I purchased an iPhone 12 Black, 128GB for Sprint outright, so @ $880. However, there was a trade in promotion that brought it down to $679, specifically it was an iPhone SE (2020, 64GB, good condition) that brought the price down to that level, because it was worth $200 per Best Buy’s trade in assessment. Mind you, this is true (it is worth around $180-220) on Best Buy’s trade in program *irrespective* of carrier promotions.
I paid for pickup with three gift cards: one with $200, one with 400, and one with around $97, and lastly a credit card for around $48-50.
The total was 742.89. That entire sum - the 742.89 I paid before pickup - is independent of the $200 trade in value. It was my own funds, and I’ve the gift cards as proof.
I returned my iPhone 12 yesterday, and initially was given a $200 credit for my trade in. Great, I thought. I had paid with 3 Best Buy E Gift Cards and a credit card, so I presumed those had been refunded automatically and the $200 was for the phone I traded in.
Not so. The associate failed to complete the transaction, because I checked my E Gift Card Balances - empty. I promptly returned to the store, asked that the associate explain and rectify the situation. He acknowledged his failure and called for a manager’s aid.
Unfortunately, the situation only gets worse from here, which seems to be a recurring theme with Best Buy, much like an old joke about Russian history.
The manager inquired on the steps he took and pointed out that he’d forgone an entire process - so we went through the second part to get the rest of my money back. Mind you I’d only gotten $200 on a gift card - which both the associate and the email said was *for the trade-in*, AKA my SE. So I’m still out 742.89, or maybe $700 after a restocking fee. The manager continues, takes a restocking fee (fine) and then suggests she owes me only 497.89 left. This is nonsensical. If I had *manually* gone in and traded in an iPhone for $200, and then bought the same iPhone 12 128GB using my gift cards and credit card ($742.89), I could do so for around $970 after tax easily, which is essentially what I actually paid. But since the trade in was a part of some “promotion” that was automated and took $200 off the total I paid before pickup - there seems to be an error in the accounting systems. Even after a restocking fee; returning my phone and ending up with about $700 in Best Buy Credit and no original phone (fine, can I have my SE back? Unlikely.) is illogical & insulting on even an elementary playing field.
I suggested there was an error, and that the trade in money had been taken off the price of the item & was returned to me via the gift card, but the system took it off of the amount I *actually paid* after the associate handed me $200, which is why it suggested I was only owed another $497 or whatever. The manager was belligerent at my suggestion and seemed to lack a conceptual understanding of how money works despite her obvious age - and accused me of lying several times throughout the return. We called Best Buy “Bridge” support but to no avail, I actually explained it to the corporate support employee and she understood exactly what I meant but could not help me, and the manager hung up on corporate after I gave the phone back. I eventually left as she dismissed my official records from my Best Buy App in the purchase payment method.
So to recap:
I paid $742.89 + $200 (trade in) via
three Best Buy Gift Cards ($400, $200, $97)
a credit card ($47 or so)
*AND*
in an iPhone SE ($200 Best Buy Credit) for an iPhone 12 128GB on Sprint.
I walked out of a return with about $700 in Best Buy Gift Cards (2), no credit card refund, and no iPhone SE. I thought the initial $200 was a return of the iPhone SE trade in credit; the system instead deducted it from my $742.89 payment. It was 742.89 BECAUSE OF THE TRADE IN CREDIT, THE ACTUAL TOTAL IS IN THE 900’s.
So where’s my other ~$200? Who’s going to rectify this utter disaster? I wasted nearly two hours for this, and what’s more - when I picked up the phone two weeks ago it wasn’t even activated despite the associates insistence otherwise.
Ridiculous.
Meg-BBY
