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.

[jskrenes]

What I don't get is why Best Buy can't just put in their price match policy that they won't go lower than 5% above wholesale, or they won't match online competitors. I bought a TV from Sears, their price match policy strictly and clearly stated that they will only price match from a local retailer, no online, and no price match of a price match (meaning you can't go to BB and have them match newegg's price and then go to sears and have them match the new Best Buy price). Best Buy should honor their price match policy, but shouldn't be ashamed to modify it so that they can remain profitable.

[1kingsfan]

We used to joke about that all the time when I worked at CCity. The thing is, I think most customers would be put off by the fact that BBY was explicit in stating the obvious "HI WE NEED TO MAKE A PROFIT SO WE WON'T PRICE MATCH IF IT HURTS THE BOTTOM LINE". While I agree that BBY shouldn't be ashamed about modifying the policy, it's in their best interests to keep it on the down low when they do and don't want to price match.

[irishbird86]

Also, most of your comments issues are explained here.

Including online prices.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site//olspage.jsp?id=cat12098&entryURLType=&categoryId=cat10011&type=page&entryURLID=&contentId=1118843518460

[john318]

Policy, schmolicy, they (BB)are akin to a rebate center. Touch your head, rub your stomach, and hop on one foot. They want you in the door and so excited about the product that your normal faculties have left your mind. As for "growing up", they are a business. I don't think holding a company to a policy they hope will bring in customers is childish. As for their lack of commissioned sales people, it doesn't guarantee that virtues and pleasing the customer come with an 18 year old surrounded by zombies with credit cards. Having to get a better deal means dealing with a manager, it works for me at other stores. I hope that BB realizes that BB didn't put CC out of business with it's business ethics. It was the customer looking around and realizing others will do it better, faster, and cheaper. As for following the 100% percent rule on price matching: making a customer feel like a fool in the middle of a transaction might make you feel like a little king. But in the end, articles like this show others good results from online services like Amazon and local B&Ms seeing ****** in the BB armor. You don't need to be a chicken to know how to lay an egg. I think BBs vague policy on price matching is an egg. And I think it is a brown one.

[kemiqb]

I HATE Best Buy! INow that CC is gone BB thinks they can do whatever they want because there's really no more competition. Price match will probably go away soon....Just wait

[friscoG]

I just buy online anyway. The problem is that Amazon, New Egg, Tiger Direct, etc can offer much lower prices. The main argument for brick and mortar such as best buy is that you receive customer service and help. The problem with that is that their staff is usually not knowlegable of their products and ramble off myths, lies, whatever. When I go in to look at a television, I have already read about it on Cnet, Amazon, etc.

By doing this, I can gain insight and go in for a demo. Nine times out of ten, there is no demo because they are showing the same low quality demo reel across 100 different televisions and the sales staff tell you about all the issues of plasma and why LCD is much better when they really don't know what they are talking about.

Now, I will say that if the price is the same as other stores, I will go to best buy because of their return policy and rewards program, but there mystical customer service is B.S.

[monkeyman1140]

Only idiots shop at Best Buy. Nobody in their right mind pays MSRP for anything these days, and thats what Best Buy offers.

[nateschlueter]

I recently purchased an HDTV from Best Buy. Their price, on the average, was $200 more than all websites I was looking at. I printed off several of these pages and brought them in. I was told they would not price match any of the online stores (in their price matching policy) and also turned down a Fry?s and ABT (no stores in the Minneapolis area) price but told me they will always give me the lowest price it has ever been at Best Buy.

At the time the TV was going for 1799, it had been on sale 2 weeks before for 1699 so that was the price they gave me. Two weeks later it went on sale for 1499, same price I was seeing online, and they were generous enough to match that price.

[kettlecove]

I think it is hardly idiotic to see the product, perhaps even test it out, control the delivery, get superior financing (i.e. 0% interest usually), and perhaps only spend a modest premium over an online retailer. BB on many products is not that more expensive if you bide your time. I currently have 5 LCD TVs, a plasma, two blu-rays, 3 computers, and numerous other electronics so I know what I'm talking about. BB serves a purpose. I use them when they represent the best overall value, all factors considered.

People are starting to buy online a whole lot more than in the past. Hopefully if Best Buy keeps this up then they'll have some serious money losses and lawsuits on their hands. I'm sick and tired of corporations screwing the working man!

[chu_man_00]

Up in Winnipeg, Canada, our Best Buy will not honour the price matching with any of the privately owned computer stores.

[Blank8]

I've been working in Consumer Electronics retail for about four years now and the one thing I can say about Best Buy's return policy is inconsistent. This is in no way the fault of the people who made the policy it has been realized in these posts that a lot of it comes down to management and not just store managers but district managers, I've been to plenty of Best Buys where the price matching policy was followed to a T. I've also been to a store within 20 miles who couldn't even find the return policy if you held it in front of their faces, dose this excuse the inconsistency? No it definitely doesn't but when you have such a large presence as Best Buy it's hard to regulate anything but the numbers.

I have always been happy with Best Buy as a company and lamented the stores that got it wrong, I find this true with a lot of retailers (I'm looking at you Macy's...). The price matching policy has such strict regulations for a reason and that is to keep the store in business. These business's need to; pay employees, stock shelves, pay rent and utilities, buy supplies, make repairs, and restructure whenever possible. To that effect they offer great financing (Best Buy has offered AT LEAST 1 year with 0% interest for the last year and has continued to offer as much as 3 years no interest.), professional installation with some of the most qualified installers I've seen (changes store to store unfortunately), knowledgeable staff at the good stores which I whole heartily believe there are more of than the bad stores, and a lot of great coverage for their goods (I've had three big purchases from Best Buy with service contracts and two of them worked for my benefit, the third was just peace of mind).

