Best Buy Store Purchase

[RangerJoe]

I recently looked up a few needed GoPro accessories at a larger Best Buy location I didn’t have to go to but knowing there was an unrelated retail store I was needing to go to accelerated my timeline for the 30-mile drive due to the "alure" of two open box discounts on the two GoPro accessories.

To verify inventory accuracy since websites do not always reflect up to the minute quantiles, I looked up my intended locations phone # and dialed it while in route. I provided the store location and item descriptions to the individual who took my call who I later found out was a call center and located my items in question.

He stated the retail prices as listed on your website and I asked about the open box price availability.  He confirmed that there was an open box price for each item listed and that if the item was not available on his screen it would not otherwise be reflected as an available item. 

Upon arriving at the intended Best Buy location I went to the respective dept. and was unable to find the open box items. With the aid of an associate, I was promptly informed that the "open box" items were at another location an additional 40 some miles away.  The associate explained that this has been a common area of confusion for many customers informing that you have to click the link which I had done prior to my journey only refreshes the same page and it is not until you scroll down the page to which I was shown by the instore associate that it was a bait and switch and had to pay full price on both of my items.

I could have simply gone to the smaller retail location 5 miles from where I started and paid the same thing.

 In this scenario I was duped by both your misleading website and the inability of your call center staff who did not know any better. I ended up paying FULL price on BOTH ITEMS not to mention the 62-mile round trip and the hour and a half drive time for something I could have purchased for the SAME price 5 miles away,

 I am utterly disappointed in Best Buy as a whole for this entire debacle. It was a complete waste of time away from family, vehicle wear and tear and fuel costs. The unrelated retail location I mentioned could have gone unaddressed for another week or so where I could have linked the trip with multiple other pickups. 

Purchased items:

$79.99 retail vs $59.99 open box

The Remote for GoPro (HERO 11 Black/HERO11 Black Mini/HERO10 Black/HERO9 Black/HERO8 Black/ Max) - B...

Model: ARMTE-003

SKU: 6450296

$29.99 Retail vs $22.99

Platinum™ - Extreme Accessory Kit for GoPro Action Cameras

Model: PT-GPEXTK21

SKU: 6402471

Retail total cost without tax: $79.99 + 29.99 = $109.98

Open Box without tax: 59.99 + $22.99 = $82.99

A total difference of $27.00 not including loss of time and milage for the extended trip.

[Allison-BBY Social Media Specialist]

Hello, RangerJoe, and welcome to our online community!

Thank you for posting on our forum for support. Purchasing open-box items is a great way to save, and I can understand your disappointment after driving all the way to your Best Buy just to discover the open-box accessories were not there as expected. This is never the experience we want for our customers, and I'm glad you reached out. While Best Buy stores do not take calls directly from customers, we'd expect you to receive accurate information and support when calling the customer service line. 

For future purchases, we recommend using store pickup as an option to ensure your needed items are in-stock and ready for purchase at your desired location. Store pickup can be used to purchase new and open-box items at your local store. You can read more about store pickup here.

I'd like to formally document your experience and offer any additional assistance you may need. To start, please send me a private message including your full name, email, and phone number. You can find the blue option to message me to the right of my name below.

All the best,