Best Buy & Geek Squad Policies

[b12njoy2010]

Customers have been claiming that consoles that were represented by Best Buy as new, were actually used and defective.

Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony deliver their gaming devices in new and factory sealed condition to Best Buy. Why is Best Buy instructing customers to contact manufacturers regarding "used" consoles? Why should Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony be held accountable for the Xbox 360, Wii, and PS3 a customer receives after Best Buy has taken possession?

Best Buy: "when we sell a new factory-sealed product, this is precisely how the manufacturer represented that product to us, and this is why I believe our store was unsure as to how such an event could take place – and therefore, referred you to Microsoft for proper assistance.  In case you are interested, you can reach Microsoft at 1-800-642-7676."

[starhelper2587]

 I don't really see the point of your post.  Did you even have an issue like this?  You don't know what has been discussed with any clients in that situation via PM or over the phone with corporate so I don't see how you could possibly know what you're talking about.  LOL

[RealGeorgeW Valued Expert]

This is in regards to the users other thread. I'm gonna mark it to be put with the other thread.

[b12njoy2010]

This is an independent thread.

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[Nokia]

Because what you posted was from a thread dealing with a 360 with a S/N that didn't match. If the S/N doesn't match, BB is not obligated to accept the return.

[b12njoy2010]

Hello Nokia,

Thank you for your taking the time to read my post and adding to the discussion. Respectfully, this thread is not about Best Buy's return policy.

On 4/29 members "Fallout" and "Singfoom" came to this forum claiming that when they got home from Best Buy they realized that their consoles had been used and defective. Both had the same problem except that Singfoom doesn't get an exchange because of S/N. And both were told the same thing:

"when we sell a new factory-sealed product, this is precisely how the manufacturer represented that product to us, and this is why I believe our store was unsure as to how such an event could take place"

Respectfully, why would a manufacturer be held accountable for the condition of a product at POS? It is clear even by Best Buy's account that they receive the product in "new factory-sealed" condition.

[Nokia]

The person with the Wii got it exchanged. The person with the 360 didn't because of the S/N. Do you have an issue?

[CrimsonRain]

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b12njoy2010 wrote:

Respectfully, why would a manufacturer be held accountable for the condition of a product at POS? It is clear even by Best Buy's account that they receive the product in "new factory-sealed" condition.

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What makes you think that new factory-sealed means that there is an actual legitimate item in the box all the time? Manufacturers make mistakes as much as Best Buy and any other retailer does. During my time at Best Buy, I have encountered a number of these mistakes (e.g. a red Nintendo DS in a box advertised as black, laptops with the wrong AC adapters, laptops with no batteries, TVs with no remote, etc.). You are only hearing one side of the story on these forums (usually the angry side). There are three sides to every story: side A, side B, and the truth. Personally, I think these incidences are isolated ones. It's not company practice to resell used items and tag it as new.

On a side note, correct me if I am wrong current and/or ex-Best Buy employees, but aren't gaming consoles usually PRC? If so, there would be no feasible reason for Best Buy to repackage a returned/exchanged game console and resell it if they get vendor credit back from the manufacturer. I never worked in Operations so my memory on this is cloudy at best.

[Nokia]

I'm sure this is a combination of mfg. mistakes, and BB mistakes. At the store level, a used unit can accidentally get put back out on the floor, especially if it looks unopened on the outside. For some reason, a lot of people are assuming that it's BB trying to get rid of used units. Occam's razor applies here.