Best Buy ripoff 15% restocking charge the business that doesn't give a dam tricked and lied to us victimized many consumers Minneapolis Minnesota

A.E. Bucky Harris
10-2333 Beach Drive
Victoria BC V8R6K2
Canada.

Date May 25, 2002

Mr. Allen U. Lenzmeir
President and CEO:
Best Buy., Inc.
7075 Flying Cloud Dr
Eden Prairie MN 55344-3538


Dear Mr. Lenzmeir,

First allow me to offer you my congratulations on your new appointment.

However, as will become clear, that is not the main purpose of this letter, which is to express my profound unhappiness with a recent attempt to buy, and obtain follow-up service from one of your Best Buy stores in the United States. In fact, so profound is my dissatisfaction that I will never do business with your company again and, unless I receive a remedy within the next 20 working days, I will encourage others to follow a similar course.

The problem arose when my brother-in-law, bought a digital camera at Evansville, Ind. We were unable to get it to work, nor were members of your staff. When my brother-in-law, who had paid cash, asked for a refund he was told he must wait a week before a check would be issued. Worse, a 15% restocking fee of $52.25 was to be deducted from the refund.

We would like an apology for the shoddy treatment he received and a refund of the restocking fee.

Here is some background and a more detailed explanation as to why I am so upset:

I am a 77-year-old man living in Canada. I am retired but have experience working with computers, doing some consulting in that field.

I own a Canon Power Shot S100 digital camera and have been very satisfied with its performance.
While visiting relatives in Kentucky, I suggested that my brother in-law buy one for his wife for her birthday.

We went to Best Buy in Evansville and took our purchase home and loaded the software on her computer, which is about four months old. I tried to download pictures from the camera but to no avail. I then plugged my own camera into the computer using the same software and downloaded pictures from it without any problem.

I then phoned the store in Evansville to explain the difficulty we had encountered. The salesmen told us to bring the camera back and they would show us how to use it. When we arrived the salesman was not there, however, a young man said he was a technician and would show us how it worked.

He took the camera with all the other equipment to a computer workstation and loaded the software but couldn't get the camera to work either. He asked for a second camera and also couldn't get it to work.

My brother-in-law lives about 45 minutes from the store and, since the technician couldn't get the camera to work, decided to return it and get his money back. The Best Buy salesman and the technician still claimed that nothing was wrong with the camera and he would have to pay a 15% restocking fee.

I have spent several thousand dollars with Future Shop here in Canada in the past, but since your acquisition of the chain I will never spend a penny there again. You have also lost the custom of our entire family in Kentucky.

Not only will we no longer shop there, but also will discourage others we know from doing so. I spoke with my broker this morning and he said he couldn't recommend Best Buy as a good stock with policies like yours and as you can imagine he also talks to a lot of people.

When I was in the store on the two different occasions, first when purchasing the camera and then returning it, two hours later I noticed there were more employees than customers and after our experience I can understand why. The ripple effect from one dissatisfied customer can result in a lot of lost sales and after this episode we talked to others who have had similar experience from Texas to Minnesota.

As I mentioned earlier, the restocking fee was $52.25, which will not bankrupt my brother-in-law, but there is a principle involved. And, as outlined, if an apology and restitution is not made within 20 working days a copy of this letter will go to everyone in my e-mail address book. I will also ask them to forward it to everyone in their address books.

Yours truly,


A.E. Bucky Harris

CC:
Michael P. Keskey
Executive Vice-President
Best Buy

After writing this letter I received a phone call from some girl in the corporate office that left a message on my answering machine and she said there would be no restitution of the restocking. She also gave me a 1-888-227-8298 number to phone her back if I had other questions. When I tried the 1- 888-227-8298 number I found it to a number only good in the USA and I am in Canada. She knew I was in Canada because she had just called me there. What a joke.

Bucky
Victoria,, Prince Edward Island

Click here to read other Rip Off Reports on Best Buy