They are already going out of business, since most BB stores are empty of customers these days. Frequent-return abusers are just speeding up the process.
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iPad Returned iPad Air to Best Buy. They banned me for life.
- Thread starter BJonson
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They are already going out of business, since most BB stores are empty of customers these days. Frequent-return abusers are just speeding up the process.
OP isn't telling the whole story. Call the # on the receipt they gave you and then request the invoice history. Once you receive that by mail, upload those sheets and show everyone on these forums why exactly you were banned for 90 days.
I guarantee you will have at least 10-20 items that you have returned in the past year or so (not necessarily from best buy). It's one thing to return an item but its another to constantly take advantage of it because "you decided you no longer wanted the product"
I guarantee you will have at least 10-20 items that you have returned in the past year or so (not necessarily from best buy). It's one thing to return an item but its another to constantly take advantage of it because "you decided you no longer wanted the product"
He already said it was a best buy mobile. Enough said. These little stores are run by individual managers.
Some don't care about best buys corporate return policy. Just their own bottom lines.
I've had similar experiences with them.
Call corporate and report them. Then write an appropriate yelp review to warn people.
Sir it has nothing to do with Best Buy. When they scan his ID, it records his track record. When he made his return, the register automatically printed out a receipt stating that he would no longer be able to return for 90 days. This wasn't something a sales rep or manager chose to do.
This system is in place to prevent fraud.
"The Retail Equation says its consumer profiles use frequency of returns, dollar amounts, whether a return-receipt was involved and purchase history. It does not use information on age, race, gender, nationality, marital status or whether the consumer is a Yankees or Red Sox fan.
If a sales clerk scans your original sales receipt or swipes your driver's license (a government-issued ID, like a passport, is also accepted) then you're probably shopping at an affiliate of The Retail Equation.
What are your rights? If you've been denied a return or exchange or have been put on a 90-day hold, you can request an activity report from The Retail Equation by sending an email to returnactivityreport@theretailequation.com with both your name and phone number. A Retail Equation representative will call, not write, asking for a return transaction ID and the last four digits of the customer's ID (driver's license or passport) number."
Stop with the FUD. This manager told me I was no longer allowed in his store before any return took place. He said he would do the return but I'm not welcome back because I returned an iphone last week and best buy is not in the renting business. End of story. He did not see my receipt yet or my ID. He remembered me because the store is a small dink and nobody comes in there. I have no return history except that. Jeez.
The problem that makes this a story is I called best buy corporate and they told me too bad. They were rude as hell and treated me like a criminal. When I told them that they also refused to price match the item they said they don't have to because its up to the manager. Pretty sure they announced at the beginning of the year they were even price matching Amazon so to not price match walmart and target and basically tell me they don't price match apple gear is a load of crap.
Like I said. The best buy mobile store doing this alone is one thing, the corporate office telling me I was in the wrong is just validating all of best buy as a corporate entity as being scumbags. Hell, I even escalated to a manager at corporate and was basically told to F off.
They have a history violating their own price match policy and this is exactly what happened to me.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2009/03/best-buys-anti-price-matching-policy-revealed-in-lawsuit/
This is there price match policy from their own website. Tell me why I was no given a price match? Because they are shady.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Payment-Pricing/Best-Buy-Low-Price-Guarantee/pcmcat297300050000.c?id=pcmcat297300050000
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Wow, that's pretty amazing that corporate gave you the same attitude. I had to call them to report the Best Buy Mobile I dealt with, and while they were not fully apologetic, they did try to resolve the issue to some degree by calling the local store.
To clarify, not all Best Buy's or BB Mobiles are like this. The one I went to had such a bad reputation, that when I went to another location, the manager and worker's there all guessed who the manager was before I said his name (apparently all the locations meet up every now and then for some sort of corporate training/activities).
I ended up having the other location take my return back after 2-3 visits and persuasion, but even they were not open arms to deal with. It took persistence, kindness, and argumentation.
Summary: Don't deal with Best Buy if you are relying on their return policy. You may get lucky, or you may not. They have been good to me up until my iphone fiasco, and I have personally chosen not to risk/deal with them since.
