confused about best buy's policy pleas provide feedback

[MacinMan]

Hey all,

I had an unusual experience with best buy customer service today. It seemed strange to me, but maybe someone can clear things up.

Here it goes.

2010 has been a very unstable year for me with electronics.

First of all, I wanted a netflix compatible player, none of the ones i tried from walmart seemed to fit my exact needs. No return issues there.

So I moved to best buy for my products. First player I tried was the panasonic 65k it was a good unit, but after researching a bit more,I decided i wanted the 85k, it had the video processing and wifi support I was looking for.

Well After being very satisfied with the 85k the first unit developed a random issue into owning it almost a month where the unit would crash and shut down. I returned it so i wouldn't get stuck with a dead unit. Second unit i got had a dead ethernet port out of the box, it was flakey about detecting the network, and even if it did, none of the network features would work checking for firmware, vierra cast etc. tried the wireless dongle, it worked, but i wasn't satisfied knowing the player probably had a dead port and could randomly fail later in other ways. Well i returned it and got a sony bdp-s570 so i wouldn't be stuck without a netflix box while i waited for the 85k to come back in, when it did i returned the sony for a 3rd 85k which works fine. Upon this return the guy said i had returned on the same receipt too many times and i can only return this on if it's a proven defect.


First of all, all returns were in the 30 day time frame.
Second of all, I had two units that proved faulty.
Third, I understood as long as the product wasn't defective, it was resold as open box so someone else could buy it. Well I returned two units they could resell without problems, what's all this about the number of returns? I've never heard of such a thing, only that it has to be within 30 days of purchase, and you need the receipt. Which I did.

I thought the purpose of the return period was for you to evaluate the product, if it breaks return it, if it doesn't meet your needs, return it. Walmart has never given me an issue in doing this. If best buy is going to be that stuck up in doing business I do not know I want to purchase from them anymore.

Anyway, if someone has some useful feedback on this Let me know. If i didn't understand the full return policy I take responsibility for that, However, if they're trying to rip me off. then I want to know about that. Up until now, i haven't had any issues.


Thanks.

The bottom line is they let me have the panasonic today, but they said i can't return it unless it's proven defective. Well if it keeps working I don't want to return it, It's the player I wanted.

[rubystone356]

I remember having a problem with the sony player. I went back and foruth with sony, netflix and my local internet company. I then went to best buy and talked with a supervisor. told them about it. to pleasd my case. they did let me bring it back.. and get a refund. it was the last time I had problems like that. you just have to be polite and explain. I remember having a 90 day thing with best buy or so. I heard it was 30 for dvds not for electronics. I went through a bunch of those and was not happy either. I then saved up and got the oppo. worth the price for that.

Jacob

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by rubystone356

I remember having a problem with the sony player. I went back and foruth with sony, netflix and my local internet company. I then went to best buy and talked with a supervisor. told them about it. to pleasd my case. they did let me bring it back.. and get a refund. it was the last time I had problems like that. you just have to be polite and explain. I remember having a 90 day thing with best buy or so. I heard it was 30 for dvds not for electronics. I went through a bunch of those and was not happy either. I then saved up and got the oppo. worth the price for that.

Jacob

Well it's 30 for electronics which is ridiculous, my plasma blew up within 90 days and if that had been bb's policy i would have been able to replace it no issues instead of waiting for parts to be ordered and having a useless tv until it's fixed. Walmart gives 90 days for electronics and they don't charge you an arm and a leg for extended warranty either. The downside about walmart is I've found their customer service better, but they have less selection in electronic brands then best buy. So i'm forced to go to bb, well maybe sears or something in the future might be better. Plus Like i have said many times before I am legally blind and that large screen plasma is a must have as in a need. If They hadn't honored the warranty I would have called the BBB and made a legal issue out of it possibly have gotten Americans with disabilities involved and given Best buy hell. I'm not someone people want to cross.

Thankfully the geeksquad is going to repair it on panasonic's one year warranty. And maybe plasma specifically isn't a need, but a large screen is. Plasma is what I chose for the best picture detail. with what I could afford for a large screen.

