Scam Alert: Best Buy "Online Only Pricing"

Some days all we want is instant gratification. Take the following for example:

Having just received my income tax refund, I wanted to spoil myself and I wanted to spoil myself now. I decided I wanted an ipod touch, so i went online to check out prices and I found that Best Buy had it online for $183.99 which was an online only price but I figured I’d head into the store since I read somewhere on the internet that they matched their online prices.

When I got to the store the iPod touch was $199.99 and when I mentioned that it was $183.99 online she said that they don’t price match their online prices. I immediately tweeted:

MeganCapone: Wtf @bestbuy? Why are store prices more than online. Must satisfy instant ipod touch craving 1:32 PM Mar 10th via twidroid

I waited for a response and when none came (at 2:32pm EST) I bought the iPod touch on BestBuy.com using my cell phone and at 2:51PM my item was ready to pick up at that very same Best Buy store.

MeganCapone: @bestbuy doesn’t match online prices in store. I sat in the store & ordered ipod touch at online price for instore pickup. Makes no sense! 2:53 PM Mar 10th via twidroid

What a total and complete waste of my time. From what I gather Best Buy (and many other retailers including Target and WalMart) prices its items online to compete with other online retailers. But it then seems to price the items in their retail stores to compete with other retail stores. It all seems kind of shady especially since you can actually sit in the store on your cell phone, buy the same exact item and pick it up a half an hour later in the same store for the online price that the sales clerk wouldn’t give me because they don’t match their online-only prices.

Not only is this a HUGE hassle for me (I have to jump through hoops to get the same item at the better price) but it’s a scam to those who don’t know any better or couldn’t be bothered with the hassle. I’m sure there are plenty of people that accept that they don’t match the price online and just buy it in store and that’s what Best Buy is counting on. It’s essentially discrimination – I have access to the Internet and am able to figure out how to get the discounted price. Someone without access to the Internet and online shopping skills gets stuck with the in-store price.

Kudos to Best buy for trying, though. Surfing on my $183.99 iPod touch later that I evening I received the following tweets from Best Buy “helpers”:

Coral_BestBuy @megancapone In most situations our stores will price match our BestBuy.com pricing upon request – full policy: www.BestBuy.com/PriceMatch 4:28 PM Mar 10th via web in reply to megancapone

My Response: @Coral_BestBuy not in my case. Was told they don’t price match online. Ordered in store on phone & pickedup. Hassel! 6:56 PM Mar 10th via TweetDeck in reply to Coral_BestBuy

Coral_BestBuy: @megancapone Well I’m glad you were clever and still were able to purchase – what store were you at so I may address this with their mgmnt? 7:03 PM Mar 10th via TweetDeck in reply to megancapone

My Response: @Coral_BestBuy thx. Nashua 9:01 PM Mar 10th via TweetDeck in reply to Coral_BestBuy

Jesus_BBY: @megancapone Came across your tweet, sorry to hear, send info to Twitter@BestBuy.com We’ll be happy to help 3:11 PM Mar 10th via TweetDeck in reply to megancapone

So the moral of the story?

1. Don’t shop at Best Buy (or any store whose pricing policies that are not to your liking).
2. If you have no other choice than to shop at Best Buy, demand the same price as online.
3. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. Don’t be afraid to ask to speak to the manager.
4. Use twitter and online social networking to your advantage – like many retailers, Best Buy guards its reputation using twitter. Sometimes a simple tweet about your situation can get you instant (or in my case, far too late) resolution and turn it around for you.
5. Buy your iPod touch at Amazon – right now it’s $181.99

A Girl Must Shop Disclosure: If you click on the iPod touch link and purchase an item on that web site A Girl Must Shop will receive a small commission that will be used to bring you even more scam alerts.

March 12, 2010 | Megan | Scams