I am adding my voice to the chorus.
Pre-optimization is a customer-unfriendly idea at best and is sneaky, exploitative, and underhanded at worst (if not downright criminal).
Two days ago, I picked out a thousand-dollar Vaio at Best Buy. The sales representative rang it up, I had my credit card out and was ready to swipe, and then he tries to shove the pre-optimization down my throat.
It boiled down to the fact that I could not have the laptop if I didn't pay extra for the optimization. I have several objections to being cornered like this.
First, if Best Buy shows a price for an item in the store, then that's the price it should be. Offering optional add-on warranties, extra services, and accessories, even at the point of sale, is perfectly acceptible because the customer retains the option of turning them down.
The pre-optimization that had been done to this computer was apparently not optional and honesty demands that the additional charge be indicated where the item is displayed. An even more honest approach would be some signage stating that $40 will be added onto the displayed price of every computer.
If you suspect that would hurt sales, I would agree (which ought to tell Best Buy something about the value of their pre-optimization service).
Second, the idea that someone opened the packaging used the computer before I did bothers me. How do I know all the cables, parts, and disks got back into the package? How do I know I am actually getting what I paid for? I have bought "open-box" items from Best Buy but I understand the conditions and they are priced lower accordingly. How is this any different? If I were picking out a Blu Ray player, a stereo, or a camera I wouldn't pick a package that had clearly been opened (if it were priced as new) and I suspect most consumers would do the same.
As above, if you think a sign stating that Best Buy opens all computer packaging, starts up the machines, and then tapes the boxes up again would hurt sales, that is a testament to the invalidity of this policy.
Finally, I am not an expert, but I am experienced enough to know that Best Buy's pre-optimization is an utter waste of money. Whatever changes are made to the computer are simply not worth what they are charging.
I am also certain that my idea of an optimized computer is going to be different from Best Buy's. No customer should have to pay extra for Best Buy's version of an optimized computer. If Best Buy wants to sell computers configured a certain way, they should order the computer in that condition from the manufacturer. Best Buy sells enough volume to demand a custom configuration (which would cut out potential revenue, so that is not likely to happen).
I would not be surprised to learn that Best Buy makes good money foisting pre-optimization off on the ignorant consumer masses, but it is a downright shameful practice.
In the end, after the sales representative and his supervisor drew their line in the sand, I put my card away and bought what I wanted from a different store.
The real shame was how satisfied the supervisor looked after having stood by whatever policy Best Buy has in place, rather than showing the slightest concern for the customer or trying to find some way to salvage the situation and still make the sale. There I was, at the register, ready to pay the given price, but when I balked at the charge for pre-optimization, Best Buy apparently preferred to forgo the sale entirely.
The pre-optimization service and policy needs to be changed. I have crossed Best Buy off my list as a computer vendor and there must be many others that have done the same.
Dorothy-BBY
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