I gotta say my local Best Buy has been exceptional about accommodating my returns - to the point where I felt compelled to give them a positive Yelp review. I hope I never get flagged.

just happen to me and it was first i return anything at best but

I try to shop Costco because they pay a living wage. I've not seen much benefit from BB. Looking at their corporate health, they won't last long.

Dude... are you still at it? Give it up man. Best Buy is NOT local. Money spent there does not stay local. Its not even a decent place to work. (PM and ask me how I know if you care to) Seriously... GIVE IT UP!

ME TOO! And I'm gonna be in the market for one over Christmas. Thanks for the suggestion Mike or I wouldn't have even thought to look on AVS for anything except a used one lol!

I'm sure it sucks, I work retail too. But JOBS, JOBS, JOBS, this economy needs jobs. BB provides jobs, maybe crappy ones, but still paying jobs.

^^^^^^
Not true, BestBuy can cut you off and you get stuck with defective goods. Picture this, you buy a bluray player at BestBuy and it turn out to be defective, you go back and exchange it for another and at that time when Bestbuy prints out your exhange receipt of the exchange they also hand you the warning that states NO returns, No exhanges for 90 days, you are now stuck with it, good or bad.. Just think about this for the next black friday when many of us will grab up all the great deals and than think about if we want to keep them or just return them... If you buy 6 sale items and turn one and get the warning you are now stuck with the other items as you have no return or exhange privileges at bestbuy for the next 90 days.. Even the store manager can not override this warning due to the way its implemented and put into force...
Edited by joehonest - 10/2/12 at 5:29am

I hear you, that scenario could play out for sure. If if happened to me I'd sell the un-returnable item(s) on eBay... and then I'd never shop at Best Buy again... but not before sending a letter to the BBB and the CEO of BB and leaving bad reviews on Yelp and Google Maps.

Its the CEO of BB who believes this policy will save bb from becoming another failed business statistic. Thats why even the highest of peeons that work for bb can not overrule it.

Honestly I have seen for myself how the peeons will cherry pick and hind the good stuff and deals, closeouts for themselves, Hinding open box deals in wierd corners and miss pricing super sale items. Ever wonder were all the remotes are for the open box and demos , Try looking in the peeons trunk...Its not the customers who are killing BB its the poor peeons who work there and are just getting even with BB for the crappy paying job.. Todays kids easy see the weakness in the systems and procedures and figure out how to exploit them. Kids burn alot of gas and gas cost is high..
Edited by joehonest - 10/2/12 at 6:55am

In my letter, I'd make sure I let him know that I'm old enough to have seen their predecessors come and go, and that no retail consumer electronics chain store lasts forever. Some day soon Best Buy will be nothing more than the brand name for those kiosks where you can buy 'Beats by Dr. Dre' headphones and an iPad using a stolen credit card.

Its such a small % doing this, but the damage is so bad it can bring down low margin retailers.
Edited by joehonest - 10/2/12 at 6:15pm

Good morning. For starters and to establish my bonafides, I am a senior "corporate weinie" though not employed by BB or any other electronics store or outlet, or for that matter any retail entity. I generally find the AVS forums very helpful for my weekend AV projects. Thanks for providing this very useful service!

I would like to speak to the detracters of bricks and mortar store fronts like BB:
1. Typically, the biggest problem for these retail outlets is employee theft. Unfortunately, many of the younger folks today are not taught at home that stealing in any form is bad for everyone... including ultimately themselves. Their bad habits force companies to respond with protectionist efforts like return policy monitoring, or to leave a specific location.
2. I shop at bricks and mortar locations as much as I can to support my local communities. I research on the internet, and buy locally. Even if it costs me a few sheckles more. I do this for MANY reasons, but mostly to keep those stores in business.
3. I feel that buying something on the internet and then trying to or even accomplishing a return or exchange of that item to a brick & mortar location is a form of stealing. If this stings someone reading this because they do and think they are somehow winning... so be it.
4. Local jobs provided by corporate entities with headquarters elsewhere still provide salaries for local purchasing to include: homes, groceries, gas, clothes, and yes... even AV equipment typically NOT made in America. The bricks & mortar store front provides tax monies to local and state goverments to provide municpal services we all enjoy. It also provides many "first jobs" for the youth of today, thus why many are poorly equipped to answer questions or handle difficult customers. They just don't know how. Poor training, or upbringing, you decide.
5. There seems to be a line of thought that "the man" is out to get them. Typically, "the man" doesn't even know you are out there unless you suddenly fit a profile. That profile could be good: card holding mutiple purchaser with little penchant for buying stuff they haven't thoroughly researched and bringing it back when it doesn't do what they thought it would or should. Or, bad - multiple returner of goods or possible fraudulent person. Profiling, though some find intrusive, is one of the few ways a company can protect itself from bad guys, or reward good guys. Firing, prosecuting, or refusing to do business with bad actors is another way.

