Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[pakehaole]

I purchased a Sharp 52" LCD TV online on Wednesday before Thanksgiving.  Since it was not available for in-store pickup at any nearby stores, I opted for free shipping to my home 10 days later.  On Sunday night, browsing through the CyberMonday online sale, I noticed that the same TV was now available for $100 less and was available for p/u at two stores in my area.  I purchased it for p/u, received an order confirmation email, then cancelled the original order.  I then received a notice that the item was not available for p/u at the store.  So I went back online, found that it was still available at the other store in my area, and re-ordered it to p/u at that store.  After receiving an order confirmation email I later received another email saying that it was not available at the 2nd store!  I called customer service to have it delivered to me instead (there was a free shipping offer) and was told that it was no longer available for delivery in my area, even though it had been available for delivery at the time of the earlier orders, and, even if it was available, there would be a additional delivery charge!

So now, not only am I shopping again for an LCD TV that I thought I had purchased, I am also confused as to why "Available for Pick-up" means "Not really available for Pick-up" and "Free Shipping" doesn't includes free delivery!  Can someone enlighten me?

Message Edited by pakehaole on 12-01-2008 07:20 PM

Message Edited by pakehaole on 12-01-2008 07:20 PM

Message Edited by pakehaole on 12-01-2008 07:22 PM

[pakehaole]

So now, 18 hours after I placed the order, I get another email saying that the TV is not available at a distant store where it had been listed as available.  So I go online and find out that it is available at a closer store.  I call CS and the rep changes the p/u to the closer store where it is "available" and now I'm awaiting confirmation of availability of the TV at the closer store, but meanwhile I go back online and see that it's not available now at that store.  Wonder if my order will go through this time?

[hockeycanuckjc Trusted Contributor]

In store availability status is a so and so issue... I never trust it no matter what. Always call the store when you are in doubt.

[Aaron-GS Community Connector]

Hey pakehaole,

Like hockeycanuckjc alluded to, BestBuy.com unfortunately does not always reflect the store’s currently available stock. The reason for this is two-fold: BestBuy.com and our retail stores do not use the same systems to keep track of their respective inventories, and neither BestBuy.com nor our stores are able to provide up-to-the-minute product availability. In some instances, the information available to BestBuy.com may be as much as 1-2 hours old by the time an order is placed online. On top of that, we really have no way to account for customers that may be physically walking around in the store with the product in their possession – it doesn’t officially leave the store’s inventory until it’s been paid for!

I do see, however, that the situation may have slightly changed since you made your most recent post. I’d like to provide you some additional information, so please keep an eye on your private messages (the letter icon at the top right of the page) for further communication!

Thanks,

Agent Aaron
Geek Squad® Community Connector
Go Ahead. Use Us.