[Lovemy3D]

Best Buy sucks, really. I have problems with them practically every time I buy something. And the sales people I've dealt with either don't know what they are talking about, or out right lie to make the sale. I couldn't even have them order a simple DVD for me without having major issues. I spent a couple of hours multiple days trying to resolve the problem. I never did get the movie either. Unfortunately, they are the only electronics store near me, so I keep going back.

I've not had the return problem though.

[blarneyrubble]

it sounds like you have been taking advantage of the system and it finally caught up with you.

I don't believe they call it a "test drive" policy. They can't sell open box for the same price as nib so of course they don't want you to return an item every month.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by blarneyrubble

it sounds like you have been taking advantage of the system and it finally caught up with you.

I don't believe they call it a "test drive" policy. They can't sell open box for the same price as nib so of course they don't want you to return an item every month.

I agree with blarneyrubble on this one. While technically the return period may allow you the opportunity to try out multiple devices, it isn't without cost to the company. You said nothing of them passing on the cost of the restocking fee to you for your first 2 items...did they? Typically this is 15% and is done because they can no longer sell that item as New In Box - they must now sell it at a reduced price.

I does sound like you have been skating through the system, whether it was intentional or due to ignorance about the policies.

Edit: Best Buy's Return and Exchange Policy doesn't specifically call out this situation. However, it does clearly state "Best Buy reserves the right to deny any return" under the section titled Best Buy Discretion. (source: BB Return and Exchange Policy). It's likely they thought you were abusing the system.

[dg5150]

You were completely justified in returning the defective players. However, getting the sony just to have a player for a few days is too much. I think if you had not done this you would not have had a problem. Don't get me wrong, I don't always like BB, but it wasn't their fault the players were broken. In the end, whenever a company has to eat a few bucks on an open box item, it gets passed on to the rest of us somehow. Like someone else above said, you have to be polite and explain. With the whole "legal issue" and "I'm not someone to cross", people must love to see you coming.

[Ashamed Pegasus]

So exactly how many Blu-ray players have you bought and returned to Walmart and Best Buy?... It sounds to me that you have absolutely no clue which player you want are you're just renting them at the stores expense...

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by Ashamed Pegasus

So exactly how many Blu-ray players have you bought and returned to Walmart and Best Buy?... It sounds to me that you have absolutely no clue which player you want are you're just renting them at the stores expense...

Well, first of all to answer the first set of responses I was unaware of the full policy, beyond the 30 day details. So if someone had explained the full policy rules up front, then I would have handled the situation differently. As far as the legal comment I posted that for the sake of the forum to show how displeased I was that Best buy, someone who specializes in electronics to only give a 30 day return policy on a plasma tv which are known to have random issues. I Feel very strongly that people with special needs are due exceptions, as long as they can provide documented proof of it being a legit special need. I consider a legally blind person's large screen tv which they need to accommodate their vision loss failing within 4 months a more then suitable reason to warrant a repair or replacement free of charge, Now i have the repair free of charge but just exchanging the thing would have been much easier, considering the cost of repair is going to cost panasonic and maybe best buy the same as a whole new tv. do not deal with people with that response in person. As far as walmart goes and blu-ray players.
it was 3 players.

First was the sony bdp-s270
I returned it because It didn't have the expected features
then i returned the S-570 because with sony's glitchy firmware it was giving me issues and I wanted to exchange it it before the return policy.

The third was a second s270 for different circumstances and the player still didn't satisfy me, so i got my money back, and go the 65k from bb, which i returned because i read later that the 85k was better for dvd upscaling. If the first 85k hadn't malfunctioned that would have been the end of the story, but it did. the second one came out of the box bad, as explained in the original post. So i figured i'd try the sony again after the firmware update, and i still wasn't satisfied and the panasonic was back in stock and now i have a good player. So maybe if i had said i wasn't satisfied with the sony to begin with things would have gone different. I did try to explain to the agent that 2010 has been nothing but problems for me with electronics and everything I have bought has either had problems or not had the features I exactly wanted. To be fair, I find it hard basing a purchase choice solely, on user reviews and people who don't know me in person and my specific needs. Plus as as a video professional, i'm very picky about my players and displays. So it seems reasonable to me to use the grace period to evaluate the products of interest to find defects, or simply the fact they weren't designed to meet my specific needs. The other issue, is a majority of users here don't use macs so there are different compatibility issues between media formats etc.

