Comments on: Best Buy responds to price match accusations

Best Buy has supplied a written statement responding to an article describing employees at the company's stores refusing comply with the company's own price matching policies.

[the_iceman]

shop amazon, newegg, onecall, j & r, ebay and others instead of "best" buy. I believe they (best buy) probably do have a "corporate undisclosed policy of discouraging and denying customers the benefits of its price match guarantee". That's fine if you don't want to price match another store just stop pretending/ lying to consumers that you will.

[the_iceman]

Oh and where ever possible > BUY AMERICAN

[CletusJackson]

I work at Staples as an electronics associate. Staples use to have an 110% price match policy of the difference; however, managers and corporate discouraged using it. It was only encouraged as a sales tactic to close sales/transaction immediately. After seeing my fair share of shady transactions by managers, Staples have no problem using price matching only if you by the service plan/replacement plan and/or attachments with your purchase (IE. memory card with your camera, MS office with your laptop). Managers will do anything as long as you buy more with your item. They are desperate to meet their sales goals!

[pauldb]

I am surprised it has taken this long for this to become a story. The local BB in Pleasant Hill, CA has never matched prices. I have spoken with the store manager on down and they have taught the staff well. Each one having a new and better reason not to price match. Over the past few years I have purchased nearly $20,000 of gear that BB sells. Not one dime has gone to them, nor will it ever. The best way to argue with them is with your wallet. I don't understand why anyone shops there.

[Gorifyny]

I don't think I've ever tried to PM at BB mainly because their terms mean that another local merchant must have advertised and have the item in stock - I've always just bought it at the place that advertises the lowest price - why shouldn't they be rewarded for their initiative in giving a low price? Just hold on to those gift cards and use them later. Actually, I have bought much less from BB since they stopped sending me coupons - you'd think they would notice that.

[Stories84]

Understand that a store like Best Buy, where they don't make a huge volume of sales must make up for it by making margin somewhere in their products. Best Buy employees don't make commission, and these folks have to be paid somehow. That has to come from the products. Best Buy is really a store for your mom and dad, people who need salesmen to help sell them a product. If you already know exactly what you want, get it online.

[mamontano]

"Best Buy is really a store for your mom and dad, people who need salesmen to help sell them a product. If you already know exactly what you want, get it online. " - You hit the nail on the head. Enough said.

[kettlecove]

Haven't read all of the comments, but one other slight of hand I experienced more than once was a salesperson trying to charge me a higher price in store than I saw on BB's own website. They would refer to an internal website that looked very similar the the public one, but with different pricing. I didn't fall for it and insisted on their looking at the public site.
That being said, I have had successful price matches when another local store has a better price; plus we don't have alot of retailers in our area so having BB is convenient. If the price is close to onliners for a higher end item, I choose theBB.

[HRHalderman]

I think there are four reasons to buy from Worst Buy. First, you think the delivery in and of itself is going to get f'ed up. Second, you might indeed think you'll need to service the item. Third, you think there is a good chance the item will arrive DOA. Fourth, you basically want the item right then and there. That said, I think mail order will continue to pick up steam as Worst Buy's service continues to deteriorate. If they can't provide a value added customer experience, I think they're toast. Basically, their salespeople know the very basics at best, and they're most often the stooges bumping into other like we've all seen 1000+ times. Tragic because they're very arrogant.

I had a manager of the store tell me I'm trying to cheat the company and that he has better things to do than to look into my issue. I about fell over when he said he had a lot of things on his "priority" list and that I'm not one of them. Not surprisingly, when he said he would call the next day, he never did. I wrote the CEO, but I have yet to receive a response. This was 2 weeks ago, so they may still respond.

I encourage people to use this forum to express outrageous BB stories.

[irishbird86]

To be honest, he is right.

Why would the CEO take time to look into a complaint coming from one man who wouldn't buy from them anyway?

Also, really, this is where you're going to express your outrage? I'm sure Best Buy checks every website and wonders "Oh gee, this boy seems angry, we should change our policies for him".

[luv2seaters]

Bottom line best buy prices are jacked.I feel its only going to b worse with Circuit City done.
A few months ago I purchased a iphone 3g dock at Best Buy.I stupidly assumed it would be the same price as the Apple Store.So why drive to the burbs to an Apple Store where as I coud purchase one in town and not have the drive.
I go there and pay for it and at the check out register it clocks out at 49 dollars.I said i think thats high but ok I pay for it.When I arrived home I went to the Apple site to check the price and Apple sells it for 29.Apple does offer it for 49 but you receive a Apple remote.I was annoyed at the price difference esp when you figure it out percentage wise.So I go back to the Best BUY in South Philadelphia on Columbus Blvd I went to the returns section and told them about the price difference, she said hold on a minute she talked to a girl there who said in a rude tone sorry we dont price match I said the apple store sells it for 29 dollars she shrugged her shoulders and walked away.I said then take it back and give me my money please.I went to the Apple Store in Cherry Hill NJ not because its a huge savings but for the principal that BEST BUY is overcharging and I refuse to give them my money.I hope they go the same way as Circuit City.

