Best Buy to give away free gift cards to HD DVD owners
#1
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Best Buy to give away free gift cards to HD DVD owners
Was first posted on DVDTalk here. Thought it deserved to be in here though.
http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/03/19...e-in-shoulder/
Best Buy is following Future Shop, Circuit City and others in reaching out to casualties of the format war. In this case, anyone who bought an HD DVD player from Best Buy before February 23, 2008 can request a complimentary $50 gift card for each player. For those too traumatized to even look at their discontinued hardware and software, Best Buy also announced it's adding HD DVD players and media to its Trade-In Center program, starting March 21. No word on how much a player can net you, but once its updated, check BestBuyTradeIn.com to get an estimate and decide how much holding onto the past is worth.
[Thanks, Harmin C.]
Update: Best Buy just issued a press release with additional information about the more than $10 million in gift cards it plans to distribute, and details on how to make sure you get yours, check out the full PR after the break. Best Buy Stands Behind Customers By Awarding More Than $10 Million in Gift Cards to HD-DVD Purchasers.
Leading Consumer Electronics Retailer will Send $50 Gift Cards to Customers Who Purchased an HD-DVD Player from Best Buy in the U.S.
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With Blu-ray declaring victory over HD-DVD in the high definition movie format war, Best Buy, the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer, is giving $50 gift cards to customers who purchased an HD-DVD player or HD-DVD attachment from its U.S. stores before February 23, 2008. Customers will get a gift card for each player or HD-DVD attachment that they purchased. Through this program, Best Buy will distribute more than $10 million in gift cards to customers across the country.
"The DVD format war has divided our customers in a way we haven't seen since Betamax took on VHS more than 20 years ago," said Brian J. Dunn, president and chief operating officer for Best Buy. "At Best Buy, we understood and shared our customers' frustrations as they were being asked to choose one format or the other. Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs."
Most Best Buy customers won't have to do anything to receive their gift card. As a demonstration of its commitment to its customers, Best Buy will proactively mail cards to all customers that the company can identify as having purchased an HD-DVD player. Members of the Best Buy Reward Zone program, customers who purchased Performance Service Plans (PSPs) or who made their purchase on BestBuy.com should look for their gift cards in the mail by May 1. Other customers who may not be easily identified can call (888) BEST BUY to receive their gift cards with proof of purchase through a credit card or their Best Buy receipt.
"The beauty of this offer is that it doesn't require our customers to give up their HD-DVD player," said Barry Judge, chief marketing officer for Best Buy. "We know that many people who purchased these players have HD-DVD movies that they would like to continue to watch. We're telling our customers they can keep their players to play these movies as well as their older DVDs and use the $50 to treat themselves to anything else in our stores."
HD-DVD players can actually deliver greatly enhanced video performance with standard DVDs by upconverting the video resolution.
Beginning on March 21, customers who do want to get rid of their HD-DVD players can visit Best Buy's Online Trade-In Center at www.bestbuytradein.com. Visitors to the site will receive instant estimates of the value of their HD-DVD players and movies. Those who agree with the estimates can then ship their goods to the Trade-In Center free of charge by downloading a prepaid shipping label and will receive an additional gift card as payment for their trade-in. This service is open to HD-DVD owners regardless of where they bought their player.
For more information visit www.bestbuy.com/hddvd
Best Buy is following Future Shop, Circuit City and others in reaching out to casualties of the format war. In this case, anyone who bought an HD DVD player from Best Buy before February 23, 2008 can request a complimentary $50 gift card for each player. For those too traumatized to even look at their discontinued hardware and software, Best Buy also announced it's adding HD DVD players and media to its Trade-In Center program, starting March 21. No word on how much a player can net you, but once its updated, check BestBuyTradeIn.com to get an estimate and decide how much holding onto the past is worth.
[Thanks, Harmin C.]
Update: Best Buy just issued a press release with additional information about the more than $10 million in gift cards it plans to distribute, and details on how to make sure you get yours, check out the full PR after the break. Best Buy Stands Behind Customers By Awarding More Than $10 Million in Gift Cards to HD-DVD Purchasers.
Leading Consumer Electronics Retailer will Send $50 Gift Cards to Customers Who Purchased an HD-DVD Player from Best Buy in the U.S.
