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DPChallenge Forums >> General Discussion >> Lawsuit: Best Buy "anti-price matching policy"
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 03/24/2009 09:20:37 AM · #1
Thought this article on ARS Technica might be of interest, given the extended discussions that have been had here concerning this chain.
Lawsuit: Best Buy has "anti-price matching policy"
 03/24/2009 09:29:14 AM · #2
Unfortunately, I think this is SOP for virtually all "price-match" schemes ... this biggest "component" is the "same item" requirement -- manufacturers often produce a specific model just for a certain retailer, so you'll never find the "same" item at a competitor ... with car dealers you'd have to find another car with "exactly" the same paint, accessories, and mileage .... :-(
 03/24/2009 09:33:47 AM · #3
Huh, I guess it truly depends on the people in the store...the location we bought our T.V. at had a 30 (or was it 14?) day price matching. If we purchased it and found it advertised for a lower price just bring in the receipt and the advertisement and they will 'quote' refund you the difference.

Well the week after purchase my husband spotted it advertised for $20 less - ran to store with receipt and advertisement and they refunded the difference. No troubles.

The week AFTER that my husband spotted that it was again advertised for sale less than last week's. This time it was $30 less. Went in with papers and was refunded the difference.

Savings: $50

Of course, judging from the lawsuit, this was perhaps not a typical response.

BTW we have had no trouble with the TV as that we rely heavily on research on all products reported in Consumer Reports:-)

03/24/2009 09:54:18 AM · #4
Wow, that is an interesting read. I must be really Naive or really stupid to not realize those things really do happen, and it is unfortunate. In the store I work at, I am a Ops Supv. One of my jobs is to make sure customers are taken care of. We actually honor the right way to do things. I have always been "pro-consumer". If you take care of your customers, they take care of you. I'm truly shocked, but I can only speak for the store I work in.
 03/24/2009 10:02:31 AM · #5
I've had my local BestBuy price match competitors on several occassions and they never gave me any crap.
 03/24/2009 10:53:27 AM · #6
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Unfortunately, I think this is SOP for virtually all "price-match" schemes ... this biggest "component" is the "same item" requirement -- manufacturers often produce a specific model just for a certain retailer, so you'll never find the "same" item at a competitor

Perhaps unsurprisingly, mattress companies are the kings and queens of making different models to prevent price matching.
 03/24/2009 11:17:27 AM · #7
Yamaha does this too. I bought a receiver a few years ago at Best Buy and found the exact same one at a different store with a different model number. Price was comparable however.

Originally posted by scalvert:
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Unfortunately, I think this is SOP for virtually all "price-match" schemes ... this biggest "component" is the "same item" requirement -- manufacturers often produce a specific model just for a certain retailer, so you'll never find the "same" item at a competitor

Perhaps unsurprisingly, mattress companies are the kings and queens of making different models to prevent price matching.
03/24/2009 11:57:01 AM · #8
Originally posted by scalvert:
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Unfortunately, I think this is SOP for virtually all "price-match" schemes ... this biggest "component" is the "same item" requirement -- manufacturers often produce a specific model just for a certain retailer, so you'll never find the "same" item at a competitor

Perhaps unsurprisingly, mattress companies are the kings and queens of making different models to prevent price matching.


I get it - kings and queens - like the mattress sizes - hahahahahahaha

;-)
 03/24/2009 12:00:14 PM · #9
So what's the point if they tick you off an you go buy the cheaper one elsewhere? I guess they figure you will go ahead and buy it anyway as long as you are there?
 03/24/2009 12:15:17 PM · #10
Originally posted by scalvert:
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Unfortunately, I think this is SOP for virtually all "price-match" schemes ... this biggest "component" is the "same item" requirement -- manufacturers often produce a specific model just for a certain retailer, so you'll never find the "same" item at a competitor

Perhaps unsurprisingly, mattress companies are the kings and queens of making different models to prevent price matching.


Four years ago when my wife and I were searching for a new mattress we found one while on vacation- we had a seven hour layover between connecting flights and didn't know anyone in St. Louis, since we were in a big city decided to track down a large mattress store and find one that we liked and write down the model number. We found one, fell in love with it, it was like laying in a cloud. Well, since we were nearly 2,000 miles from home the store wouldn't deliver :). When we got home we went to a local store that carried the same brand, gave them the model number we wanted and the salesman told us this:

Well, that doesn't really help. If you order 100 or more from you can call them whatever you want and they'll have tags printed up with the model number you request. And they won't divulge what another store is calling a specific mattress.