[jpsalerno]

Anyone that buys a large ticket item at a store like this is an idiot anyway. Best Buy is often the highest priced option around. I realize there's a convenience element to going to a store but online shopping is where the real values are.

[BeantownBronco]

Technically, if you really read Best Buy's Price Match Policy, they NEVER have to actually match any prices of any competitor. Why? Focus on this part:

The Price Guarantee does not apply to limited-quantity items.

One could easily argue that everything is a "limited quantity item." After all, do they claim to sell an infinite amount of any electronic? Nope. Eventually, everything is discontinued. And they readily admit in their weekly circulars that they only carry a limited amount of each thing.

[vic6string]

You think the Best Buy situation sucks.... I recently went to Sports Authority to buy an item that was $179 on THEIR OWN WEB SITE. It was $199 in the store, and the clerk would not price match THEIR OWN WEB SITE! I left and went to another store, and got the same response. When I then asked for a manager, i was told that they would match the price if I had a physical copy of the web page. This is THEIR WEB PAGE we are talking about. They would not price match themselves!!!!!

When you look on the site, it does say in fine print that the site is not actually Sports Authority, but is instead some other sporting goods retailer that just runs a site for Sports Authority. I can deal with that (like Target uses Amazon for their on-line stuff), but how can you not price match the web site that you pass off as YOUR OWN site? Target will match their Amazon prices, and you can freely exchange or return items bought on line at the store front (which you can't do with Sports Authority).

[ikramerica--2008]

Branding. Fry's is the same way. They bought Outpost, renamed it Fry's, but it's not the same as the brick and mortar stores.

I believe Dick's sporting goods is like this too. They sell products that are not in stores, and the stores sell products not online, but they do overlap most merchandise.

Target is all the same company, and they stopped working with Amazon because they found people got confused and thought that they were part of Amazon.

[Talerno]

The Best Buy policy says a retailer in the local market area. Which to them basically means that if they are not in the same Mall as the competitor then they don't honor the price match. That's what I was pretty much told. Basically, their price match is a bunch of BS.

[heartattackman]

I'd like to respond to BB's official "statement" regarding the experiences of its customers"

As a customer, I appreciate that Best Buy feels comfortable avoiding any real comment about the awful experiences of my fellow customers with regard to BB's alleged "price match" policy. It's a great way for Best Buy to avoid publicly taking a position that it obviously knows will be used against it in Court and potentially subject it to further legal action. I expect Best Buy will gather feedback of how its customers feel, print that feedback, and then use it in its company bathrooms.

This past weekend I attempted to exercise Best Buy?s price matching policy in Industry and was met with resistance every step of the way. Best Buy?s store and regional managers repeated dishonored their price matching policy ? stating that it only applied to stores near by. When I inquired on the circumference (in terms of miles to establish ?near by?) they indicated that it was set by the nearest store? in other words if there were 2 stores, the first being ½ mile away and the second ¾ of a mile away, the first would set the proximity to establish ?near by? ? therefore not horror the reduce price offered by the store ¾ of a mile away.

Additionally, they also stated that the store would need to be classified as the same type of store as Best Buy. When I inquired as to what sets the classification ? I was told they do? Target, Walmart, Radio Shack, Fry?s and Howard?s just to name a few were not deemed to be classified as ?the same type of store?.

Then the biggest catch, once you found a store they found acceptable, the item would need to be in stock at their competitors store at the time of your purchase.

Talk about the Greyest of Grey Area??..

[bjamnjm]

Once when shopping at BB for a new washing machine the salesperson/department manager lied through his teeth hoping to get us to purchase a Siemens machine on clearance. He assured us it was reliable and that it was on clearance due to BB plans to bring in the next generation Siemens washing machines.

We went home did some research and found bad reviews on the Siemens machine the salesman had pushed so hard. The next day we went back to BB and talked to a different salesperson. We asked her to compare the Siemens and a similarly priced LG washing machine.

The first thing she said was that she'd never recommend the Siemens to anyone. She went on to explain how poorly built the Siemens was, all the returns they'd had and how this model was on clearance b/c they no longer wanted to sale Siemens washing machines. We appreciated her honesty and purchased the LG.

