Best Buy - HSBC Retail Services ripoff losing payment checks and blaming US mail assessing late fees City Of Industry California

Bought a HDTV from Best Buy in Oct. 2006 & opened up a credit acct under my name (mistake) with terms 2 years same as cash. I mail check payments (always have) with my roommate paying half. We always put the acct number on both checks. HSBC has always posted them as one payment. (We do this all the time with numerous vendors. NEVER have problems.)

First time it happened in Dec. of 2006, they said the payment was late and assessed a late fee. Hummm.

What they don't know is that we also bought TVs from Magnolia Audio Video who was bought out by Best Buy so our account payment on these transactions go to the same address around the same time. Funny how those checks are received on time and cashed and posted with no problems. (Magnolia carries high end electronic equipment in our area. Used to be locally owned.)

Most recent problem: mailed checks on June 26 for BOTH accounts. They post the Magnolia checks on July 3, 2007. Now they say the other account is late and assess a late fee that they won't take off. Checks must be lost in the mail, they say. I should pay electronically, they say. Funny how the US mail only has problems on the one account 2x in less than 10 months. I've been mailing payments for 40 years with no lost payments! I think it is more than just a coincidence that they seem to have problems posting checks promptly on the Best Buy account. I'll be paying this off ELECTRONICALLY so as not to have to waste precious time. They are either grossly incompetent or just outright stealing.

If they do this routinely to people, they are making a whole lot of money on late fees, don't you think? What a great class action lawsuit to bring.

Teri
Everett, Washington
U.S.A.