Complaint Review: Best Buy

The above report is probably the single most ludicris thing I've ever read in my life. Any company that would publically stereotype people like this would be sued faster than you can say "class action." What did the managers say in training, "Keep an eye on minorities because they're all thieves."? Come on, get real.

The above report is probably the single most ludicris thing I've ever read in my life. Any company that would publically stereotype people like this would be sued faster than you can say "class action." What did the managers say in training, "Keep an eye on minorities because they're all thieves."? Come on, get real.

Stores just like cops, PROFILE people.

Here are the top profiles watched by store "security"....

1. Young teenage and/or 20 somethings number 2 or more.

2. #1 in a group of 2 or more that come into the store together.

3. Dressed like a gangster/wrapper. 1 or more. Any race.

4. Young and Black and in a group of 2 or more.

5. Young and latino and in a group of 2 or more.

6. Dressed like poor white trash. Tatoos, s**t muffins clothing, 1 or more.

7. Loud yappy behavior.

8. Women with strollers.

9. Gay men. Sorry guys....

10. Dressing out of season. Coat in summer, short sleeves in winter. (Depending on where you live, etc.)

11. Shopping in the wrong area of the store for your gender. Males in the women's section is very, very, very suspicious to the store security and management. Sex offenders often attempt to verbally "grope" women in these departments.

12. Stores deliberately LEAVE THE CENSOR TAG ON some merchandise a customer buys. This does 2 things, it tags a "suspect" customer who may have bought something AND stolen something. And it sends a message to other shoppers in the store, NOT TO STEAL, when the tag goes off as the innoncent shopper attempts to depart after paying. You will notice more of this during CHRISTMAS TIME.

What isn't a red flag....

1. Asians.

2. Middle aged and elderly white people, black people and latinos.

3. Russians and other orthadoxed old world Europe types.

4. The size of your purse.

5. Bringing in shopping bags from other stores.

6. Disabiled people. Wheelchairs, crutches, walkers and kanes, arm in slings, broken leg, leg or foot casks.

7. People with their little purse dogs. Go figure.

Olivia,

First off, you made a bad choice in people to 'hang out' with, you should stay away from best buy, you do not like going there anyway, so should not be an issue.

Second, get a new boyfriend and friend, they steal, one was caught, and the other said he did it in the past.

Third, to the boyfriend, I agree with others, you have been lucky, so stop. No one cares about your want-a-be tough guy act. I guess we were all like that at 18, but hopefully you grow up at some point.

In the future, if you want to be treated like a good person, spend time with good people and act like a good person. When you lay with dogs, you get fleas...

I am on your side. These other idiots are bozo's
that are probably protecting best buy and the worthless cops.

I personally boycott Bestbuy and Walmart and any store that violates any ones civil rights. The bozo's at Best Buy are bored and need some action. They know that there's nothing you can do about it. We can thank our idiot politicans for laws that provide no protection for the innocent.

I would talk to a lawyer. If that does not work.
Get a picket sign and picket their store. I would suggest staying on the public sidewalk. Have someone in the vicinity to watch what you are doing. Stay away from driveways. Don't talk to anyone. Bestbuy will not like this.
They will probably talk with you.

I never ever go into a store with anything in my pockets. This includes sunglasses, pens etc. Anything that they can claim it was shoplifted.

I also never ever pay cash for gas. Do to a incident that happened a couple years ago. I always get a receipt. My Debit card has record of the date and time of transaction. It was fortunate that I could prove that I did not drive off without paying. If need be they can be subpeoned.

Good luck!!!!

Olivia, sorry to hear about what happened to you. I will try to give you a basic rundown of the apprehension as it should have happened.

1. Were you in the area (within line of sight of 10 ft) of your friend when he concealed the merchandise? If not then you cannot be viewed as an accomplice and should have been released.

2. A female associate should have been present while you were waiting for the police. It is a serious liability to the company. You could have claimed rape or something. For this reason, most companies have policies which specifically state that a female associate must be present when a female shoplifter is apprehended by a male associate.

3. As for the police searching you and your friend: Standard body search around the groin and midsection: across the beltline (thumb to the first joint inbetween belt and skin) and "can-crush" motion around the pockets. Smooth motion across the crease of the legs.

