Best Buy's Return Policy

David Fermani

David Fermani

Forza Auto Salon
I received this e-mail from a friend today:



BEST BUY



If you purchase something from Wal-Mart, Sears, etc. And you return the item with the receipt, they will give you your money back if you paid cash, or credit your account if paid by plastic.

Well, I purchased a GPS for my car:

a Tom Tom XL.S from



'Best Buy'.



They have a policy that it must



be returned within 14 days for a refund!



So after 4 days I returned it in the original box with all the items in the box, with paper work and cords all wrapped in the plastic. Just as I received it, including the receipt.



I explained to the lady at the return desk I did not like the way it couldn't find stored names.



The lady at the refund desk said, there is a 15% restock fee, for items returned. I said no one told me that.

I asked how much would that be. She said it goes by the price of the item.

It will be $45 for you.

I said, all you're going to do is walk over and place it back on the shelf then charge me $45 of my money for restocking? She said that's the store policy.

I said if more people were aware of it they would not buy anything here! If I bought a $2000 computer or TV and returned it I would be charged $300 restock fee? She said yes. 15%.



I said OK, just give me my money minus the restock fee.



She said, since the item is over $200 dollars, she can't give me my money back!



Corporate has to and they will mail you a check in 7 to ten days.! I said 'WHAT?'



It's my money! I paid in cash!

I want to buy a different brand..

Now I have to wait 7 to 10 days.

She said well, our policy is on the back of your receipt.



I said, do you read the front or back of your receipt? She said well, the front! I said so do I. I want to talk to the Manager!



So the manager comes over, I explained everything to him, and he said, well, sir they should have told you about the policy when you got the item. I said, no one has ever told me about the check refund or restock fee when I bought items from computers to TVs from Best Buy. The only thing they ever discussed was the worthless extended warranty program



He said, well, I can give you corporate phone number.



I called corporate. The guy said, well, I'm not supposed to do this but I can give you a 45 dollar gift card and you can use it at Best Buy.



I told him if I bought something and returned it, you would charge me a restock fee on the item and then send me a check for the remaining 3 dollars



You can keep your gift card, I'm never shopping in Best Buy ever again, and if I'd been smart, I would have charged the whole thing on my credit card! Then I would have canceled the transaction.



I would have gotten all my money back including your stupid fees! He didn't say a word!



I informed him that I was going to e-mail my friends and give them a heads-up on the store's policy, as they don't tell you about all the little caveats.



So please pass this on. It may save your friends from having a bad experience of shopping at Best Buy​

Best Buy's Return Policy:

BestBuy.com Help
 
i've never liked best buy and their customer service is terrible (will never buy anything from there and can't think of one business i dislike more). they are the kind of store that undercuts alot of independent music stores (the ones that do the foot work and help/support indie bands from the beginning) and sells the artists cd's for way less than anyone possibly could, and they act like they are the ones that supported them from the start. this experience your friend had is BS and makes me dislike them even more... :down



p.s. how you been dave? hope life's been good to you!
 
This is the new norm of returns by large retailer's in the USA. Be prepared for this everyone. Alot of them are doing this to trawled off folks in returning products to them. This season is going to be in forced by alot of them, so check the return policy's first before buying.
 
zoomzoom mazda5 said:
This is the new norm of returns by large retailer's in the USA. Be prepared for this everyone. Alot of them are doing this to trawled off folks in returning products to them. This season is going to be in forced by alot of them, so check the return policy's first before buying.
Click to expand...



all the more reason not to use cash and use a credit card too...
 
FYI, Target has a similar policy:



"Restocking Fees: Some items are subject to a 15% restocking fee, including camcorders, digital cameras, portable DVD players and portable electronics."



FWIW, I hate Best Buy too, the return policy is just the tip of the ice burg. Warranty pressure, staff, profiling of customers, poor stocking of popular items, bait and switch, the list goes on and on.



But.... as an Amex cardholder, you don't have to worry about restocking fees, Amex will refund you the difference. Amex also doubles warranties.
 
I can understand, to a point, the company's position. North America (the USA in particular) is where this "return almost anything I buy" mentality of purchasing has come from. I can personally count on one hand the amount of items I've purchased and returned in my life, and most of those were because the item was actually defective. What consumers don't realize is, the cost of dealing with the ins and outs of inventory aren't as simple as "put it back on the shelf". It's now open box, it can't actually be sold "as new" unless it's completely repackaged and inspected, which usually involves shipping the item out to a warehouse.



I would normally say that those of us who run a business would understand this, but most of us are simply providing a service, not a product. Even still, let me try: Imagine a person buys a PC 7424 from you, brand new. Three days later, they come back asking for all their money back, they didn't like it. The PC is now no longer "new", it's been opened, used for an unknown amount of time, and then put back into the box. You have no idea how much use is on it (in theory, your friend's TomTom could have been running for 96 hours on battery life, wearing on the battery's full-charge capabilities), then you're going to try and sell it as brand new again ?



So while I do find it interesting that a large box store would have this policy (since most of them certainly do not), I can understand from a business perspective where they're coming from.
 
David Fermani said:
Cost of doing business I guess....
Click to expand...

