Best Buy kinda apologizes for ripping off gamers
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Dec 3rd 2005 at 12:01PM }
A week ago, we ran details of
some pretty sleazy business practices that went down at
Best Buys around the country. Shoppers showed up looking for advertised $299 and $399 Xbox 360 units and were told by
Best Buy staff that the actual price they'd have to pay for an Xbox 360 would be several hundred dollars higher than
advertised thanks to a forced bundle. Bait-and-switch much?
According to The Mercury News, Best Buy now acknowledges that "some stores acted inappropriately." In order to make good, the company has promised that they'll give refunds for "any unwanted Xbox 360-related purchases," even though they were initially sold as non-refundable.
Still, this "apology" falls short. What Best Buy should have offered is an immediate refund of the price premium that some customers were forced to pay. The company goes on to tell the Mercury News that they've "taken appropriate measures to ensure this situation will not occur with future Xbox 360 promotions." How about the upcoming PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution launches, Best Buy?
Remember this, gamers, when it's time for you to purchase your PS3 and Revolution consoles.
[Edits made to clarify the situation. Apologies for the confusion.]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
devwild @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Please check your facts - they did not pay more for the xbox, they paid more for a bundle when they weren't supposed to have to buy a bundle. Also, Best buy is offering to let people return the accessories, not the xbox itself (why would they return it when they could ebay it anyway)
The real people that got jipped were those who were turned away because they couldn't aford the "bundle". They are the ones who need something in return, but will never get it.
Nate @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Devwild is correct.
vc @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Devwild, Best Buy has stated the following: "We will accept returns or exchanges for any unwanted Xbox 360-related purchases."
That includes the console itself.
Rare Hare @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
ooo, devwild just got pwned.
anyway, i'm glad Best Buy is at least acknowledging the problem..
AndrewNeo @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
"Remember this, gamers, when it’s time for you to purchase your PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution consoles."
Yeah. I think Sony and Nintendo will be smart enough -not- to pull off what Microsoft did.
gjd @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
vc - You and devwild are both correct. I believe what he was indicating was that the apology doesn't necessarily "fall short," at least not for the reasons in the paragraph about that. I don't think Best Buy charged wildly high prices for the 360, but rather bundled it unnecessarily. So the apology and the ability to return the excessive bundle *does* rectify that situation.
Xbox 360 Maniac @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I wrote a post about this a couple days ago, citing two articles including this one.
I read it the same way as devwild.
To find out, I just called the best buy customer # listed on the article. Cust serv rep "Pam" verified you can return unopened accessories that came with the bundle, and keep the console.
Andy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
The article *is* misleading. devwild's comment is actually more accurate. I've no problem with Best Buy bashing, just get the facts right.
Stephen @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
When it comes to that, I'll be one of the few to pre-order the Rev! I will definitely head over to Gamestop first thing after they announce that they will take pre-orders.
Neil Wood @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Hi there, if anyone's having trouble getting hold of an xbox 360, then they should come to France, they can't get rid of them over here. I was in my local Toys R Us in Vitrolles, near Marseilles and they're stacked to the ceiling with not many apparent buyers !
Martez @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
You really think only a 'few' people will pre-order the Rev?
Gin @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
lol, i couldn't care less, i got my 360 for $433 (thats including sales tax) the first day standing outside the freezing cold as the 7th person on line outside BestBuy for 15 hours , and i got my 360 with no problems :P. I'd say thats pretty good service :3. ...cant wait till the ps3 and rev come out, i am so getting those :> ... and of course halo3, because everyone knows halo3 and ps3 are coming out on the sameday, and i plan on getting both. ^^
KilgoreTrout XL @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Dude, you and a million others are going to want a revolution. Don't count on it being as easy as you think.
But good luck. I'll try to do the same.
KilgoreTrout XL @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Dude, you and a million others are going to want a revolution. Don't count on it being as easy as you think.
But good luck. I'll try to do the same.
Diemer @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.