I thought he was just trying to get out of special ordering a mattress and we went elsewhere and was told the same thing by two other stores. We went home and called the St. Louis store and was told that they do not under any circumstances reveal the "true" model number of their mattresses.
 03/24/2009 08:35:47 PM · #11
Along the same lines of Best Buy screwing people... a couple years back, Best Buy was utilizing it's own "in-store" online price listing. So, basically, you would go online, it would say how much it was at the store in town, then you'd go in and say "Hey, I just saw this online for this store for twenty bucks less." Sales associate would pull up their "webpage," and blammo- it magically matches the in-store price because it's based on the prices there and not the actual website, so they'd say "sorry, looks like the price is actually that high."
Another example of terrible Best Buy service: My mom got a microwave from them with a warranty. Within the warranty period, a very inconsequential part began to fail. As a result of this impending failure, a separate related failure caused the microwave to stop functioning. Best Buy accepted the microwave, mailed it off to be fixed, and two weeks later it was returned. Two weeks after returning it, BIG SURPRISE, the secondary failure happened again. So my mom took it in again, said, I don't think that what was actually wrong was fixed. They said, okay we'll mail it off. Three weeks go by. One week after having it returned, it fails again. Sick of this madness, she has a local repair shop look at it, knowing the service won't be covered under warranty because it isn't their repair service, but sick of not having the microwave and the ineptitude. Cost $30 to fix, and she had it back two days after she brought it in. The repairman got a good laugh out of the Best Buy BS.
 03/24/2009 09:06:57 PM · #12
I never had that problem at Circuit City.
 03/24/2009 09:14:27 PM · #13
Originally posted by fixedintime:
I never had that problem at Circuit City.


Too bad they're going out of business.
 03/24/2009 09:17:35 PM · #14
Originally posted by scarbrd:
Originally posted by fixedintime:
I never had that problem at Circuit City.


Too bad they're going out of business.

I wouldn't be the least bit sad if Best Buy joined them. Both stores stink in terms of CS and price.
 03/25/2009 09:56:19 AM · #15
Originally posted by scarbrd:
[quote=fixedintime] Too bad they're going out of business.


You mean they've gone out of business ;-) I stopped in a couple when I was in Houston. They were all pretty much picked over.

Message edited by author 2009-03-25 09:57:10.
 03/25/2009 10:11:01 AM · #16
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
Originally posted by scarbrd:
Originally posted by fixedintime:
I never had that problem at Circuit City.


Too bad they're going out of business.

I wouldn't be the least bit sad if Best Buy joined them. Both stores stink in terms of CS and price.


Gee thanks. I would be devestated if they joined them. My part-time job there coupled with my husbands job at Cabellas has gotten us through the winter since we are in the building trades with our primary job. I realize that not every store in the chain provides the best customer service, but I think that applies across the board to many retailers.
 03/25/2009 10:28:08 AM · #17
My hubby was shopping for a big screen t.v. and Sears was having a big
sale, he saw a 46 inch for like $799.00 (i think) but they wouldn't have it in stock forever...(he wanted it that day, of course)...so he had the sales lady copy machine the price tag paper, and he took it to best buy, and they had no problem matching the price..although, he ended up finagaling a 50 inch for $850.00....$400.00-$500.00 cheaper than the original price...My husband got the sales guy to agree (only god knows how) and they had to sell him that t.v. for that price..the head sales department guy was so P.O.'D! But nothing he could do..the other guy had already said "yes"!
So my hubby was the happiest man on earth that day, knowing he had screwed them in return for once....good for him!
 03/25/2009 12:20:56 PM · #18
This is common with appliances too only they'll change one or two minor features to create a new model number. For example, they may call a cycle "delicate" on one and "handwash" on another. They also make similar models for other companies, for example, Whirlpool makes almost all of the Kenmore washers and dryers for Sears.

Originally posted by Bugzeye:
Yamaha does this too. I bought a receiver a few years ago at Best Buy and found the exact same one at a different store with a different model number. Price was comparable however.

Originally posted by scalvert:
Originally posted by GeneralE:
Unfortunately, I think this is SOP for virtually all "price-match" schemes ... this biggest "component" is the "same item" requirement -- manufacturers often produce a specific model just for a certain retailer, so you'll never find the "same" item at a competitor

Perhaps unsurprisingly, mattress companies are the kings and queens of making different models to prevent price matching.
03/25/2009 04:36:47 PM · #19
Originally posted by tjbel05:
Originally posted by OdysseyF22:
Originally posted by scarbrd:
Originally posted by fixedintime:
I never had that problem at Circuit City.


Too bad they're going out of business.

I wouldn't be the least bit sad if Best Buy joined them. Both stores stink in terms of CS and price.


Gee thanks. I would be devestated if they joined them. My part-time job there coupled with my husbands job at Cabellas has gotten us through the winter since we are in the building trades with our primary job. I realize that not every store in the chain provides the best customer service, but I think that applies across the board to many retailers.

I've got nothing but sympathy for the workers at these stores (assuming of course that they do their jobs well and aren't of the useless variety), but I stand by what I said before - stores that offer poor service deserve what they get. I've never once gone into a Best Buy and been impressed with anything about it - hence, I wouldn't be sad to see them go away.
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