Report: Is Best Buy refusing to match prices?
Is Best Buy refusing to honor its own price-matching policy?
(Credit: BestBuy.com)Update March 19: Best Buy has responded with a statement, and we have posted an update.
Web site HDGuru.com has published a report describing three separate visits to Best Buy locations where salespeople refused to comply with the store's own price-matching policy.
The report goes on to provide advice to customers interested in obtaining a price match themselves. Here's the meat of the HDGuru's exchange:
When asked to match the price, salesmen at all three stores said, "no," giving the same excuse: "The advertised Panasonic was on sale for three days, and Best Buy's price-match policy exempts limited-time sales."
However, there is no "limited time" exemption in Best Buy's price-match policy. Store personnel simply made up a phony excuse or were instructed to do so by higher-ups.
The report also cites an unnamed Best Buy source who claims that the order to refuse price matches, despite going against the company's stated policy, descended from management, with the aim of increasing the chain's profit margins.
HDGuru's advice to shoppers ranges from common sense (don't make a scene) to mildly deceptive (ask if the store offers extended warranties, even if you don't want one).
We're not advocating or endorsing said advice, but if you're serious about getting a price match or have been refused, it might come in handy.
What's your take? Have you felt deceived by an electronics retailer recently, or have your experiences been good? How do you feel about pretending to want a warranty or cable to get a better price? Sound off in comments.
David Katzmaier reviews HDTVs for CNET. 
If you don't like what the sales peon says, ask to talk to the department manager, then the store manager. If you still think that you are being mislead, you might have reason to complain to the FTC.
I agree. Patronize the honesty of the other seller. That's a no brainer, and once enough folks do it will stop the dishonesty at any vendor that doesn't follow through on advertised store prices/policies. --mark d.
Shoppers should shop where it's convenient and economical, and retailers don't have the right to dictate where consumers should go. If Best Buy has a problem with price matching, they should not publicly display the policy.
Another way to get the job done is to tell them if they price match the item you will buy a service plan. Management will be all over that deal because a service plan is pure margin. Make sure when you checkout that they price match the actual product and not decrease the price on the service plan. Buy the product (at the reduced price) and the service plan, go load it in your car, and come back in to return the service plan.
I've done the above twice. Store wouldn't match the price even shoving their own policy in their face so I just went ahead and made a deal with them and then returned the plan. Works every time.
What I did on those two occasions was perfectly legal and had the Best Buy management not been trying to screw me over I wouldn't have even had to do it. They could have just given me the price match they should have given me. Their bad.
Although I NEVER buy anything from Best Buy or Fry's for that matter I do go to Best Buy or Fry's only to physically look at the product, get the UPC# and search on Google Product Search and buy it online for a much cheaper price + TAX FREE.
Same thing for books with the ISBN#.
One way or another they are going to match the price, I am going to pay for it, and walk out of the store. Whether they force me to waste their time and mine with games is up to them.
Not low. An eye for an eye; turnabout is fair play...and any other appropriate cliches you can think of. Best Buy treats the customer like scum, they deserve the SAME treatment. If they're not going to HONOR their own policy, then at least have the decency to change it so there's no ambiguity. At least then it's with a clear mind and no animosity with where we stand with BB when then we go to Amazon or Newegg and buy from them instead.
I won't support a business that's trying to screw it's customers over, even to get some kind of petty revenge. I certainly won't waste my time buying unwanted service plans and then returning them to support a dishonest company. That's either stupid or insane and I can't tell which.
HOWEVER, we all do this, and we now have lost competition for BB. When CC closed, or announced it, BB went into profit-boosting mode. They were always overpriced, still are, and now will be even more so. BUT....if you are a smart shopper, you can get a deal at BB, but it gets harder every time I try, now.
Being a member of their Reward Zone earned me a coupon for a Blackberry Bold at half the going price in December. It is still the best deal I have seen for the phone, and I regret it none at all (other than being with AT&T).
Caveat Emptor, as always.
My absolute FAVORITE response came however when attempting to price match and purchase several Canon Flash units that Best Buy (and Circuit City) typically mark up to the $350 range, but B&H's normal price was $240. Of the 3 Best Buys I went to, two of them claimed a companywide meeting regarding price matching policy from "last week" explicitly forbids price matching with B&H as they are not considered a local competitor.