Momus @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
It breaks down like this:
•The Xbox 360 sold at inflated prices. Even the affordable bundle ripped you off more when it came to accessories and games for the system are set at $60 each.
•The Xbox 360 had a pathetic launch library. Formulaic, too, with one sequel to one game from every genre the more HARDCORE gamers would find appealing (first-person, football, racing, world war-fantasy-simulator, etc).
•The Xbox 360 had disasterously faulty hardware. Even without the power supply built into the unit it was huge. Not huge compared to the original Xbox, but still huge. This is the design philosophy behind the machine's concave shape, you see; to be evocative of inhalation, or a corset.
•The Xbox 360 takes after the PSP and relies on gimmicks to sweeten the deal.
•The Xbox 360 is just barely backwards compatible.
•The Xbox 360 is the first console to launch this generation, and therefore has nothing relevent to be compared to just yet.
•The Xbox 360 made its debut on MTV.
We can draw many conclusions from these facts—yes, facts—but only one is important, and that is that all current and would-be Xbox 360 owners should have known better and they deserve no sympathy. Only pity. Their infatuation with gimmickry and putting hardware before software is doing this industry no favors. If you're all satisfied with the enormous price hikes and garbagy craftsmanship of these ill-begotten attempts to put gaming on level with trite Hollywood action movies, then be my guest.
Rot in debt.
Repeat past mistakes.
Just wait until the next E.T. is released. That's all it will take. You're giving developers the idea that they can pull that kind of bullshit without consequences, and it's not true.
Tobias Fredriksson @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
#5 um so why wouldn't sony go for offering bundles also...
They already do that with the PSP you know.
I just wish that the games that you could get with it was choosable. If im forced to purchase a bundle - fine. But give me the option of which games dont say "you have to have this... then you can choose another one" yeah right. And when i purchased mine i didn't even have an option to purchase a seperate
Deejay Knight @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Momus:
The majority of your points are made based off of opinion, and it's obviously of one who doesn't like the 360.
The Xbox 360 sold at a loss. The retail outlets that sold at an inflated price have been found out and have publicly admitted their wrongdoings (like this article). The main other place that is inflating prices is eBay, and those aren't mandatory. People are just paying outrageous prices because they're impatient.
Of course, there is going to be a formula to a launch. The bread and butter titles of 3rd party developers are destined to sell well. Are they supposed to put out all different kinds of genres that noone has heard of? In case you hadn't noticed, those don't normally sell well...(Psychonauts, anyone?).
Disasterously faulty hardware? When launching complicated hardware in mass numbers, this is expected. It happens with every launch, this one is no exception.
The Xbox 360's backwards compatibility will be upgraded over time. MS will be adding more titles as time goes on as downloads on Xbox Live.
The 360 launch on MTV was to garner a little bit of attention from the mass market. Can you fault a company for trying to grow it's product?
This info comes from someone who is excited about ALL of the next-gen consoles, hence the reason i can't comment on the 360 not having any competitors. I'll line up for both the PS3 and the Revolution when they come out, because I'm what some would call a GAMER. If you were a gamer, you wouldn't be so negative about it. Don't like the 360? Don't make so much of a stink about it.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
"lol, i couldn't care less, i got my 360 for $433 (thats including sales tax) the first day standing outside the freezing cold as the 7th person on line outside BestBuy for 15 hours , and i got my 360 with no problems :P. I'd say thats pretty good service :3"
Great. Now there are fanboys of retail chains. Still, it is encouraging to see so many other people concerned by the way businesses are treating us.
Beware the Mole People clause:
http://www.ministry-of-fun.com/comic/comic015.htm
Zonko the Best Buy Fairy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Just want to let you know that official company policy at launch, and for every other shipment, was clearly printed and made available to each store. The policy is that Best Buy DOES NOT force bundles. Any managers/salespeople who did this acted outside corporate instructions and were most likely in hot water for having done it.
The company made their position clear. They can hardly be blamed for the actions of some individuals. If you do see a store selling the next shipment in bundles, please call them on it. It is most definitely against company policy, as is preselling and rain checks on this item.
