Reward Zone changes coming

badlieut · 08-21-04, 11:34 AM

Just an FYI

No more 5,000 pts for signing up.

Purchase requirement goes up to $150 to get a $5 cert.

Changes begin at end of Aug, you will get something in the mail soon. You can return your reward zone membership. If you signed up after June 1, you get a full refund. Before June 1 is up to the discretion of mgmt.

Walter Neff · 08-21-04, 12:47 PM

Wow, what a terrible change. I think I'll return my card if I don't first get my $10 in certificates that I was promised when I renewed. I haven't been buying much at Best Buy recently anyhow. I don't think I've even been there since I renewed my card a month ago or so.

Brian Shannon · 08-21-04, 01:04 PM

Glad I only used a $10 certificate to renew.

Now to see if they will refund that amount or balk . . .

pOpus · 08-21-04, 01:58 PM

Yet another reason why I don't shop at Best Buy anymore

cupon · 08-21-04, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by badlieut
Purchase requirement goes up to $150 to get a $5 cert.

What was the prior purchase requirment amount to get a $5 certificate?

Yahoo Sirius · 08-21-04, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cupon
What was the prior purchase requirment amount to get a $5 certificate?

$125

indianajdp · 08-22-04, 10:20 AM

Interesting how they make these changes after the majority of their initial renewals are past.

Looks like this year will be my last. It's not the policy it's the MO that stinks.

chanster · 08-22-04, 02:26 PM

Best Buy sucks all ass! Pay for a membership that rewards you spending money at their store. Never made any sense to me.

eau · 08-23-04, 02:06 AM

I renewed last month and it would be the last. $150 purchase for a tiny $5 reward, and in comparison they get all our purchase info and shopping patterns. F 'em!

eau · 08-23-04, 02:34 AM

I just checked my account and I got the 25,000 bonus points for renewing my membership with the coupon that someone posted a PDF of. That makes my renewal practically free.

Still F' em! I don't think I'll renew next year though.

Walter Neff · 08-23-04, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by indianajdp
Interesting how they make these changes after the majority of their initial renewals are past.

Looks like this year will be my last. It's not the policy it's the MO that stinks.

This is a very good point. I encourage everyone who renewed in the last month or so to demand their money back, if for no other reason than to let Best Buy know that changing the rules midstream is not a proper way of doing business.

ben12 · 08-23-04, 11:29 AM

As long as the membership is free (which it has been, so far), I couldn't care less. It's free money.

ben12 · 08-23-04, 11:34 AM

Oops, double post. Ignore.

dvdirv · 08-24-04, 08:41 AM

To translate all of this mess:

Previously RZ gave $5 cert for $125 purchase = 4% rebate
Now RZ gives $5 cert for $150 purchase = 3 1/3% rebate

Are they going to a whopping 2% next year???

BB uses their "point" system to hide the actual discounted rebate to the customer.

Why can't they be upfront with what the actual discount is?

WhovianZorker · 08-25-04, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dvdirv
To translate all of this mess:

Previously RZ gave $5 cert for $125 purchase = 4% rebate
Now RZ gives $5 cert for $150 purchase = 3 1/3% rebate

Are they going to a whopping 2% next year???

Sorry, but even that is higher than reality. If it were this way:
$5 cash back for $125 purchase = 4% rebate
$5 cash back for $150 purchase = 3 1/3% rebate

But the RZ coupons have to be used in Best Buy. So instead:
Make a purchase of $125, get $5 in merchandise free. This means that for $130 worth of merchandise, you pay $125. So your discount is $5 off of $130.

$5 off of $130 = 3.846%

After the change it will be

$5 off of $155 = 3.226%

With this change coming up, I'm glad I didn't bother renewing. (My first year was free, and the renewal coupon was "Renew for $10 and buy $250 of other stuff, get an extra $10 worth of certificates." No thanks.)

ben12 · 08-25-04, 07:44 PM

Quote:

and the renewal coupon was "Renew for $10 and buy $250 of other stuff, get an extra $10 worth of certificates." No thanks.) [/b]

No, the coupon was "Renew for $10 and get $10 worth of certificates."

eau · 08-25-04, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ben12
No, the coupon was "Renew for $10 and get $10 worth of certificates."

There were at least two coupons floating around. One was to renew for $10 get $10 back in certs. The other was to renew AND spend $XXX and get $10 back in certs.

ben12 · 08-26-04, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by eau
There were at least two coupons floating around. One was to renew for $10 get $10 back in certs. The other was to renew AND spend $XXX and get $10 back in certs.

