Silver Member Best Buy

[Sleepyyet]

Let me clarify something. If you purchased the Wifi iPad at BB on April 3rd and contemplating returning it for the 3G model, do you indeed have 45 days with no restocking fee as a silver member BB reward zone customer? So, in theory, you can wait until the 3G version is released later this month and still have about 3 weeks to return the Wifi model, roughly around May 18th?

 

[Friscohoya]

You sly beast.

 

[Hammer97e]

I'm a silver reward zone member as well, and I am positive the iPad only has a 14 day return window, but no restocking fee for silver members. I looked into the same thing myself.

 

[Travisimo]

I'm a silver reward zone member as well, and I am positive the iPad only has a 14 day return window, but no restocking fee for silver members. I looked into the same thing myself.

Nope, Silver members have 45 days on ALL items with NO restocking fee. Check about half way down in this FAQ:

https://myrewardzone.bestbuy.com/faq.jspx#05

Look here as well, and it specifically says 45 days on all products:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...=cat10004&contentId=1117177044087&id=cat12098

I am 100% sure of this.

 

[Sleepyyet]

I agree. I called customer relations and asked this same question. The representative echoed the same claim-ALL returns and no restocking fees. Seems we can play with our WiFi models well until the our 3G models arrive

 

[skasol]

That is correct. you do have 45 days. I am a store manager and the 45 days is one of the many benefits of being a rewardzone silver premier member. enjoy your rental for right now and switch to the 3G when it comes out. I am just going to use MyFi instead. I already pay $30 a month for 3G.

 

[rusty2192]

My plan exactly.

I just picked up my iPad this morning at the local Best
Buy with this same plan. Well, sort of. I am going to evaluate it over the 45 days and then decide how much I will really use it in real life after the wow factor and novelty have wore off. Or I may just go to the 3G once it comes out.

Funny story about getting mine this morning. I knew I wanted one and that i should get there before opening, so I got to the store about 5:45 am. It didn't open till 11. I was the only one there until about 8:30 and then few others started to slowly trickle in around 9. Needless to say, I got the one I wanted

 

[meanieblue]

Needless to say, I got the one I wanted

which one did you get?

 

[Sleazy E]

Am I the only one that thinks buying a wifi with no intent on keeping it just to hold you over for the 3G is a scumbag move? Seems like I am.

 

[EddyP]

Am I the only one that thinks buying a wifi with no intent on keeping it just to hold you over for the 3G is a scumbag move? Seems like I am.

I am with you. But some people don't see things that way.

 

[nStyle]

Per calender year.... wouldn't that mean you would of had to of spent $2,500 since January 1, 2010?

 

[Tulipone]

For those that intend to return; how are you going to effective clean off all your personal data? You may be able to delete the files that you have put on the device but there due to the way that files are written to SSD they may be easily recoverable.

May not be quite such a good plan if you loose your ID.

 

[Surely]

Am I the only one that thinks buying a wifi with no intent on keeping it just to hold you over for the 3G is a scumbag move? Seems like I am.

It's not the classiest of moves, but if it's Best Buy's policy, it's Best Buy's policy. They aren't stupid..... They know people are going to do this.

I bought a Wii from them, and then found it cheaper elsewhere. When they wouldn't price-match, i returned it and bought it on Amazon.

 

[gillybean]

For those that intend to return; how are you going to effective clean off all your personal data? You may be able to delete the files that you have put on the device but there due to the way that files are written to SSD they may be easily recoverable.

May not be quite such a good plan if you loose your ID.

I assume they're just going to go to Settings > General > Erase All Content and Settings.

If feeling paranoid they could then fill up the iPad completely with random non-sensitive content and reset it again.

Are you suggesting someone at Apple or Best Buy might be planning to undelete stuff to do identity theft, or that after the iPad is returned it will eventually get sent back out as a refurbished model and then whoever gets it might try to undelete stuff to see what was there previously?

 

[Dammit Cubs]

What if you are a non silver member but you have a membership? LOL

 

[tunerX]

Am I the only one that thinks buying a wifi with no intent on keeping it just to hold you over for the 3G is a scumbag move? Seems like I am.

It is definitely a scumbag move.

 

[Simgar988]

That is correct. you do have 45 days. I am a store manager and the 45 days is one of the many benefits of being a rewardzone silver premier member. enjoy your rental for right now and switch to the 3G when it comes out. I am just going to use MyFi instead. I already pay $30 a month for 3G.

do people do this stuff alot?

