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Best Buy Airport Express rip-off?

C

condor

macrumors member
Original poster
When I signed up for DSL I got a free $100 gift card from Best Buy. As I am in the market for an AirPort Express I was psyched when I saw that Best Buy now carries them in their stores, it would be the perfect use of the gift card. However, when I look at the Best Buy website, I see that they are charging $149.99, which is $20 OVER Apple's retail price! What's up with that?

Does Best Buy do price matching? Their website says "If, within 30 days (14 days for computers, monitors, printers and notebooks, camcorders, digital cameras and radar detectors) of your purchase from Best Buy, you find a local competitor (excluding Internet competitors) offering a lower price on an available product of the same brand and model, we'll refund the difference plus another 10% of the difference. Just bring us a current ad or other verifiable written proof of the lower price, plus your original Best Buy sales receipt to claim your refund."

Does that mean I would have to buy it from Best Buy first, then go to the Apple Store down the street, get some sort of proof it really only costs $129.00, and then back to Best Buy to get credited back the difference?

I just think it is slimy of Best Buy to overcharge by $20 over MSRP.
 
condor said:
Does Best Buy do price matching?
Does that mean I would have to buy it from Best Buy first, then go to the Apple Store down the street, get some sort of proof it really only costs $129.00, and then back to Best Buy to get credited back the difference?

I just think it is slimy of Best Buy to overcharge by $20 over MSRP.
Click to expand...

i believe if you bring in a proof from apple (like, say, an ad or something) they would honor it. they will price match before they sell it if you can prove it.
but yes, best buy is slimy anyhow.
 
Just tell the folks at best buy that its 130 at the apple store. Theyll prob just call n verify, and then match it. Apple store will have to have it instock though.

BUT

If you buy it at full price, then let some time pass. 20 mins or so, and then head back to best buy, and explain to them that apple has it for 130, they will match the price, plus 10% of the difference! Thats 2 dollars savings! It can buy you lunch at McDonalds dollar menu. Two ITEMS at that!
 
They can sell it for whatever they want, really. Demand dictates price. That's why Apple can overcharge for their ipods.

They're a demand item... and have chic-status like collecting beanie babies or the walkman when it came out written all over them.
 
atomiton said:
They can sell it for whatever they want, really. Demand dictates price. That's why Apple can overcharge for their ipods.

They're a demand item... and have chic-status like collecting beanie babies or the walkman when it came out written all over them.
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um, but best buy price-matches, as we've established earlier.
and actually, at a retail place like best buy, the reverse is true-high demand + many stores=lower prices, so they can get more people to buy it at THEIR store.
 
Best Buy will not match online prices so matching the Apple price will not happen unless there is an Apple Store near-by. This is why they are charging more for it, since Best Buy has many more stores than Apple, they can charge more. If you look at how much Best Buy charges for the USB iPod cable, it should be 29.99, about ten more dollars than what Apple charges.

Keep in mind that most people want their merchandise right now, so they are willing to pay a premium. That is why Best Buy or any retailer can get away with this: supply and demand.

Apmonia
 
if you can bring proof a brick and mortar store is offering that price it works....
best buy is, above all, looking for a sale.
 
Well I went to Best Buy yesterday and sure enough, it was $149.99. I told them Apple was charging $129 (and there is an Apple store nearby, Westfarms, CT) and asked if they would match the price. I had printed out a copy of the online Apple store page showing the price to see if that would work. The customer service lady said no, and her supervisor said she could just call the Apple Store to confirm. She didn't really seem too into doing that and the supervisor asked me what the difference in price was, I told her $20, she said "oh..that's it, go ahead and give it to him."

So I ended up getting it and after a not-so-smooth installation I finally got it to work and am now streaming my music to my stereo as I type this. So the moral of the story is just ask at Best Buy and they might be willing to do it.
 
lol, no offense, but where have you been? Next time you go to Best Buys, look at all their computer hardware. I've seen 160GB hard drives go for $135+ and 512 MB SO-DIM DDR SDRAM go for $130. Many things they sell are way over MSRP.