Then I agree, the latter coupon sucks balls. I used the former.

tanman · 08-26-04, 03:16 PM

Wow. How can they just change the system like that? Why don't they just let people be grandfathered in and change it as they go along. To me that shows how deceitful they are. I signed up for it with no benefits, just $10 and 5,000 points. I haven't really made that much on it either. I definately will not be renewing, unless I make a very large purchase.

Kevin M. Dean · 08-26-04, 05:34 PM

They get away with it by having statements like "Your Membership is non-transferable and subject to present and future program rules." as you will find on your program rules page. The whole future program rules part basically gives them the ability to change what they feel like and you can't dispute it since you agreed to those rules when you signed up. Pretty crappy but I think you'll find many things you sign on a daily basis contain statements like this that basically mean they have the right to screw you over and there's nothing you can to do about it.

eau · 08-27-04, 12:38 AM

When and how did they announce the changes? I didn't receive any email from them, nor did I notice any announcement when I logged onto my account.

badlieut · 08-27-04, 06:56 AM

eau...the changes haven't been officially announced. You'll get something very soon

teddydogg · 08-27-04, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ben12
No, the coupon was "Renew for $10 and get $10 worth of certificates."

Anybody have a link to this coupon or the other? If I am going to renew I would at least like to use these coupons. If I didn't have so many points left out there I would not renew but that would be like losing money. I swear Best Buy is actually trying to alienate there customers. "lets see how far we can push them till they stop coming to our store."

badlieut · 08-27-04, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by teddydogg
Anybody have a link to this coupon or the other? If I am going to renew I would at least like to use these coupons. If I didn't have so many points left out there I would not renew but that would be like losing money. I swear Best Buy is actually trying to alienate there customers. "lets see how far we can push them till they stop coming to our store."

Hehe...wait til they implement shopping assistants. For the customers spending a lot of cash, this person will follow you throughout the store and help you pick out everything you need monster cables, gold USB cables, etc. This is on the horizon.

Manzana · 08-28-04, 04:36 PM

I just called the Best Buy Reward Zone and the rep who answered had not heard anything about these upcoming changes. As far as she knew it would still be 12,500 points for a $5 certificate, and she said this was probably a rumor. It would've been nice if I had had some proof to point her to, but she didn't consider Internet chat adequate proof. Besides, you'd hope that the people who run the program know what's going to happen before we do.

In early August I renewed my membership which expires August 31st, 2004, with a coupon giving me 25,000 points. I'm afraid that if this change is true (even if the Reward Zone people don't know it) and it takes effect at the end of August, my 25,000 points which will hit in early September will give me less than the $10 in coupons I was counting on to cover the renewal cost. I will not pay anything for renewal, especially if they are making the plan worse. $5 for $125 in purchases was bad enough. Lots of times I bought things at other stores rather than drive to Best Buy because the gas costs more than the tiny dribble I get from the Reward Zone (as I'm not a big spender... it usually takes me a couple months to spend $125 at Best Buy).

If there is any official written documentation on this change, please post a link. I guess I'll just have to wait until my credit hits and if I get gipped on the points, then I will raise a major fuss and if Best Buy wants to make me even madder over a couple dollars I guess that's their choice. They will lose more in sales than those couple dollars. If Fry's weren't twice as far as Best Buy, I'd never go anywhere but Fry's.

08-21-04, 11:34 AM	#1
badlieut DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Livonia, MI Posts: 1,087	Reward Zone changes coming Just an FYI No more 5,000 pts for signing up. Purchase requirement goes up to $150 to get a $5 cert. Changes begin at end of Aug, you will get something in the mail soon. You can return your reward zone membership. If you signed up after June 1, you get a full refund. Before June 1 is up to the discretion of mgmt.

08-21-04, 12:47 PM	#2
Walter Neff DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Los Angeles, California Posts: 1,204	Wow, what a terrible change. I think I'll return my card if I don't first get my $10 in certificates that I was promised when I renewed. I haven't been buying much at Best Buy recently anyhow. I don't think I've even been there since I renewed my card a month ago or so. __________________ "I had told him I was a member of DVDTalk Forum but he still hung up on me..." -- danol

08-21-04, 01:04 PM	#3
Brian Shannon DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jun 1999 Location: USA Posts: 11,534	Glad I only used a $10 certificate to renew. Now to see if they will refund that amount or balk . . . __________________ Brian Shannon Photography Brian Shannon Photography Blog Brian Shannon on 500px

08-22-04, 10:20 AM	#7
indianajdp DVD Talk Platinum Edition Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Central Hoosierland Posts: 3,384	Interesting how they make these changes after the majority of their initial renewals are past. Looks like this year will be my last. It's not the policy it's the MO that stinks. __________________ "I've got a fever, baby. And the only prescription is more cowbell!"