BTW: I am surprised by the number of people jumping to the conclusion that OP abused the system somehow just based on his first post. Everything there indicated he had defective merchandise. Do people here not think that warrants a no-hassle return?
They have horrendous service. About two years ago I bought a Zagg shield for my Iphone not realizing that my wife bought one for me on her way home from work. So I went back to the store that night with receipt in hand to return the item. They would not let me return it for my money back because I did not have my drivers license with me. They would give me a store credit but if I wanted them to credit my credit card I needed to give them my drivers liscense. Didn't have it on me, so I asked to see a manger and he wouldn't give me my money back without my liscense as well. I asked him where it said that anywhere in the store or they didn't require me to present my liscense when buying the item. I also asked him why they would give me a store credit without the liscense but not my money back even though I had the receipt in hand? All he kept saying was it's the rules and he don't have to justify them. (It was one of the most ridicules conversations I had in a long time) Finally realized there was no talking to him so I stood in front of him called American Express and disputed the charge right there in the store. Never paid for the item, they never got the item back, I never used the item and I haven't stepped in a best buy again.
Cased Closed!
P.S.
By the way at one point I asked him how they handled returns for people that didn't have a drivers liscense and he said those people can't get their money back. So I asked if you don't drive you can't get your money back he said yes that's correct, but you can get a store credit. LOL
Cased Closed!
P.S.
By the way at one point I asked him how they handled returns for people that didn't have a drivers liscense and he said those people can't get their money back. So I asked if you don't drive you can't get your money back he said yes that's correct, but you can get a store credit. LOL
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There are such things as 'non-drivers licences' which look similar to a driver's license for people who can't/won't drive. They work the same as driver's licences in these situations.
Why should it be illegal?
Shopper discrimination? Lol this place is full of snowflakes.
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Not if the product is defective.
But what comprises defective here is up for whole separate debate. "Defective"
On MR.com means "button too clicky", "some sort of 5mm scratch on back if iPad if viewed from one angle under florescent lights", to "people online think another color is more cool, I can't live with the one I picked out"
I would ban about half of you if I had a store just on general principal.
I understand that. The point is, I was dealing with a company and a manger that had a IQ lower then a plant.
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You should all do a goole search on this topic especially with XMAS upon us.
BestBuy and other retailers are tracking your returns by demanding your drivers license to make a return.
Even things like price matches and exchanges are being counted as returns.
If banned from making returns you could lose out on money due you or be stuck with a defective product.
Unless you are 100% sure of your purchase, skip Best Buy and any other retailer using the The Retail Equation to track returns.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...retailers-tracking-customers-returns/2642607/
BestBuy and other retailers are tracking your returns by demanding your drivers license to make a return.
Even things like price matches and exchanges are being counted as returns.
If banned from making returns you could lose out on money due you or be stuck with a defective product.
Unless you are 100% sure of your purchase, skip Best Buy and any other retailer using the The Retail Equation to track returns.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/money...retailers-tracking-customers-returns/2642607/
Half of the folks here is a tad harsh but I know what you are getting at. I worked in a retail environment at a similar type of store and you'd be amazed at what people try and "pull". Its almost comical but also very frustrating.
Well, someday when all the rtail stores are gone and the only place you can buy Apple stuff is through an Apple store.... we'll see how that all goes. I dunno.
Not sure why some are calling the OP a liar. I'm much more inclined to give him every benefit of the doubt over Best Buy.
Remember, not every business is as customer-friendly or well-managed as the one in your peaceful little hamlet. And it often seems that people who rise to management level positions are the ones who do the best for the company's bottom line, not those that win customer service satisfaction awards.
If I were to hypothesize a reason the manager's behavior, I would imagine he might have had a snap knee-jerk reaction after remembering the OP's recent iPhone return.
I'm betting that Best Buy (and every other outlet that sells the iPhone) has recently had a spate of iPhone returns from people who just couldn't wait to get their hands on one, but ultimately were holding out for another color and returned their first purchase once that color became available. Seems pretty silly and selfish, but I bet it's happening in droves (I've seen a lot of evidence in these boards that supports that idea!). So I bet this manager's numbers for the month are all screwed up and anyone who he sees bringing an iPhone back is automatically on a $%#-list.
The manager may have reacted more spitefully than he normally would have, and the OP suffers the consequences.
