Best Buy ripoff 15 per cent restocking fee for no reason Milpitas California
I recently purchased a Sony laptop at the Best Buy Milpitas store in California on the condition that the OS could be upgrade from Windows XP Home to Windows XP Professional. The Service team (geek squad) member offered to upgrade the OS from Windows XP Home to Windows XP professional at a charge of $79. The geek squad was unable to perform the upgrade and refunded the fee of $79. I returned the computer as it was not useful without the uprade. I was charged a restocking fee of 15%. This is outrageous and I think I should get a full refund.
Needless to say, I will not be shopping at Best Buy ever again.
Venkatram
Los Altos, California
U.S.A.
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Venkatram
Los Altos,California,
U.S.A.
It is not written that their upgrades wont work
#4Author of original report
Wed, March 29, 2006
To repeat, I bought the computer under the condition that the system was upgradeable - The employees should not have consented to perform the upgrade - as one the employees did rebut. If so, I would not have bought the computer. In any case, you are right, legally i have no recourse - my only action as a consumer is to avoid such stores and to be fair, I am also not buying Sony computers again.
If the vendor wants my business, they have to look in the context of getting my business. Bottom line they may have gotten a 15% fee restocking fee from me. Another vendor got my business and I am a little wiser, but a little poorer.
Denny
Honolulu,Hawaii,
U.S.A.
why ? its cleary written in the return policy and on your receipt
#4Consumer Comment
Wed, March 29, 2006
And your item wasn't defective.
The 15% return to stock fee is a normal fee. Why didn't you read your receipt and the clearly posted return policies?
Kristy
Beverly Hills,California,
U.S.A.
how to get a full refund
#4UPDATE Employee
Wed, March 29, 2006
I understand "why" the store is charging the restocking fee (the box had been opened) but in this specific case.. if you asked the geek agent to upgrade to XP Pro.. (and you never took the PC home) and they called you and said we can't do the update... we refunded the $79...
I would be speaking with the store manager, corporate to get a full refund.. you were sold the unit under that condition it was upgradable to XP pro & you paid the geeks to do it. if on the other hand to be fair.. you took the Laptop home.. waited several days, weeks, months etc. and then came back in.. you have no leg to stand on..
(if you want to get really technical.. tell the store manager he violated Best Buy corporate policy aka: SOP.. that geek agents are NOT Allowed to do XP home to XP pro updates on laptops for this specific reason. unless they have a signed form that the update may not be sucessful
we ran into this issue about a year ago at my store.. and now we are VERY Clear to customers about this situation on laptop upgrades. again the store has 5 differn't managers.. if one doesn't do what you want go to the next one..