Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[nothappyinIL]

I visited the Springfield, PA Best Buy in October 2008 because I was interested in signing up for a new cell phone plan.  I was considering getting an iPhone but I wasn't sure I could afford it at the time - I was about to move to Chicago to look for a job, and wasn't sure how long I would be unemployed.  When I told this to the Best Buy associate staffing the mobile phone counter, she suggested I sign up for an AT&T contract with a free phone, and upgrade to the iPhone later, when I could afford it.  I asked her if the iPhone would cost more if I bought it later, in comparison to if I bought it right then.  She said no - the iPhone was the same price whether I purchased it immediately or a few months later.  The only catch, she said, was that I would have to restart my 2-year contract once I bought the iPhone.  I didn't have a problem with that, so I signed up for an AT&T contract (with the free LG Shine) with the intention of buying an iPhone as soon as I could afford it. 

Fast forward to February 2009 - I am now in Chicago, have a job, and just paid off the remainder of my credit card balance.  A couple of days ago I decided it was time to reward myself, and went to the Best Buy down the street to buy my iPhone.  Imagine my dissatisfaction to learn that the information I was given in October was incorrect, and that the iPhone in fact costs $200 more if you buy if AFTER you have already signed up for a contract.  I am very upset about this - if the employee at the Springfield store had told me I would pay $200 more to buy the iPhone later, I would have bought it that day, when I signed up for my contract.  Instead, because I thought I could buy it later without penalty, I decided to wait.  Now if I want the iPhone it will cost me twice as much as it would have at the time.

I don't see why this BB employee would have misled me about the price of the iPhone, so perhaps she just made a mistake.  But that seems like a pretty big mistake to me, and I feel cheat out of $200 because of it.  I am a loyal Best Buy loyal who has always felt that I could trust the advice of BB associates because they are so knowledgable. But now I'm not so sure... and I will probably think twice about going to Best Buy for my technology needs in the future.

[Elizabeth-BBY Community Supervisor]

Dear nothappyinIL, 

Thanks for posting your concern on our Best Buy® Forum.  Your issue has been assigned to one of our Community Connectors for further review and response, and you should be hearing something within the next few business days.  Thanks for your continued patience as we work to assist all of the customers who have reached out to us on this forum.

[nothappyinIL]

Thank you very much.

[Miranda]

I have to admit that it was pretty low for the store employee to not mention that the price was different, but unfortunately, that is the policy regarding the iPhone right now. Now, it could be that she just failed to mention it, or forgot about the difference. I don't know. I know that whenever someone calls in asking about the iphone we make sure to tell them as much as possible about the purchase price of the phones.

If you are eligible for an upgrade or are signing a new line of service, the price of the iPhone is $199.99 for an 8GB model, or $299.99 for a 16GB model.

If you are not eligible for an upgrade, it is still possible to upgrade early, however the price of the phone does jump $200 per phone, to $399.99 for an 8GB or $499.99 for a 16GB.

[John-BBY Community Connector · Accepted solution]

Hello nothappyinIL,

I was disheartened to read about your experience when trying to upgrade to the iPhone from the LG Shine.  I have found myself in similar situations before, where I was informed of one thing only to have something else be true.  Developments like that are always frustrating.

Our Best Buy® Mobile associates do their best to inform our customers correctly of all available options.  This includes technology, calling plans and upgrade possibilities for down the road.  I offer my personal apology for any incorrect information you might have received at the time you started your AT&T service through our store.

I’d like to ask for the opportunity to look into this further, so please watch for a private message from me.  To check your forum inbox, please sign in with your user name and password and click the envelope icon in the upper right.
I look forward to working with you.

Sincerely,