Remember, not every business is as customer-friendly or well-managed as the one in your peaceful little hamlet. And it often seems that people who rise to management level positions are the ones who do the best for the company's bottom line, not those that win customer service satisfaction awards.
If I were to hypothesize a reason the manager's behavior, I would imagine he might have had a snap knee-jerk reaction after remembering the OP's recent iPhone return.
I'm betting that Best Buy (and every other outlet that sells the iPhone) has recently had a spate of iPhone returns from people who just couldn't wait to get their hands on one, but ultimately were holding out for another color and returned their first purchase once that color became available. Seems pretty silly and selfish, but I bet it's happening in droves (I've seen a lot of evidence in these boards that supports that idea!). So I bet this manager's numbers for the month are all screwed up and anyone who he sees bringing an iPhone back is automatically on a $%#-list.
The manager may have reacted more spitefully than he normally would have, and the OP suffers the consequences.
Ah, that (bolded part) is an important piece of information that I had not read before in this thread.
Best Buy Mobile is different than a typical big box Best Buy. I was wondering how the manager recognized you as having returned an iPhone 2 weeks prior. If Best Buy is electronics hell, then BBM is the lowest level of hell.
Retail stores are doing more and more of these types of things... the most irritating trend is having DirectTV shills in the stores, dressed with the same colored shirt as store employees but have "DirectTV" emblem embroidered on them.
I can spot them a mile away. At Best Buy it's easy because that actually come up to you and ask if they can help. That's a dead giveaway. Best Buy employees at my local store never do that.
In Walmart, when I spot one I'll sometimes allow them to ask their question, "Can I ask you a question? Do you have cable tv? How much do you pay a month?" My response is, "I'll tell you only after you tell me how much you pay for fast food a week."
They don't have a script to handle that response.
Don't forget "sold my ipad 3 today, bought ipad 4, will return it as soon as ipad Air comes out which is three days!
"
Yeah, really awesome... its actually pretty rude but whatever makes everyone happy. Geesh - and we wonder why stores are clamping down on this stuff. Its painfully obvious that many of you have never owned or tried running a business before.
I never liked the fact that you have to scan the driver's license to return an item. It's really unnecessary and it can be bypassed as suggested by someone else (have someone else return the item). BB may be making a turn around but it looks like it's coming at the price of customer service (a.k.a. nickel and dime the customers). I guess they want you to file for warranty with the manufacturer if the item was defective instead of returning it to them (even within return period), which I disagree.
Yeah, really awesome... its actually pretty rude but whatever makes everyone happy. Geesh - and we wonder why stores are clamping down on this stuff. Its painfully obvious that many of you have never owned or tried running a business before.
The manager was rude and wasn't doing his job...
Awesome that the guy got his CC company to smite the arrogant manager...Indeed.
I was refrerring to the comment about people using local stores to "shop" and then order what they wanted online afterwards. Sorry.
I worked at Walmart for a bit. I don't know if Best Buy deals with the returns Walmart does, but basically corporate would allow us to have x amount of dollars to cover returns. This did not come out of pocket at our store. However, once the amount in returns crossed that threshold, any loss was taken against the store - ultimately erasing any bonus. Best Buy is crumbling and only sells high priced items, I can see how a manager could see something like this and want to put his foot down to keep that money in the store's pocket.
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And another point I forgot to add. Anyone who's worked at retail should know that fraud is everywhere when it comes to returning items. I would have my associates come up to me to make sure a return was valid, and some of these fraudulent receipts were really well done. "Double shopping" was another scam that was pretty profitable. There are a multitude of ways these criminals could go about returning products for money.
So, to the OP, their stance is as much as protecting against fraud as anything else.
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And another point I forgot to add. Anyone who's worked at retail should know that fraud is everywhere when it comes to returning items. I would have my associates come up to me to make sure a return was valid, and some of these fraudulent receipts were really well done. "Double shopping" was another scam that was pretty profitable. There are a multitude of ways these criminals could go about returning products for money.
So, to the OP, their stance is as much as protecting against fraud as anything else.
Gotta love AMEX. I'll keep that in mind if I ever have an issue. Though after reading this thread, I'll probably avoid BB in the future.