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With Blu-ray declaring victory over HD-DVD in the high definition movie format war, Best Buy, the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer, is giving $50 gift cards to customers who purchased an HD-DVD player or HD-DVD attachment from its U.S. stores before February 23, 2008. Customers will get a gift card for each player or HD-DVD attachment that they purchased. Through this program, Best Buy will distribute more than $10 million in gift cards to customers across the country.
"The DVD format war has divided our customers in a way we haven't seen since Betamax took on VHS more than 20 years ago," said Brian J. Dunn, president and chief operating officer for Best Buy. "At Best Buy, we understood and shared our customers' frustrations as they were being asked to choose one format or the other. Now that the format war is over, we hope these gift cards will reassure our customers that we will help them make a smooth transition into the right technology for their needs."
Most Best Buy customers won't have to do anything to receive their gift card. As a demonstration of its commitment to its customers, Best Buy will proactively mail cards to all customers that the company can identify as having purchased an HD-DVD player. Members of the Best Buy Reward Zone program, customers who purchased Performance Service Plans (PSPs) or who made their purchase on BestBuy.com should look for their gift cards in the mail by May 1. Other customers who may not be easily identified can call (888) BEST BUY to receive their gift cards with proof of purchase through a credit card or their Best Buy receipt.
"The beauty of this offer is that it doesn't require our customers to give up their HD-DVD player," said Barry Judge, chief marketing officer for Best Buy. "We know that many people who purchased these players have HD-DVD movies that they would like to continue to watch. We're telling our customers they can keep their players to play these movies as well as their older DVDs and use the $50 to treat themselves to anything else in our stores."
HD-DVD players can actually deliver greatly enhanced video performance with standard DVDs by upconverting the video resolution.
Beginning on March 21, customers who do want to get rid of their HD-DVD players can visit Best Buy's Online Trade-In Center at www.bestbuytradein.com. Visitors to the site will receive instant estimates of the value of their HD-DVD players and movies. Those who agree with the estimates can then ship their goods to the Trade-In Center free of charge by downloading a prepaid shipping label and will receive an additional gift card as payment for their trade-in. This service is open to HD-DVD owners regardless of where they bought their player.
For more information visit www.bestbuy.com/hddvd
Last edited by Bill Geiger; 03-19-08 at 08:07 AM.
#2
DVD Talk Legend
Looks like some may score a free GC for buying a player on the cheap after Toshiba's announcement. There's a small window in there if you got something, so that's not a bad consolation prize.
#3
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i REALLY hope that they mail these out automatically. i bought 2 HD DVD add on's back in november with the heroes promotion, but i think that i have thrown the reciepts away. maybe they could use my reward zone info?
#5
Originally Posted by kevin75
i REALLY hope that they mail these out automatically. i bought 2 HD DVD add on's back in november with the heroes promotion, but i think that i have thrown the reciepts away. maybe they could use my reward zone info?
#7
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Mr. Cinema
Best Buy isn't so evil afterall.
#8
DVD Talk Legend
I dont remember what payment I used, but I know I used my RZ card to rack up on a $300+ purchase. Hopefully thats enough to identify me.
#9
Originally Posted by Brian Shannon
They made money off the initial purchases, now they get to make more money from the gift cards they are handing out.
#10
DVD Talk Special Edition
I bet cash money they'll say they dont have the resources to look up our information using the rewards zone. Most companies do this because they know alot of people have thrown their reciepts away already.
#12
Originally Posted by Patman
Darn, I picked up the Xbox HD DVD add-on on Feb. 27th.
#13
DVD Talk Hero
Originally Posted by matome
Yeah, picked one up on 2/26 and two A3's from Amazon so I'm SOTL. Still a nice gesture, though.
#14
DVD Talk Legend
Big kudos if true, meaning they'll automatically send the gift cards. As for the trade in program, I probably won't do that (although I guess if they give something for HD DVD discs, I may send those...)
#15
DVD Talk Legend
I called and asked about my purchase on 9/30 and verified if my purchase was in the system. They said they're putting together a spread sheet of all of the customers that they can identify and should have it ready by this afternoon. The CSR I spoke with said that they just slammed all of this on them today without any forewarning.
#16
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Originally Posted by True_Story1011
I bet cash money they'll say they dont have the resources to look up our information using the rewards zone. Most companies do this because they know alot of people have thrown their reciepts away already.
