Best Buy warning!!!! (1 Viewer)

Just a word of caution about signing up for a Best Buy card. I signed up for one on Labor Day because of a no interest deal they had going on. A few days ago in addition to my Best Buy card, I received an HSBC Mastercard with a credit line of $320(!!) and an annual fee of $69(!!!), which had already been charged to the account. The interest rate was somewhere in the high 20's(!!!!). In addition to this, HSBC has been calling my house 10-15 times a day trying to get me to sign up for some credit protection plan.

Furious, I called them up to give them an earful. After being on hold for 20 minutes, I finally got someone. After informing the person that I never signed up for this card, she forwarded me to a supervisor. Of course, I was on hold for another 15 minutes before I talked to someone again. After letting loose with a verbal barrage that made my wife blush, he asked me if the Best Buy person told me that I would receive their card as well. Since they hadn't I told them no and demanded they close this account and remove it from my credit report since my credit is immaculate. They closed the account but I have a feeling I'm going to have problems getting this removed from my credit reports.

Because of this, Best Buy and HSBC will never see my business again.

$70 annual fee??? Not to mention probably a second inquiry on your credit...those things add up even though they don't stay on your report for long. We've seen simple inquiries knock down our score as much as 20 points. It recovers within a couple of months, but still...

Watch your credit reports (always check all 3) closely for the next few months. You may have to file a protest to get the entry removed.

I would check the paperwork closely for the BB card. You have to give explecit permission for the credit inquiry and if this second account wasn't part of that agreement then you have genuine complaint with BB financing. Your wife might have to endure a bit more blushing, but BB shouldn't be allowed to get away with that.

Thanks for the heads up.

Being a former drone, here's what I can tell you:

There is a place on the bottom of the apps for your signature authorizing the Mastercard. There is also another place for the product protection. Most drones just "X" everywhere for you to sign, hoping you just sign. Chances are that's what happened. The store gets credit for signing up people for the Mastercard and the protection. It all goes to the Operations numbers, which are reported at the end of the night. You can bet that people have been formally reprimanded for not doing a good enough job.

It's been a few years since I donned the blue shirt and things might have changed...but I doubt it.

Awful. Just awful. Not especially surprising, but awful.

Thanks for telling the story, Todd.

I must have got lucky, when I got my Worst Buy card thats all they sent me.