Complaint Review: Best Buy - New York New York

when you bought the switch you gave them your credit card and drivers license so whats the big deal?

That's all they asked for, MB.

"I give the clerk A.) my credit card I made the purchase on, B.) my store receipt, C.) My Company ID w/Picture. I ask for a refund to the card. .... The Store Clerk says I need a Divers Lic or Passport.  I do not have it on me. I call my wife who comes down from her office upstairs in the same building."

The Best Buy rep wouldn't take a work ID. (Can't blame him).

Ive returned a few things to Best Buy (In Toronto, Canada) and NEVER have I been asked for this much. Just receipt, card used, and photo ID of your choice. And thats just to make sure its your credit/debit card, they dont use any info from your ID other than the photo and name. If they are going to that point, then its that store itself, with those individuals. There is no way all of those things are needed.

    I've been in dozens of Best Buy's across the country and they all have a huge sign either standing in front of customer service and the cashier's stands or posted behind them. I will grant you, I wasn't in this particular store, but this policy is even posted on their website. It's pasted below:

Original Receipt and Valid Photo ID
Bring the original receipt as well as your valid photo ID for all exchanges, returns, price matches and warranty repair services. Best Buy accepts the following forms of photo identification:

U.S., Canadian or Mexican driver's license
U.S. state ID
Canadian province ID
U.S. military ID
Passport

    As for the "potential identity theft" issue, first off, your social security number isn't on your license; just your name, DOB, and address. How many people have you given those pieces of information to in your life and not complained about it? Let's see, credit card companies, doctors, banks, your employer, the DMV, online merchants, your friends and family.... Get the point? Why are you so concerned about someone at Best Buy, when you've voluntarily given that same information to literally thousands of other people (most of which you don't know personally)? Besides, anyone can find that information online with a few simple keystrokes. 
    
    As for the credit card number itself, it seems to me that anyone at the hundreds of other places you've used your card at could copy down the numbers just as easily as the guy at Best Buy. I don't see you complaining about them.

    In the nutshell, you're overreacting. If they asked for your social security number, you'd have a case, but this report is just petty.

What they asked for is pretty standard return policy, also if your so worried that there going to steal your identity or credit card info may I recomend you never go to any hotel ever, the whole front desk has access to all this information at the click of a button and most of it gets stored for an extended period of time.

before applying, you should review BEST BUY Credit Cards website 

Do some more research. I bet you you'll find this for a lot of companies. There's always bad apples that the companies hire. In fact, I know people who have stolen credit card information. None of them have worked for Best Buy. I will add in that you should be more careful going to the movies or eating out though. 

That "policy" is common when the person returning the item does not have a receipt, as it is intended to curb theft. Homeless people and various lowlife will steal an item and then attempt to return it for cash.



But applying that policy to someone who has the store receipt, and the card it was purchased on, and any form of picture id like that employee badge, is totally insane!



That is just an example of truly incompetent management.

Shop elsewhere and avoid the hassle.

I do. No problems.



Won't step foot in Best Buy.

Here are a few of the many examples of Best Buy NOT guarding customer's credit card information andt allowing the customer's credit card information to be stolen by Best Buy employees:

http://consumerist.com/2009/02/best-buy-employee-arrested-for-stealing-credit-cards.html

http://www.kfoxtv.com/news/17259742/detail.html

http://www.grazeit.com/pages/best-buy-employee-in-west-palm-beach-arrested-for-stealing-credit-card-information-904150/

Anyone taking the time will find many more:

Now to add insult to injury Best Buy wants your Credit Card and Driver Lic.
 
It's clear that Best Buy Employees have been aressted for Identity Theft in the past.  Why any person in their right mind would give a company like Best Buy access to thier Driver Lic and Passport is beyond me.


I hope consumers boycott Best Buy until they stop this practice.

It's really not uncommon to ask for ID with returns. It seems a bit excessive to need it with a return with receipt, but they're not doing anything illegal and there was absolutely no need for you to post this here. I mean, just because you have a credit card and receipt, doesn't necessarily mean you're the person who owns that credit card. A lot of companies also keep records of people who return a lot of stuff, and that info is taken down for their records. Don't like it? Plan your purchases better. 

Also, don't go on websites claiming Best Buy is committing identity theft unless they actually are and you can prove it. If you can't, you just look like an idiot.