 

[undrpsi]

do people do this stuff alot?

I had an aquaintince (not a friend) who did this with a LCD TV for a big game weekend...

It's like many things in life "...it doesn't violate the letter of the law, but it does violate the intent.."

Legal..yeah. Moral? Personal decision and, unfortuneatly, one that doesn't carry much 'social stigma' due to most peoples (unfounded) belief that 'big companies' screw everyone over anyway..so what's the harm? No real victim..so no real crime.

 

[rusty2192]

which one did you get?

64 GB wifi. It's less than I was originally thinking i would spend on the 32 GB 3G version anyway.

In regards to the ethicality, I will admit, it is not the most honorable, but if Best Buy did not anticipate the big spenders (the way you get premier silver status) to do this, they would not give them the opportunity. To them, it is another way to make a sale. Give people a trial period and they will be more likely to buy something. I am honestly trying it out to see if I think I would want the 3G or even any iPad at all.

Or am I just rationalizing?

 

[dmk1974]

Yesterday at my local Best Buy, I already saw an "open box" iPad 16 GB unit on the shelf. They listed it for 5% off ($475). I wonder if it was a Silver member making a return after just testing it?

 

[rgbyhkr]

It is definitely a scumbag move.

Well, either you pay the restocking fee and thus have a cost associated with your rental or you have that waived because you spend enough money at BB to qualify you for a special policy. I don't think there's anything wrong with that. In the latter case, it's not like you're taking advantage of an overly generous good faith thing that is just trying to get you in the door. You only got it by buying a significant amount of stuff. And, because the membership is for a one year term only, you have to keep spending that amount in order to re-qualify for the benefit again. I think BB probably did some serious number crunching before ever putting this policy in place and are willing to accept scenarios like this. Given the fact that it applies to much more expensive items that normally have a 14 day return policy too (cameras, notebook computers), the iPad doesn't strike me as a special case that should change the thinking here.

Something tells me too that if they had a customer who barely qualified for the silver and then spent the next year returning lots of stuff with no restocking fee, they might not allow that person to renew the membership even if they spent another $2500. It's probably somewhere in the fine print that they have the right to not renew or even outright discontinue membership for activity they consider abusive. Return policy gaming is nothing new and BB likely has internal policies for dealing with it.

Jeff

 

[rgbyhkr]

I assume they're just going to go to Settings > General > Erase All Content and Settings.

If feeling paranoid they could then fill up the iPad completely with random non-sensitive content and reset it again.

Can't you also just mount it and then use secure erase settings in Disk Utility (for OS X, of course)? Afterwards, you could reload the iPad software if necessary. But wait, didn't Apple add secure erase in iPhone OS 2.0? I seem to recall seeing that a while back and folks saying that the process took a long time (as you would expect for a secure erase).

Jeff

 

[AppleFan360]

I am a Best Buy Silver member as well and plan on making the exchange when the 3G version comes out.

I don't feel bad at all. I spend a lot of money at Best Buy every year.

Yesterday I was in there to purchase a Slingbox Pro-HD. They wanted $299 for it. I told them that's too much since Wal-Mart online has it for $245. He said he can't match online prices but since I am a silver member they would drop the price to $269. Not a bad deal.

 

[Sdashiki]

Taking advantage of Best Buy?

Since when is this a bad thing?

 

[kallyq]

Hi there. I am new to this site but really wanted to participate in this thread.

I am a new Silver Status member at BB (mostly due to buying a new TV, etc). Anyway, I received in the mail advertisement for the 45 day return policy with no restocking fee. I went to BB to play with the iPad (I was waiting impatiently for the 3G). Anyway, I was unsure about it (which was disappointing because I was really excited about this). I was unsure whether it was too heavy (it hurt my hand in the store) and whether I would get bored with it (or was that because I couldn't really do my own thing with it). I talked with the BB employee and he talked me into trying it out with the 45 day policy. I felt a little weird about it but did purchase the 32 gb wifi.

So, I take it home and really like it. I now know that I really do want the 3G because I feel that will make it the ideal device for me.

So the question is, do I keep my preorder with apple or wait for it to come to BB? I know with Apple I will get it as soon as possible while at BB I may have to wait (longer). I really like BB return policy and feel that they would be really helpful if something was wrong with my iPad. (I haven't really gone to the Apple store, I dislike malls). But I really do like the idea of having it come to my house as soon as possible and not worrying about getting to the store before the model I want sells out (64 GB 3G).

What are you other BB Silver members doing?