Best Buy Sued For Being Scummy

[Kor37 9]

Best Buy Sued for Being Scummy

Posted May 29th 2007 1:30PM by Terrence O'Brien

Filed under: Audio/Video, Cameras, Computers

 

 

 

Not too long ago, it was discovered that Best Buy, at least in some locations, has been keeping a secret -- namely, a doppelganger version of its Web site only accessible from inside Best Buy stores. Best Buy kept this secret site in an apparent attempt to dethrone Wal-Mart as America's most reviled retail chain though a bait-and-switch scheme.

 

It works like this: Let's say you want a new plasma HD TV. You check online and see Best Buy has one on sale for $1,299. Rather than pay insane shipping fees or trust UPS with your delicate electronics, you head down to your local Best Buy brick-and-mortar location to pick it out in person.

 

When you arrive at the store, however, an employee tells you the price is actually $1,599. When you tell that employee the TV was listed for $1,299 on the Web site, he or she takes you over to a kiosk, opens the Best Buy Web site and shows you that it does indeed cost $1,599. The site he has shown you, however, is not accessible to the public, only inside Best Buy retail outlets.

 

The practice is shady to say the least. After receiving about twenty complaints, the Connecticut Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, opened an investigation and is now suing Best Buy for deceiving and overcharging customers.

 

We think the most disturbing part of this story is the complicity required by Best Buy employees. Usually you don't want to make it corporate policy to hire the most dishonest people you can find.

 

 

This is outrageous! How in the world did they think they could get away with something like that?

[A l t e r E g o 9]

This happened to me!!!

 

I saw a memory stick on sale on the BB website, went to get it but alas; it wasn't on sale afterall. I told an employee about seeing it on sale on the BB WS, he took me to a monitor and looked up the site but nogo, the item wasn't listed.

 

Thank goddness I decided to pass on buying it anyway.

[Stephen of Borg 2]

Best Buy should start having a "site to store" marker on their items the way Wal-Mart's website has. Meaning, the sale price online is the same in-store. Not everything has that, but some items do

[Gummy 0]

Deceptive Business Practices are starting to be uncovered all over. The New York State Attorney General is suing Dell for purposely deceiving customers.

It's about time the consumers fight back.

[He Who Shall Not Be Named 2]

This is outrageous! How in the world did they think they could get away with something like that?

Because people are lazy and would rather pay $300 more than print out the website with a time/date stamp.

 

I'm not saying the companies aren't being dishonest or breaking the law but, come on, people, if you are buying a computer or a flat screen TV or something expensive like that then do a little research and document your findings.

 

I am surprised they bothered to do the same thing over a USB stick. If you are going to break the law do it for the right price.

 

I read this when Gummy was the most recent poster. I thought "A giy named Gummy is calling something Scummy?"

[Vulcan_lover 1]

This is a pretty shady thing to do to people, but honestly, it's kinda neat. They've probably been doing this for years and making a ton of money off people who weren't paying attention to detail or were too lazy to double check or print it off.