The last thing I want to say is, I know none of you here, know me personally but if you knew how much i've been taken advantage of as a handicapped individual, you'd understand why i have a tough, don't mess with me attitude, it makes me feel secure that people are less likely to double cross me, if they know they're going to get trouble if they do. Trust me I don't randomly threaten people, but i watch them like a hawk to make sure they follow the rules and do what they are supposed to.

I'm not someone who wants to cause trouble, I just want to see the right thing done. This whole experience with the plasma tv and blu-ray players makes me thing a good CRT TV and a DVD player are still more stable. They may not look as good in SD but they are more reliable.

[MacinMan]

wow the other post i just got back in email doesn't show up in the thread, either way the TV is going to be repaired, for free to me, so that I can't complain about, I'm just unhappy that best buy only gives 30 days over walmart who gives 90, It would have just made the whole situation easier. to deal with if i had that extra month for something to fail. And I'm all for equal treatment. but the fact is on the reverse side someone with full vision can't fully justify a large screen tv as a need like someone with vision loss can, that was my whole point with those statements so there are some things in the situation that will never be equal. from that prospective. as store policy I agree everyone should be treated equally, but for the special cases, there should be state help or some other help to help pay for a new tv in the event, the manufacture is unreasonable to deal with. (so far that hasn't happened here) I'm talking special needs here, having help in those cases takes the responsibility off the store and manufacture, but still helps the person in the situation, who needs it.

Besides, If you were in my situation, wouldn't you feel similar? or just the fact a 750 dollar TV dies after 4 months, I would think anyone wouldn't be happy about that.

[myklipschoath]

Originally Posted by MacinMan

Besides, If you were in my situation, wouldn't you feel similar? or just the fact a 750 dollar TV dies after 4 months, I would think anyone wouldn't be happy about that.

It's awesome that they are taking care of you, considering it's written in paper their 30 day policy and you passed on their extended plan. Even if they brushed you off, which they could of done, you still have a manufacturers warranty to fall back on.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by myklipschoath

It's awesome that they are taking care of you, considering it's written in paper their 30 day policy and you passed on their extended plan. Even if they brushed you off, which they could of done, you still have a manufacturers warranty to fall back on.

Yes it is, The geeksquad isn't fixing it by bb's warranty at all they're dealing with panasonic directly which is Good. It's true i could have gotten the extended via bb, but that wouldn't have changed the exchange policy would it have? and also I hear mixed feedback about those extended warranties, so I wasn't confident in investing in the bb one without just handing them wasted money to go into their own pocket and give me nothing when the time came to need it. I just hope after the TV is repaired plasma proves itself to be a good investment, If not i may just stick with an ordinary backlight LCD they seem the most affordable and stable in the long run. Sony has great black levels on their LCDs, I got the ex400 32" 1080p TV for the bedroom with birthday money. And it's a great TV. it evne seems like it has about the same color quality as the plasma. Something else the sony does the panasonic doesn't is it seems to be able to detect film sources on blu-ray automatically and switches to theater mode which seems to be perfectly calibrated by default based on my avs HD disc. Then it switches back to the custom settings i have for the port when the film source is done, or a non film source is played, it actually seems the lcd is smarter then the plasma that just stays set unless you manually change it. The sony also supports true cinema 24p so that's a great deal for a 32" $499 was a great deal, I couldn't afford their extended warranty on this second tv, but at this point I feel more confident in an lcd lasting longer then a plasma based on this experience, and being it was a panasonic that's sad.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by MacinMan

Well, first of all to answer the first set of responses I was unaware of the full policy, beyond the 30 day details. So if someone had explained the full policy rules up front, then I would have handled the situation differently. As far as the legal comment I posted that for the sake of the forum to show how displeased I was that Best buy, someone who specializes in electronics to only give a 30 day return policy on a plasma tv which are known to have random issues. I Feel very strongly that people with special needs are due exceptions, as long as they can provide documented proof of it being a legit special need. I consider a legally blind person's large screen tv which they need to accommodate their vision loss failing within 4 months a more then suitable reason to warrant a repair or replacement free of charge, Now i have the repair free of charge but just exchanging the thing would have been much easier, considering the cost of repair is going to cost panasonic and maybe best buy the same as a whole new tv. do not deal with people with that response in person.

