Best Buy Bait and Switch False Advertising Minneapolis Minnesota
As recent as this morning 1/27/09, an email from Best Buy was sent out to all RewardZone card holders, and potentially all other opt-ins. As you can imagine the list size must be fairly large. This is a classic case of what I would call false advertising.
The email showcases a TV stating Save $650 on a Samsung 1080p plasma HDTV. If you click the link, it takes you directly to the product detail page at bestbuy.com. It does show the TV on sale. It does not display the price, but says Click here to see price in cart. The list price of the TV is $1,599. After clicking to see my savings? $1,149. That's a cool savings of wait a minute, $450. Is this a different TV? Why is the price not reflective of the offer? There were no asterisks or other language suggesting I would not save $650 on this TV.
So I called Best Buy. The girl was nice and she told me the ad looked misleading and after 2 years of being there she'd not seen anything like this before. She said she would wait for her supervisor to get in to review it and then get back to me. After an hour or so, she requested the email be forwarded precisely as it was sent to me, as well as a screenshot because her supervisor can't see the links correctly in his Outlook.
Here is the official response from Best Buy:
Aaron,
My manager and I reviewed the email. The additional $200 savings is the NFLShop.com $200 certificate rebate offer. I do apologize for all the frustration and confusion that came along with this email. Best Buy corporate is being notified about this misleading ad sent out. Once again I do apologize. If you have any additional concerns please contact us at 888-219-6629 transfer code 101.
So, you CANNOT save $650 on the TV. You can save UP TO $650 when you purchase the TV and also would like to buy some NFLShop crap. Assuming that is, that you were already planning that $200 purchase from NFLShop and this deal now feels like hitting the jackpot at the local pubs slot machine. It's at least good to have it in writing from Best Buy that the ad is misleading and they admit to this. People should be aware that Best Buy is among the companies looking to soak your dollars during our economic downturn through ANY means possible. With Circuit City down the tubes, electronic companies must be fighting hand-over-fist to stay afloat.
Smith
Chesterland, Ohio
U.S.A.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Troy
Shelbyville,Indiana,
U.S.A.
This is NOT false advertising
#6UPDATE EX-employee responds
Wed, February 11, 2009
Is it not true that you would get a total of $650 dollars off if you accepted the offer? Yes, it is true. Just because you do not like rebates does not mean it is a scam.
Drawtaru
Johnson City,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
I don't see the problem...
#6UPDATE Employee
Sat, February 07, 2009
It was an error on the part of Best Buy. Somewhere along the line, some aide typed something in incorrectly. Best Buy employees are human, and as humans, we make mistakes like any other human. You contacted Best Buy, and they informed you of the error, and appologized to you for it. I don't see how this is anything other than whining. You lost nothing, not even gas money.
The definition of "bait and switch" as you called this is as follows, posted from wikipedia: "In retail sales, a bait and switch is a form of fraud in which the party putting forth the fraud lures in customers by advertising a product or service at an unprofitably low price, then reveals to potential customers that the advertised good is not available but that a substitute is."
They didn't offer you a substitute, saying that the TV was unavailable, so this was not bait and switch. Please learn your terms before you complain about a company that did nothing wrong, and cost you nothing.
Drawtaru
Johnson City,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
I don't see the problem...
#6UPDATE Employee
Sat, February 07, 2009
It was an error on the part of Best Buy. Somewhere along the line, some aide typed something in incorrectly. Best Buy employees are human, and as humans, we make mistakes like any other human. You contacted Best Buy, and they informed you of the error, and appologized to you for it. I don't see how this is anything other than whining. You lost nothing, not even gas money.
The definition of "bait and switch" as you called this is as follows, posted from wikipedia: "In retail sales, a bait and switch is a form of fraud in which the party putting forth the fraud lures in customers by advertising a product or service at an unprofitably low price, then reveals to potential customers that the advertised good is not available but that a substitute is."
They didn't offer you a substitute, saying that the TV was unavailable, so this was not bait and switch. Please learn your terms before you complain about a company that did nothing wrong, and cost you nothing.
Drawtaru
Johnson City,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
I don't see the problem...
#6UPDATE Employee
Sat, February 07, 2009
It was an error on the part of Best Buy. Somewhere along the line, some aide typed something in incorrectly. Best Buy employees are human, and as humans, we make mistakes like any other human. You contacted Best Buy, and they informed you of the error, and appologized to you for it. I don't see how this is anything other than whining. You lost nothing, not even gas money.
The definition of "bait and switch" as you called this is as follows, posted from wikipedia: "In retail sales, a bait and switch is a form of fraud in which the party putting forth the fraud lures in customers by advertising a product or service at an unprofitably low price, then reveals to potential customers that the advertised good is not available but that a substitute is."
They didn't offer you a substitute, saying that the TV was unavailable, so this was not bait and switch. Please learn your terms before you complain about a company that did nothing wrong, and cost you nothing.
Drawtaru
Johnson City,Tennessee,
U.S.A.
I don't see the problem...
#6UPDATE Employee
Sat, February 07, 2009
It was an error on the part of Best Buy. Somewhere along the line, some aide typed something in incorrectly. Best Buy employees are human, and as humans, we make mistakes like any other human. You contacted Best Buy, and they informed you of the error, and appologized to you for it. I don't see how this is anything other than whining. You lost nothing, not even gas money.
The definition of "bait and switch" as you called this is as follows, posted from wikipedia: "In retail sales, a bait and switch is a form of fraud in which the party putting forth the fraud lures in customers by advertising a product or service at an unprofitably low price, then reveals to potential customers that the advertised good is not available but that a substitute is."
They didn't offer you a substitute, saying that the TV was unavailable, so this was not bait and switch. Please learn your terms before you complain about a company that did nothing wrong, and cost you nothing.