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Did I almost just get screwed? (7+, Best Buy)

S

skrillaTX

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Sep 13, 2014
7
1
So...I might be crazy, but I'm pretty sure Best Buy/the mobile sales rep just tried to screw me out of $100. Or maybe she helped me out...dunno. Please set me straight or back me up :)

- Went into an Anchorage, AK Best Buy. Asked if they had any 7+s...they do! One 32gb matte black 7+ (any carrier, unlocked).
- Sweet! Lemme go ahead and get that.
- Sales rep, "We usually don't sell them outright, but since it's a 32gb and everyone is looking for bigger sizes, I'll go ahead and do it for you."
- Awesome!
- Get charged $869.99. Something didn't feel right...walked out of the store, checked the apple store website, saw the 32gb models are going for $769. Thaaaaaat's why it felt off.
- Walk back into the store, go to customer service, explain the situation.
- They get the same mobile sales rep, she comes back, explains something about activation fees not being counted/convenience fees/etc...all sounds kinda fishy to me.
- She says they usually don't price match Apple, but will go ahead and take $100 off.
- She amends the charge, subtracting $100, and we're on our way.
- I got home, checked the Best Buy website, and it looks like "Retail" is $869.99 for 32gb 7+s. So confused!!!

What do you guys think? Thanks!
 
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Looks like the price was right originally. Best Buy prices are $100 higher than most other places. $869 is what I paid for my 128 GB JB 7+ before tax through Verizon. Total with activation fee and tax it came out to $970 something. I wouldn't say SHE tried to screw you but Best Buy does like to jack prices up on some things.
 
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I just called this morning to price match to Apple.com. They helped me out with no problem for my 128GB Jet Black 7+. It randomly showed up as available in New York last night, so I decided to grab one.
 
Did the same thing with my 128G 7+

I did mine online though...emailed them and said "Hey, Apple has it for $100 less" and they price-matched it.

I think it's one of those, "If nobody notices, it never happened" kind of deal.
 
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paying full price at best buy verizon will not give you a globally unlocked iphone. if you purchased a bestbuy full price Veizon iphone take it back, it is only usa unlocked, not globally. If you call customer support they will extend your return window past 14 days. I was on the phone with verizon and best buy back and forth for 4 hours. Before i was told the truth about best buy verizon phones.
 
I have also found that other items sometimes have a lower price online than in the store. They will price match if you mention that.
 
Beenblacklisted said:
paying full price at best buy verizon will not give you a globally unlocked iphone. if you purchased a bestbuy full price Veizon iphone take it back, it is only usa unlocked, not globally. If you call customer support they will extend your return window past 14 days. I was on the phone with verizon and best buy back and forth for 4 hours. Before i was told the truth about best buy verizon phones.
Click to expand...
Why would it only be USA unlocked? Verizon phones are factory unlocked, meaning they are fully unlocked.
 
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Thanks guys, I feel a little better now.

I guess she actually ended up helping me out, because I paid $769.99 after the $100 refund (no sales tax in Anchorage)...which equals Apple's price. It's crazy that Best Buy upcharges by $100, though! I wanted a 7+ relatively soonish, but being gouged $100 definitely wouldn't have been worth getting it 2-3 weeks earlier than I could direct from Apple. Ouch!

I should have mentioned in the beginning, i'm using it with AT&T, and am assuming it's unlocked. Is there any way to check for sure?
 
Beenblacklisted said:
paying full price at best buy verizon will not give you a globally unlocked iphone. if you purchased a bestbuy full price Veizon iphone take it back, it is only usa unlocked, not globally. If you call customer support they will extend your return window past 14 days. I was on the phone with verizon and best buy back and forth for 4 hours. Before i was told the truth about best buy verizon phones.
Click to expand...

How did you confirm that it wasn't globally unlocked?

C DM said:
Why would it only be USA unlocked? Verizon phones are factory unlocked, meaning they are fully unlocked.
Click to expand...
I'm curious about this as well. I thought phones sold from Best Buy use the unlock policy of the carrier they are first activated on. And as you stated, Verizon phones are factory unlocked.
 
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timeconsumer said:
How did you confirm that it wasn't globally unlocked?


I'm curious about this as well. I thought phones sold from Best Buy use the unlock policy of the carrier they are first activated on. And as you stated, Verizon phones are factory unlocked.
Click to expand...
Was sent to a business associate in panama, and would not work on any carriers. Then i had to call Best buy who informed me of the phones capabilities.
[doublepost=1476106981][/doublepost]
C DM said:
Why would it only be USA unlocked? Verizon phones are factory unlocked, meaning they are fully unlocked.
Click to expand...
not when sold through best buy , they put a policy on it which restricts where the phone is unlocked.
[doublepost=1476107095][/doublepost]
C DM said:
Why would it only be USA unlocked? Verizon phones are factory unlocked, meaning they are fully unlocked.
Click to expand...
From verizon yes, but not when its from best buy. It is possible it was a mistake but i had two phones and both were restricted,so just be forewarned.
 