As far as walmart goes and blu-ray players.
it was 3 players.

First was the sony bdp-s270
I returned it because It didn't have the expected features
then i returned the S-570 because with sony's glitchy firmware it was giving me issues and I wanted to exchange it it before the return policy.

The third was a second s270 for different circumstances and the player still didn't satisfy me, so i got my money back, and go the 65k from bb, which i returned because i read later that the 85k was better for dvd upscaling. If the first 85k hadn't malfunctioned that would have been the end of the story, but it did. the second one came out of the box bad, as explained in the original post. So i figured i'd try the sony again after the firmware update, and i still wasn't satisfied and the panasonic was back in stock and now i have a good player. So maybe if i had said i wasn't satisfied with the sony to begin with things would have gone different. I did try to explain to the agent that 2010 has been nothing but problems for me with electronics and everything I have bought has either had problems or not had the features I exactly wanted. To be fair, I find it hard basing a purchase choice solely, on user reviews and people who don't know me in person and my specific needs. Plus as as a video professional, i'm very picky about my players and displays. So it seems reasonable to me to use the grace period to evaluate the products of interest to find defects, or simply the fact they weren't designed to meet my specific needs. The other issue, is a majority of users here don't use macs so there are different compatibility issues between media formats etc.

The last thing I want to say is, I know none of you here, know me personally but if you knew how much i've been taken advantage of as a handicapped individual, you'd understand why i have a tough, don't mess with me attitude, it makes me feel secure that people are less likely to double cross me, if they know they're going to get trouble if they do. Trust me I don't randomly threaten people, but i watch them like a hawk to make sure they follow the rules and do what they are supposed to.

I'm not someone who wants to cause trouble, I just want to see the right thing done. This whole experience with the plasma tv and blu-ray players makes me thing a good CRT TV and a DVD player are still more stable. They may not look as good in SD but they are more reliable.

Ok, it may not be my place to say this, but it needs to be said. You do understand that Best Buy did not manufacture that plasma TV, right? So if said TV fails within 4 months, this is the reason the manufacturer offers a warranty. If you want the convenience of returning it to the store and having them exchange it for you, that's why Best Buy sells those warranties. Otherwise, you deal with the manufacturer apart from the middle man.

You're taking out your anger on Best Buy, who is simply a retailer. They're not obligated to exchange anything for you simply because something doesn't have features you expect. This is the internet age - perhaps you should research a device before you buy it? That way you would know what features it has and whether it has the potential to satisfy you before you play musical chairs with the device. Just a thought....

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by progers13

Ok, it may not be my place to say this, but it needs to be said. You do understand that Best Buy did not manufacture that plasma TV, right? So if said TV fails within 4 months, this is the reason the manufacturer offers a warranty. If you want the convenience of returning it to the store and having them exchange it for you, that's why Best Buy sells those warranties. Otherwise, you deal with the manufacturer apart from the middle man.

You're taking out your anger on Best Buy, who is simply a retailer. They're not obligated to exchange anything for you simply because something doesn't have features you expect. This is the internet age - perhaps you should research a device before you buy it? That way you would know what features it has and whether it has the potential to satisfy you before you play musical chairs with the device. Just a thought....

