Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[enuf]

When ppl start getting denied it's too late, they shouldn't let it got that far b/c once it happens expect more angry post here. Plus I'm sure there's a large collection of ppl who impulse buy and wind up having to return things often too. I know BB wants impulse purchases but with that comes the husband/wife/girlfriend who says "what's in the BB bag?" "we can't afford it"

[deusexmachina Valued Contributor]

Impulse buying and returning costs BB money as they will need to resell the product with an open item discount or send it back to the MFG in some cases.

[TJ89]

But NO BUYING will cost them even more. And until they change this offensive return policy, I am a non-buyer.

[enuf]

Oh you misunderstand me I'm cool with them asking for ID on opened items especially since there's no restocking fee but for sealed items. I've made purchases before with my "play" $ & have had an unexpected event happen that meant I needed to return it but it was unopened. I've never returned an opened item to BB ever but I price match ALOT. I'd say on average I'll PM items 5-8 times a month easy. Basically, the items I buy go on sale quickly videogames, DVDs and CD's. $60 games usually drops to $40 w/i the 45 day window. DVDs at walmart, Target, Sears, kmart tend to drop cheaper also usually only by $2-$5 on DVDs & $10-$20 on tv show sets but it adds up fast. I think that's why BB is considering switching to everyday low prices like walmart.

[cry4dawn]

Here is my problem with this whole issue

1. BB already has all my info from my rewards

2. They are saying they are PROTECTING the customer by asking for your DL when you make a return. The reason given is that if someone steals your items and returns it with a receipt they would decline the return. So BB is basically playing police officer with your items (which we all know is really not the truth)

3. Like Target, I am guessing they are really SELLING your information as DL #'s contain a lot of sales information which are worth big cash as they have a LOT of info on them. If you doubt me, look whats on a barcode of a drivers license. You would be rather shocked. This is a proven fact if you look up on the web that target is selling your DL info when you swipe for Medicine, M Video games, etc... Look it up

4. At least target has a valid excuse for your DL as they use it for returns when you do not have a receipt. They limt you to $250.00 a year without a receipt. When asked if this was what BB was doing they replied no.

So really the issue we have at hand here is really big brother selling your information. There is no other excuse other than that. Many employees only want the number, where other employees will not touch you unless they see it. Even in those cases they call a supervisor who just over rides this issue..

Honestly this is pushing more and more people I know away from BB. I wouldnt be shocked if BB doesn't go out of business.

[TJ89]

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Very well said Dawn. I'm beginning to think this is deliberate deception on the part of Best Buy, since even the store managers and regional customer service supervisors had no idea about the new return program. That way they could not explain what Best Buy was really up to. And again, they scanned my driver license WITHOUT my permission. They only admitted participation in the TRE program after a week of calls to Best Buy corporate. They have since gone public with it, due to some blowback, but I suspect they weren't planning on it.

This program smacks of a senior executive who thinks he found a great way to quickly ramp up quarterly profit figures, and now can't admit he might have made a mistake. I'm sure it looked good on paper - 20% reduction in returns = bigger short-term profits. What they couldn't factor in, of course, is a loss of customer goodwill, i.e., how many people this would upset, resulting in lower sales.

Prior to this, I really thought Best Buy might be one of the few electronics retailers to survive as a brick & mortar entity, and I wanted them to. Now two things are true:  I will not buy from them again and I couldn't care less if they make it or not.

[cry4dawn]

TJ89

Well said.. I agree with you

[Your_Conscience]

cry4dawn wrote:

They are saying they are PROTECTING the customer by asking for your DL when you make a return. The reason given is that if someone steals your items and returns it with a receipt they would decline the return. So BB is basically playing police officer with your items (which we all know is really not the truth)

No Best Buy is not playing "Police Officer" or whatever you want to call it considering police don't involve themselves with returns.  What Best Buy is doing is make sure that YOU are indeed return YOUR product so that in the event you want to return something you are not told "I'm sorry it looks like this item has already been returned."  how could that happen? simple, people like you complaining about Best Buy checking ID for returns ends up in Best Buy not verifying ID and then somebody returns an item from YOUR receipt.  You make a stink about this now, I can only imagine how much you'll rage when you can't return something really expensive because somebody else has.

cry4dawn wrote:

Like Target, I am guessing they are really SELLING your information as DL #'s contain a lot of sales information which are worth big cash as they have a LOT of info on them. If you doubt me, look whats on a barcode of a drivers license. You would be rather shocked. This is a proven fact if you look up on the web that target is selling your DL info when you swipe for Medicine, M Video games, etc... Look it up

So really you don't actually know what Best Buy is doing... Keep your conspiracy theories on another forum, this forum deals with real stuff.  What's next, you're going to make another ASSumption about ohhhh Best Buy dusts for finger prints off returned merchandise so that they can somehow sell it to spies and double, triple, or maybe quadruple agents!?!?!?!!  

cry4dawn wrote:

So really the issue we have at hand here is really big brother selling your information. There is no other excuse other than that. Many employees only want the number, where other employees will not touch you unless they see it. Even in those cases they call a supervisor who just over rides this issue.. 

So really you are either incredibly paranoid or you just want to troll this forum trying to stir up Best Buy's genius plots to take over the world? 

cry4dawn wrote:

Honestly this is pushing more and more people I know away from BB. I wouldnt be shocked if BB doesn't go out of business.

Hey you're right, I wouldn't be shocked if they didn't go out of business either!!! DURRRRRRRRRRRRRR  Less time conspiring and trolling, perhaps more time learning how double negatives work? 

[Holomedic]

Maybe that you stole it from someone and stalked them enough to know their phone number to look up the receipt that you may or may not have had with you. On the other hand, not all family members get along and know where other family keeps things. It's basically trying to keep people from returning things that aren't theirs I guess. It's just an extra security measure. I thank people when they ask for my ID personally. Don't know why you're so sketchy about it. It's not like they want you to strip naked, they just want to make sure you are you. Best Buy ALREADY makes you show your ID for purchases made with a credit card above $25, M rated games, compressed air cans (teehee) and probably other stuff I can't remember. Calm down, relax, stop being so suspicious because it just makes people think you're an identity thief.

[Dorothy-BBY Community Supervisor]

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Holomedic wrote:
Maybe that you stole it from someone and stalked them enough to know their phone number to look up the receipt that you may or may not have had with you. On the other hand, not all family members get along and know where other family keeps things. It's basically trying to keep people from returning things that aren't theirs I guess. It's just an extra security measure. I thank people when they ask for my ID personally. Don't know why you're so sketchy about it. It's not like they want you to strip naked, they just want to make sure you are you. Best Buy ALREADY makes you show your ID for purchases made with a credit card above $25, M rated games, compressed air cans (teehee) and probably other stuff I can't remember. Calm down, relax, stop being so suspicious because it just makes people think you're an identity thief.

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Best Buy ALREADY makes you show your ID for purchases made with a credit card above $25,

^^^^ This is not true, plus violates our merchant agreements unless card is not signed OR has SEE ID OR is for a referral.