Originally Posted by The press release
Members of the Best Buy Reward Zone program, customers who purchased Performance Service Plans (PSPs) or who made their purchase on BestBuy.com should look for their gift cards in the mail by May 1.
Your name, purchase number and (I'd assume) purchase are associated with your card number when you make the purchase using the card. If they use a database that's remotely capable, sorting out users by purchase is not difficult.
#17
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by Brian Shannon
They made money off the initial purchases, now they get to make more money from the gift cards they are handing out.
#18
Originally Posted by Draven
Crap, I got mine on 2/25. But agreed, still nice.
#20
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by dvd182
Your name, purchase number and (I'd assume) purchase are associated with your card number when you make the purchase using the card. If they use a database that's remotely capable, sorting out users by purchase is not difficult.
I'm not going to hold my breathe is what I'm saying, I dont know how many times I've purchased from this establishment and I havent even recieved one of those stupid $5.00 coupons.
But the question is how far back does this database hold onto inventory records? One Audit, two? I work for a retail chain that has a rewards card system and their system is purged after 6 months.
It would be nice to know that the HD add-on that I purchased back at the beginning of 2007 would be on there. Also the HD add-on I jumped on Nov. 30th.
#21
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by True_Story1011
I'm not going to hold my breathe is what I'm saying, I dont know how many times I've purchased from this establishment and I havent even recieved one of those stupid $5.00 coupons.
But the question is how far back does this database hold onto inventory records? One Audit, two? I work for a retail chain that has a rewards card system and their system is purged after 6 months.
It would be nice to know that the HD add-on that I purchased back at the beginning of 2007 would be on there. Also the HD add-on I jumped on Nov. 30th.
But the question is how far back does this database hold onto inventory records? One Audit, two? I work for a retail chain that has a rewards card system and their system is purged after 6 months.
It would be nice to know that the HD add-on that I purchased back at the beginning of 2007 would be on there. Also the HD add-on I jumped on Nov. 30th.
#22
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by dsa_shea
If I give you five dollars out of my pocket to spend at my store I'm not really making any money.
I will bow out of the discussion since so many people are enamoured with the wonderful gesture Best Buy is extending. I was merely pointing out that it is a business decision to sell merchandise for a profit, offer to trade it in for a fraction of its value and then give a small enticement to return to spend more money.
Good luck!
#23
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by dsa_shea
If I give you five dollars out of my pocket to spend at my store I'm not really making any money.
You are if you spend more than $5.00.
The giftcard program is beautiful for the simple fact that your giving a company money for nothing now other than a piece of plastic and a promise that your money now will be worth what you paid for it whenever you decide to use it.
Most people who dont spend their gift cards within the first 4 months of owning them tend to not use them at all. Thats free money in the companies pocket.
I know most times that I go to Best Buy, I'm spending more that $50 on any given release day.
#24
DVD Talk Legend
Originally Posted by True_Story1011
You are if you spend more than $5.00.
The giftcard program is beautiful for the simple fact that your giving a company money for nothing now other than a piece of plastic and a promise that your money now will be worth what you paid for it whenever you decide to use it.
Most people who dont spend their gift cards within the first 4 months of owning them tend to not use them at all. Thats free money in the companies pocket.
I know most times that I go to Best Buy, I'm spending more that $50 on any given release day.
The giftcard program is beautiful for the simple fact that your giving a company money for nothing now other than a piece of plastic and a promise that your money now will be worth what you paid for it whenever you decide to use it.
Most people who dont spend their gift cards within the first 4 months of owning them tend to not use them at all. Thats free money in the companies pocket.
I know most times that I go to Best Buy, I'm spending more that $50 on any given release day.
#25
DVD Talk Special Edition
Originally Posted by dsa_shea
Well, if I go and use this card along with a few more dollars for lets say GTA IV then Best Buy is really only seeing the 14 or so dollars that I spend. The other 50 that they had given me via a gift card had already been accounted for months ago. Best Buy is essentially taking a 50 dollar hit on their profit margin on every hd-dvd player. It is not too hard to see that. At least they are showing some loyalty to their customers in a situation in my opinion that they do not owe anybody jack shit.
QFT.
Hense how they keep your business; they're showing they care about you(r dollar).