I do research before I buy, and even doing so I seem to only be 95% sure sometimes it's a product that will meet my needs. A lot of times i find that 5% to be info i can't find about specifics, or something goes wrong in person contrary to what I read. As far as the extended warranty, no one told me it would extend my return policy people gave me the impression it would simply extend past panasonic's warranty. No one really explains these things to me, and people just expect me to know things. Typically what I'll do with research is I'll pick say 3 potential products to try for example in my ball park of features and price.d and give each one a week or so, If the first one meets the needs, the search stops there. if not i'll try the second and the stop usually stops there, very rarely do i need to try a third. If i do i'll usually get my money back from the first place after the second and buy the third from a different store, so i don't build up too many returns from one place in a row,. This best buy situation is a fluke with that. As far as being angry specifically at best buy, I'm more upset at the inconvenience to me that my large screen is down and i have to stay in the bedroom to watch tv. Which I admit is better then nothing. That's why I bought a 32" sony for my birthday, the 26" westinghouse I was stuck with prior to the purchase after the plasma blew was very uncomfortable for me to watch comfortable, first the blacks were very cloudy so dark scenes were bad and the screen was just so small, and had a bad viewing angle, if i was laying in bed. So the whole situation bothered me, not just one thing. If the plasma wasn't under warranty i would have just thrown it out and put the sony out here. But since it is that would be a waste of $750 that could be repaired. Anyway I'm sorry, I just needed to vent The TV and the blu-ray players are two separate situations. The TV situation has been resolved, the blu-ray player return issue, was a combination of not fully understanding best buy's policy on my part and probably poor communication on my part as well. Either way The tv is supposed to be repaired this thursday, it was supposed to be repaired last wed, but the parts were backorder. Just for the record, the main drive board and a board that deals with the power regulation blew out the agent said usually is a $600 or $700 repair so that's basically the price of the TV. I'm glad I had panasonic's warranty and i could deal with the geek squad, they come to the house, and they speak english, since I can't drive and I can't understand half the tech support people these days when it's international, both are big advantages.

[blarneyrubble]

Your research technique is costing these stores money. The internet provides a wealth of knowledge about all products and the stores offer displays for you to check out and compare products--one reason their prices are higher. Another reason is they have people buying products to demo them and then return them.

I can't believe in all the research you did and all of the equipment you have purchased that you are unaware that a brick-and-mortar store does not warranty a product that they did not produce and that the reason they sell warranties is to remove the manufacturer from the equation. I am sure in the salesperson's pitch they mentioned that one of the benefits of their warranty was in home service.

I can only imagine the conversation with you at the customer service counter. I am imagining you screaming at some 17 year old girl until you got your way.

[progers13]

OP, I must admit that I find your research methods to be peculiar. An in-home trial is something that some companies offer (mostly internet direct companies) where you can audition something before you decide to buy it. However, where you made the leap to think that Best Buy is that type of company baffles me a little bit. Surely you must understand that a company cannot sell an item as "new" if you have returned it to them. This is why you see those tables set up with "open box" items on them at reduced prices.

Take for instance, a $200 blu-ray player. You pay $200 for it, only to return it a week later. If they try to sell that same unit again (you said nothing was wrong with it, only it wasn't to your liking), they can't sell it for $200. Who in their right mind would pay $200 for a used unit when a new one is also $200? So they mark the price down. Now they are offering that "open box" unit for $180 (10% off). Well, what happened to that $20 difference? Did they charge it to you? Or is it your opinion that a company needs to eat that as a cost of doing business so that you can try out multiple units until you decide on one you like? Again, this is why most stores have a 15% restocking fee. It truly astounds me that you have not run into this before now, but it is quite clear to me that Best Buy put their foot down because you continued to cost them money.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by progers13

OP, I must admit that I find your research methods to be peculiar. An in-home trial is something that some companies offer (mostly internet direct companies) where you can audition something before you decide to buy it. However, where you made the leap to think that Best Buy is that type of company baffles me a little bit. Surely you must understand that a company cannot sell an item as "new" if you have returned it to them. This is why you see those tables set up with "open box" items on them at reduced prices.

