Well I've seen a lot of arguing but I'd like to share the experience I had today buying a new laptop, it is very similar to the OP's situation with one big difference, the store made it right, on the spot. Here's the deal. I went to the store and found the laptop I had seen advertised for the price I had seen. I noticed that under the display there was only one box for that model and the GS sticker on it caught my eye. It stated that they had performed the Optimization and Created a Recovery Disk an had a figure of $69.97 written next to it.
So when I was approached by a sales person I told him I liked that laptop and I had one question that was going to determine whether or not I'd be buying a laptop today. I asked if I had to pay that price, to which he replied that they likely have others that had not been optimized and if they do I could purchase one. After searching he discovered they did not, but then he looked in the computer to find that it showed 3 in stock. After some asking around he found out the other two were up at the GS desk to undergo the same Optimization. At this point he told me that they would take care of me, that I'd get the laptop I wanted at the price I wanted and the optimization would be (in his words) their gift to me.
So kudos to them for making it right by giving me the advertised price despite the optimization that I did not want. However, what irritated me was that if you've got 3 in-stock, and you apply the optimization to all of them, you've effectively forced anyone that buys that model into getting the optimization. That in my book is wrong and is something I plan to write to Best Buy about. I can see having some unopened and some optimized and then running out of the unopened ones. But this was a case where all they had on the floor was the optimized one and they were going to take two more un-opened ones and optimize them rather than keep one or both un-touched and available for a customer who may chose that route.
Sure they made it right, but I figure much of that has to do with the fact that I made it clear I'd not be buying it if I had to pay the extra $70 for a service I didn't want. I wonder how many people don't ask and just accept it. Shame on them for being foolish yes, but shame on Best Buy for preying on their foolishness. I've got real mixed feelings about my visit to BB today.