They are not supposed to fondle you unless they have a valid reason and think you have something hidden in your crotch area. They had every reason to search your purse and jacket though. The accusations of drugs could be taken as slander and defamation of character. Just FYI.

4. Holding you in a back room area. By law in most states, a merchant cannot restrain a shoplifter for more than 1 hour. Police can only hold a person without charging them for 2 hours. As you are minors, they cannot legally release you on your own recognizance. They have to release you either to the police or your parents.

As for the kidnapping charge, if they can prove beyond reasonable doubt (cctv video) that you were an accomplice, then they will beat that charge. You have em on wrongful accusation and detainment charges though. In my company, we arrest the person with the merchandise on them. I usually don't worry about accomplices unless I am 100% that they were indeed accomplices. Oh, and one other thing: for you morons out there that think you can just smack an agent or manager and walk out of the store, consider this: it goes from a misdemeanor (petty larcenty) to burglary, resisting arrest and battery, felony offenses. Happy Jail Time!

Olivia, sorry to hear about what happened to you. I will try to give you a basic rundown of the apprehension as it should have happened.

1. Were you in the area (within line of sight of 10 ft) of your friend when he concealed the merchandise? If not then you cannot be viewed as an accomplice and should have been released.

2. A female associate should have been present while you were waiting for the police. It is a serious liability to the company. You could have claimed rape or something. For this reason, most companies have policies which specifically state that a female associate must be present when a female shoplifter is apprehended by a male associate.

3. As for the police searching you and your friend: Standard body search around the groin and midsection: across the beltline (thumb to the first joint inbetween belt and skin) and "can-crush" motion around the pockets. Smooth motion across the crease of the legs.

They are not supposed to fondle you unless they have a valid reason and think you have something hidden in your crotch area. They had every reason to search your purse and jacket though. The accusations of drugs could be taken as slander and defamation of character. Just FYI.

4. Holding you in a back room area. By law in most states, a merchant cannot restrain a shoplifter for more than 1 hour. Police can only hold a person without charging them for 2 hours. As you are minors, they cannot legally release you on your own recognizance. They have to release you either to the police or your parents.

As for the kidnapping charge, if they can prove beyond reasonable doubt (cctv video) that you were an accomplice, then they will beat that charge. You have em on wrongful accusation and detainment charges though. In my company, we arrest the person with the merchandise on them. I usually don't worry about accomplices unless I am 100% that they were indeed accomplices. Oh, and one other thing: for you morons out there that think you can just smack an agent or manager and walk out of the store, consider this: it goes from a misdemeanor (petty larcenty) to burglary, resisting arrest and battery, felony offenses. Happy Jail Time!

Olivia, sorry to hear about what happened to you. I will try to give you a basic rundown of the apprehension as it should have happened.

1. Were you in the area (within line of sight of 10 ft) of your friend when he concealed the merchandise? If not then you cannot be viewed as an accomplice and should have been released.

2. A female associate should have been present while you were waiting for the police. It is a serious liability to the company. You could have claimed rape or something. For this reason, most companies have policies which specifically state that a female associate must be present when a female shoplifter is apprehended by a male associate.

3. As for the police searching you and your friend: Standard body search around the groin and midsection: across the beltline (thumb to the first joint inbetween belt and skin) and "can-crush" motion around the pockets. Smooth motion across the crease of the legs.

They are not supposed to fondle you unless they have a valid reason and think you have something hidden in your crotch area. They had every reason to search your purse and jacket though. The accusations of drugs could be taken as slander and defamation of character. Just FYI.

4. Holding you in a back room area. By law in most states, a merchant cannot restrain a shoplifter for more than 1 hour. Police can only hold a person without charging them for 2 hours. As you are minors, they cannot legally release you on your own recognizance. They have to release you either to the police or your parents.

As for the kidnapping charge, if they can prove beyond reasonable doubt (cctv video) that you were an accomplice, then they will beat that charge. You have em on wrongful accusation and detainment charges though. In my company, we arrest the person with the merchandise on them. I usually don't worry about accomplices unless I am 100% that they were indeed accomplices. Oh, and one other thing: for you morons out there that think you can just smack an agent or manager and walk out of the store, consider this: it goes from a misdemeanor (petty larcenty) to burglary, resisting arrest and battery, felony offenses. Happy Jail Time!

