Best Buy Store Purchase

[TP0228]

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE and CUSTOMER SERVICE!! Placed an order in store to be shipped home. Paid with a credit card and two gift cards. The store rep tossed the gift cards in the garbage. Never received the order. I contacted Best Buy and instead of offering to ship me a new order, they proceeded to help me cancel it. The representative rushed me off and didn’t consider asking me if I still had the gift cards. Time passed and I called Best Buy to follow up on my refund. The funds were refunded to my credit card and the two trashed gift cards. I called Best Buy again explaining that the store rep threw away the gift cards and that my money needed to be refunded. I was told that they could apply the money to my credit card. I was told to wait 7-10 business days and I would receive the money on my credit card. I didn’t. I called Best Buy again to find out they cannot refund the gift card money to my credit card. I wasn’t allowed to speak to a supervisor. Either the phone went dead silent or I was told a supervisor would call me back, in which they never did. Tactful way to get a disgruntled customer off the phone. I was told repeatedly on the phone to contact the company that issued the gift cards, as they could easily refund the money using the last 4 numbers on the gift cards. Wrong! Again, more misinformation from Best Buy. I went back to the store I purchased the item from and was told there was nothing they could do. The manager supposedly gave me the number to corporate to call for further assistance, but it turns out it was the regular customer service number I’ve been calling for the last month. I finally was able to speak to a supervisor who gave me the same song and dance and told me to contact the gift card company. She then offered to put in a refund request with corporate. How is that now being submitted after I’ve been calling for a month??? Another ploy to seem like I’m being helped, but really just trying to get me off the phone. I would like my funds that I spent in your store back ASAP! You also need to train all your employees better. This is not how customers should be treated!

[nckhammond]

Gift card as in bestbuy gift card?
Or as in Visa gift card?

If the cards were purchased from bestbuy they can be reissued with proof of purchace

If they were visa type cards, they generally can be reissued by logging into the website that you used to register them originally.

If they were a gift or you didnt register them like the instructions on the card tell you to do, there isnt much anyone can do for you.

[TP0228]

Wow. Is this how you treat customers?? “There isn’t much anyone can do for you.” That’s utter and total bull crap. Of course they weren’t Best Buy gift cards. They were AMEX, given as a gift. Furthermore, who registers a gift card? You receive it and spend it. That’s it. Save the nonsensical response for someone that will buy it. I spent money in Best Buy. Money is sitting in the trash thanks to incompetent workers in your store. You’re not losing a dime by refunding what is rightfully mine. All that transpired is not my fault. I expect a solution. This is not acceptable.

[nckhammond]

You register them so you can spend then online where websites verify zip code etc. Also great for if you lose the cards.

Best buy refunded the money to the card. They dont have a way to get it back

The only way now is to contact whomever gave you the cards and see if they have a receipt to get the card issuer to provide new cards.

[jdogg836]

As a gift card user, I always keep the used cards "just in case".  Most retailers just toss them when they are used up, I often have to ask to have the used card back while in a store.  I don't fault the retailer because retailers assume that you're not going to return the item.  Most gift card companies as well as consumer advocacy groups strongly recommend holding on to the used cards until the return period ends, and in some cases until the manufacturer's warranty has expired.  Obviously it's up to you, but this is the recommendations of those in the know.

In accordance with our refund policy, the funds *always* go back to the original form of payment...that includes gift cards.  This is how most retailers perform returns in an effort to deter return fraud.

The money is not "in the trash", the gift card company has the money back and should be able to provide you with a replacement.  That's what Best Buy does with our gift cards, that's what most other gift card issuers do as well, some charge a fee to do so but that's entirely up to them and their policies.  There would not be a way to reverse the refund, so the best way forward would be to get the details of the AMEX gift cards from the gift purchaser then contacting the customer support for the card issuer and providing them the gift card number.