Best Buy DVD pricing mistake at cash register again and again..... (1 Viewer)

[Robert_eb]

Has anyone ever noticed this problem at Best Buy? I tend to buy 2-3 dvds a week. It seems that at least once a week the price shown on a dvd does match the cash registers price when they scan the bar code. This happened again to me today. I purchased Cats & Dogs (widescreen) which was marked at $14.99. I get to the register and low and behold it rang up at $22.99. This happens a lot and I'm wondering if this happens at your local Best Buy? I heard somewhere that there is a law, at least in Michigan, where if the price on an item is priced higher at the register there supposed to give you that dollar amount taken off the price of the item that your buying. Is this true??

 

[Brian Glaeske]

Don't know if it is a law or not (I'm sure it is different per state). Some stores have signs stating that the cash register is always correct.
You can obviously either:
1. Complain and ask for the lower price as marked
2. Not purchase it.
Brian G.

 

[Dwayne]

I remember when I bought Braveheart for around $8.00.

 

[Prentice Cotham]

Robert,

What did you end up paying for the DVD? BB must give you that 14.99 price. The law in Michigan goes something like they must give you the difference back plus the difference times 10 up to $5. So, I think you would have gotten $13 back. I'm not sure how it works exactly but MI is very strict on crap like that. Of course BB will pull out the stops not to do this. I've seen it before a million times.

 

[Jon_Are]

Prentice is correct, but here is what you must also know: allow the cashier to ring it up, then pay for it, then take the item and your receipt to customer service. They are required by (Michigan) law to refund 10 X the difference up to $5. My wife does this all the time.

If you fuss before the sale is made, though, you're out of luck because the transaction had not yet been completed.

Jon

 

[Dome Vongvises]

Best Buy does make a lot of mistakes. Hell, they need to do a better job of pricing things correctly. Otherwise, I'm going to be saving a lot of money when I go there.

 

[alan halvorson]

Best Buy used to advertise that they will honor the lower price between what is marked and what comes up at the till. I don't see this advertised anymore nor do I find this policy listed on their site. I have a feeling the policy was abused. No matter - Best Buy has never failed to follow the above policy with anything I've bought, no matter what the difference was. I'd expect, however, that if I found one of those big flat screen TVs with a $9.99 tag on it, they wouldn't honor that.

 

[AndrewR]

About a month ago, a local Best Buy had the Criterion Spartacus mispriced for $34.99. I think it's usually $44.99. I took it up to the counter and it rang up for the higher price. Without a word, the salesperson marked it down to $34.99.

I usually have no problems at Best Buy when it comes to price changes.

Andrew

 

[Sean Moon]

Stores are required to honor marked price on items as per the better business buereau. If one thing is mispriced that could be price tampering, but if all items are mispriced then it is obviously something that they have to honor. If it is a legitimate mistake that the store made, no matter where you are, they have to honor it. If they do not honor it, then it is false advertising. If they dont, talk to the manager, get the store number, the mgrs name and a corporate number. Tell them that you wanted their company to know they wouldnt honor a price before the better business buerau found out. I went through this years ago with a tower records. I was looking through the DVDs and found Lethal Weapon 4 for 7.99! This was only a month after street too! I dig through all ten copies and sure enough all are priced 7.99 with the same skus on the tags too. Did they honor it? NO. As I was questioning it a clerk ran from behind the counter to yank the other nine off of the shelf. As I talked to the MOD I explained that he had to honor the price and he said he didnt since it was a mistake. I told him he didnt know how to run a business because he wont honor their own pricing and that as per the better business bearau they had to and how I had been in retail for years and management for years too. He said I was out of luck and sent me on my way. I went to the nearby mall where I worked and stopped at ALL record and DVD stores and asked all the managers what they are required to do in a similar situation and they all said they HAVE TO HONOR THE PRICE. So I called the Tower and asked to get their store number, MOD name, and a corporate number. The clerk asks me what I need it for and I say false advertising and poor business practices, poor service, whatnot. They put the same MOD on and he asks if he can help me. I tell him I was wanting to notify his employer of such things before I told the BBB about it so they would know what happened directly from me. Well....that got the guys attention. After a lengthy argument he asked what I wanted and I said all I wanted was the DVD for what it was priced. He said he would hold it for me to pick up.

