Best Buy Ripoff Free magazine subscriptions for Time Sports Illustrated & Entertainment Weekly Marin City California

My husband went for the free mag subscription at Best Buy. Sounded easy to him, free subscription - after the trial period he could keep receiving SI, and also
get his money back if at all unsatisfied - no questions asked.
Well, it was not easy to cancel. Hung on the phone for an extremely long time
while waiting for a csr to take our call. Never happened.
Tried to cancel online. It was a maze through the website to find the correct contact to handle the cancellation.
Our next trip to Best Buy, the cashier started her spiel. I shook my head at her before she could get too far. I shook my head at my husband. I firmly said No.
It's a shame for BB to put their employees through this. I never worked in retail, but I know how the employees are pressured.

I am an employee with Best Buy.
I just want to let you know that what the cashier did to you was wrong, and goes against our SOP. She most likely didnt know what she was talking about when she said it would extend it by another set time.

These are a rip-off, plain and simple. Tell the cashier in no uncertain terms that you do will not accept the subscription, but realize that they are being pressured.

You can end this practice singlehandedly at your local Best Buy by taking the online receipt survey every time you shop and complaining viscerally about this practice. The feedback goes directly to the store manager, who will be forced to act.

I worked at Best Buy for 2 years. You would not believe the pressure they put on the cashiers to get magazine subscriptions. They know of the deceptive practices that are used to sign people up, (swiping your credit card without you knowing and asking you to sign when you think you are signing for your purchases). They don't encourage you to be deceptive, but boy do they reward you for the amount of subscriptions!! For every one, bells and whistles and high fives all around. Same at the customer service counter when they trick you into signing up for account protection and the extra hsbc mastercard. If they look on the board and see 100% for Account shield and Mastercard, high fives all around. If they don't see high numbers, or any percentage under 100%, then the "counseling" happens. Basically, you are taken into a back room and questioned about how "well" you are doing your job, and if they numbers don't come up, you start losing shifts and start getting scheduled shorter shifts, mid shifts. Trust me, if the cashier is being deceptive at trying to sell the same old magazine subscriptions to repeat customers that already know the scam, most of the time it's out of desperation for her job and approval of her managers. It's sad, and I don't work there anymore for many reasons, but the pressure was too much for as little as they pay!!

Under the same circumstances I too was at the BestBuy counter having just made major purchases for my small company with my credit card. The scam is very slick... The BB employee informs you that you have qualified for a FREE subscription not having to pay anything. Despite you telling them 'NO!' they pester you and insist that you are giving a way an opportunity to get something for 'FREE' without have to pay.

In my instance I said 'NO' three times only to have them place tremendous amounts of pressure upon me and tell me how I was making a mistake in front of the other customers. Finally, after 'ASSURANCES' from the Best Buy Clerk that there was NOTHING to PAY 'ever', did I relent and sign for the FREE magazine.

With 50 PEOPLE BEHIND ME IN LINE, already AGGRAVATED over the delay by BestBuy pestering, pressuring me over this transaction... I ask you Elizabeth & Pony, "At what point do you think I had a SECOND to even THINK about looking at the FINE PRINT..."

You two must live in a pristine, perfect world where time is of no consequence. Well, welcome to EARTH.

BestBuy and Sports Illustrated are a RIP-OFF, and this was a SCAM fed by LIES at the COUNTER by the BestBuy Employees

They lied, and trying to get OFF the subscription list has been a personal HELL for me. It is nearly impossible

I agree, a lot of people get angry with companies on things such as this but in all honesty they just are in a hurry and don't read the fine print. Then all of a sudden it is somehow someone elses fault and not their own. Yes, it's very unfortunate but everyone needs to pay close attention to these things.

First off I HATED offering the subscriptions. BUT you have a responsibility to be aware of the implications.

When you are signed up for the subscription you have to swipe your credit card, and then SIGN something with all the rules, and fine print. If you went ahead and swiped your card, then signed saying you read the terms and conditions, then swiped your card AGAIN at the end of the complete transaction that's on you. It's common sense to ask WHY you're swiping your card.