SetupWeasel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
"The policy is that Best Buy DOES NOT force bundles. Any managers/salespeople who did this acted outside corporate instructions and were most likely in hot water for having done it."
Most likely? If there were sufficient penalties for doing so, they would not have done it. Most likely, there was a wink and a nudge from executives. Oh, they may get a slap on the wrist, but the store manager's bonus this holiday season will reflect a different attitude. If you think that these companies care about anything other than the bottom line, you are very very wrong.
It's time for HyperBole XL!
Other Policies:
The United Stated does not torture prisoners.
The Catholic Church does not tolerate priests that molest children.
Enron obeys the law.
All these groups used lines like "They can hardly be blamed for the actions of some individuals," when they got caught.
Andon @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Actually, it is Best Buy's "policy" to bundle machines with accessories and such. I worked there up until this past spring, in the media department, and believe me - if a console left the floor without an accessory or two minimum attached to it, you got hell for it. My solution? I always told people to just take the bundle apart and keep what they wanted. Because, in reality, the bundle saves you no money because they didn't mark down prices for them. So, buying a bundle with an extra controller and a game didn't save you anymore than buying it all separately would.
Kell31 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
Just like the computer's they sell, good luck getting one not bundled with AOL or some other crap you don't need or want. Best Buy has definately become a company of Bait and Switch. They operate this way in every store i have been in. The sad part is no one seems to be holding them to the laws against Bait and Switch. Or maybe Best buy ran that group out of town too (just like the mom and pop stores they crush). Are Best Buy and Wal Mart operating from the same handbook?
method007 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
The constantly confused, never happy, always complaining, never knowing what you actually want, buying whatever we tell you anywase, waiting outside of the store in freezing weather (for a whole night and in some cases days), couldn't possibly understand the concept of finite product, knows more then me yet still asks for my advice people......
I work at Office Max and we have a word for people like you all....
We call you consumers. Some call you customers. We all call you losers, Crunching your brow in a veign attempt to understand even the most simple statement/reply like "its on isle 3"....
Is it hard to see why best buy did what they did? That's right, good little consumer, now take your ink cartridge and go home. Don't forget your keys.....! Aw... Screw it.
spelling nazi @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
"Crunching your brow in a veign attempt to understand even the most simple statement/reply like 'its on isle 3'".
hmm... Veign != vain.
Maybe that's why you work in retail.
did you mean "It's on aisle 3"?
Maybe that's why people don't understand you.
LicenseToThrill @ Dec 18th 2005 9:06PM
I used to work at Best Buy for over two years and at Circuit City for about the same amount of time. And during my time at Best Buy, I saw some of the MOST shady business practices possible. At nearly every opportunity, they would try to screw the customer. It was unwritten policy that the customer didn't know crap and that they were only useful as long as they were getting their pockets drained. I've seen people wait in line to just TALK to someone about a product for nearly an hour, while some employees stand there pretending to not notice them. There management seems to be trained to treat the employees pretty crappy too. And if the employees are getting the shaft then they'll just turn around and give it right back to the consumer.
The real point is that the way that Best Buy conducts business is like someone put it earlier: "Bait and Switch". They constantly put things in their ads that they don't or won't have in stock, just so that they can get you to walk in the door. They repeatedly show a lack of customer service or care for the customer. Most complaints to management by consumers or employees just go ignored and they can't be bothered to change it. At Circuit City, I never saw anything nearly as bad as what ocurred during my time at Best Buy. The only reason I can see that Best Buy is still the number one retail electronics store is solely because of their image. Their marketing department is one of the best in the industry and it creates constant business. They make themselves look very good, but it's all just a show. Alot of people I saw would leave the store so upset at the experience they had, that they would swear never to go back there again. When I went to work at the Circuit City just up the road, I even had some of those same people as my regular and satisfied customers.
Bottom line is....Best Buy should not be able to run a business like that. And people who go there should know the truth about what they're going to get when they shop there.
-J-