Take for instance, a $200 blu-ray player. You pay $200 for it, only to return it a week later. If they try to sell that same unit again (you said nothing was wrong with it, only it wasn't to your liking), they can't sell it for $200. Who in their right mind would pay $200 for a used unit when a new one is also $200? So they mark the price down. Now they are offering that "open box" unit for $180 (10% off). Well, what happened to that $20 difference? Did they charge it to you? Or is it your opinion that a company needs to eat that as a cost of doing business so that you can try out multiple units until you decide on one you like? Again, this is why most stores have a 15% restocking fee. It truly astounds me that you have not run into this before now, but it is quite clear to me that Best Buy put their foot down because you continued to cost them money.

Well, Let me clarify something. The In home trying was majority TVS from walmart, The reason I can't simply judge in the store is I can't turn off the lights in walmart and look at a totally dark scene, with my vision, this MUST be done to dtermine comfort. Many people at my local walmart Know that I'm legally blind and didn't have an issue with this I tried 4 TVS from walmart eventually coming to the conclusion that the 1080p sony was the right one for me, If walmart had had this tv from the start, I would have stuck with it. as it is i got the money back Got the tv from best buy and the sony deal is done

AGAIN I Knew I wanted a 2010 Panasonic, that went wrong when I bought the sony instead of waiting for a new stock to come in after the 2 defective 85k units i bought and returned. I should never have bought the sony and this never would have gone this far. Because then I would have returned more defective units to good ones only costing best buy one good unit. as it is i ended up costing them too, the only other thing is if they tried to reproduce my problems and couldn't and assumed the two units i said were defective, weren't. Anyway everyone please give me a break I'm not sensing help here I'm sensing condemnation Just because i had a situation i could have been a little better informed about before going into it.

[progers13]

Originally Posted by MacinMan

Well, Let me clarify something. The In home trying was majority TVS from walmart, The reason I can't simply judge in the store is I can't turn off the lights in walmart and look at a totally dark scene, with my vision, this MUST be done to dtermine comfort. Many people at my local walmart Know that I'm legally blind and didn't have an issue with this I tried 4 TVS from walmart eventually coming to the conclusion that the 1080p sony was the right one for me, If walmart had had this tv from the start, I would have stuck with it. as it is i got the money back Got the tv from best buy and the sony deal is done

AGAIN I Knew I wanted a 2010 Panasonic, that went wrong when I bought the sony instead of waiting for a new stock to come in after the 2 defective 85k units i bought and returned. I should never have bought the sony and this never would have gone this far. Because then I would have returned more defective units to good ones only costing best buy one good unit. as it is i ended up costing them too, the only other thing is if they tried to reproduce my problems and couldn't and assumed the two units i said were defective, weren't. Anyway everyone please give me a break I'm not sensing help here I'm sensing condemnation Just because i had a situation i could have been a little better informed about before going into it.

Point taken. We'll chalk it up as a learning lesson. I'm glad they'll be fixing your TV free of charge. That sounds like the best outcome for you. Good luck!

[Piollo]

Considering you have done your research before purchasing the blu ray players, i don't understand for whatever circumstances you talking about you have to purchased a second Sony s270 if you already knew it doesn't have the features you looking for, i just don't get it.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by progers13

Point taken. We'll chalk it up as a learning lesson. I'm glad they'll be fixing your TV free of charge. That sounds like the best outcome for you. Good luck!

By the way thanks for the pointers, I said i got an a.s in broadcast production, and I have my a+ cert So technically i was trained to find problems and sometimes i excel in that area too well But seriously, I'm a very professional person, My ways are different when it comes to av, the store's lighting may not be ideal for my eyes, that's why walmart didn't give me a hard time about the tvs, both the customer service rep and electronics associates know i'm visual so they understood. One other thing buying a blu-ray player and the new tv(s) have been my hardest purchases. Trust me if apple made blu-ray players and I had a good tv no questions asked.Now I just need to learn how to research better. My other draw back is many of the people I know aren't high tech so they don't have such products I can go to their house and check out. So i'm alone most of the time when it comes to people who relate, and the forum is a draw back because people don't know me here and they only see what I write they don't see the whole picture. so it's hard for them to help or understand what it's like to be in my shoes. Anyway thanks again for the feedback.