I totally agree, but I worked in retail before (more specifically, dealing with returns), and you have no idea how many people return things. IMO, people need to think a bit more before buying things, not just buy anything they see with the mindset of "oh well I can always return it". If the return system was less abused, it's very likely that these rules (like re-stocking fees for example) wouldn't be in place.
 
Call it a "rental" fee. You'd be surprised how many people buy something to use it for a weekend, a road trip, a party, just to return it and get their money back. These policies were put into place to protect both the consumer, and merchants from abuse. One bad apple ruins the bunch. It's these types of fraudulent returns which ruin it for the legitimate people who return items.



You can't expect a merchant to explain all their policies everytime someone makes a purchase. They are clearly posted on the back of the receipt, as usually at customer service.



Regarding the refund, it should be the same as the method used to pay. Plastic, should go back on plastic. Cash for cash. The only exception is check, which requires the check clear, and a check issued from Corp.



My suggestion, tell them you want to exchange it for a different model. They may be more willing on waiving the fee. By the way, I absolutely despise Best Buy and their poor customer service and deceptive practices, so by no means am I trying to start an argument.
 
Interesting about the gps. In may 09 I bought my first gps as we were driving out to the west coast and the cashier asked me if I wanted to buy a warranty for $19.95 for 2 years. She said you can replace it, exchange it at any BB store, no questions asked.... I am on my 4th gps. BB never gives me any trouble.
 
tdekany said:
Interesting about the gps. In may 09 I bought my first gps as we were driving out to the west coast and the cashier asked me if I wanted to buy a warranty for $19.95 for 2 years. She said you can replace it, exchange it at any BB store, no questions asked.... I am on my 4th gps. BB never gives me any trouble.
Click to expand...

The extended warranty actually is pretty good with Best Buy / Future Shop. I've bought it many times, and had to use it a few times, never an issue.
 
WAS said:
IMO, people need to think a bit more before buying things
Click to expand...



This is 100% opposite what retail chains want you to do. Their marketing is based on, you want it, you deserve it because it's the best and you need to buy it NOW.



All this boils down to is dollars and cents. They want to make more money so they are going to charge a restock fee. Truth be told, if you get loud enough, you won't be paying a restock fee. ;)
 
Jean-Claude said:
This is 100% opposite what retail chains want you to do. Their marketing is based on, you want it, you deserve it because it's the best and you need to buy it NOW.



All this boils down to is dollars and cents. They want to make more money so they are going to charge a restock fee. Truth be told, if you get loud enough, you won't be paying a restock fee. ;)
Click to expand...

Of course retailers want you to buy it NOW because you want it and deserve it, but retailers also don't want you bringing it back and getting a full refund. There's a decent amount of overhead in bringing back inventory, and the store is stuck paying for that. In an ideal retail sales world, everyone would impulse buy everything they wanted and wouldn't ever return a thing.
 
I think because you had opened the box and its a GPS they nabbed you for the re-stocking fee. The policy is fairly spelled out in big bold signs above the registers. But with the holidays approaching a good reminder to check what the return policy is BEFORE you buy.
 
tdekany said:
Interesting about the gps. In may 09 I bought my first gps as we were driving out to the west coast and the cashier asked me if I wanted to buy a warranty for $19.95 for 2 years. She said you can replace it, exchange it at any BB store, no questions asked.... I am on my 4th gps. BB never gives me any trouble.
Click to expand...



4th GPS? Had mine 2 1/2 years with no problems.
 
while i hate getting stuck with a restocking fee, if you have ever studied business you can understand why it is charged. Its more than just giving you your money back and putting it back on the shelf. The behind the scenes is in the accounting of where your money goes after you give it to them, granted its mostly electronic anymore, but still. His cash could have already been deposited and the accounting period could have closed already.



I know I bought a cd from best buy, opened and listened to it only to find out the recording was horrible! I went back and nicely told them that it was, and just wanted a refund (which is against their policy on open discs) but being nice and cordial with the cashier, I was able to get my money back in cash.



And i agree with the idea that the reason for these fees is because of America's need to buy something only to use it for a trip to return it later, and with the person described in the first post, he asked for a refund and didnt ask if he could get an exchange, making it very suspect for them that he was a one time "renter"



Key to the story, its meant to razzle many people who dont think about things, which is the majority of US consumers. They wear their emotion on a sleeve and are ready to pitchfork and burn any major company who tries to secure their business.
 
It is pretty clear why they do it for electronics. An open box product has a value of about 20 to 30% less than a new one. If you get a lot of returns, this can really eat into the profit margin when you are relying on volume for a profit. It also would discourage nuisance returns (someone wanted to try it out first, etc).
 
Here's a shopping tip on electronic items:

Have them open the box inside the store BEFORE you buy and inspect the product before you take it home.

Some will, most won't. If you explain that you are trying to verify the condition of your purchase (both cosmetic and working functionality) it might save you having to return a bad product. Just tell them it's your money. If the store balks, ask for a manager. It creates quite a scene on a showroom floor in front of other potential customers. Even if they take you to the back room to do so, at least you're the FINAL INSPECTOR.
 
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