I shop at BB. Sometimes I run into rude and/or inexperienced sales help. It happens. Frankly, it is something that unfortunately happens everywhere. Even in the company I work for. I regret it, but we are not perfect. Neither is BB. I have never had a problem returning anything at BB for any reason. Sometimes if it is outside of a time limit, I can only get a store credit. So be it. I know I will use it one day.

I urge anyone that can be objective to buy locally where possible. Even big box stores like BB or WalMart (I don't work for one of those either!). Even if it costs a few dollars more. It WILL mean something to your local community and locally employed folks. Even if that big, bad ole corporation is headquarterd elewhere. And, by the way, profit is not a 4 letter word. It is one of the pillars of capitalism. Something the US of A is still quite good at. Though China is deifintely catching up!

I wish all good listening and viewing... and, shopping.

B.

That's some ass-backwards thinking though. Take it out on the customers because you can't impliment internal controls? If you truely want to shop local, then you would shop locally owned businesses, and not the huge national guys. I do agree with this. Unless the store has a policy that allows you to return goods bought from their online stores (most do). Sure, but buying from a local merchant is better still and leaves a lot more money in the local economy. I would rather that the profit remains with a local business owner than having it go to some faceless corporation that might be incorporated in the Bahamas. I agree with this. That's why I "fired" Best Buy quite some time ago. I buy inexpensive electronics from online vendors and the higher end stuff I shop locally owned AV/electronic shops. I thought you support local? There aren't any locally owned shops in your area? I mean you did say you didn't mind spending a little more money to support local jobs.

I bought my recent speaker enclosures at 'Stereo Sound Inc." at 9'th and Market. 100% local, to the point where they have no price catalog or web site to speak of. If you want something, you gotta ask. Ridiculous, quite frankly and when they did not have enough speaker enclosures? I ordered what I needed off Amazon. I wanted to spend locally but overall the experience is inferior as well as more costly. If a local business sets up a good, competitive business model, more power too them... if they do not, let's just say I'm not a charity. I support local food initiatives, local restaurants, farmers markets, local beeer... that stuff makes the most sense. Consumer electronics retailers? I really don't care. I've found small local shops absolutely hate returned merchandise, that's the #1 reason I buy from big retailers anyhow... no b.s. return policies.

As long as I am Best Buy Silver Rewards status I'll keep shopping there, but not so often and only out of sheer convenience. I will certainly never be returning a Blu-Ray because of a cracked case... not worth the risk.

Thanks for the comments. Dialogue is always good. I learn, too.

Take a look at Sears, Penneys and Montgomery-Ward. All trying to be everything to everybody bricks and mortar store fronts, and all of which have failed or are failing. Poor staffing and a bad business models can be causes, but employee theft is a huge contributor. They still can't fix that. And, that is why I am saying that we all suffer the consequences of employee theft and fraudulent shopping practices. All of us customers. And, yes, we customers do ultimately pay the price for those bad actors.

But, what comes of the employment those large store fronts provided, the tax base those big anchor stores provided to the communities? A small mom and pop can provide hands-on personalized service and they have a place. And, they provide employment for how many? 2-3-4 folks? However, the internet is fast overtaking that knowledgeable sector with blogs such as these. I do buy from them... when I can still find them. Until then, it's BB. And, my knowledge base comes from here. I regret that for the small shop owner.