I suppose I feel Best Buy needed some defense in this argument from all the bashing being done, the system isn't perfect but neither is online shopping. I've had great experiences with Newegg and Amazon but it's great to talk to somebody about the product and when you want something right then and there is great to have that option. I find less and less people shopping smart these days and shopping extreme, people will stick to only retail or to only online when using a combination of both could be so much more beneficial.

[garyusww]

I attempted to get BB to match an advertised price from Sears for a Samsung 650 series 40" LCD TV several weeks ago. BB's sale price was about $200 above Sears' price at the time, and they told me the best they could do would be to come within $100. I accepted based on the fact that BB's price included delivery and setup, which Sears' price didn't include. I signed up for BB's credit plan while my BB salesman put together a package to include a PS3 that I wanted. By the time I got back, the total cost of my TV had ballooned from $1200 to $2800, including the PS3, BB's service warranty, and some other overpriced options such as HDMI cables and a power conditioner. I had the salesman strip away everything but the TV, and it still came out $200 more than Sears' price. The salesman explained that their computer system wouldn't let them sell it for less than what they were selling it for. I told him the deal was off and left without a TV, having wasted 2 hours there. A couple weeks later I bought a Sony Z-series 46" TV from Ultimate Electronics for $1375, after UE matched and bested BB's price for the Sony. Best Buy's price match policy is a scam..

[DethLocke]

The solution to shady business practices like this is easy, stop shopping at best buy. I did once i realized the greatness that is newegg. If everyone who gets screwed by them just stop shopping there, they will follow circuit city soon enough.

[bbqserver1]

Yes newegg has lower prices, whoopty doo.
Im no bb fanboy, however a few reasons I shop there vs online.......
Tv prices are usually pretty close to newegg. If i buy it, decide I want a bigger tv, I can return it easily.
They honor MFG warranties on all items. So if you buy a tv with a 1yr warranty, and DO NOT get their extended warranty , BB will still come to you house and fix it. Heck, I even bout some memory from there, little over priced, but LIFETIME warranty that they honor at the store. I came in 3 yrs later with my receipt and they swapped it out, no questions. Its about conveince, hell if everyone gets a stick up their butt and says, heck I can get it cheaper online ... guess what, eventually all retailers will shut down and the economy will get even worse. yayyyyyyyyyyyy

[Mephisto410]

I dont understand what the problem is?? You all found it cheaper somewhere else but feel the uncontrollable urge to buy it at best buy with a price match?? if its cheaper somewhere else, doesnt it just make sence to buy it there? I only go to best buy if I want to physically see something before I buy it online for much much cheaper.

[1kingsfan]

The reason they won't buy it at the store with the lower price is simple - GREED. They found it cheaper and hope bby will roll over and price match PLUS do 10% of the difference which almost always amounts to around $20-$40 extra dollars off. Really? For that little people are willing to put themselves in stupid situations with 16 year old morons? No thanks.

[BamAlmighty]

This happened to me at an Officemax yesterday. The store manager wouldn't honor a price match, because his store was going to lose money on it, he flat out told me "it wasn't in their interest to honor the price, because they were going to lose money on it, there was not anything in it for them."

For the heck of it, I called another Officemax down the street and asked the manager there to clarify the company's price matching policy, he confirmed that the price match was legit and offered to honor the price match at his store. So I told the penny pinching manager to suck, went to the other Officemax and got my price match without a hassle.

Normally, I would have gone to the store running the advertised price, but I had a Officemax gift card I had to use. Anyways, I called in a complaint to Officemax corporate, so we'll see if they even respond.

[rpvitiello]

I actually know of one store where the manager was fired for not meeting his performance goal going into this year who WAS following company policy for price matching etc... They replaced that store manager with a "stricter" person. After this NEW manager was put in place all of a sudden they are spewing out this BS price matching policy, My aunt experienced it as well. she tried to price match a TV that was selling for $950.00 at another electronic store and the management refused at first saying they were not their "direct" competition. She pressed the issue and they finally caved.

[Hinez57]

How do you handle a price match if the Best Buy price includes a promotional offer such as a free gift card or rebate?
The Best Buy net purchase price is calculated by deducting the value of all instant and mail-in discounts such as rebates, free offers and promotional gift cards. Existing rebates and free offers associated with a product purchased at Best Buy will not apply if a price match is executed.

The people at HDGuru should not have been given free delivery because it is a free service that Best Buy offers which is voided when they do a price match, I thought people were supposed to do their homework before ripping on a company. Not that I am for Best Buy, it's just dumbasses like that **** me off.

[1kingsfan]

Generally speaking BBY's policy is the same as almost every other electronics retail in that regard. If BBY were interested in providing outstanding customer service they would simply allow the customer to make the choice - our price + the gift card OR their price, but not a combination of both. If financing is better at another store I know BBY won't match the financing so why would they or ANY other store match a "free with purchase" offer?

[ManjyomeThunder]

I don't understand BestBuy's logic behind their response...
"There was a $700 price gap, so it set off a red flag and we had our employees make up random garbage."

It really....doesn't sound good.

[irishbird86]

To be honest.... I have been reading through all of this every now and then...

The comments are all the same and have no solid proof that Best Buy is not honoring their policy.

Every story on here has stated something that allows Best Buy to say "sorry we cannot price match".

The other side is, most people commenting on here have no experience in business.


Finally, according to all of the comments. Businesses should price match for our benefit.
Let's take an extreme look.
Say you want to buy a double cheeseburger. Mcdonald's has them for $1.
Burger King does not.
Should Burger King offer it to you?