08-23-04, 11:29 AM	#12
ben12 DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Where I live? Posts: 2,252	As long as the membership is free (which it has been, so far), I couldn't care less. It's free money. __________________ Ben Read Poop Office at http://nakedgrapecomics.com Last edited by ben12; 08-23-04 at 11:44 AM.

08-21-04, 01:58 PM	#4
pOpus Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Posts: 215	Yet another reason why I don't shop at Best Buy anymore

08-22-04, 02:26 PM	#8
chanster DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Jan 2000 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 9,313	Best Buy sucks all ass! Pay for a membership that rewards you spending money at their store. Never made any sense to me.

08-23-04, 02:06 AM	#9
eau DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 9,379	I renewed last month and it would be the last. $150 purchase for a tiny $5 reward, and in comparison they get all our purchase info and shopping patterns. F 'em!

08-23-04, 02:34 AM	#10
eau DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 9,379	I just checked my account and I got the 25,000 bonus points for renewing my membership with the coupon that someone posted a PDF of. That makes my renewal practically free. Still F' em! I don't think I'll renew next year though.

08-23-04, 11:34 AM	#13
ben12 DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Where I live? Posts: 2,252	Oops, double post. Ignore. __________________ Ben Read Poop Office at http://nakedgrapecomics.com Last edited by ben12; 08-23-04 at 11:44 AM.

08-24-04, 08:41 AM	#14
dvdirv Senior Member Join Date: Dec 1999 Posts: 713	To translate all of this mess: Previously RZ gave $5 cert for $125 purchase = 4% rebate Now RZ gives $5 cert for $150 purchase = 3 1/3% rebate Are they going to a whopping 2% next year??? BB uses their "point" system to hide the actual discounted rebate to the customer. Why can't they be upfront with what the actual discount is?

08-26-04, 03:16 PM	#19
tanman DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Gator Nation Posts: 4,561	Wow. How can they just change the system like that? Why don't they just let people be grandfathered in and change it as they go along. To me that shows how deceitful they are. I signed up for it with no benefits, just $10 and 5,000 points. I haven't really made that much on it either. I definately will not be renewing, unless I make a very large purchase.

08-26-04, 05:34 PM	#20
Kevin M. Dean DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Sep 1999 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 1,644	They get away with it by having statements like "Your Membership is non-transferable and subject to present and future program rules." as you will find on your program rules page. The whole future program rules part basically gives them the ability to change what they feel like and you can't dispute it since you agreed to those rules when you signed up. Pretty crappy but I think you'll find many things you sign on a daily basis contain statements like this that basically mean they have the right to screw you over and there's nothing you can to do about it. __________________ • Doctor Who Universe Episode List - Region 1 DVD Releases - updated 3-25-13

08-27-04, 12:38 AM	#21
eau DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 9,379	When and how did they announce the changes? I didn't receive any email from them, nor did I notice any announcement when I logged onto my account.

08-27-04, 06:56 AM	#22
badlieut DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Livonia, MI Posts: 1,087	eau...the changes haven't been officially announced. You'll get something very soon

08-28-04, 04:36 PM	#25
Manzana DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 4,398	I just called the Best Buy Reward Zone and the rep who answered had not heard anything about these upcoming changes. As far as she knew it would still be 12,500 points for a $5 certificate, and she said this was probably a rumor. It would've been nice if I had had some proof to point her to, but she didn't consider Internet chat adequate proof. Besides, you'd hope that the people who run the program know what's going to happen before we do. In early August I renewed my membership which expires August 31st, 2004, with a coupon giving me 25,000 points. I'm afraid that if this change is true (even if the Reward Zone people don't know it) and it takes effect at the end of August, my 25,000 points which will hit in early September will give me less than the $10 in coupons I was counting on to cover the renewal cost. I will not pay anything for renewal, especially if they are making the plan worse. $5 for $125 in purchases was bad enough. Lots of times I bought things at other stores rather than drive to Best Buy because the gas costs more than the tiny dribble I get from the Reward Zone (as I'm not a big spender... it usually takes me a couple months to spend $125 at Best Buy). If there is any official written documentation on this change, please post a link. I guess I'll just have to wait until my credit hits and if I get gipped on the points, then I will raise a major fuss and if Best Buy wants to make me even madder over a couple dollars I guess that's their choice. They will lose more in sales than those couple dollars. If Fry's weren't twice as far as Best Buy, I'd never go anywhere but Fry's. Last edited by Manzana; 08-28-04 at 04:38 PM.