When I replied that I was purchasing an additional flash, and that I HAD ALREADY had one price matched by Best Buy the previous Tuesday (which was true), they claimed the meeting occurred the following Wednesday. When I approached the manager with the sales receipt I realized my purchase was on the previous Thursday. The manager then replied that the meeting had occurred yesterday. Frustrated, I went to another Best Buy which was ironically even further geographically from B&H and the manager told me straight that no policy excluding B&H ever existed, and he was happy to match the price on the spot.
These days, if I have to shop in Best Buy, I will still price match to my heart's content. For my needs however, I have always been able to find better deals in other stores and/or online.
EVERY FLYER PRINTED has a "prices in effect from March 21st to March 28th, 2009" or some such: by definition, a limited time sale.
Even a ONE DAY SALE falls into this classification.
What Best Buy will NOT match is limited STOCK sales: "first 10 purchasers" etc. Which is understandable, because a competitor could have a "one only sale" and then Best Buy would have to sell stock with that in mind, or start keeping track of a specific item so they would only sell "one" at that price?
But for them to decline "limited time" sales is a clear violation of their stated price match policy.
Oh, and DO make a scene if they attempt to do this to you.
i.e. Fry's electronics no more then 2 miles away had a 40d camara for a price in the paper at $1099, bestbuy had one at $1299...being a old loyal customer of BB i went and asked to price match...they told me that they dont price match Fry's cause they are a wholesale merchandiser...so I said o.k. then I went to Wal-Mart.com and they had the camara for $1099 with free instore pick up, and they said they don't price match .com...even though I can pick it up at the store and it comes with free shipping...
after that I boycotted BestBuy...
I guess your time is worthless.
However, this doesn't surprise me as I've encountered the vary same problem at other retailers. Usually it's stores not adhering to their own return policies. I had bought a monitor from another major computer retailer and had been told that if it had seven or fewer dead pixels they'd exchange it on the spot with an identical monitor. When I got home, it had about five but when I took it back I was given the run around and the guy at the back started telling me it was seven or MORE, which contradicted what their girl and the sign at the cash said. I had to get the manufacturer to exchange it for me. Needless to say, I never shopped at that store again. I've had this happen several times at various different placed but this is probably the most glaring example.
The headline reads as follows:
"Report: Is Best Buy refusing to match prices?" <---Note the question mark there at the end.
They didn't say at all that this is definative, but are taking something that is clearly a big deal and bringing it to the the attention of the public. Maybe it isn't as widespread, and maybe it isn't even illigal, but it is good to know that this might happen so as to be prepared for it in any case. Public scrutiny often takes care of problems like this. I'm sure when their profits fall further due to lack of public trust, they will stop trying to rip off their customers.
I'm sure when their profits fall further due to lack of public trust, they will stop trying to rip off their customers.
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I'm sure when the company goes under because people STOPPED SHOPPING AT STORES THEY DON'T TRUST (CC?) they will stop ripping off their customers.
Not try.
You do have a valid point about 3 published experiances amongst a retail chain of thousands, but I would like to believe that artical and the similar experiances shared here will continue to grow to a point where Best Buy (and other retailers like them) will be forced to start abiding by their own policies or else face a true threat of negitive public opinion or a class action lawsuit.
Hello, Costco and Amazon...
don't forget newegg!
how dare you forget newegg!
But we're talking about MASS PRODUCED ITEMS. Best Buy is wrong-headed if they think NOT selling something at a profit is better than selling at a profit. What they need is better coordination (not competition) between other stores in their own chain: if I managed a store and someone came in for a price match, then 2 hours later someone ELSE came in to buy the thing at FULL RETAIL, I'd call another store and arrange FREE SHIPPING THAT DAY to the full-price customer. Take the order, charge the customer, and get the other nearby store to deliver the item to the customer (rather than deliver it to the store and have the customer come pick it up) and split the sale with the other store.
Customer happy: TWO units sold. One as price match, other near full retail (less the free delivery). More $$$ in the bank for Best Buy at the end of the day.
Best Buy is shooting themselves in the foot putting undue pressure on their managers to maximize MARGINS over PROFITS, and putting their stores in competition with one another.
- by sting7k March 17, 2009 12:21 PM PDT
- Where were these Best Buy's located? They price matched a set of landline phones for me this past weekend that were on sale for $25 cheaper on Amazon, 110% of the difference. Now the phones were much less than an HDTV but still.
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