Now this IS a surprise! Best Buy: Thieving Scumbags. A neighbor went to buy a cheap Compaq Presario on sale at BB, no rebate. He was smart enough to say no to the add-on sales gimmicks like extended warranties, new printer cables, yada yada and came to one sticking point:
They had a “policy” of opening up the PC and doing Windows Update on it and wouldn’t sell it without doing so. Nice, huh? Oh, and they charged him an extra $29.95 for the privilege. He said there were no boxes that he could grab off the shelf, take to the register and just pay and go like in Staples or Office Depot.
He said he didn’t want it done, he could do it himself. They said it was policy and they couldn’t sell it without doing it. They would rather lose the sale than not collect an extra 30 bucks! What a moronic company. I’ve been happily BB free for over 3 years. (Bought a DVD on sale years ago.) Please add any insights you have into this awesome retailer!
I only buy their loss leaders for shit just like this. I’m pretty sure they have me on their “bad customer” list, but until they forcibly kick me out, I’m still getting cheap DVDs there.
Please have your neighbor call 1-888 Best Buy and speak to someone about what’s called “inboarding”.
Best Buy Corporate absolutely does not support this kind of behavior and has outright fired individuals all the way up to multi-state managers for encouraging such behavior.
Let’s say that’s true. What is it, then, that they’re also doing that results in stuff like this and the Xbox 360 bundle stuff? Are they punshing this kind of thing with one hand and rewarding it with the other, say through bonuses or other reward systems?
Well, if it happened to Midnight Son’s (alleged) friend, it must be true!
Seriously though, either a local BB manager is being stupid or your buddy is maybe embellishing his story a little. “He said there were no boxes.” Of Windows Update? I know BB has a “service” similar to what your pal is talking about, but it’s entirely optional. I bought a desktop PC and a laptop from BB within the last year or so, and that service was offered (as well as a different upgrade to get an anti-malware) both times but again, it was optional. I mean, that’s why it has a seperate price.
Not that I’m BB’s #1 Fan or anything, but I do know that they have been trying to re-vamp their business practices over the last few years. But, you know, you still no doubt have outlets behind the curve as well as the loathesome clods in management still grubbing for money.
You should call Miscrosoft and narc on that BB, MS. That would be…funny.
It sounds like a local store manager trying to pump up his store revenue. I also wonder if this is not contrary to the local consumer protection laws advertising a price for a computer implies one can actually purchase it for that price, or at least disclose that there are additional mandatory charges.
I love Best Buy. They gave me a free Dyson vaccuum cleaner once. Don’t blame the store because your “friend” isn’t smart enough to read through all of the fine print in the legal disclaimers the store makes available upon request! It’s his own fault for getting bullied by guys in khaki pants and blue shirts. He should have just walked out and never looked back!
I’ve been going to the same BestBuy in Orlando every Tuesday for more than 4 years. I’ve bought TVs, TV stands, loads of media, a camera, a cell phone, video cards, and I bought a low end PC that I had to return the next day. Each time it was a pain-free process. I don’t doubt other people’s horror stories, but it really does seem like the quality varies widely from store-to-store.