I never set foot in the store again. And still called the BBB. If I had to go through that for a simple price honor, then it isnt worth it.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

The better business bureau is a fraud. It's a place set up by businesses for you to complain to so you can vent and get off their backs. The BBB doesn't do anything, and has no power to actually do anything anyway.

 

[Donnie Eldridge]

The better business bureau is a fraud. It's a place set up by businesses for you to complain to so you can vent and get off their backs. The BBB doesn't do anything, and has no power to actually do anything anyway.

Not true. My friend just had a situation with Best Buy regarding a defective dvd player. The player kept freezing up after about an hour of use. It was still within the 90 day warranty which stated, to exchange the player at the place of purchase. Best Buy refused to honor the warranty saying he would have to return it to the manufacturer because of their 30 day return policy. We called the BBB and faxed them a copy of the warranty agreement. Three days later the store manager from Best Buy left a message stating they would exchange the player.

 

[Samuel Des]

I doubt that the BBB would help in cases with a smaller or independent business.

 

[Don]

K-Mart got Busted and Fined for doing that in my State i wonder if it will happen to B.B. as Well oh i also Heard that B.B. Bought sam goody's and Musicland. Don,

 

[ShanonS]

So, did anyone else catch the Best Buy misprint last week? They had the MIB DTS in their ad for $14.99. I went to get it and they said it was the non-DTS version that was on sale and the DTS was still $24.99. I grabbed an ad and showed it to them and they gave me the $14.99.

 

[dpippel]

Not true. My friend just had a situation with Best Buy regarding a defective dvd player. The player kept freezing up after about an hour of use. It was still within the 90 day warranty which stated, to exchange the player at the place of purchase. Best Buy refused to honor the warranty saying he would have to return it to the manufacturer because of their 30 day return policy. We called the BBB and faxed them a copy of the warranty agreement. Three days later the store manager from Best Buy left a message stating they would exchange the player.

Regardless of Best Buy's reaction in this case, the Better Business Bureau has NO regulatory or enforcement powers. None. They have no teeth. Compliance with a BBB request is strictly voluntary on the part of the business being contacted. Many will comply with a BBB request, but many will not. It's a crapshoot if you file a complaint.

DP

 

[Carlo_M]

Is it the same store that makes the mistakes? Maybe they aren't updating their register computers regularly?
I have 3 BBs within 5 miles of my house. I've gone to all three regularly and have bought probably a hundred or more items from them and have not had a register mistake yet, and I buy mostly on-sale stuff.

 

[JasonKrol]

i think the actual reason the BBB exists and most stores bend over backwards for them..is because if the BBB called BB (heheh too many Bs) and questioned poor business tatics..and Best Buy said "well screw you!!" then Best Buy would be "condemned" by the BBB and as we all know...most of us wouldnt shop anywhere that wasnt recognized by the BBB.

or...something like that.

what the hell do I know...

 

[StephenA]

When I went to Best Buy to get some DVDs in October, I had a similar, but different expirience. I go up there expecting my purchase to be almost 75 dollars and it ended being like 68 or 69 dollars. They marked one of the DVDs to be more expensive than it actually was. I was surprised, but not complaining.

 

[Sean Patrick]

a few months ago, a TON on anchor bay catalog titles were priced $0.00 at a nearby Best Buy. I took a huge stack to customer service asking them to honor the price. Problem is, they wouldn't let me even buy them for regular price because they were priced at zero in the computer too and had no idea what to charge me. Oh well, i tried...

 

[Doug Schiller]

Back to the original poster's story.

Last night I was browsing Best Buy and noticed a huge WB display that had various DVDs at odd prices (Seven SE for $14.99).

I noticed they had Doctor Zhivago for $17.99 in the display but also for $24.99 in their general DVD area.

I was waiting for a good price on this so I grabbed it but of course it rang up at $24.99.

She quickly fixed it without a problem.

Something tells me they either had no room for these special DVDs and put them out or they are behind in updating their prices.

Doug