Olivia, sorry to hear about what happened to you. I will try to give you a basic rundown of the apprehension as it should have happened.

1. Were you in the area (within line of sight of 10 ft) of your friend when he concealed the merchandise? If not then you cannot be viewed as an accomplice and should have been released.

2. A female associate should have been present while you were waiting for the police. It is a serious liability to the company. You could have claimed rape or something. For this reason, most companies have policies which specifically state that a female associate must be present when a female shoplifter is apprehended by a male associate.

3. As for the police searching you and your friend: Standard body search around the groin and midsection: across the beltline (thumb to the first joint inbetween belt and skin) and "can-crush" motion around the pockets. Smooth motion across the crease of the legs.

They are not supposed to fondle you unless they have a valid reason and think you have something hidden in your crotch area. They had every reason to search your purse and jacket though. The accusations of drugs could be taken as slander and defamation of character. Just FYI.

4. Holding you in a back room area. By law in most states, a merchant cannot restrain a shoplifter for more than 1 hour. Police can only hold a person without charging them for 2 hours. As you are minors, they cannot legally release you on your own recognizance. They have to release you either to the police or your parents.

As for the kidnapping charge, if they can prove beyond reasonable doubt (cctv video) that you were an accomplice, then they will beat that charge. You have em on wrongful accusation and detainment charges though. In my company, we arrest the person with the merchandise on them. I usually don't worry about accomplices unless I am 100% that they were indeed accomplices. Oh, and one other thing: for you morons out there that think you can just smack an agent or manager and walk out of the store, consider this: it goes from a misdemeanor (petty larcenty) to burglary, resisting arrest and battery, felony offenses. Happy Jail Time!

This is outrageous what Best Buy did to you guys, and for those that insinuated that 'women exaggerate a lot' then it would be safe to say that cops exaggerate a lot. It is not right to take in everyone just because one person steals, to judge someone just because of the group they belong to well then I guess it's safe to say that cops are pigs who plant drugs on people just because some other cops do it.

Legal wise, if you had kept walking and not signed anything, legally, there is nothing they can do to you. And if they had tried to stop you by grabbing you or blocking the door, Best Buy would owe you millions, and I know they owe you millions for blocking the door and kidnapping you. Why do you think it took the cops hours to show up, b/c it was not a real case for real police tax dollar work. To the person who said anyone could have illegal drugs in a plastic bag, if you knew how to read she said they were in a labeled bottle. An accomplice is someone who was INVOLVED in the crime, not someone who SAW the crime happen next to them. The cop seems psycologically impaired, freaked out and unqualified, his job was clearly the result of a handout. Cops spend more time yelling over CD's then they do investigating the murders of little children. Cops are too scared to fight the bad guys so they make much ado about nothing and confront petty issues in hopes that people don't notice they avoid the big one's.

What you need to do is protest outside of Best Buy, and stay the legal distance from their property that the law allows for protesters, then hand out flyers around election time everytime the police levy comes up, tell them your story on the flyer, and make sure voters stifle the police funds. Then they will only have enough money to fight real crime instead of harrassing music lovers.

Olivea and her boyfriend....

Olivia--->You were treated like a thief because you were hanging out with one at the time while he committed his crime. It was clear you guys were together, so why wouldn't they also think you were in on it from the start, regardless of what you said later on. To Olivias boyfriend--> You are also an admitted shoplifter, and a 'pro' at that. So I'm going to guess you also knew that your 'friend' was also one.

Tough about the way you were treated also, you brought that all upon yourself. Next time pick better friends and pay more attention to what they, and others, do in your presence. As it also refelcts upon you as well, Regardless of if you like it or not.

And something else, you talked about how tough and big you are, in truth, that's not saying anything impressive.

Olivea and her boyfriend....

Olivia--->You were treated like a thief because you were hanging out with one at the time while he committed his crime. It was clear you guys were together, so why wouldn't they also think you were in on it from the start, regardless of what you said later on. To Olivias boyfriend--> You are also an admitted shoplifter, and a 'pro' at that. So I'm going to guess you also knew that your 'friend' was also one.

Tough about the way you were treated also, you brought that all upon yourself. Next time pick better friends and pay more attention to what they, and others, do in your presence. As it also refelcts upon you as well, Regardless of if you like it or not.

