Best Buy is a Scrooge when it comes to gift cards! 494 & Lyndale Minnesota)

I am a store detective. I've done it for 10 years, gift cards are the biggest pain in the butt items out there.

Employees will keep empty, non-activated cards at their register, when a customer comes up, usually during the hoildays, they activate the card, then switch it for an empty card, pocketing the card with money on it.
Since most people won't find out for weeks due to it being a gift, by the time it gets back to us we no longer have video on it.

I catch several employees each year doing this. Best defense? call the 800# on the back of the card right after you buy it to make sure it is activated, if not, call over a manager. Not only will you save yourself headache, but you'll help get rid of a dishonest employee.

Obviously they have to start keeping inventory of these cards because that sounds like a pretty iron clad way to rip off customers buying gift cards, the employee can switch out the card for a blank and the company will not hold them responsible for theft. Only the Mgr should have access to activate these cards, and should be personally responsible for handing them to the customer. I live in Richfield and this is good to know. Thanks for writing in.

My husband spoke with someone at the corporate level of Best Buy, and within minutes they were able to find the transaction. There were three gift cards purchased on my father-in-law's credit card (onr for each son) . . . one of the numbers match the card that the oldest son was given, and one matched the number of the card the youngest son was given. There was a third card paid for, but the one my husband has does not match any of the numbers on the transaction. So that is the proof that Best Buy needs . . . three gift cards were purchased by my father-in-law, and one of those three cards were not given to him. The person at corporate said that the clerk, either knowingly or unknowingly, must have handed Jeff's dad a card other than the ones that were scanned. (It could be a case of the clerk switched them out so they could keep the one that was activated, or it could have been an honest mistake)

But the worst part is, even with all of this proof the manager at this Best Buy location cannot admit that it is even possible that this could be a case of employee error, or employee theft.

First off, customers are not always right. Many, many, many times that problems occur is when the customer doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. They thought one way while things are they other way.

Secondly, how is anyone there supposed to know that gift card was actually purchased if it's blank and you don't have any proof? If they were just like "OK, here's your $50", do you know how many people would just steal cards and go in and get them activated?

Who saves a receipt for a gift card? Everyone should. You should save all receipts from EVERYTHING. I have a s****.> So, who's to say the gift card was actually paid for? You have no proof, therefore it doesn't exist. It could have been a cashier error, it could have been a shoplifter. Think from the other side and you might understand (and start saving receipts too).