My t mobile phone works anywhere I need it too. Went to Germany and a nice desert country. Had LTE in Germany and 4g in the desert.
 
The sales was not trying to screw you. Best buy charges $100 over retail price when purchasing the phone at full price. The reason for this is they want to avoid people buying the device at full price and instead use their stock for new line activations and upgrades where they make commission from the carrier.
 
Beenblacklisted said:
Was sent to a business associate in panama, and would not work on any carriers. Then i had to call Best buy who informed me of the phones capabilities.
[doublepost=1476106981][/doublepost]
not when sold through best buy , they put a policy on it which restricts where the phone is unlocked.
[doublepost=1476107095][/doublepost]
From verizon yes, but not when its from best buy. It is possible it was a mistake but i had two phones and both were restricted,so just be forewarned.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a mistake of some sort or something happening that shouldn't be happening. Verizon phones that support LTE have to be factory unlocked due to a regulation agreement, no matter where or go those phones are sold.
 
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Beenblacklisted said:
Was sent to a business associate in panama, and would not work on any carriers. Then i had to call Best buy who informed me of the phones capabilities.
Click to expand...

That's unfortunate. I contacted both Verizon and Best Buy support for further clarification on this as I purchased my iPhone 7 from Best Buy.

-Best Buy told me that if I purchased a Verizon iPhone 7 from them, that it would only work on Verizon.
-Verizon support did not comment on whether or not the iPhone 7 purchased from Best Buy would work, but they said a Verizon iPhone 7 is fully unlocked.

I'm not sure how to interpret this but I do plan on traveling to Europe within the time I'll have this phone. Unfortunately I am past the return period at Best Buy so I may be stuck. I do not have a way to test this as I don't have access to an international SIM until I of course travel and pick one up. Either way, at this point I wouldn't advise buying an iPhone 7 from Best Buy unless you have zero plans to travel outside of the US.
 
First of all the sales associate didn't do anything to you. That's Best Buy's store policy and they are the one's who set the pricing. I just get very aggravated when customers blame/yell/point a problem on a lowly associate that had nothing to do with your issue.

I think BB does this because they make no money selling the phone outright.
 
Buying phone at Best Buy = Getting Screwed. The details really don't matter.

After the last few dealings I have had, coupled with the experiences of friends and family, I can't say I'd use BB Mobile for anything ever again, no matter the "deal" (let alone paying extra for the privilege).

Shame on me for giving them another chance. I figured I'd check out the Note 7 for a couple of weeks prior to the 7+ launch. Absolute nightmare. Then the recall happened. "we can't do anything" is evidently a class taught at BB Mobile Academy.

I know a lot of people are desperate for their iPhones and can't wait for Apple. But... just wait for Apple.
 
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I hear so many horror stories about people getting screwed buying iPhones from carriers and Best Buy and such, that I wonder why anyone doesn't buy directly from Apple.
 
timeconsumer said:
That's unfortunate. I contacted both Verizon and Best Buy support for further clarification on this as I purchased my iPhone 7 from Best Buy.

-Best Buy told me that if I purchased a Verizon iPhone 7 from them, that it would only work on Verizon.
-Verizon support did not comment on whether or not the iPhone 7 purchased from Best Buy would work, but they said a Verizon iPhone 7 is fully unlocked.

I'm not sure how to interpret this but I do plan on traveling to Europe within the time I'll have this phone. Unfortunately I am past the return period at Best Buy so I may be stuck. I do not have a way to test this as I don't have access to an international SIM until I of course travel and pick one up. Either way, at this point I wouldn't advise buying an iPhone 7 from Best Buy unless you have zero plans to travel outside of the US.
Click to expand...

I have T-Mobile and my phone worked fine in Germany. Had LTE the minute I landed. Now T-Mobile has service almost anywhere in the world, so not sure if that matters.
 
I'm not defending BB..

But here's the deal guys.. BB/Target/Walmart etc make NO money selling the phone outright. So either pay for the privilege of not having to wait or don't complain about their pricing or having to wait for Apple. It's really that simple.
 
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Thor_1 said:
I have T-Mobile and my phone worked fine in Germany. Had LTE the minute I landed. Now T-Mobile has service almost anywhere in the world, so not sure if that matters.
Click to expand...
I like T-Mobile a lot, but unfortunately I am on Verizon. If the iPhone 7 is purchased directly from Verizon or Apple for use on Verizon's network, it should be fully unlocked. However, if purchasing an iPhone 7 for Verizon from Best Buy, there's no guarantee that it will be unlocked for using an international SIM card is what I have gathered from information from @Beenblacklisted and contacting both Verizon and Best Buy support.

As far as those discussing Best Buy charging extra for the phone, yes they have always charged more for the iPhone when purchased outright. They will usually price match though if you ask them.
 
zorinlynx said:
I hear so many horror stories about people getting screwed buying iPhones from carriers and Best Buy and such, that I wonder why anyone doesn't buy directly from Apple.
Click to expand...
It seems in this case it was because Best Buy had stock and Apple did not.
 
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