And something else, you talked about how tough and big you are, in truth, that's not saying anything impressive.

Olivea and her boyfriend....

Olivia--->You were treated like a thief because you were hanging out with one at the time while he committed his crime. It was clear you guys were together, so why wouldn't they also think you were in on it from the start, regardless of what you said later on. To Olivias boyfriend--> You are also an admitted shoplifter, and a 'pro' at that. So I'm going to guess you also knew that your 'friend' was also one.

Tough about the way you were treated also, you brought that all upon yourself. Next time pick better friends and pay more attention to what they, and others, do in your presence. As it also refelcts upon you as well, Regardless of if you like it or not.

And something else, you talked about how tough and big you are, in truth, that's not saying anything impressive.

Olivea and her boyfriend....

Olivia--->You were treated like a thief because you were hanging out with one at the time while he committed his crime. It was clear you guys were together, so why wouldn't they also think you were in on it from the start, regardless of what you said later on. To Olivias boyfriend--> You are also an admitted shoplifter, and a 'pro' at that. So I'm going to guess you also knew that your 'friend' was also one.

Tough about the way you were treated also, you brought that all upon yourself. Next time pick better friends and pay more attention to what they, and others, do in your presence. As it also refelcts upon you as well, Regardless of if you like it or not.

And something else, you talked about how tough and big you are, in truth, that's not saying anything impressive.

I'm 6'3" - 230Lbs. Can I kick some butt too? Frankly, I think someone needs to smack all the stupid out of a couple of heads here.

Shop lifting, Power lifting, football playing... You seem like a well-rounded idiot. (Dumb.A...)
Wait! I'll bet your a straight A student too! How much can you bench with your head? If you used it, you wouldn't have had this issue.

If you and you 2 are going to hang out with and act like trash, then expect to be treated like it. Please use protection.(Condom) Your spawn will likely be supported by MY taxes.

You ARE judged by your attitude, appearance and the friends you keep. Get use to it now.

Where do you want to be in 5 years?

Maybe hanging out, shop lifting, opening a beer with your good tooth and banging the looser down the street sounds real good to you right now but Macho/Bimbo Combo only works when you are a teen.
People like you and the other brat are on the big show every afternoon (Jerry Springer).

You both should find one successful person you respect and do your best to educate and mold yourself into fitting that lifestyle. You can't change what has happened but that can be the end of a line of bad decisions. YOU are the ones who will make the decision to be successful or a looser.

GROW UP!

Hello Texas, As a former employee of this company and the Supervisor of the Loss Prevention Dept. at a Best Buy located here in Portland, Oregon (not Oregan) I have to apologize for the behavior of thoses idiots down there. In the 8yrs I have worked in Loss Prevention I have instructed my personal not to detain anyone unless it was Company Policy. Which during the 3yrs at Best Buy was not the case the Standard Operation Proceedures clearly stated that you are not allowed to detain someone without there consent. If a customer requested to leave you are suppose to allow them to leave.. But even before thinking about detaining a customer a series of events must take place b4 such an action can take place.

1. the accuser must have seen the action take place and be able to identify the product.
2. If seen on the CCTV you are to stop tape and replace it with a fresh tape to perserve evidence.
3. Notify MOD ie Manager on Duty about a code "Yellow" which is the LP colors
4. Allow the customer opportunity to pay for the product. If they pass the cashiers booth and enter the PSC "door greeters" area assume they are not paying. Ask them if they need any assistance and hope that you MOD is standing by to continue with the issue.
The problem with this Company and alot of the other Super Electronic store is Loss Prevention but the reality is if they would take a little more time with Customer Service and quality customer service is also been a great detorrent for shoplifters.. From what I have read and seen at these Best Buy stores is the great lack and consideration towards the Customer.

And to make it clear to anyone whom might read this I left the company because I was tired of the lack of the above and I am making more money and enjoying my Career in another field of Customer Service industry.

I do hope that things do get resolved with this issue and that you don't think that all of up here in Oregon aren't like Sean whom apparently doesn't know what state he lives in by spelling it wrong.

In further I would file a formal complaint with the Corp office in Eden Prairie, MN I am sure that Mr. d**k Shultz would like to hear how his wonderful little Boxes are fairing with Customer Service like this.

I'm sure if you walk into some ambulance chaser's office, they'll gladly take your case. If not, then that probably means you don't have a case.