Is BB doomed to the same end as Monkey Ward? Maybe so. Why? People quit buying from Monkey Ward in the numbers they needed. Sears and Penneys is suffering. Why? The customers found alternatives. The issues with BB are the same and a little different at the same time. Folks may use BB as a showroom, and buy off the internet. Then they try to return internet purchased products to the storefront because they don't want the hassle of returning the item(s) via a prolonged process via the internet store. I am saying that is not good. IF BB is bad, people will find alternatives. They will do themselves in. HH Gregg is a bad product doomed from the start. But, fraudulent buying practices are really hurting retail. And, will ultimately close the BB's of the world.

So, where am I going with this? Don't be mad at BB because they try to defend themselves from fraud and theft. Be mad at them if their pricing is non-competitive and their product selection is poor. Then, shop elsewhere. Bricks and mortar do provide tax monies, employment (if you think its bad... don't work there), and a place to touch products to see if they are what you think you saw on the internet. Are they a perfect solution? No way! I just hated to see them attacked for trying to defend themselves from the enemy within.

We are all different in our shopping habits and approaches. You go your way, and I will go mine. BB solves a problem for me. So does this blog. I do buy from Amazon when BB doesn't have what I want. Just bought ASUS products from Amazon because BB didn't stock them. I have no guilt feelings for that. I tried. And, I am not mad at the small shop owner. I just can't find him or her anymore.

B.

^^^^I work at one of the retailers you list (not BB) and have for 6 years. In that time we've had 2 managers of my dept (electronics) and one somewhat higher level mgr. fired for defrauding the company in various ways. Only one "grunt" has been let go--for processing fraudulent returns using a trick he learned from a manager at the branch he was employed by prior to coming to us. We don't subscribe to the screening service used by BB and have never refused a return on an item within the return period with a valid receipt. We do have a 15% restocking fee on returns of non-defective electronics products to discourage "renters", and will not accept returns on game consoles once the box has been openned. We can and will usually process a return without a receipt but in most cases the customer's given a refund in the form of a gift card and is told they will not be allowed another return without reciept within the next year (returns with receipt are ok).

We don't have a separate return counter like WalMart or BB--items must be returned to the dept. in which they were originally purchased. I regularly encounter customers attempting to return things like cameras, tablets, and mp3 players that look like someone ran over them with a car as well as items with no receipt that were never stocked by our store but were either purchased or stolen elsewhere. More than once we've had a customer buy a new game console and return the next day with a box containing their old broken one attempting to return it.

While this kind of return fraud is fairly common it's still the exception rather than the rule. In the vast majority of cases the return is accomplished without a hitch and the customer gets an apology for their inconvenience, especially in cases where the original sales person misrepresented the product (usually through ignorance of the product's capabilities).

It's my understanding that the service BB is using for screening looks at return habits of individual customers overall in all the stores the customer uses that subscribe to the service--thus returning too many pairs of shoes at a shoe store can trigger the no return policy at BB. My main objection to BBs policy is that it's not really a warning in that the no-refund provision kicks in at the end of the return process--the customer has no warning ahead of time that a return will trigger the return prohibition.

It's the economy, people will now do things they wouldn't do in the past when life was better for them..The #s are growing to the point that retailers must defend themselves. Which is ruining for the recreational returner, well we had a good run and parties don't last forever...

FWIW I buy and return items that are already open-box with reckless abandon. Best Buy doesn't mind because the products are already open, and I get to audition TV sets and digital cameras which, when I find the one that is right for me, will cost less than buying it new. It's win-win IMHO and when it comes to TV sets the bargains can be rather profound. That's one reason I won't stop shopping at Best Buy altogether. My Silver rewards status was earned almost exclusively with open-box merchandise.

I was astonished that Best Buy is doing this to some customers, this is the first I've heard of it. If they said I could not return or exchange items for a period of 90 days, then I would take my business elsewhere for at least that amount of time.

I just shopped at Amazon here in Canada for the first time and the transaction was painless, even with the free Super Saver shipping. However, 98% of the time, my purchases are made at local bricks and mortar stores.