When the LG was delivered we asked the delivery men about the Siemens. They laughed and said the only time they see Siemens washing machines are when they pick them up from dissatisfied customers.

Some time later I went in and gave the original salesman a good verbal beat down ratted him out to his boss. We've had no problems with the LG for 2 years.

I tend to think the problem is one where confusing corporate policy occasionally lines up with incompetent or unscrupulous employees who take advantage of their customers. I agree that BB should either price match across the board or not at all. It's rather obvious their policy is causing confusion.

Yeah, I know. I said, ?Siemens?.

[gary85739]

Just buy on-line...you "usually" don't need what ever it is NOW...you can wait for it to arrive...SAVE BIG, BUY ON-LINE!

[irishbird86]

It's sad how so many people complain about Best Buy and their policies yet you decide to still buy from them.

Folks, grow up. This is business. It is written in the policies exactly the criteria as to what must happen in order to price match. If you don't like it tough beans.

If Best Buy broke down and did what all of you suggest, they would meet the same fate as CC.

Also, I am finding that most people complaining on this board mention no sales experience themselves or lack new responses.

Couple of facts for you (some have been posted):
- BB is non-commission so do not blame their sales staff
- Like all businesses, to earn money you must make a profit. There are costs of buying the goods first, employees pays, and other typical expenses. Thus, it's in Best Buy best interest to keep their prices, even though most are barely above cost these days.
- There is no "hidden rule" stating BB shouldn't honor their own policies. Having worked at numerous stores there is no truth to that. All sales that cannot be price matched probably did not meet the criteria 100%.

Listen, Best Buy is not the Salvation Army or Goodwill. If you do not understand how a business works and do not like them, buy elsewhere. It's that simple.

[1kingsfan]

It's clear to me you have also, like me, worked in electronics for years! Thank you for making the most intelligent comment yet.

[heartattackman]

I think you're missing the overall point. Notably, that BB pushes quite hard their price match policy via advertisements, yet consistently refuse to match local competitors. I wrote previously about BB refusing to match Sears' price for an HDTV. When I questioned the policy, I was told by the manager that the price match policy says "see store manager for details" and the details were "if I don't want to match the price I don't." I can't imagine a more "hidden rule" than that. There was nothing about my situation that didn't meet their policy 100% and if you read enough complaints here, you'll find many in the same boat.

I wasn't trying to price match with some fly by night internet company. This was a price match with one of the biggest retailers in the country located less than 5 miles down the road. Though there's griping here about not matching internet prices (which is ridiculous), I think you'll find quite a large number of people complaining about legitimate instances where BB simply refuses to match prices in violation of their policy. If the lawsuits against BB are any indication, it would appear that BB has a corporate policy discouraging their managers from matching prices.

Nobody forces BB to have a price match policy, but if they have one, they need to honor it.

[1kingsfan]

Heartattackman : I completely understand where you're coming from. I know from being a manager at Circuit City that price matches that didn't make sense (ie: losing too much margin) were HEAVILY discouraged. However, I myself never refused a legitimate price match at my store and neither did any other manager in my district.Ultimately the repeat business of a customer was more important to Circuit than hurting the margin for a few days. I bet if you followed up with corporate you would have eventually got the price match - when CC went under I knew this would happen. Price matching hurts the bottom line and if BBY wants to stay in business they WILL refuse legitimate price matches - and continue to do so until someone either sues them - or rewrites their policy to be even more deceiving than it currently is.

[DatabaseDoctor]

Go to BB to touch and feel the product. Once you've decided on what to buy, GET IT SOMEWHERE ELSE!

Nothing beats handling the camera, recorder, tv yourself before you buy online, but you can ALWAYS get it cheaper online or in another local store. Why even bring in the possibility of BB renegging on the price match?

High price, low mentality sales help (how smart can twenty 17 year olds be?) and management you never see... they hide up on the second level and peer out over their fiefdom aggressively managing their 17 yr old serfs. I don't think BB will go out like CC as there are enough idiots still buying from them, but give it time. They all fall down.

[1kingsfan]

What's ironic about your statement is this "Nothing beats handling the camera, recorder, tv yourself before you buy online, but you can ALWAYS get it cheaper online or in another local store." The statement itself is somewhat true, but there will probably come a time when you won't see many brick and mortar stores simply because you are the type of person who almost always buys it online aren't you? Stores can't stay open for your peace of mind of being able to handle and play with it first, they HAVE to make a profit. Grow up.

[forkboy]

I've taken advantage of the price match guarantee at Best Buy on two occasions in the past two years. No problem on either occasion.

Maybe it is because my local Best Buy knows and likes me?