--Alex

I'm sure if you walk into some ambulance chaser's office, they'll gladly take your case. If not, then that probably means you don't have a case.

--Alex

I'm sure if you walk into some ambulance chaser's office, they'll gladly take your case. If not, then that probably means you don't have a case.

--Alex

I'm sure if you walk into some ambulance chaser's office, they'll gladly take your case. If not, then that probably means you don't have a case.

--Alex

3)(a) A law enforcement officer, a merchant, a farmer, or a transit agency's employee or agent, who has probable cause to believe that a retail theft, farm theft, a transit fare evasion, or trespass, or unlawful use or attempted use of any antishoplifting or inventory control device countermeasure, has been committed by a person and, in the case of retail or farm theft, that the property can be recovered by taking the offender into custody may, for the purpose of attempting to effect such recovery or for prosecution, take the offender into custody and detain the offender in a reasonable manner for a reasonable length of time. In the case of a farmer, taking into custody shall be effectuated only on property owned or leased by the farmer. In the event the merchant, merchant's employee, farmer, or a transit agency's employee or agent takes the person into custody, a law enforcement officer shall be called to the scene immediately after the person has been taken into custody




(6) An individual who, while committing or after committing theft of property, transit fare evasion, or trespass, resists the reasonable effort of a law enforcement officer, merchant, merchant's employee, farmer, or a transit agency's employee or agent to recover the property or cause the individual to pay the proper transit fare or vacate the transit facility which the law enforcement officer, merchant, merchant's employee, farmer, or a transit agency's employee or agent had probable cause to believe the individual had concealed or removed from its place of display or elsewhere or perpetrated a transit fare evasion or trespass commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083, unless the individual did not know, or did not have reason to know, that the person seeking to recover the property was a law enforcement officer, merchant, merchant's employee, farmer, or a transit agency's employee or agent. For purposes of this section the charge of theft and the charge of resisting may be tried concurrently

Do your homework people.....

You need to read some lawsbuddy. Merchantshave every right to stop you and hold you when suspected of stealing. And if you do not comply you are violating a law. And yes a citizen can also make an arrest. And it is not once you are between the cashier and the door it is when you are outside the door. Get your facts straight before you go gun h*o and try to fight a loss prevention agent and get another charge for being ignorant.

The reason they search your crotch is that it's a favorite hiding place for a gun, and a normal part of the search. You need to beat your friend's a*s for getting you into trouble. Everything that happened and everyone that got into trouble is HIS fault. Now you can't go to Best Buy, but at least you have your parents bullshitted.

Ha ha, this is great! Enough with the chest pounding already. I don't think anybody really cares if you're a football player, Marine, powerlifter, blah blah blah. Real men don't brag, insecure ones do.

You are an admitted thief, and then get mad when people think you are a thief.

People like you absolutely astound me.

BTW toughguy...you are still young. I've seen guys smaller than me drop guys bigger than you in seconds. Go up against a man and you'll figure out what I mean. Once a Marine, always a Marine. I never lost a thing after getting out. One day, you'll run across an Alpha male and he won't be impressed by your football days. Of course, then you'll cry foul and want a do-over because the mean bad man didn't take your attitude and handed you a severe beatdown.

Hey steve, thanx for defending me it really sucks to be accused of something you didn't do. oh yeah and to that guy from oregan i wasn't exagerating about ANYTHING! so f*ck you

Sorry to abuse ripoffreport.com like and use it as a thread but I feel that things need to be settled between sean and I publicly. I am a lineman as a matter of fact I'm the starting right tackle on offense and defense. also I'm a regional qualifing powerlifter. Not only this but I was referring to decking the store manager not the police officer that would be sheer stupidity. My uncle's name is Freddie Vela if you want to look it up but sadly my aunt just recently married into the family and I'm not possitive of her name I this rosie vela. My cousin Jimmie Vela just is a graduate from UT and is currently a lawyer in virginia LOOK IT UP. Now once again about the stealing. I didn't steal anything that day. As a matter of fact I was a shoplifter up untill my sister got ticketed a month ago. I once yanked a flashdrive from bestbuy but I'll leave that part aside. I know what I'm talkin about I'm no bullshitter But this of course is to others discretion.