I avoid Best Buys at almost all costs.... well other than just going there to ask the tech people difficult questions that they can't answer. I've butted into a few conversations before between a customer, and an employee to correct the employee. Looks like Best Buys will give anyone a job as long as they have A+ certification. 😡
 
Best Buy???

condor said:
I just think it is slimy of Best Buy to overcharge by $20 over MSRP.
Click to expand...

Whenever I've gone to the trouble of comparing the prices at Best Buy to other retail stores - and in this case I mean other brick and mortar stores, not online ones - Best Buy has always had the highest prices, except for manufacturers close-outs or store opened/damaged goods.

IMHO Best Buy should change their name to Worst Buy or at least to "Always Priced at or above Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price" 😡
 
absolut_mac said:
Whenever I've gone to the trouble of comparing the prices at Best Buy to other retail stores - and in this case I mean other brick and mortar stores, not online ones - Best Buy has always had the highest prices, except for manufacturers close-outs or store opened/damaged goods.

IMHO Best Buy should change their name to Worst Buy or at least to "Always Priced at or above Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price" 😡
Click to expand...
Very strange because I've found some absolutely fantastic deals at Best Buy. And I've rarely if ever seen anything there selling for *above* MSRP unless it's a mistake. However, it's rarely a particular item I go in looking for that I find a great price on. You just have to be patient and find the right sort of item that you happen to need on sale. I've gotten great prices there on my GBA, a 5.1 receiver/amp, TiVo, DVD player, 20" television, and PS2, all coming in *much* lower than MSRP and what I could find anyone else selling them for at the time. For example, my DVD player was selling for around $300 at most places ($400 MSRP) when I found it on sale at Best Buy for $180 (new). I have found that their sale prices on consumer electronics (a/v gear) tend to be better than their prices on computer hardware and software -- I go to Fry's or mail order (MacConnection, NewEgg, Amazon, etc.) for that. Also specialty accessory items tend to be very expensive at Best Buy (rechargeable batteries, headphones, cables, adapters, etc.). I never go there for those things.
 
Best Buy manager threw me out of the store

I was in Best Buy a couple of months ago to buy a cable to connect my iPod to my stereo system. I know it would be overpriced but I was there and just wanted it already. When I went to check out, the cashier asked my if I wanted to buy the protection plan for the cable for $6. I asked her if she thought I was born yesterday. The manager was nearby and apparently didn't like my tone and asked me to leave.

I asked him if he was serious and how did he get the responsibility of running a store when you treat customers (a customer who spends big bucks on electronics) like this. I said, have a nice day, I'll go 3 blocks away and pick it up at Circuit City.
 
rdowns said:
I was in Best Buy a couple of months ago to buy a cable to connect my iPod to my stereo system. I know it would be overpriced but I was there and just wanted it already. When I went to check out, the cashier asked my if I wanted to buy the protection plan for the cable for $6. I asked her if she thought I was born yesterday. The manager was nearby and apparently didn't like my tone and asked me to leave.

I asked him if he was serious and how did he get the responsibility of running a store when you treat customers (a customer who spends big bucks on electronics) like this. I said, have a nice day, I'll go 3 blocks away and pick it up at Circuit City.
Click to expand...


next time call and complain. the thing is, best buy is a business, and they need people shopping there, so if they've ****ed up, tell them. but ask for someone higher, and get names.
i used to work for them, and a few weeks ago (which is now close to 2 years since i worked there), my roommate and i had a terrible experience with her buying a computer there. So I called the store, told them the salesman was terrible, and that they needed to do something about it...even if it didnt do anything, as a retail manager myself, it sucks to hear that. but they deserved it.
btw, the salesman couldnt get into one of his locked cabinets, and the computer she wanted was in there. he shrugged and suggested we "come back tomorrow or something. we'll set one aside if you want." No suggestions on another computer, no attempts to sell us on it, no acknowledgment of the five employees (including the manager i later spoke with) discussing options to slice/pick/chop their way in if the locksmith couldn't be in soon. if the salesman couldn't be bothered to help us, or even help his bosses, then **** him.
SOrry, ranted there for a sec.
-carly
 
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