Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[beaker]

    Im so disappointed in BestBuy. A number of years ago I experienced this same situation.

I went to BestBuy to get a price match guaranty and was told the item I was comparing was

a different model and therefore there would be no price match due to the slightly different model

numbers on the two similar items, I assumed that, due to the fact that this happened so many 

years ago, that this was no longer a common practice happening today. I decided to give BestBuy a 

second chance.

    Last night my wife and I were going to buy a flat screen TV from BestBuy. We planned to 

check at several stores before purchasing and when we found the same exact flat screen 

TV at Walmart, we called the BestBuy store to confirm that they indeed had a price match guarantee. We 

were told they did and to come on back and they'd be happy to do a price match on this item.

    Upon arriving back at the BestBuy store again, the sales person looked at the photo we 

took of the sales tag on the TV at Walmart. (Walmart - Samsung model number LN46D630M3FX)

(BestBuy - Samsung model number LN46D630M3F). After looking at the model number on his

TV, he told us he was sure sorry but these were not the same items. We asked to see the manager

who also told us there was not going to be a price match. This morning my wife called Samsung to 

let them know what was going on. We were informed that both of these televisions were in fact  the 

same exact TVs. 

    When we were told that these were two different models and there was not going to be a price match,

I really felt insulted that these people thought I was too stupid to know what was going on. We 

wound up purchasing an even better TV from Walmart and will never buy another thing thing from 

BestBuy. They should change the name to their PriceMatchScamGuarantee.

[Ryan-BBY Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hello beaker -

Sarah from our Social Media team, will be reaching out to you regarding your concern. Thank you for your continued patience!

[Sarah-BBY Retired: Community Connector]

Hi beaker,

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us and I am very sorry for any misunderstanding or disappointment.  However, please allow me to confirm that in order for a price match request to qualify the item must be identical to the item in our store or on our site – meaning the exact same make and model number.  For a full description of our Price Match Guarantee please see our site at - http://bbyurl.us/PriceMatchPolicy. 

Also, I am not sure how the same product could have separate model numbers as I have not heard of such a situation before, but please be assured that I will forward this information to our corporate product team to be researched further; and if there is anything I can do at this time to try and help you with your new TV purchase please feel welcome to contact me directly by private message.

Thanks again and have a great day,

[rellarillear]

I hope you do understand that they are not the SAME TV?

I would have guessed it was WalMart had you not even listed the other retailer, they have running deals with many manufacturers to make similar looking products to what is sold in other retailers, but to make them with cheaper parts for WalMart, so that they can sell them at a discounted rate.

I have personally run into issues with my parents and friends where they have purchased items from Best Buy, and been unable to get support (specifically a Toshiba DVD, when they called Toshiba, they stated that the different letter on the end of the model number signified that it was a "WalMart special" and they do not support it, and do not provide any sort of warranty).

[rellarillear]

tripped over my own fingers

***purchased items from WalMart

[hydrogenwv]

Best Buy does the same, or used to at least,  according to my Best Buy specific Asus Eee...

[Jimmienomam]

Yup. BBY has had their own lines from Panasonic (gt25) and Samsung (d6520 I think or something like that)

[LiquidTension87]

Just another way to secure exclusive contracts, special package pricing, and price match dodging. Both Best Buy and Walmart have extreme buying power over these manufacturers. Although, typically they have one or two features that differentiate them...

[travisknese]

I too experienced the SCAM of their new price match policy. For years i have been going to best buy to buy my phones, because of their price match policy. I am not sure when but they decided anything that includes a mail in rebate doesnt count. This had not been the case and was the specific reason i went to Best Buy for my phones, and sent others to them.

I have been told now they only price match walmart and target by customer service after many emails and 30 minutes on the phone. But in the store i was told they price match any major retailer other than amazon, which included the carriers' stores. When i showed them the price from T-Mobile i was given a run around, about how they dont price match mail in rebates and never have as long as the person has worked there. Which is strange because i have had them price match mail rebates instantly which saves the hassle of doing them. Thus making Best Buy my shop of choice for cell phones. I used to send all my friends and family to best buy when they planned on buying a phone for their old price match policy. Also one of the customer service reps said she got a price match on her phone to the carriers price and the email i got from my complaint said they dont match carriers at all only walmart and target.

The other part that makes it a scam is the best buy employee helping the woman next to me was saying how they price match carrier's prices specifically as being one of the reasons to get a phone from best buy.

Also customer service doesnt lodge complaints they told me i had to go online to do so. Which is strange because one of the main points of customer service is to take complaints if not why do you have them most everything else is tech support.

so in summary things that wont get you a price match including things i have read or encountered in the past:

• best buy exclusive version/special sticker on the box
• amazon
• Cell phone carrier's prices
• not being a walmart or target ad
• mail in rebates
• black friday sales
• price going down too low like $1 cell phone prices

[InstallGuy]

We do price match Amazon.com, as long as the item is actually being sold by Amazon and not "joeselectronicshack.com" THROUGH amazon.

We have also never price matched Black Friday deals as a company. If this has happened for you, it was a very isolated case. 

I believe that we did in fact change the price matching on mail-in rebate deals due to the fact that the manufacturers have even been denying their own mail in rebates more frequently lately.