Complaint Review: Best Buy - West Lebanon New Hampshire

..but none of us were there to witness first hand the incident.

I do not believe that "BestBuy" would encourage any employee to use deception this way. so yes..I defend bestBuy. Not saying they are always perfect..but they are smart enough to realize an unhappy customer is not a good business plan.

But at the same time..if the option to purchase the laptop without the optimization was not mentioned until the customer was at the register, and the employee was well aware the customer only wanted the 399 as advertised..I would agree this was a bit shady. But IF it did go down this way..it was poor employee judgment or procedure, not BestBuy policy.

I am sure the OP will survive the horrible humiliation of being treated like a moron. However no where does it state anywhere in the report that the customer felt he was treated like a moron. It appears to me if the report is accurate that he was unaware he had an optimized laptop and at the register was told he could have one from lockup for 399 that is not optimized. Oh the humanity!!!! I will never go there again..lol Fine..get your laptop for 10 bucks at swipebids.

The OP did ask for the $399.  We know you do not make money on the laptop, especially at that price.  We also know that employees do not make commission.  We do know that you have unmistakably earnest goals for extra services, especially Blk Tie Protection Plans.   It was an obvious attempt to get out of selling this laptop to this customer without the "as reported in other consumer websites" a total waste of money optimization "service."  Give me a break that everyone wants BBY to delete trial software and download updates.    Again, the OP was treated like a moron, not a customer. 

So yes I'm an employee at a Best Buy. The services are automatically done on about 30% of the stores inventory. Believe it or not 30% of customers would rather just pay than have to deal with it themselves.

@RonnyG - if this occurred on the sales floor and the sales person presented a choice to the OP, that is one thing.  If as stated (we can only go with "as stated") this occurred at the register (possibly with others in line), then the OP is caught between a rock and a hard place - not only treated abysmally just because the OP desired to purchase an advertised item, but unpleasantly surprised the the price had suddenly been jacked up to something that he had no expectation of paying.   You're right, no one is "forced" to spend the money, but you and I can process these deceptions and would never succumb.  The average, less industry intuitive person, would either succumb and pay more or leave.  If BBY has a 25% success rate for this tactic, they make plenty of money.  At whose expense though.   It is actually illegal to "bundle" optional services - Yes, a pattern of such would open BBY up to legal consequences. 

The OP found the Dell at BestBuy and it was $399.00. According to the report at the register it was told to the OP it was $478.00. Now if they would have told the OP that there was no other choice, this would have been a big problem and I would agree there could be illegal tactics used.

But the OP was told he can go get another one from lockup that is not optimized and it will be $399.00. So where was any force used? Either the employee failed to explain it properly, or the customer did not understand. The salesperson is certainly supposed to explain to the customer that there is a charge for optimizing. The charge certainly showed up at the register. So what was illegal? Did they refuse to sell the Laptop at the advertised price? No.

In the worst case a saleperson used bad judgment. What is consumer affairs going to do about that? Ask BestBuy to fire the salesperson? Or "force" BestBuy to stop trying to make a little money on something?

It seems some people have a vendetta against BestBuy..and that is not unexpected..they have a lot of customers and you can't please them all. But take a look black Friday...well even earlier..days earlier when the customers will camp outside for days to get a deal. Ehh, I am done here. I don't expect to convince anyone of anything, I was just trying to use reason. Fail.

If Best Buy advertised the laptop for $399 and it wasn't a "limited quantity" sale and they had it in stock, then the OP had an absolute right to purchase it without any "forced" or "bundled" add-ons - in this case the masked "optimization" service.

Obviously Best Buy either nets zero profit on a $399 laptop or makes very little and tries anything to gain those lost dollars back.

Depending on the state, these tactics may be illegal.  At a minimum, a letter or email to the state's Division of Consumer Affairs is in order.  The OP was treated like a moron and deserves better.

..and it can be taken with a grain of salt..no one is forced to read this, agree with it or rebut it..

There are several things that lead to these types of complaints..

One is, that the salesperson was shady. This certainly can happen anywhere. Granted the salespeople are not on commission, but they are under pressure to sell profitably. If a salesperson just handed customers a computer and offered nothing else, BestBuy would be "gone bye" in no time. They make almost nothing on core product..possibly lose on a computer.

Two, the salesperson made a mistake..it happens as well. It is not like Best Buy could survive in business these days if they had to hire a manager to be with every salesperson on every shift every second of the day to make sure they do not make a mistake or misrepresent. The customers should always be aware what they are paying for, and what they are signing for. The products and services change often..sometimes an employee is not even aware..maybe he/she is part time and was not informed.

Three, the customer heard what they wanted to (coined "selective hearing") and even though they may not be lying, they are not stating the truth.

Four, the customer is lying to get over (this happens a LOT too) or they are complaining because they are not happy with the real truth and facts...in other words disgruntled.

I do not work for BestBuy, but I have. I have been to meetings and I can say that I have personally witnessed the managers express the importance of proper representation of products, services and warranties. But, mistakes happen, and bad apples slip thought the cracks. This company is not successful because they are successful at swindling people. They are successful because the customers come back. Have they had problems and growing pains now and again for ethics? Yes..but they correct them and they are growing and they are getting better with time.

They have been around for a long long time..at least if you buy a product from them you do not have to worry that the doors will be closed tomorrow...that is if they are able to make a profit. It would be horrible if they went under and all these employees were forced to look to Walmart or McDonalds for work. Or perhaps no more retail electronics? Then go buy your Ipad from banana bidz.