If they ask you to "come with them" or demand you stay, etc..and you refuse, there is absolutely nothing they can do. They cannot even touch you. If they do, it is assault.

Also, you are not actually shoplifting until you are between the cash register and the door.

You could have told them to get F*cked and kept walking, and if they so much as touched you, you could have beaten the punk to a pulp in self defense.

I have been through this first hand in AZ. Although laws vary from state to state, they are all pretty close as I have seen in regards to physically aprehending someone as a civilian.

There is a lot of potential for lawsuits and most retailers intruct employees not to touch anyone when dealing with suspected shoplifting.

I'm personally waiting for some store security punk or pimple faced manager to try this with me again. I'm 6'2/240lbs/10year military and even though I have a 30% service connected disability, I will show that punk the meaning of assault, and the store the definition of lawsuit.

I almost got my wish at WalMart about a month ago.

Oh well, there is always next month!

Mr. varsity football player. I'm sure the cop would take you down faster than you think. They're trained to deal with idiots like you. And, why is it when someone wants to act tough, they say they play football. I'm 5'11 & 205 lbs, don't play football, but might be able to whoop some butt. And, I also know when I used to box (see, thats more believable than football), that someone 50 lbs (read scrawny) less than me had a good chance of taking me down if their skills were better than mine. What are you going to do? Tackle him for a loss? at 200 lbs, I know you're not a lineman or linebacker. Were you going to swat the ball away or face guard him? No, you're too short to play cornerback or safety. So, you must be a running back. Well, at least you can stiff arm him.

Now, I know the story is exagerated. Why is it, when someone breaks the law, they automatically have "friends & family" in law enforcement. A whole family of FBI agents and lawyers eh? Well good golly Marie, my daddy's the d**n President of the United States!

Stuck his finger in your pants. Unbelievable. You were caught stealing, and now you're mad.

To all readers and especially to the sean posted above. I dont know how things are run in oregon but things must be different in texas. I'm her boyfriend and the day after this event I called my uncle and aunt both in the FBI and my cousin a lawyer and asked them about their opinion on the situation they agreed with my girlfriend and I.
If the Police officer was so concerned about us having drugs why didn't he take it with him to find out. I know absolutely eveywhere a police officer can touch me when being searched, but this police officer noticed my zipper was down and slid his finger into my pants not very far but plenty for me to notice.
I'm 5'10" 200lbs a varsity football player I could have downed that scrawny little manager and his buddy like it was playing with my sister but I choose to cooperate for my girlfriends own good. Its people like that manager that lied to not only my girlfriends mom but my parents as well and people like you who just think that the justice system is perfect and make me sick I can guarentee that if I'm ever if this situation or a similar one again I will be dismissing myself out ot the store.
I'm apologize to ripoffreport.com because I'm sure I've broken one of the rules.

I'm sure that he told them that you and boyfriend were in on the shoplifting, or even that you guys planted it on him.

Then your wondering about the big search for drugs, has it occurred to you that you BF's "friend" didn't say something about the 2 of you using drugs to get the heat off of him for shoplifting?

Either of these may be why they didn't release you as soon as they found nothing on you. And also the entire thing with hidden drugs with the cop.

With friends like this who needs enemies.

Sorry to hear what you went through. But, unfortunately for you and your boyfriend, Best Buy had the right to keep you at the store since you were an accomplice to your friend. Even though you didn't know he shoplifted, you are still with him. Best Buy doesn't know you weren't in on it, and they have to be cautious when they see a group of people come in, look around, then leave.

Now, here's where I call BS. Unfortunately I've known too many women who over-dramatize incidents. And, I am pretty sure the cop didn't do what you say he did. How is he supposed to know that pills in a plastic bag are actually hydroxycut. How is he supposed to know that you didn't open up the capsule, empty the hydroxycut, and replace it coke, heroin, meth, etc? Because, in his line of work, he's seen it all, and has to question. Was your friend who stole being an abrasive idiot? was he talking back to the cop and best buy manager? It also takes the police a while to respond to theft calls. Ever have your car broken into? In Oregon, they won't even show up, they send you a report to fill out. So the police are busy.

So, to end this. Cry to all your friends, get there sympathy cause you're the victim. Let your parents coddle you because that's what you need to feel accepted. Hang out with better people, and stop complaining because you were caught doing what you did.