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Best Buy Selling iPhone X on Installment Plan Only After Criticism Over $100 Premium

840quadra said:
What does any of that have to do with Best Buy, or my views on their leadership? I want the company to do well, I like Best Buy, but don’t understand / like their practice of upcharging customers for products.
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As someone else stated. When bestbuy sells a phone at full price, they lose out on the money they get paid from the carriers when someone buys one on a plan. Makes sense that they upcharge, when they sell a fully unlocked phone they probably make nothing. Why not recover what Verizon, Att and Tmobile probably kick them back otherwise. Maybe $100.
 
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dmylrea said:
Because the new trend is to make mountains out of mole hills it seems. Everyone here that is whining about it and how bad BB is, isn't even buying one from them, but feel they have to make a big deal about it.

There are SO MANY other scenarios in retail where the business is selling something for more than retail and people can't hand over their credit card fast enough. Ever buy wine in a fine restaurant? Twice the retail price, but to people swear and bad-mouth the restaurant and promise never to go back?

People here make no sense.
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Although it's not the same as a upscale restaurant where presumably you get more than you would in a simple retail purchase, would you feel the same if the table next to you was able to purchase the same bottle for much less? In this case, Best Buy is knowingly uncharging customers who aren't savvy enough to insist on a price match. That puts them in the same category as car dealers and that's not good company from a PR standpoint.
 
840quadra said:
Actaully no, that didn’t solve the problem. They would price match the base price of the phone, and still add $100 to the price.

We attempted to purchase a few phones for a small business 2 years ago, and ended up going direct to Apple in that case because of their policy. Actually turned out good, as that client of mine now has a business account with Apple, that we setup that same week.



Actually the stock and the company is doing better than it has in years.

Mishaps like this aren’t helping their reputation tough.
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Wait, really? I got refunded the $100 after I called for a price match.

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mi7chy said:
Simply all you had to do was price match and they'll honor it. Now you have one fewer local supplier. Classic example of being worse off engaging the mouth instead of the brain.
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No they don't for iPhones.i was at the store couple of days back and asked them for same
 
Their full retail prices have always been about 100 more but they always price match if you ask... this goes back years....
 
Apple should just pull BestBuy’s right to sell any of their popular devices if they’re going to pull this nonsense. It’s not like the carriers themselves don’t allow you to walk in and buy the device for full price. This shouldn’t even be a thing. Apple needs to cut them off; what a scam!
 
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Rayban said:
I can buy an "un-activated" phone at full price from Apple with no markup. Are they implying that Apple charges them extra to sell at full price? Makes no sense.
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No, what they're telling us is that Apple gives them so little margin, that they only way they can make money on it is either getting a spiff from the carriers or charging you an extra charge.
 
Bets Buy should be ashamed for trying to take advantage of it's customers. Remember if you go in to pick up a phone your likely to buy some accessories and maybe more. Short sighted thinking.
 
mi7chy said:
Simply all you had to do was price match and they'll honor it. Now you have one fewer local supplier. Classic example of being worse off engaging the mouth instead of the brain.
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Best Buy's price match policy states that it will price match in stock items. iPhone X are not in stock. They might still price match it, but policy does not dictate that they have to.
 
Cyroceon said:
As if they needed any more reason to join Sears on the Soon to be Bankrupt Companies List.
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Best Buy isn't even close to going bankrupt like Sears. Why would "soon to be bankrupt" Best Buy's stock hit an all time high (2 months ago) if it was close to going bankrupt?

I get it. People here don't like Best Buy and/or they're upset that Best Buy tried to overcharge people. But let's not go around spreading #fakenews

They reported 2nd quarter earnings 2 months back and they beat analyst estimates on every metric (EPS, revenue, same store sales, and margins) and even raised full year sales outlook.
 
ravenstar said:
Although it's not the same as a upscale restaurant where presumably you get more than you would in a simple retail purchase, would you feel the same if the table next to you was able to purchase the same bottle for much less? In this case, Best Buy is knowingly uncharging customers who aren't savvy enough to insist on a price match. That puts them in the same category as car dealers and that's not good company from a PR standpoint.
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That's not the same at all. "the table next to me" analogy doesn't work because the guy in BB in a different line isn't getting it for a lesser price. Everyone at BB who buys the phone pays the same price, just like in a restaurant. Are there other restaurants selling the same wine for a cheaper price? Of course. But does everyone curse the first restaurant for charging more? Of course NOT.
 
swissglide said:
LOL, BestBuy does a shameless money grab operation, gets called out on it, throws a temper tantrum, drops the ball, and goes home. Waa, waa.
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BB’s story is not plausible. An honest company would drop price, apologize and refund difference. By their actions they demonstrate they will rip off customers if given the chance. If they do it in one area of the business they will do it in other areas.
 
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salukimike said:
No, what they're telling us is that Apple gives them so little margin, that they only way they can make money on it is either getting a spiff from the carriers or charging you an extra charge.
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It's interesting how everyone here blames BB, when in reality, Apple has a big piece of the blame for being so greedy and not giving any margin to the resellers. There aren't very many places to buy an iPhone X other than Apple, carriers, or Best Buy.
 
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CerebralX said:
If this isn't the definition of American greediness, I don't know what is.
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Greediness is a human trait — it is not limited to Americans. Also, the fallout from this is an example of Capitalism at work. If a business pisses off enough consumers, there will be consequences for that business in the marketplace.
 
euvnairb said:
Wait, really? I got refunded the $100 after I called for a price match.

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If true, Great to see that.

Their price match policy is great, but I have had multiple times where they wouldn’t flex on their store fees. Back when we tried to purchase multiple iPhone 6 devices for a client, their “convenience fee” was a separate line item that was not removed.

Do you have the below “details” that you can share?

Please omit any personal information, but curious to see how they applied the credit, and what it was classified as.

Riddlin said:
As someone else stated. When bestbuy sells a phone at full price, they lose out on the money they get paid from the carriers when someone buys one on a plan. Makes sense that they upcharge, when they sell a fully unlocked phone they probably make nothing. Why not recover what Verizon, Att and Tmobile probably kick them back otherwise. Maybe $100. (P.S. I wasn't attacking you. Stating that you're ashamed to drive by is silliness was more my point.)
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That’s fine, but it also assumes that Apple charges Best Buy full retail for every phone that Best Buy acquires to resell. Fully possible, but I doubt that.


My issue is more with how they handled the situation, and what they said in the first press release, and now what they are doing in response. Target (for instance) does not sell unlocked phones, they only sell phones tied to carrier agreements (At least in the case of the 8, and likely the X). They avoided all of this PR disaster by not openly taxing their customers.

Again, I like Best Buy, I just shake my head at their leadership decisions from time to time. I do the same with things Apple does from time to time ;) .
 
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Best Buy needs to change it’s name, one can’t claim to offer the best deal when it clearly dose not.

This company has forgotten what their name was when pricing the product for sale, guess they thought their name was Worst Buy
 
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