I have purchased three computers from Best Buy and am familiar with this service. Optimization is the practice of removing bloatware and adjusting Windows settings for maximum performance. These tasks can be done by anybody who is moderately computer savvy but some people might have Best Buy do it because they don't have the time. Of my last 3 purchases, I accepted an optimized computer and the other two times I didn't. Strangely enough, the service was only about $39-$49 dollars, not $79.

The sales person should have mentioned the optimization service. I wasn't there and don't know what happened so I will ask - is it possible that the sales person asked and you didn't quite understand what he/she was asking?

If the OP was truly not informed about the option, then there is a genuine complaint. I once had a problem with a Best Buy employee who failed to mention that when they sell you an anti-virus they will automatically bill you for renewals. If I didn't happen to look at the back of my receipt then I would have missed it.

I'd hope that the OP's situation was just a misunderstanding but my own personal experience with Best Buy makes me wonder...

I have also noticed a lot of shady things with Best Buy.

Primarily my experience with them selling computers with an operating system only backed by them. When it crashes and you need the operating system disc to clean your computer without doing a full reset on your cpu defaults. You need to buy the disc either via Microsoft or retail even though you can buy a computer directly from the computer company and recieve a operating system backup included. Going directly through the computer manufacturer, you also get discount replacement on the operating system backup in the event it is lost.

I browsed this site a little and whenever there is negative things to be said about the author, I noticed the name next to it is usually "Ronny G." Well Ronny, chat rooms are probably a better place to vent your mental angst. Everyone knows Best Buy is scammy, it's like putting a rip-off-report out on Enron. If "Scammy isn't a word, how about "fraud-a-docious," or "deceptilicious."  All fitting of Best Buy.

BestBuy is one of the FEW  places left in America, where someone with some motivation and half a brain can get a job..and actually have a future.

Any manufacturing jobs left here??? Or maybe spend a fortune on a college education and realize there are NO jobs in the field you spent a fortune on to master?

BestBuy is one of the FEW employers of Americans these days that actually has an ounce of ethics left. Hence...while Circuit City and others go the wayside...and Walmart???..well need I say more..

I don't want to look like the corporate bad guy here..as I am not really a pro corporate type of person...but I live in the real world.

I am 100% sure it is NOT BestBuys normal or condoned practice to charge for something that the customer is unaware of. But at the same time, I can not say some salespeople may not explain a service as it should have been explained prior to paying.

I can only go by this particular report which states the customer could have had the laptop without paying for the service. But they chose to be one of those that will NEVER be satisfied..and I feel BestBuy as one of the few companies that is still hiring Americans..has a right to make a profit on a service. As well, I feel BestBuy as being one of the few if any retail businesses that are actually showing growth during these trying times..can probably do better without those that will never be satisfied.

Every legitimate retailer will do a "price match" on that product for you, if an identical item is available.

This is a CONSPIRACY to defraud the customer between Best Buy and the Geek Squad.

I will NEVER again shop at any Best Buy store for this exact reason. I got tired of having Best Buy reps who get commission on this crap push this on me. I hate being "sold" anything. Best Buy should just pay their employees a decent wage instead of starving them and forcing them to hard sell every customer at the register.

You should have just taken a picture of the store advertisement and then bought the advertised item with a credit card. Then use it for free for 60 days and then dispute the charge on your credit card statement. Then, they can issue you the refund for the inflated price, or they can take the item back and give you a full refund!

Make them pay for their scam. I do.

I got a FREE laptop out of circuit city because of a similar scam just shortly before they closed down all stores.

Best Buy will go the same way as Circuit City did if they don't stop this crap.

BTW...The Geek Squad SUCKS!! Overpriced service performed by a bunch of kids.

You could also file an FTC complaint, as well as a complaint with your local consumer affairs office. A letter to Best Buy corporate offices and/or board of directors would do the trick too.

Ronnie, the point is Best Buy didn't inform the customer prior to getting to the register - that is deceptive. At a miniumum Best Buy should have a sign detailing the extra cost where the customer picks up the laptop. To simply assume the customer is not going to notice an additional $79 at the register is an insult to the customer.

This poster did the right thing by walking out and spending his dollars with a retailer that posts the actual price.

Perhaps there was a mix up somewhere...but if you wanted the Laptop for 399.00, you could have got one...as you stated ""Yes," came the reply. "If you would like a laptop that has not been serviced, you can go back to the computer department and ask the sales person to get you one,..." then as Robert stated you could have removed and free trail or software yourself if wanted to and know how.

They obviously were not "forcing" you to have this service done..and it is a service they charge for. But I guess BestBuy doesn't deserve to make a dime so the employees can get paid and eat? Maybe they should just become a non profit charity organization?

You see computer manufacturers put TONS of "free" software on your computer.  Well it is not really "free" most of the time they are just demo programs where if you want the FULL software you have to go to the company to buy it.  Now this has been going on for years and years.

Recently stores(I think only Best Buy, but there may be others now) realized that people hated this software and decided they could make money off of removing this unwanted software.  I think to justify it a bit more they also will make sure your computer has the latest "updates", but then again that is something you can also do for yourself for free.  This is actually a pretty good racket if you ask me.

Now if they asked you if you wanted them to do this and they did it then "fool on you".  But if they didn't ask you and just did it..yes you had every right to complain and did the right thing by walking out.